Silber Records

Alright, minor slip-up on my year-end recognition of labels doing great things, but in my defence, I only became aware of this one towards the end of the year. Which is really a huge loss on my part, because these folks are among the newfound breed of independent music organizations that "get it": they get what's going on in the industry right now, they get how to find and work with undiscovered talent, and they get how to make it work for them.

Silber Records has been alive and kicking for over 10 years, doing the noble - and difficult - act of releasing varied and consistently great music. It'd be fair to say the focus is on "ambient"[ish] music, running the gamut from post-rock to the darker side of drone and noise, plus a healthy bit of experimental everything on side (is post-jazz a thing? There might be post-jazz). Something for all the kids, y'know?

Odds are, if words like "ambient", "post-rock", "drone" and "noise" have kept you reading thus far, then you're going to find something you'll like here. And for the avant-curious, everything is up for free download or cheap purchase, so you've got nothing to lose and horizons to broaden. There are literally days worth of free downloads and I still have a lot to sink my eager teeth into myself, but here's a couple of favourites I've stumbled upon:


Remora - Guitar Antihero


Download.

"Brian John Mitchell (Remora) boosted the sound to the next level by using five guitars, a bass, & four amplifiers instead of the standard single guitar & amp. The additional guitars were staged around the main amplifier to act as drone instruments. Probably the loudest Remora show ever (reports are it was heard clearly a block away) & often on the cusp of losing control of the wave of sound, the piece ended with Mitchell nearly throwing up from the volume exposure."

If you're not going to download this based on that quote alone, you're not my friend any more. Massive, hypnotic noise, pretagged as "guitar terrorism" and I can't say I disagree. Brian is also the head honcho at Silber, so evidently this label is in good hands.


Aarktica - Live at KUCI 6/15/05



Download.

Probably the most subtle of the Silber releases I've listened to so far, Aarktica tip-toe the thin line between post-rock and dream-pop/shoegaze: slow, methodical build-ups and blissful wall-of-sound embraces, with the surprise (and lovely) addition of vocals, horns and electronics. Don't be scared by the "post-rock" tag, I promise you this is not Explosions In The Sky-lite or crescendo-core.

Moodring - Live



Download.

Sorry, I'm really at a loss for how to describe this band. It's seems to be pretty free-form, and I might describe the drums as "free jazz-y" if I was rhythmically-inclined enough to make judgements about such matters; it's noisy but surprisingly listenable and the people involved in this are obviously talented musicians. I'll just go ahead and call this "pigfuckjazz" because it feels like a fairly concrete summation.


So go ahead and download and don't feel guilty. If you dig it, though, buy yourself a physical copy and throw some dollars at 'em through their online store. If nothing else, search through their archives for something that tickles your fancy. I can almost guarantee you'll find something.

Best of '09 part 3/2

Er, yeah. Just wanted to rap 'bout some of my favourite live moments from '09, which I had originally intended to do as part of my previous post(s). Oh well!

HANDS DOWN BEST CONCERT EXPERIENCE OF THE YEAR/MY LIFE AWARD

All Tomorrow's Parties 2009 - Kutsher's, Monticello, New York

All in all, it was one of those events, one of those eye-opening, not-life-changing-but-certainly-uh-really-great experiences. Really, it was a bit of a dream come true: 3 days in New York (and actually only my second time out of this country), staying at a hotel with an absurdly fantastic line-up of artists, playing music all-day (hats off to Oneida, who holed up in the bar the last day of the festival and literally jammed all day). Boredoms, Suicide, Deerhunter, Atlas Sound, Melvins, Boris, Shellac, Circulatory System, Black Moth Super Rainbow, The Feelies, Dirty Three, Grouper, Bob Mould with No Age, The Jesus Lizard, David Cross... it feels surreal just typing the [incomplete] list, but seriously... just, holy shit. I also left early on Monday morning, having bought bus tickets for the evening, so I could spend the day in New York City. Being the complete dork that I am I did spend half of it record shopping, but caught the essential sites by and large. Can't wait to do it again.

Highlight: My girlfriend asking Dominick Fernow (aka Prurient, and the owner of Hosptial Records, hands-down the best (er, only) store I've ever been to for noise/drone/whatever stuff - check it out if you're ever in the city) if he knew of any good ice cream places nearby, a question which he answered thoughtfully and politely, instead of screaming distorted S&M mantras at us like I had braced myself for.


BEST VALUE AWARD

Broken Social Scene - Harbourfront Centre, Toronto

Broken Social Scene is infinitely kind to their hometown. Last time I saw them in Toronto (the November previous to this show), they played for two-and-a-half hours, and the whole gang was there, even Emily Haines. And for some reasons, Brock Isaac from Modest Mouse was there too, and played a couple of his songs with the whole BSS crew backing him up. So how on Earth do you top that? How's abouts a free, outdoor show right on the lakeshore? And how about playing for two hours, bringing in literally every BSS collaborator (including the oft-absent Feist and filming the show for an upcoming movie? Hot damn!

