Back in 1991 when Earth first began releasing music as a band, a review of their music would’ve felt at home on the pages of Metal Maniacs. Now here we are in 2012 and a review of Earth’s new album feels at home on Fluid Radio. Most people mark the career of Earth by its two phases: the 1990s version saw them inventing the doom/drone metal genre that Sunn O))) continues to explore, and then there is the mid-2000s incarnation that saw them return as mellowed out blues-country explorers. What links both those phases is an interest in an interaction between player and instrument. This latest album sees Dylan Carlson and co continuing to explore minimal terrain, but in some ways Earth is still the heaviest band around.

A lot of things have changed in Earth’s sound over the years but little has changed in their approach. As Aphex Twin once said of Squarepusher: “A lot of musicians are interested in the sound of music; he is interested in the sound of sound”. The same could be said of Carlson’s work, or, really, of many musicians that use minimal electronics to create drone music. There is a parallel between Carlson’s works and, say, Gareth Hardwick’s ‘Sunday Afternoon’ in that both are interested in focusing the listener on really hearing a particular instrument, slowing down the music so that you can really hear the nuances. When Carlson arrived on the scene in 1989 Seattle he proclaimed the ‘sludge’ sound of The Melvins as a key influence. But by taking that sound to a whole other level and branding it as metal he created a whole new sub-genre of metal. And remember, he was doing this following a period when most prominent metal musicians were interested in getting faster. If you ever watch a video of Carlson play live you can tell he’s listening very closely to not just what he’s playing, but what his instrument is doing, be it an extra twang, a sporadic moment of feedback, etc.

Which brings us to the real question that most people ask themselves when comparing Earth phase 1 and Earth phase 2: Is this the same music just without the distortion? Certainly, Carlson seems to embrace the idea that people use the earlier releases as a guide to frame the current material. However, this really is an expansion of that earlier approach. On this record it feels like Carlson’s work is a guiding force across the album while other instruments serve to accent the swells of each riff or to provide the more drone aspects of the record. Opener “A Sigil of Brass” consists of guitar and little else. Cello and drums occasionally enter to lend a coda to the main riff.

“His Teeth Did Brightly Shine” finds a bluesy, psychedelic mode while palm-muted bass gives the piece stable bedrock to build on. Guitars are layered and offer experimental nuances, but still the riff is the center of the universe propelling everything else out from it. In true Earth fashion there is little movement in the compositions on the album, instead they rely on an almost meditative repetitiveness that insists the listener pay close attention, appreciating the attention to the details of an extra string bend, a strum.

On “Multiplicity of Doors (A Waltz)”, drums enter the album for the first time in a prominent way. Cello too drifts in and out of the mix offering menacing sharp notes and extended bowed phrases. Each note of the primary riff feels like a punch to the gut and this is one of those instances where old Earth is a useful to guide to see that this is a distortion pedal away from being the heaviest thing you’d hear all year.

“The Corascene Dog” finds the band in late night-jazz territory. Percussion is prominent on this one. There is a lose but dramatic style of drumming that Earth has embraced over recent years that makes Carlson’s riffs even punchier, but also lends the music a sort of restless quality. Again, Carlson has two channels of guitar coming at the listener: one providing a repetitive central riff, the other being more loose and having an almost psychedelic blues feel to it.

Song five “The Rakehell “ is the album closer. It’s a bluesy headnodder and again, that second layer of guitar is lending something new to the band’s sonic palette, it almost makes the album feel more ‘jam’-like; an odd thing to say about a band still noted for being a drone metal act. However, Carlson has noted that Earth finally feels like a concrete band, rather than a revolving door of valued collaborators.

“Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II” is an album that continues the pleasing evolution of these doom/drone purveyors. I’m reminded of early Queens of the Stone Age and certain Clutch records in its ability to nod in the direction of the blues music that inspired early metal. Not because it sounds like those artists but because it offers a simple record conceptually that still manages to hint at the players’ appreciation of those that came before them whilst also appreciating that those musicians did their best to create new and challenging music, thus so should you. The story of Earth’s evolution continues to be a most interesting and, thankfully, rewarding one.

