Weirdo Rippers #11

January is predictably grim for obvious reasons, and with it now being in the rearview mirror, several points of note made it a little bleaker.

While football is something we rarely talk about here, being both a Merseyside-based concern and a staunch advocate for the red half of the city, the backend of January was made worse by Jürgen Klopp’s decision to call time at the season’s end.

Despite the initial shock, it’s hardly surprising. 24 years of non-stop coaching and nine in the Premier League, where meticulous planning, negotiating transfers, endless press conferences throwing quotes out like bones for journalists to gnaw on and the actual coaching itself… how anyone could last in a job as long as he has is anyone’s guess.

Simply put, it’s a big blow because, in actual fact, Klopp is an individual above the game itself. In all its cronyism and corruption, whether you’re blue or red, both the game and this city will be a vastly without Jürgen Klopp’s presence in it.

Perhaps the same can be said in the world of culture and Pitchfork. Anyone’s dismay at GQ swallowing up the vestiges of the onetime go-to resource for all things music shouldn’t be surprised. When an outlier operation shifts their demographic where pop culture slowly becomes a focal point, then sadly in a world of accelerating capitalism, there is only one outcome.

As we get older and believe the lines between pop and alternative culture become blurred, therein lies the fundamental problem. Pop music and the driving force behind it has no interest in contributing to DIY culture. Its sole focus is the bottom line. To shift units. Spectrum. Opposite end of it. Once the fox was let into the henhouse, the end was never far off. We live in a world where art will always be thwarted by capitalism if the money men see value in it (Bandcamp another recent example, of course).

So, is there any good news? Well, firstly it’s February, and over the past month or so, the below selections have kept things afloat.

While traditionally a quiet month, it’s been anything but around here. There have been submissions galore (which are still being waded through), while reader numbers have continued to increase since our bumper December (both of which we are very thankful for).

For now, a very happy February to you, and with the below releases we hope you find something new.

Sun 13’s Top 50 Albums of 2023

Anaeomorpha: Man Cried Wolf
Ytterbium Records

Anaeomorpha is the side hustle of French noise dispenser Eijra Woon, and fresh off his inclusion in our Top 25 EPs of 2023, he released Man Cried Wolf.

Disclaimer: this isn’t for those with delicate stomachs. Unlike the melodic tones and textures of Eijra Woon, this sits at the other end of the spectrum, with harsh metallic noise that barrels into the abyss. Think of Aufgehobenand and Wolf Eyes trading barbs and the picture may become a little clearer.

In a time where turbulence is rife, Man Cried Wolf doesn’t exactly make sense of things, it just adds to the confusion. Yes, this is intense, which is probably the only way something like this should be.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Daniel Bachman: When the Roses Come Again
Three Lobed Recordings

Out of all the primitive guitarists in the world, the majority will claim that Daniel Bachman is indeed, the Don. Always finding new ways and concepts to progress his ideas, on When the Roses Come Again, once again the experimentalist flips the script. 

Recorded during a week of eight-hour-a-day improvisations in a cabin where he worked as a carpenter’s assistant, Bachman explores new paths through slow-motion finger picking and drones that pass off a calming aura.

Mirroring the earthy locality and space from which these compositions were composed, When the Roses Come Again runs seamlessly from one piece into the next in what is fast becoming Bachman’s biggest statement yet.

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Purchase from Bandcamp

Charlie Butler: Wild Fictions
Cruel Nature Records

Lanarkshire-based guitarist Charlie Butler is no stranger around these parts, and he begins 2024 with his latest Cruel Nature release, Wild Fictions.

Dialling down on the ball tearing scuzz we’re used to enduring from him, Butler adopts more of a meditative approach here. Four tracks at under the half-an-hour mark, Butler channels he’s inner Spaceman 3 with soft drones and meandering sound sketches that stretch to new places.

It’s another wise approach from Butler, who continues to make subtle shifts in shape and tone with each release. Wild Fiction is yet another one that captures a completely different vibe and a chance to draw in new ears along the way. 