Highlight: The all-too-rare performance of "Almost Crimes".



"OH MY GOD, IT'S REALLY THEM" AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN THE FIELD OF APPEASING MY FANBOYISM

SONIC YOUTH - Massey Hall, Toronto

I want to call Sonic Youth the most "solid" band I listen to, but "solid" carries with it impressions of overwhelming adequacy - I mean "solid" in the unwavering sense, like an old friend or favourite nightstand ("favourite nightstand"...?). Really, I can't flat-out say I "hate" any particular Sonic Outing: their occasionally ill-recieved early albums are incredible, Daydream Nation is one of very few records I dare call "perfect" (or, if you had talked to me in the month leading up to the show, "best fucking record ever goddamn recorded, motherfucker! SCREAMING SONIC LUV!"), their "pop" records are damn catchy and I think, in all seriousness and earnestly not just to be contrary to popular opinion and revel in my own fandom, NYC Ghosts & Flowers is a really great record (really). Ok, maybe The Eternal was just "solid" in the accepted meaning of the word ("Antenna" is grand, though), but they killed it live.

Sonic Highlight: "Death Valley '69". THEY DID "DEATH VALLEY '69".



DOUCHIEST AUDIENCE

ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Sound Academy, Toronto

One part "recent superstardom", one part "inappropriate opening act", and one part "shitty venue" all came together into one decidedly unenjoyable mess of an evening, explained as follows:

Part one: I'm not going to be one of those "they suck since they got famous derp derp" asshats, it just so happens that Animal Collective changed as they got famous. Compare Merriweather Post Pavilion to Feels. Now imagine which would be more exciting live. The dancefloor-friendly anthems on MPP would probably be the obvious choice, but fact of the matter is that watching three young men fiddle with synthesizers for an hour isn't all that thrilling, and for some strange reason people only really got into the groove during "My Girls" and "Brother Sport", if "got into the groove" is taken as "spilled beer and stumbled in rhythm, sort of".

Part two: I like Grouper, I really do. I'd love to see her play in, say, a church or gallery, somewhere where the audience can sit and enjoy the atmospheric reverb-folk properly. Grouper should not be opening to a crowd with beer and "My Girls" and the inability to muster up the respect not to boo.

Part three: The Sound Academy is just the worst venue in the city, period. Nigh inaccessible without a car and stupidly laid out (if you're in the front row, it will literally take you 10-15 minutes to get out of the place). Blah.


OTHER RAD SHOWS OF 2009


THE HAPPINESS PROJECT - The Music Gallery, Toronto
Warm-and-fuzzy music by hyper-friendly musicians, at one of the more intimate and well run venues in the city.

MV+EE with WOODS - Whippersnapper Gallery, Toronto
Tiny space, tiny audience, but loud as hell and an all-around hippie-friendly, space-folky good time.

"TALES OF THE UNCANNY" - Yonge & Dundas Square, Toronto
Do Make Say Think, Final Fantasy and Robert Lippok joined forces to play a soundtrack to a silent horror film at a free outdoor show in the heart of downtown Toronto. Amazing, in concept and in execution.

FUCKED UP with WOMEN and VIVIAN GIRLS - The Phoenix, Toronto
Look, just go see Fucked Up if you ever get the chance, ok?


Ok, done reflecting - future ho!

Best o' oh-nine: part 2/2

OUR BROTHER THE NATIVE - Sacred Psalms

Will you people just listen to this goddamn album already? Severely underappreciated band, for reasons beyond my comprehension. Wonderfully organic, lush, experimental pop-music. Buy it already.

Our Brother the Native - Well Bred

CHILD BITE - Split 7" series

A series of 3 7"s with Big Bear, This Moment in Black History, and dd/mm/yyyy. Spastic-but-catchy [genre]core, and, above all, fun fun fun. Three different vinyl colours, interconnected sleeves, and a strong-case for why 7" singles rule. Check it.

I've also decided that more year-end write-ups are going to be a bit redundant, since they're fairly obvious choices that you've already read umpteen blurbs about (that, or simply the fact that I find the longer the list goes on, the less enthusiastic I am about writing it because I feel you're less enthusiastic about reading it), but for anyone curious (anyone?):
DO MAKE SAY THINK - Other Truths
ATLAS SOUND - Logos
SONIC YOUTH - Live at Battery Park
WE ALL INHERIT THE MOON/THE ASCENT OF EVEREST - Split 12"
TWINSISTERMOON - The Hollow Mountain

MORE INTERESTING RECOGNITIONS OF 2009

FAVOURITE LABEL OF 2009
*based not necessarily on the strength of their releases for the year but, rather, my general appreciation of their M.O., etc.

