Dolomite...

Apologies for the unannounced week long break from the blog. I hadn’t planned on disappearing for that long, but it didn’t seem like there was much going on anyway so I figured it would be a good time to do it. I want to try and avoid that “burned out” feeling if all possible. On top of that I had a bit of a hard drive problem which took some time to sort out. All is well now though and I will hopefully have a few updates for the week ahead.

Dolomite was an experimental/noise-rock group from Chicago during the early to mid-nineties. The group featured members Neil Rosario (vocals/guitar), Rian Murphy (vocals/drums), Doug DeMers (bass), and John Whitney (vocals/guitar). Some might recognize the name Rian Murphy due to his association with Will Oldham and his session/production work with label Drag City. However, Dolomite was way before any of that. The band was originally a trio when they released their first single “Tarantula”, which I think came out through Fiasco Records. The same label would put out their first album …Of the Angels, clocking in at whopping 25 minutes that presented the band at their noisiest stages. Full of wandering noodling and random spurts of tortured feedback, it’s definitely a product of its surroundings and is unsurprisingly partly produced by Steve Albini.

Thrill Jockey picked up the band after the release of …Of the Angels and it was followed up by the release of an EP titled The Gift Horse Acetate in 1994 that is pretty much a middle ground between where they started and where they ended up. The bands second full-length Easter Someday was released in 1995 through Thrill Jockey. It’s an interesting turn in sound compared to their earlier recordings, and even what’s found on the EP preceding it. Easter Someday is a an almost completely scaled back affair when looking back on their noisier beginnings and in fact reveals a much folksier and blues influenced version of the band. The Thrill Jockey site even dubs it their “Americana” record, which seems appropriate. It’s an interesting and quite good album that if it were released today would probably have a completely different and possibly larger reception than it did when it originally came out.

I’ve provided a full album upload to the bands first semi-full-length Of the Angels. It’s a bit harder to track down the bands other two releases.

...Of the Angels:
Dolomite - ...Of the Angels (full album)

The Gift Horse Acetate:
Dolomite - This Future Conditional [MP3]

Easter Someday:
Dolomite - Don't Toss Us Away [MP3]

After Dolomite split up in the 1995, Rian Murphy went on to form Chestnut Station and as previously mentioned done work with Will Oldham. He does session/production work with Drag City as far as I know these days. Neil Rosario spent a brief amount of time in Red Red Meat before forming his own band Fifteen Couples however the band never released anything. Rosario later formed The National Trust that also featured fellow Dolomite member Doug DeMers and former Zoom member Mark Henning. John Whitney has since gone on to record a number of solo albums and also played with Murphy’s Chestnut Station.

For anyone looking to pick up Dolomite albums, most of them can be had over at Amazon for fairly cheap, however used. Definitely pick these up if the tunes above peak some interest.

Aidan Baker - Scalpel

I’ve written about Aidan Baker on here before but it was more so focusing on his collaboration/side project with Leah Buckareff called Nadja. So it’s nice to finally get to say a few things about one of Baker’s latest solo discs out now on The Kora Records entitled Scalpel. Baker has tried his hand in many different areas of music and it’s always amazing to here the outcome, as more often than not the results are excellent. There have been records that dabble more in psych, kraut, ambient, drone, and so on. However here on Scalpel, Baker has combined a familiar ambiance within his body of work with folk music for something that is loosely being dubbed as his “folk/drone” album. I really didn’t know what to make of that at first. I suppose a description like that shouldn’t be too hard to really figure out, but still it was intriguing.

The album opens with the track “K” and greets the listener with the simple plucking of an acoustic guitar that as the song moves forward begins to merge into a dreamy backdrop of sound. Everything seems so incredibly delicate, which is only enhanced by the overall sparseness throughout the recording. One of the many things that I really enjoy about Scalpel however is the increased focus on Baker’s vocals, which have gradually become a part of Baker’s sound but not so much to the amount of attention that they receive here. Granted, his vocals are still very subdued, and like the music are softly spoken amongst the strumming of his guitar. The last three tracks on the album are where it really begins to take shape however, in the form of otherworldly drones, strings, and shimmering backdrops that gradually consume Baker’s vocals and guitar into many layers of beautiful sounds. And while drifting and sparse as it may be, there is still a certain feeling of warmth within it all that for me is what makes Scalpel worth many repeated listens. It couldn’t come at a better time either as winter begins to settle itself in here in the Midwest.