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Aidan Baker & Stefan Christoff: Januar

Laura Cannell: Sealore
Brawl Records

If Gentle Stranger’s Inner Winter is the seasonal record of winter 23/24, then Laura Cannell’s latest Sealore EP is the perfect foil for it.

Following the December release of her latest album, Midwinter Processionals, through recorder and violin, once again the U.K. composer takes us through the damp, snow-laden forests with a series of compositions that are snapshots of where the origins of folk were born.

Cannell has always been influenced by locality and the atmospheres of different landscapes, and on Sealore the images haven’t been clearer. It’s a fine example of her body-of-work and another important chapter in what is turning out to be one of the richest stories from any underground composer in the U.K. in recent times.

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Ensemble 1: Delay Works
Halfmetledbrain Records

Brighton’s Ensemble 1 are quite the mythical beast. For starters, can you remember anyone running the gauntlet in amalgamating the worlds of metal and math rock? Exactly.

On their latest release, Delay Works, the duo comprising of Joe Watts and Tom Way create the kind of pandemonium of, say, Lightning Bolt, with a series of splintered noisescapes that have you ferreting through your dusty CD collection for a long overdue Battles phase.

With a primal search and destroy vibe, Delay Works is an experimental rock tour-de-force run on pure diesel, dear friends. And the results aren’t too shabby indeed.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Interdimensional Drifters: Brutal Civilisation – Part 1
Darkfloor Sound

Double A-sides usually don’t feature within these realms, however with January being a bit on the leaner side for new music (plus the fact that this absolutely shreds), it would have been criminal not to include Interdimensional Drifters’ Brutal Civilisation – Part 1.

Consisting of Take Over Recordings’ thatboytim and Sonika’s Rob Mac, the pair don’t just flirt with the dance floor; they are all over it in euphoric, pulsating new ways. This is techno and rave culture’s sordid dalliance in the early hours of some grimy industrial hangar, and the results are grand.

The best news of Brutal Civilisation – Part 1? This is just the first in a three-part series. Strap yourself in.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Mila Cloud Interview: “This music is not your typical drone”

Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam & Saroon: Dive 1: Refraction
Bathysphere Records

Los Angeles label, Bathysphere Records, came onto the scene last year with an excellent series of releases, and they start 2024 in the same vein with Dive 1: Refraction.

A collaboration between label foundation artists, Sumner James, Robert Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam and Saroon, this is more of the fourth-world sonics that transport the listener to the calmest places imaginable.

With an array of woodwind arrangements and block bells adding to the sequence of soft synths and cascading drones, with Dive 1: Refraction, James, Chamberlain, Volcano Lazerbeam and Saroon deliver the first beautiful record of 2024. It’s exquisite stuff from a label that seemingly deals exclusively in the moodscape out-of-body experience. They really are becoming a key player in the experimental world.

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Purchase from Bandcamp

Jaufenpass: Cloud’s Eye
Shimmering Moods Records

Italy-based producer, Jaufenpass, quietly crept onto the scene last December with his debut LP, Cloud’s Eye.

With the physical release of Cloud’s Eye dropping just last week, it was one of those releases that felt better to shine a light on now rather than at the back end of the 2023 where end of year lists dominated all things music-related.

All told, this is a trip. If Andy Stott and Tim Hecker ever did an In the Fishtank series, then the result would have sounded like this. One of those releases where you just know what you’re going to get by looking at the artwork, Cloud’s Eye is rigidly stark and purely transcendental all at the same time. Just wonderful.

Listen/ Purchase from Bandcamp

Madrelarva: Tierra de Silencio
Cruel Nature Records

Madrelarva is the project of Spanish electronic artist, Julio Tornero.

Having previously recorded under various aliases, Dark Tibet, Oceanic Alpha Axis, Sequences Binaires, on his latest release, Tierra de Silencio, Tornero opens up worlds beyond the techno and minimalist IDM he has been the exponent of over the last 10 years with something rounded, polished, and seismic.