FUTURE RECORDINGS

Run by former Indian Summer member Adam [Lastnameescapesme], Future Recordings - excuse the phrase - keeps it real. One of the few labels out there that really understands that the music industry game is changing (along with another personal favourite, Enemies List), FR offers up free downloads of all their releases (and yeah, they're pretty much all worth downloading), and sells their merchandise dirt cheap: all CDs for $7, all LPs for $10 (although they seem to be jacking up the prices all the way to a fairly absurd twelve dollars) , and at-cost (if not under-cost shipping). And this does mean all CDs, no matter how work-intensively the production was (such as Goodnight, Sleep Well's EP, which came in a printed box, with a handmade sleeve and a patch, all hand-tied together), and yes, all LPs, even the gob-smackingly beautiful We All Inherit the Moon release, the description of which reads like record nerd's wet dream: 180g vinyl, hand-etched B-side, signed 8x11 art print, and sewn-and-printed sleeve... $10, folks, why hasn't this sold out?(!).

RE-RELEASE OF THE YEAR


HAVE A NICE LIFE - Deathconsciousness

It's Deathconsciousness. It's on heavy vinyl in a lovely gatefold. It's the last pressing of the famous 70+ page booklet that accompanies the album. Buy it while you still can. I'd also like to nominate Voids as freebie of the year. Download it.

PACKAGING OF THE YEAR
tie
TWINSISTERMOON - The Hollow Mountain
SUNN O))) - MONOLITHS AND DIMENSIONS (2xLP)

Monoliths & Dimensions is suitably monolithic on vinyl (oh fuck, I need a break from writing...): translucent dust jacket, printed sleeves, heavy vinyl, poster, etc, etc. Sure, you pay for what you get, but it's a beaut, really.

Likewise, The Holow Mountain costs a pretty penny (luckily I grabbed mine for $40 when it went on sale, but now this sucker's getting $200 on eBay), but again, maybe even moreso than the Sunn O))) LP, you can tell how much work went into this: hand-screened jacket and a stunning full-colour booklet, along with a hand-numbered LP by the fine folk(s?) at Dull Knife.

BEST O' OH-NINE

Severely delayed, yes, I know, but life, as it is, tends to get in the way, so the holidays combined with various personal detours on the road to the grave bumped "blogging" down on my list of priorities just a smidge. But hey, new year, new attitude, GO TEAM.

So let's just get this out of the way:
ALBUM OF THE YEAR: Mount Eerie - Wind's Poem



Thank you, Phil Elverum, for giving me one of the only albums this year to immediately give me that warm, fuzzy feeling right from the outset that says "Calvin, you're going to live this." Wind's Poem had me at its buzzsaw 'hello' with "Wind's Dark Poem", took my hand and dragged me into its dense foggy flaming forest home. An absolutely blissful union of black metal aesthetic with folk sensibility, it's the dirty little crossover that Elverum's been flirting with for a while and finally decided to embrace, with really stunning results.

(Side note: what is it with sensitive folk musicians and their black metal? Owen Pallett rockin' a Mayhem shirt, John Darnielle's oft-mentioned love of metal, and one of my favourite local artists, Wyrd Visions, who is quite literally plays acousitc black metal (and even did a cover of "Freezing Moon".)

So yeah, there it is, my album of the year. You can sleep tight now. Unless you wanted to see something else in the ol' top-slot, in which case, maybe some honourable mentions will sate your lust:

LIGHTNING BOLT - Earthly Delights



"Skull-fuckingly heavy" feels like a bit of an understatment when talking about
Earthly Delights, but severed head gangbang lead-ski biathalon borders on silly. This one really took me by surprise, and could very well be my new favourite Lightning Bolt album. Crushingly focused and engagingly experimental, it's really an exhausting listen, but ridiculously satisfying. I fucking dare you to not bang your head when the drums come in on "Colossus".

Lightning Bolt - Colossus

NATURAL SNOW BUILDINGS - Shadow Kingdom



Yeah, ok, the cover is fairly hideous, and yeah, I'm a complete Natural Snow Buildings fanboy, but fuck, this is good, ok? Ok. Triple LP, double CD, comic-book... this thing is massive (and boy, was it priced accordingly). Maybe even a bit too big for its own good, but when the drones are as completely engulfing as these (see: "The Fall of Shadow Kingdom"), length is a bit of a moot point. Maybe not the best starting point for new fans, maybe not enough new to satisfy the grumpy old ones, but it's still an undeniably solid slab of thoughtful and charming (yeah, charming. Read the back of the comic, or listen to an interview with the band. Charming!) maelstorms.

RICHARD YOUNGS - Beyond the Valley of Ultrahits



I've already talked a length about how swell this album is, and whaddaya know, it survived the year and made it onto this list. Unfortunately released with a total pressing of less than 300, this is Youngs at his most overtly catchy and pop-oriented. Synth-heavy, layer-heavy, but positively skyward melodies. A depature, really, but which new Richard Youngs album isn't one?

LINK REMOVED. (but on the plus side, this is getting re-released!)

Part 2 coming much sooner than this part took to get here.