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Yellow6
- merry6mas2018 MP3 Album 2018 | Silber 279 7 tracks, 63 minutes $3 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Digital Booklet Track listing: We Soar Direct Silverburst Autumn Breeze Change Tail End of the Hurricane Morning Mist Part 2 |
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Nonconnah - Winter EP III MP3 EP 2018 | Silber 278 9 tracks, 27 minutes $1 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Listen to the track After The Tribulations : Reviews |
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Various
Artists - Greensleeves MP3 EP 2018 | Silber 281 3 tracks, 16 minutes $1 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Reviews Track Listing: Greensleeves Greensleeves Greensleeves |
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2017
Christmas Bundle Download all 8 EPs & the compilation for just $8 (Half Price!)! |
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Various
Artists - Experimental Christmas Series One Parts One & Two MP3 Compilation 2017 | Silber 259 18 tracks, 73 minutes $5 download Listen on Bandcamp to Part One Listen on Bandcamp to Part Two : Press Release Track Listing: Series One Point One Knives of Spain - Winter (Ancient Music) Small Life Form - Old Style #7 deathstar flux - Existentialist Waltz subterrene - haunted, ghosting Corneius F Van Stafrin III - Manifest Clairvoyant Ecstasis The Sound of Square Triangles - Mutation 7.1 Nonconnah - This is Anti-Music Clang Quartet - Escape from Herod Series One Point Two Remora - O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Spookstina - Winter Underland Bryce Eiman - Promise & Myth Tristan Brooks - i can't predict the ghost of christmas past actions bLIND iNFANCY - Waking the Living (mixdown 2) Quilla - Sacred Field Orphling - My Mother's Dreams Adrian Wilson - Trash Can Lid Lullaby Bret Hart - Xmas on Saturn |
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Nonconnah
- Winter EP '17 MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 255 5 tracks, 22 minutes $1 download Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Press Release : Digital Booklet Track Listing: When You Sank Into The Leaf-Strewn Earth When The Blackbirds Formed An Inverted Cross When Your Hands Trembled As You Watched The Barren Fields When The Ceiling Hit The Floor As The Barn Collapsed Around You You Said "The Snow Is Like Amnesia. I'm Forgetting Everything" |
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Yellow6 -
Running to the Red (merry6mas 2017) MP3 Album 2017 | Silber 254 13 tracks, 77 minutes $5 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Digital Booklet : Reviews Track Listing: later that evening (running) 6 x VI we should be building bridges not walls lo-fi loop junky #2 full moon The Guildford Loop looking glass (piano) summer rain summer skies torrent the next day when is the day later that evening 2 (running to the red) |
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Hyperborean
Echoes - A Yule Offering MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 251 3 tracks, 19 minutes $1 download Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify Track Listing: Yule Bells The Wanderer Brings Gifts Snowfall |
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Electric Bird Noise - nam wen eht fo htrib MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 249 1 tracks, 21 minutes $1 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify ~ Beachsloth Electric Bird Noise returns with a 21 minute journey of loop driven ambient & claustrophobic guitar exploration. Elevator music for art galleries... really creepy art galleries. : Reviews Track Listing: nam wen eht fo htrib |
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Baptizer
- Crisis of the Modern World MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 252 2 tracks, 18 minutes $1 download Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify Track Listing: Crisis of the Modern World Prelude to the Return of the King |
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Lullabier
- 2512 MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 258 4 tracks, 14 minutes $1 download Listen on Bandcamp : Digital Booklet Track Listing: Natale A Ceneda (feat. Faro) Natale A Serravalle White Dizziness (Acoustic) With A Star (Brian John Mitchell Remix) |
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Dusty
Tears - Dusty Christmas MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 253 3 tracks, 10 minutes $1 download Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify Track Listing: Fat Wallet Dream Within a Nightmare All My Love |
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Various
Artists - Silent Nights MP3 EP 2017 | Silber 256 4 tracks, 14 minutes $1 download Listen on Silber | Listen on Bandcamp | Listen on Spotify : Reviews Track Listing: Silent Night (Heavy for the Vinage) Silent Night (Philip Polk Palmer) Silent Night (Remora) Silent Night (Small Life Form) |
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2016
Christmas Bundle Download all 5 EPs for just $4! |
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Small Life
Form - Late MP3 EP 2016 | Silber 238 3 tracks, 30 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: Days Late A Ride Home A Request from Dad Video for Days Late |
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Electric Bird Noise
- The Spider...The Christ Child.....The Crow MP3 EP 2016 | Silber 237 9 tracks, 33 minutes $3 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: neves ytnewt thgie ytnewt enin ytnewt ytriht eno ytriht owt ytriht eerht ytriht ruof ytriht evif ytriht |