- Brendan Moore @essentialyes for Fluid Radio

www.southernlord.com

At first sight you might not recognise the name, but Craig Tattersall has been making music for a good, long while now under a wide range of artist names, either alone or with a number of collaborators. Over the years Craig has been involved in too many projects to name: Hood, the Famous Boyfriend, Remote Viewer, the Boats, the Humble Bee, E&I, the Archivist, Theodore and Hamblin… I imagine these are only the ones I’m aware of. Besides these numerous guises (and voluminous remix work) he co-founded the Moteer/ Mobeer record labels, with Andrew Johnson, and currently oversees the Cotton Goods label (hand making each release out of reclaimed books with an evident degree of painstaking attention to detail and love).

It’s a given that most regular visitors to Fluid, would have heard some of Craig’s music at some point.

I first heard Craig’s music in 2002 on the Remote Viewer album “here we go again on our own”. At the time City Centre Offices were putting out some of the freshest sounding acoustic-influenced electronica around and, for me, the Remote Viewer seemed to define the sound. I remember being amazed that music of this calibre was coming out of my corner of England. Since then, I’d say that Craig’s stuff has been a constant feature of my listening diet – theres always something about it that just compels me to listen and absorb.

Despite the dizzying array of projects and incredible rate of production, there’s always something recognisable, something ‘Craig-y’, about everything he puts his hand to. It’s a unique sound, at once familiar yet always beguiling and somehow elusive. Even in the more abstract Humble Bee material, melody plays a central and paradoxical role – there’s a melancholy touch but it’s never cloying, there’s a kind of well-defined vagueness, neither too overt nor too subtle…always catchy but still forever unlikely to become so familiar as to lose it’s emotional pull.

In this selection, I’ve not even touched the surface of his recorded output. I’ve merely tried to give a bit of a taste of what Craig’s music is about – I think I’ve veered closer to the more beaty/clicky side of things, but in so doing, I know that I’ve neglected to do justice to the more abstract/ambient/experimental music that he produces with such apparent ease (exemplified by the Humble Bee/ E&I releases). Given my clumsy mixing, and limited selection of material, I’m thankful that the gentle beauty and well honed touches of Craig’s work manage to speak for itself.

Give this brief introduction a listen, get comfortable with it, and I’m pretty sure you’ll fall in love with Craig’s vision too. – John McCaffrey

Tracklist:

1: Forget Everything (remote viewer remix)– the famous boyfriend unreleased
2: This is About You, This is About Me – the archivist
3: Pewn – theodore & Hamblin
4: Untitled – remote viewer unreleased
5: No More Wasting Chances – the sea
6: Untitled (remote viewer remix) – brael/tokyo bloodworm
7: Walsh Ambrose – remote viewer
8: 17 Nov 2009 – humble bee
9: The Noises Inside Craig’s Head – the famous boyfriend
10: A School of Cherry Blossoms – the sea
11: You Are Made of Stardust – the archivist
12: At Little Time – the boats
13: Spend More Time With Me – remote viewer
14: The Fucking Bleeding Heart Brigade – remote viewer

www.cottongoods.co.uk
www.moteer.co.uk

Rough Guide Vol.4 - Low by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

Ok, it was my own choice to make this ‘Rough Guide’ about Low. But where to begin? It’s almost an impossible task to make an ‘acurate’ overview of Low’s carreer, within a timespan of 90 minutes, without excluding a great ammount of brilliant tunes. So, you won’t find anything from their great debut ‘I Could Live in Hope’, their ‘Transmission’ EP or their ‘Paris ’99′ live album here. Still, this un-chronologically mixed set gives a nice hint of the musical directions Low went on in their carreer. From the extreme minimalism of the first years, to the eclectic dub-infused experimentalism (for them, that is) of their latest album ‘Drums and Guns’. And I did include two short parts from Alan’s ‘Solo Guitar’ album, which blended in nicely…

The first time I heard Low was after buying the before mentioned ‘I Could Live in Hope’. I found it for a bargain price at Electric Fetus, in Minneapolis, where I was for a holiday. I liked the sleeve, and had read their name in some articles, so it was worth the try, I’d thought. And it was indeed. From there on, I developed a great love (or better, an addiction) to their music.