This is broad spectrum electronica. From the mind-bending IDM inspired by Aphex Twin to the minimal techno wanderings of the Kompakt stalwarts, Tornero creates a set of sinewy, long-form compositions that hit in multi-faceted ways. The kind of record that pulls together different ideas and presents them in one big vibe machine.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

MJ Guider: Youth and Beauty EP

Joe McPhee / Tashi Dorji / Bill Orcutt: A Mouth at Both Ends
Palitalia

Released on Christmas Day, A Mouth at Both Ends captures a 2018 performance from underground heavyweights, saxophonist, Joe McPhee and guitarists Tashi Dorji and Bill Orcutt.

All having explored the mind-bending worlds of experimentation over the years, this latest matrimony sees the trio perform two jagged compositions both exceeding the 20 minute mark. McPhee’s untethered saxophones push against prolonged guitar plinking interplay between Dorji and Orcutt, creating heady atmospheres that are like a scrambled dream.

In all its pressure, dissonance and wonderful absurdity, A Mouth at Both Ends reaches the outer world. From these three, what else would you expect?

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Osmanthus: Between Seasons
Self-released

As the title suggests, another seasonal record, this time in the way of the debut from Osmanthus – the duo featuring Calgary-based violinist Laura Reid and Krzysztof Sujata (Valinska).

Recorded in three sessions between 2019 and 2020, Between Seasons sees Reid and Sujata mix neo-classical and improvisational sound worlds, forming a portal through earthy, open spaces. It’s contemplative and somehow the pair find their way through the unsealed paths that lead to the safe haven of mediation.

While perhaps not a seasonal record in the obvious sense, still, Between Seasons is a great companion to the above-mentioned releases from Laura Cannell. What Reid and Sujata produce here is something simply trance-like.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Poppy H: Grave Era
Cruel Nature Records

Under the Poppy H moniker and following last year’s October release, Nothing Is Perfect, Everything Is Perfect, the Suffolk-based producer returns early in 2024 with Grave Era.

Consisting of field recordings from all across the country in a wide range of places not limited to construction sites, train stations and coffee shops, Poppy H captures a beautiful street-level vitality, illuminating the mundane through a myriad of grainy sonics that slowly seep into the pores.

Believe it or not, Grave Era makes for a good walking companion. Soundscapes that make the mind wander, releasing you from the burden of a fast-paced world. Essentially, this is the circuit breaker we all need.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Empty House: The Golden Hour

Tuesday Nights In Havana: Falling In Slow Motion (Southern Decline)
Sweet Sounds Records

Tuesday Nights In Havana is yet another sonic endeavour of droneroom’s Blake Conley. Alongside Keith Rn Chandler, the pair bring us their latest long-form piece over a sporadic career that has seen several releases over the past couple of years.

Falling In Slow Motion (Southern Decline) is the duo’s best cut so far. At just over 22 minutes, this is the sort of follow-your-noise drone that you could actually see Sunn O))) exploring in future years. There’s space, atmosphere and a fluidity that are basically all the hallmarks of anything Conley has produced.

There has been talk of the pair thrashing out more of the same, however in the meantime Falling In Slow Motion (Southern Decline) is more than enough. This is all purpose drone that simply gets you through the day.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

The Intergalactic Dharma Free Jaz Mix Collective: Return to Earth
Sweet Sounds Records

Another one from the North Carolina label, which also features Keith Rn Chandler under an alter ego (or perhaps several), The Intergalactic Dharma Free Jaz Mix Collective’s Return to Earth is a collage-based free jazz odyssey designed for smoke-filled basement bars.

Think of the comedown after a listening to Flying Lotus or even the sinewy aspects of post-rock. This is the ticket you need to enter the world of The Intergalactic Dharma Free Jaz Mix Collective. One that feels essential for anyone who loves something off the beaten track, as this possesses the chops that weave between sound worlds.

Return to Earth is a release that bears no explanation. Just don the headphones, close your eyes, and let The Intergalactic Dharma Free Jaz Mix Collective explore your mind.

Listen / Purchase from Bandcamp

Previous Weirdo Rippers features:

#10
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#2
#1