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Yellow6
- merry6mas2016 MP3 EP 2016 | Silber 235 8 tracks, 75 minutes $3 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: custom DB dry#1 dry#5 father passing thoughts window from the grey zooday |
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Nonconnah
- Winter EP MP3 EP 2016 | Silber 234 7 tracks, 20 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: It's More Fun In The Dark Winter Signal (Broken) Burning Sage To Banish Spirits Snowplows Icicle Tracks Downhill Trailer Frosted Glass |
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X-Bax -
'Twas The Night Before X-Bax MP3 EP 2016 | Silber 236 4 tracks, 19 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: We Three Kings Five Golden Rings Panamanian Snow Epiphany |
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2015
Christmas Bundle Download all 8 EPs for just $5 |
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Lost
Trail
- Winter EP MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 210 7 tracks, 19 minutes $1 download With Forestpunk being based out of our gloomy corner of the universe in Portland, Or., we don’t get a whole lot in the way of Holiday Cheer. It’s less Winter Wonderland and more Winter Wasteland. While much of world plays in snow drifts, ice skating on ponds, going for sleigh rides, or whatever other Norman Rockwell-isms people get into during the Cold Weather months, our streets turn to sheets of black glass asphalt and the sky is an unbroken sheet of leaden grey skies. Portland’s winters are the natural defense mechanism of the Pacific Northwest, to keep from being overrun by Californians. Still, we get a bit homesick for the industrial wastelands of Chicago around this time, with the lights of Michigan Ave. reflecting in fluffy banks of snow drifts and prismatic icicles. And as anyone who has grown up in very inclement weather can tell you, these seasons are times of very conflicting emotions. The lights are beautiful on the trees, and it can be nice to see long lost friends and relatives. The winds can also be like razor and surgical steel needles, and the advent of reunions can be more dread and stomach acid than feel good reminiscence. Lost Trail seem to wrap up the months of November and December in a pretty tinsel bow and deliver them to all us orphans and transplants, which is no easy feat! Lost Trail’s drones seem hollowed out and misty, giving the sensation of walking in a peaceful cone of silence. They remind us to stay centered, no matter where we are, to seek the stillness and holiness in the dark quiet of these long nights. Like Remora, it’s easy to imagine Winter sounding good, no matter the season. And if you’re new to the Trail, Winter is a fine trailhead to climb on board and get lost! ~ Forestpunk For 5 years Lost Trail has been putting out massive amounts of ambient, experimental, drone, & post rock music. We're pleased to present their Winter EP that provides moments of minimalist reflection as well as walls of burial in the snow. : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: Wolves At The Peak Frost Flower Overwintering Snowfall On Tape Parhelia/Paraselene If You Become Stranded Icicle Doorframe |
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Electric Bird Noise
- Follow the Star MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 209 9 tracks, 24 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: Neethgie Neetenin Ytnewt Eno Ytnewt Owt Ytnewt Eerht Ytnewt Ruof Ytnewt Evif Ytnewt Xis Ytnewt |
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Exercitus
Dei - Christus Vincit MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 208 1 track, 16 minutes $1 download ~ The Sunday Experience An extended meditation on the glory of Christ as well as the martial tradition inevitably connected with the preservation of Christendom. : Press Release : Reviews : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: Christus Vincit |
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Baptizer
- The Dream of the Rood MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 207 2 tracks, 16 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: The Dream of the Rood Icon of Theotokos |
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Fornever
- Lights MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 206 6 tracks, 20 minutes $1 download : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: A Million Things Estrellita Joy Winter Falls Again Peace Lights |
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Small Life
Form
- It Is Not Safe But It Is Warm MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 205 1 track, 12 minutes $1 download ~ Forestpunk Just in time for Christmas, Small Life Form delivers a pure slab of aggressive ambient drone. Just like home, it is not safe but it is warm. Jesus is coming to love & destroy us all. : Press Release : Reviews : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Youtube? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: It Is Not Safe But It Is Warm |
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Remora
