June Duo From Eiderdown
6.17.14 by Mike Haley
These two cassette dropped out of the Eiderdown womb a couple of weeks ago but are just now being funneled by my pinnae, a two week delay I would rather not have occurred. Because hot damn, they are both serious sense-massages. Standard output for Eiderdown, the Seattle based bringers of excitement, who have proved themselves time after time to be a proverbial Midas of magnetic tape. Dig into their back catalog for confirmation.
“Distant Realities” by New Forest streams a coarse procession of dismal beauty for 40 minutes. Gently growing through a demonstration of delicacy and corrosion. Half High’s “Calling Nina” is a C30 in obvious running for multiple ‘best of’ lists. This shit is bonkers on multiple levels. The demanding synths, high pursuit rhythms, and nutso details of the recording sesh itself will shove those goosebumps to the outer crust of your skin. (details in the label write up below w/ full streams)
The sci-fi/comic book artwork was once again penned out by Max Clotfelter, who nails it every time. Again, dig into Eiderdown’s back catalog for confirmation. Two color silk screening on light blue stock of pod plants in a lantern room and a blindfolded glop monster slave with his dangle flowing in the breeze. Sound weird? It should. Because it looks even weirder. Professional dubbies, imprinted on both sides, edition of 100. Shall we partake?
“Over at least a decade, Levi Berner has assumed many musical disguises as he haunts the hills of the Pacific Northwest. Algiers, Vexations, and Diseased Visions are but just a few of his recording names visible just above the waterline. His latest nom de guerre, NEW FOREST, sees Berner embracing his ongoing pursuit of the beauty in decay but also heads into more subtle textural arenas. Waves of granular hiss purr around your body as your senses adjust to new unnatural surroundings. When you recalibrate, a new field of sound wraps around your legs, pulling you further into the static bog. Its comforting and suffocating at the same time, a sound of both alien flora and psycho-topographic maps of the caves in the minds eye. Get lost.”
Lucy Cliche and Matthew Hopkins are denizens of Sydney, Australia, formerly of Naked On The Vague, the Bowles, Knitted Abyss, and a kitchens sink worth of other tantalizing musical endeavors. As HALF HIGH, the two have taken everything they know about creep mood and midnight tones and used that arcane knowledge to open an audio gateway into ghostly realms.
“Calling Nina” was recorded live in a performance space where the paranormal branch of the Australian Secret Service had once conducted seances to contact the spirit of a Russian psychic (Nina Kulagina). Twelve mysterious deaths later, the agents declared the space haunted and gave up the ghost.
This live recording of HALF HIGH was their attempt to not only perhaps establish contact but also to generate a collaboration with the spectral energy of the room. The results are powerful. Synths toll as weary bells, disembodied voices beckon from the the corners of the room, and a vague sense of unease and revelation hangs in every second of this recording. Listen up: the sounds of “Calling Nina” are still echoing down the halls of the afterlife as we speak.
Don’t be a dumb bell. Nobody likes a dumb bell. Go grip these up NOW through the Bandcamp linkage above.