From the beginning, I was struck by Low’s ability to make extremely minimalistic music, but with great emotional impact. This was actually harder hitting then most of the death metal I used to listen to from years earlier. And so much more earnest. The real deal.

I practically saw them perform each time they visited the Netherlands (mostly in Paradiso, Amsterdam, a former church), and everytime it was amazing. Well okay, to be honest, the first two gigs I saw were the best, but still, there are not many bands that can create such an intense and yet intimate experience as Low. It’s mesmerizing.

Over the years they became less minimal and heavier. Maybe this has to do with Alan Sparhawk’s drug-problems and his struggle with his religion, but the beauty in the music gets more and more accompanied by anger, as it seems to me. It’s as if whilst being a believer, he at the same time questions religion. On one of the latest tours, Alan seemed a bit lost on stage. Talking weird, not being focussed. A friend of mine even saw a gig where he threw his guitar into the audience… not a very Christian thing to do, is it?

Also, the production values of their records developed. The first two albums (‘I Could Live in Hope’ and ‘Long Division’) were sober and to the point, the third one (‘Songs for a Dead Pilot’) a lot more ‘ambientesque’, than on ‘Secret Name’ and ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’ they incorporated other instruments like strings and trumpet in the mix. Dave Fridman (Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev) produced their last two albums, resulting in the most experimental Low tracks thusfar. Weird panning effects, alien echoes, drummachines, all things that seemed unthinkable at first. Starting as an act with a sound that seemed to be culled from dogma rules, they now transformed into an act where practically everything is possible.

Having written this down, it strikes me how boring this actually is to read, compared to listening to the beautiful music… So here you go…

- Rutger Zuydervelt

Track List:

1 (0:00)
That’s How You Sing Amazing Grace
from the album ‘Trust’ (2002)

2 (7:00)
Because You Stood Still
from the boxset ‘A Lifetime of Temporary Relief’ (2004)

3 (12:27)
Starfire
from the album ‘Secret Name’ (1999)

4 (15:10)
Don’t Understand
from the album ‘Secret Name’ (1999)

5 (21:42)
Sagrado Corazon
from the album ‘Solo Guitar’ (2006) by Alan Sparhawk

6 (22:47)
Shame
from the album ‘Long Division’ (1995)

7 (26:40)
Will the Night
from the album ‘Secret Name’ (1999)

8 (28:57)
Venus (live)
from the album ‘One More Reason to Forget’ (2000)

9 (32:51)
So Easy (So Far)
from the ‘Bombscare EP’ with Spring Heel Jack (2000)

10 (36:27)
Sunflower
from the album ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’ (2003)

11 (40:47)
Landlord
from the album ‘Songs for a Dead Pilot’ (1997)

12 (47:02)
How it Ends
from the album ‘Solo Guitar’ (2006) by Alan Sparhawk

13 (47:55)
Lust
from the album ‘The Curtain Hits the Cast’ (1996)

14 (51:53)
Take Your Time
from the album ‘Drums and Guns’ (2007)

15 (55:56)
One Special Gift
from the EP ‘Christmas’ (1999)

16 (57:43)
Like a Forrest
from the album ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’ (2003)

17 (60:04)
If You Were Born Today
from the EP ‘Christmas’ (1999)

18 (64:27)
Dragonfly
from the album ‘Drums and Guns’ (2007)

19 (67:54)
Monkey (Fog Remix)
from the EP ‘Tonight the Monkey Dies’ (2006)

20 (72:35)
Over the Ocean
from the album ‘The Curtain Hits the Cast’ (1996)

21 (76:15)
Death of a Salesman
from the album ‘The Great Destroyer’ (2004)

22 (78:40)
John Prine
from the album ‘Trust’ (2002)

Compiled and mixed by Rutger Zuydervelt for Fluid Radio

www.myspace.com/low
www.machinefabriek.nu

Rough Guide Vol.3 - Arvo Pa?Rt by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

It’s been a while since the last Rough Guide instalment and what better way to return than with a selection of compositions from Arvo Part selected by the one and only Aaron Martin…

Arvo Part was born in Paide, Estonia, a small town near Tallinn, the country’s capital, on 11 September 1935. In 1944, Estonia saw the occupation of the Soviet Union, which would last for over 50 years, and would have a profound effect on his life and music.