Aidan Baker – K [MP3]

I am pretty sure Scalpel is limited to 500 copies, so for those out there that are interested be sure and to hit up The Kora Records before they run out. This is definitely up there as one of Aidan Baker’s best releases. Enjoy!

Pink Reason - Cleaning the Mirror

Welcome to Kevin DeBroux’s world of disappointment and depression. Debroux, who records under the moniker of Pink Reason, released the album Cleaning the Mirror on Siltbreeze a couple of months ago and I must say it’s absolutely fantastic. As most out there know, it’s incredibly difficult to feel good all the time and for those moments when you think you’ve hit rock bottom, well then Cleaning the Mirror is the type of record that should be at the top of the list to be thrown on during that oh so enjoyable period of time. The album follows up an equally amazing 7 inch that was put out in 2006 on Savage Quality/Criminal IQ.

Cleaning the Mirror is a journey through six songs that while all featuring bare bones guitar work and the warmth of lo-fi production, is able to really utilize a lot of different instruments while keeping with the ultra sullen sound. The song “Up the Sleeve” is particular impressive with its usage of a banjo. My favorite moments are however “Goodbye” and “Storm in Heaven”, both of which wrap themselves with the distant and haunting vocals from Debroux along with a slight touch of feedback making them both excellent murky displays of frustration and sadness. The album is full of variety and interesting ideas, which keeps it from falling into any sort of rut. This is highly enjoyable stuff to accompany any self-loathing that may take place in the future.

Pink Reason – Goodbye [MP3]

Cleaning the Mirror can be currently had over at Amazon. Do be sure to pick this up if you enjoy what you hear.

Holy Sons - Decline of the West

Well, I can officially say I’ve stumbled across my first album that I missed from ’06 that I am now kicking myself for. It’s inevitable that I have a few of these after the year is up. The album currently is Decline of the West from Holy Sons.

Holy Sons is the solo project of Emil Amos, whom some might recognize from his drumming in the instrumental group Grails. However, he has been releasing albums under the Holy Sons moniker for a few years now and Decline of the West serves as his fifth. Don’t feel bad though if you’ve missed out on any of his work, as Amos has kept Holy Sons pretty low key…even to the point where for the longest time he was hardly known in his own hometown of Portland. However, that has gradually been changing ever since his last album I Want to Live a Peaceful Life to which he has gained some notoriety for his impressive work. Amos, on top of singing, plays every single instrument on his albums to which I am sure becomes an incredibly tedious task after awhile. Decline of the West took 3 years of recording, mixing, and even more mixing before there was a finished product.

On Decline of the West, Holy Sons moves away from the more folk influenced sound that had graced the previous record. The title happens to be taken from an Oswald Spengler book, which on top of that even lays the foundation for the majority of the albums concept. The sound for the album is derived from, as stated by the label:

“Influenced by the avant German bands of the 70's he used nature recordings, radio transmissions and old Halloween tapes as source material to create slabs of musique concrete-style texture to surround and inhabit the songs.”

Pretty interesting stuff and it sounds ridiculously amazing as well. The whole album takes on a sort apocalyptic feel; however that’s apparently not totally the case. I would suggest reading this highly informative interview with Amos over at Penny Black Music to get more of a complete idea about the entire purpose and meaning behind Decline of the West. It’s definitely a good read and a great look into an amazing song writers mind.

Holy Sons – Gnostic Device [MP3]
Holy Sons – Saccharine Trust [MP3]

The album is currently available over Pamlico Sound along with every other Holy Sons album. Do check it out!