- Christmas Drones for One Guitar MP3 EP 2015 | Silber 204 4 tracks, 28 minutes $1 download Christmas Drones For One Guitar is comprised of four lengthy drifts, that blend and bleed together, working as one monolithic whole, while still resembling “songs”. This is no passive, weightless, polite background listening, however, as Remora’s fretwork rips, tears, and rends behind the scenes, in a style somewhere between Nadja and the gentle ambiance of Labradford and Windy & Carl. Blissdrone meets shoegaze and post-rock? Yes, please! Let’s just go ahead and shatter that illusion of critical objectivity and point out that we are guitar players, here at Forestpunk, as well as being fond acolytes of six-string mutations, so we’re always glad to see people pushing the axe’s timbre into new and interesting areas. It subverts the rockist tendencies, and conjures a different vision of the infinite than electronic music does. It’s a bit earthier, more tactile, with the fleshy pads of fingers modulating steel and electricity, like some kind of medium. Remora takes us into the stratosphere with “Special Occasion”, the lengthiest sojourn here, and brings us back down to the gravity well with “VAB”‘s ebbing echoes. What happens in between is like an anti-gravity epiphany, like watching the entire Earth at once on 12.25, watching the twinkling lights from the inky depths of outer space. Remora’s drones and drifts are dense and full, never boring, and emotive, although Mitchell doesn’t tell us what those emotions are. Instead, he paints a compelling portrait and asks us to investigate, deciding for ourselves how to feel about the story. A delightful, open-ended exploration, that would sound as fresh and timely in July as the depths of the dark nights of winter. ~ Forestpunk Four loop driven ambient guitar improvisations from Remora. Drink your eggnog until you think it's 1999 again. : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: Special Occasion Crosswired Winter Infection VAB |
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Yellow6
- In Circles / Merry6mas2015 MP3 Album 2015 | Silber 203 8 tracks, 79 minutes $2 download ~ The Sunday Experience Continuing Yellow6's yearly document of unreleased song for the 17th time. Post rock guitar experimentation at its finest. : Press Release : Reviews : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? : Prefer to listen on Spotify? Track Listing: Two Kinds of People The End of a Gloomy Week Circular #3 The Fifth (Live Rehearsal Version) Circular #4 My Favourite Corner The Longest Day Summers Past |
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2014
Christmas Bundle Download all 7 EPs for just $5 |
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Firetail
- Little Droner Boy MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 174 1 tracks, 16 minutes $1 download Essentially what we have here is a manipulated version of the song “The Little Drummer Boy” that, instead of revolving around a rhythmic percussion parts, centers around an omnipresent, throbbing drone that’s heard throughout the piece in the background. The early minutes of “Little Droner Boy” include snippets of angelic choir singing the main melody as well as the accented lower vocal parts originally intended to simulate the sounds of drum rolls. While none of the words of the song can be heard in Firetail’s version, it is reassuring to at least find some familiar elements to latch onto here (even if the higher voices sound like drawn-out, resonant shrieks), and the basic framework of the original song is present in some form throughout most of the track. The middle section of “Droner Boy” finds the piece moving as far away from the source material as it ever does, with tinkling chimes, groaning low voice parts, and occasional cadences of military snare drum being heard alongside what sounds like Darth Vader respiration. Ominous though the piece may be at this point, it also has an almost profound, religious sort of feel to it since all the high voice parts have been blended together to create a sort of godly haze which hangs over everything else going on. As it nears its conclusion, things begin to “normalize,” sounding more and more similar to the original tune before a gradual fadeout of almost hopeful reverberating chords. Lacking a big climactic moment of revelation, Little Droner Boy is also probably too drawn out to strike the fancy of those raised on a steady stream of more traditional holiday music. Still, Firetail’s addition to the Silber Christmas release series is entirely listenable and one of the few and perhaps the only volume of the 2014 releases that would have any (albeit limited) appeal to the general listening public. As much as some of the others in this series would be mighty sketchy for most listeners, Little Droner Boy is one that I’d be most inclined to recommend. ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack Firetail creates a reverb drenched drone from a Christmas classic. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: Little Droner Boy |
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Remora -
A Burning Lump of Coal MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 171 4 tracks, 18 minutes $1 download The album begins with an almost industrial rendition of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” that features abrasive, chainsaw-like background guitar, a robotic electronic beat, and bouncy synthesizer melody. This melody only ever goes through one stanza of the familiar melody, making the piece extremely repetitive – and completely pointless by the standards of traditional songwriting. That said, the piece is almost trance-inducing particularly in the way the harsh guitar interacts with and threatens to destroy the ongoing melody. Second track “Ho Ho Ho” sounds almost like the chanted march of the villains in the original Wizard of Oz film, with groany vocals repeating a progression of “o-OH-o” syllables over droning mechanical noise, while “Old St. Nick” is built around -gasp!