His musical studies began in 1954 at the Tallinn Music Secondary School, interrupted less than a year later while he fulfilled his National Service obligation as oboist and side-drummer in an army band. He returned to Middle School for a year before joining the Tallinn Conservatory in 1957, where his composition teacher was Professor Heino Eller. Pärt started work as a recording engineer with Estonian Radio, wrote music for the stage and received numerous commissions for film scores so that, by the time he graduated from the Conservatory in 1963, he could already be considered a professional composer. A year before leaving, he won first prize in the All-Union Young Composers’ Competition for a children’s cantata, Our Garden, and an oratorio, Stride of the World.

Living in the old Soviet Union, Pärt had little access to what was happening in contemporary Western music but, despite such isolation, the early 1960s in Estonia saw many new methods of composition being brought into use and Pärt was at the fore front. His Nekrolog was the first Estonian composition to employ serial technique. He continued with serialism through to the mid 60s in pieces such as the Symphony No. 1, Symphony No. 2 and Perpetuum Mobile, but ultimately tired of its rigours and moved on to experiment, in works such as Collage über BACH, with collage techniques.

Official judgement of Pärt’s music veered between extremes, with certain works being praised and others, like the Credo of 1968, being banned. This would prove to be the last of his collage pieces and after its composition, Pärt chose to enter the first of several periods of contemplative silence, also using the time to study French and Franco-Flemish choral music from the 14th to 16th centuries: Machaut, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Josquin. At the very beginning of the 1970s, he wrote a few transitional compositions in the spirit of early European polyphony, like his Symphony No. 3 from 1971.

Pärt turned again to self-imposed silence, but re-emerged in 1976 after a transformation so radical as to make his previous music almost unrecognisable as that of the same composer. The technique he invented, or discovered, and to which he has remained loyal, practically without exception, he calls “tintinnabuli” (from the Latin, little bells), which he describes thus: “I have discovered that it is enough when a single note is beautifully played. This one note, or a silent beat, or a moment of silence, comforts me. I work with very few elements —with one voice, two voices. I build with primitive materials —with the triad, with one specific tonality. The three notes of a triad are like bells and that is why I call it tintinnabulation.” The basic guiding principle behind tintinnabulation of composing two simultaneous voices as one line —one voice moving stepwise from and to a central pitch, first up then down, and the other sounding the notes of the triad— made its first public appearance in the short piano piece, Für Alina.

Having found his voice, there was a subsequent rush of new works and three of the 1977 pieces —Fratres, Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten and Tabula Rasa— are still amongst his most highly regarded. As Pärt’s music began to be performed in the west and he continued to struggle against Soviet officialdom, his frustration ultimately forced him, his wife Nora and their two sons, to emigrate in 1980. They never made it to their intended destination of Israel but, with the assistance of his publisher in the West, settled firstly in Vienna, where he took Austrian citizenship. One year later, with a scholarship from the German Academic Exchange, he moved to West Berlin where he still lives.

Since leaving Estonia, Pärt has concentrated on setting religious texts, which have proved popular with choirs and ensembles around the world. Among his champions in the West have been Manfred Eicher’s ECM Records who released the first recordings of Pärt’s music outside the Soviet bloc, Paul Hillier’s Hilliard Ensemble who have premiered several of the vocal works and Neeme Järvi, a long time collaborator of Pärt who conducted the premiere of Credo in Tallinn in 1968 and has, as well as recording the tintinnabuli pieces, introduced Pärt’s earlier compositions through performances and recordings.

Pärt’s achievements were honoured in his 61st year by his election to the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was nominated as 14th International Composer for the year 2000 by the Royal Academy of Music in London. In May 2003, he also received the “Contemporary Music Award” at the Classical Brit Awards ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

11 September 2005 was the date of Arvo Pärt’s 70th birthday. As a homage to the composer, the Rakvere Arvo Pärt Festival 2005 took place in several Estonian towns.

Track List:

Lamentate: III. Fragile
Como cierva sedienta: II.
Da pacem Domine
Tabula Rasa: I. Ludus – Con Moto
Magnificat
Berliner Messe – 6. Credo
Fratres (I)
My Heart’s in the Highlands
Berliner Messe: Agnus Dei
Spiegel im Spiegel: 1

www.arvopart.info
www.myspace.com/prisonwine

Rough Guide Vol.1 - Adrian Orange by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

RE-POST: The Rough Guide series is a new edition to Fluid Radio. It involves mixes that gather a selection of material from an artist’s catalogue and paints a musical ‘journey’ of their career….

The first in the series is presented by Wim Maesschalck as he looks at compositions from the talented Adrian Orange. Here is what Wim had to say:

Because I miss Thanksgiving and the warm person I met during a few European tours, I asked Dan to compile a selection of my favourite Adrian Orange songs instead of doing a regular folkmix. Without new releases he’s bound to be forgotten by the new-loving internet music-community. He generously agreed and so here it is.. a mixtape sung by Adrian Orange. Do try and get your hands on any LP or CD he made, in my opinion they’re bound to go out of print if they haven’t already.

The songs on the mixtape are grouped by record and ordered by my favourite records of his. To finish I included some songs I found on compilations and a 7″

Adrian Orange was born in 1986 – living in Portland, Oregan for the bigger part of his life. He released his first record “We Could Be Each Other’s Evidence” in 2002, at the age of 16. A year later he released “Nothing” the first release on Marriage Records.

In 2004 he released an amazing and crackly 7″ (The Lake At Night / The “In The Lake”), a humble ep with only sparse acoustic guitar and his trembling voice titled “Now It Is All Over Like The Birds” but also his masterpiece “Welcome Nowhere”.  Recorded with the help of Phil Elverum of Mount Eerie – and also the first record to be released on Elverum’s PW Elverum & Sun label. The sound of it is so delicate, humble, simple modest and thankful. It makes you want to say thank you to nature, wind, forests, mountains, just being thankful that you’re alive and that you’re in this world. Don’t expect well performed or well recorded songs matching todays standards, but a true lofi gem. Originally pressed on 600 it has been repressed with outtakes and a vinyl version of the ep “The Ghost & The Eyes With Trees In The Ground” from 2005.

Also in 2005 Adrian managed to release a triple LP simply called “Thanksgiving”. It is probably the record which covers the most aspects of his carreer, but sometimes it’s a difficulat listen with the abundance of songs. Then there’s “The “In The World”" 12″ which sounds similar to “Welcome Nowhere”, but is not as captivating. If that wasn’t enough, he also released a cd on Hive-Fi Records called The River. It is a wonderful Will Oldham-esque folk record with a little more arrangements. Still lofi, still not really what one would call a “tight production”, but it has some incredible songwriting. By the age of 21, Adrian managed to release 5 albums and 3 ep’s, full of wisdom, calmness and honesty.

After “Cave Days And Moments” in 2006 he chose to record under his given name. He recorded 2 albums: one very similar to the thanksgiving sound, another one more playful incorporating styles as dub and afrobeat in 2007. After that he seems to have stopped releasing stuff, getting focussed on electronic music, weed and hiphop. Unfortunately, that’s not for the better as far as I can tell. - Wim

Track List:

1. Welcome – Welcome Nowhere & Extra’s 2LP+CD on PW Elverum & Sun (2007)
2. Rich (Homeless) – Welcome Nowhere & Extra’s 2LP+CD on PW Elverum & Sun (2007)
3. Nowhere – Welcome Nowhere & Extra’s 2LP+CD on PW Elverum & Sun (2007)
4. Responsibility – The River CD on Hive-Fi (2005)
5. Storyteller – The River CD on Hive-Fi (2005)
6. Oh Well – The River CD on Hive-Fi (2005)
7. Around The World – Thanksgiving 3LP+CD (Marriage Recs/Pw Elverum & Sun (2005)
8. Dead Deer & Other Animals – Thanksgiving 3LP+CD (Marriage Recs/Pw Elverum & Sun (2005)
9. Oregon – Thanksgiving 3LP+CD (Marriage Recs/Pw Elverum & Sun (2005)
10. (You Belong To The) Blood – Cave Days & Moments CD – Marriage Recs (2006)
11. The Old Graveyard – Cave Days & Moments CD – Marriage Recs (2006)
12. Fire Dream – Adrian Orange & Her Band s.t. LP (2007)
13. Save The World – Bitches Is Lord CD (as Adrian Orange) (2006)
14. Bad World – The “In The World” 12″ – Marriage Recs (2005)
15. The Ghost & The Eyes – The Ghost & The Eyes With Trees In The Ground CD – States Rights Records (2005)
16. Untitled Track 01 – Now It Is All Over Like The Birds CD – Marriage Recs (2004)
17. The Lake At Night – 7″ – Marriage Recs (2004)
18. Grandfather Dawn – Own Zone Compilation – States Rights Records (2004)

www.marriagerecs.com
www.pwelverumandsun.com
www.en.wikipedia.org
www.last.fm/music/Adrian+Orange

www.myspace.com/wixel

Rough Guide Vol.2 - Eleni Karaindrou by Fluid Radio on Mixcloud

The ‘Rough Guide’ series returns to Fluid Radio with it’s second musical expedition. This new selection comes from the one and only Nils Frahm as he paints a detailed portrait of Eleni Karaindrou…

‘Eleni´s music has always moved me in a very special way. I realised that her work is not known to many people, so I hope this mix might help to spread her beautiful compositions. The pieces you hear, are all taken from the film scores she did for Theo Angelopoulos. Her subtle, classical but never boring compositions found their way into my life and I think it is an important addition. I hope you’ll enjoy them like I do.’ – Nils Frahm

Track List:

Bus Part
Depart
2 0
Waiting 1
Train Car Neigbourhood Variation
Prayer
The Suspended Step
Hearing The Time
Parodos (The Land I Call Home)
An Ode Of Tears
Hercubas Theme 1
Hercubas Theme 2
Young Man’s Theme
The Tree
The Weaping Meadow
Lament 2
The River – Refugee’s Theme
Cassandra’s Theme
Theme Of The Uprooting 2
The Weaping Meadow 2
The Poet

About Eleni Karaindrou:

Eleni Karaindrou was born in 1941 in the Greek mountain village of Teichio. She studied piano and musical theory at the Athens Hellenic Conservatory, history and archaeology at the University of Athens, and ethnomusicology and orchestration at the Sorbonne and the Scuola Cantorum in Paris.

Since 1975 she has composed music for more than twenty feature films, and for more than 40 theatre plays and numerous television productions. Collaborating most often with Greek directors – above all Theo Angelopoulos, with whom she has had an ongoing creative association since 1983 – she has also worked with Harold Pinter, Chris Marker, Jules Dassin, Margarethe von Trotta and others.

Karaindrou has received numerous awards including the State Music Award (Greece) for her music for “Eternity and a Day”, the Dmitris Mitropoulos Award for her music for theatre (1994-96), and the Fellini Award from Europa Cinema, Italy. In 2002 she received the Golden Cross of the Order of Honor from the Greek president, for her life’s work. In 2004 she was nominated for the European Film Award for her music for “The Weeping Meadow”, which was also Oscar-nominated.

Eleni Karaindrou has been an ECM recording artist since 1991, working closely with producer Manfred Eicher in rearranging and adapting compositions originally written for stage and screen for album release. Her ECM discs are “Music for Films”, “The Suspended Step of the Stork”, “Ulysses’ Gaze”, “Eternity and a Day”, “Trojan Women”, “The Weeping Meadow” and “Elegy of the Uprooting”.

She is married to Antonis Antypas, film and theatrical director with whom she has a son, Giorgos Faraklas, professor of philosophy.

www.myspace.com/elenikaraindrou
www.theoangelopoulos.com
www.myspace.com/nilsfrahm