- discernible lyrics. Before anyone get too excited about a track here that’s almost song-like, I should say that the hopelessly dark “Old St. Nick” sounds like a holiday tune that Swans’ Michael Gira or maybe even Trent Reznor might come up with. The vocals are extremely low-register and monotonous, the lyrics delivered in an almost emotionless manner over a plodding and unsettling bass part, more grinding and eventually very harsh guitar and odd, metallic sound effects. The album name comes from this track, whose lyrics focus on the the titular character’s attitude towards the not-so-good children on his list. The EP ends with the significantly longer (eight and a half minute) instrumental “Shchedryk” which sounds like a tune emitted from a broken and warped music box. Comprised entirely of jangly and loud metallic tones which blast out of the stark mix, ultimately creating resonating discordant and almost ghostly chords that shriek and wail endlessly, it’s probably too extreme for many people to get into. Still, I rather like the chaotic feel of the piece and the strange atmosphere it evokes. If Remora’s goal on this EP was to make slightly deranged music that somehow still retained some semblance of holiday mood, they succeeded with flying colors. Vaguely more musical than some of the other releases in this series (especially the one by Mitchell’s other project Small Life Form), A Burning Lump of Coal is probably among the more tolerable and maybe even likable of these releases, yet is bizarre enough to appease those looking for something well off the beaten path. Again, it’s not for all tastes, but those who’ve listened to other series entries will know what to expect. ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack Remora's music re-invisioned for tales of a post-apocalyptic Christmas celebration. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel Ho-Ho-Ho Old St Nick Shchedryk |
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Electric Bird Noise
- Birth MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 170 4 tracks, 14 minutes $2 download A select few guitar plucks begins the eerie “Evlewt”. From this work a melody emerge fragile and cryptic. With the progression of time smaller gestures enter into the equation, a bass rumble, other guitars, and working together to transform the sound into a web of sorts. Each additional repetition makes the song feel that much closer to a revelation. Playing with the idea of a sudden explosion of sound the tension of the work becomes almost unbearable. The release comes with the hectic rush of “Neetriht” whose surreal elements repeat until they become incredibly overwhelming. Returning to quieter pastures is the contemplative work of “Neetruof”. Letting the bass rumble throughout helps the song take on an uncomfortable sound and lets it drive the song forward until a sudden stop. By far the best track on the collection is the alien transmission of “Neetfif”. Beginning with small shrieks across the soundscape the piece increases in size and density until falling into a noisy drone for the finale. Impossible to fully understand Electric Bird Noise rule over dark lands on “Birth”. ~ Beach Sloth Having released their debut album back in 1999, Electric Bird Noise (project of one Brian Lea McKenzie) appears to have run the gamut of experimental sound and music since that time, making everything from minimalist post-rock to more melodic synthesizer music and prog. The group’s contribution to the Silber Record Label’s lineup of 2014 Christmas releases instantly seems more obviously experimental and jarring than the more drone-inclined Baptizer release which I covered yesterday. Made up of rather barren, oddly-named tracks constructed almost exclusively of echoed, lonely guitar motifs layered on top of one another, the Birth EP contains dissonant and unconventional melodic structuring that seems tailor-made for use in esoteric cinema. It was soundtrack material like this after all that made movies like 1975’s Bug (with music by Charles Fox) memorably odd, but I might be inclined to say that in terms of mood and the warbling, almost theremin-like quality of EBN’s work here, Birth sounds more reminiscent of the slightly demented collection of library music heard during the seminal Night of the Living Dead. Built around a clean but unsettling guitar theme, first track “Evlewt” gradually piles on additional parts that start to clash with one another in alarming ways by about the ninety second mark. At times, the piece sounds like little more than someone slamming a keyboard, but the relentless forward momentum prevents it from stagnating. The point of a piece like this seems to be to point out how even simple pieces of music can create mood and even creep out a listener: by the end, this piece is downright disturbing and borderline uncomfortable to listen to as it starts to become overrun with howling, reverberant tones. Second track “Neetrith” is only half the length of the opener and operates in much the same way, compiling another ever-expanding bunch of short themes into a dense sonic composition. The brevity of the track means that this one has to cut to the chase sooner, the ghostly chords heard initially quickly being enveloped by more resonant and piercing high tones and percussive accented chords. Subsequent track “Neetruof” makes a transition from being more light and airy in its early stages to being positively leaden by its conclusion. Thunderous, growling low tones bellow out of the mix as the track goes along, attempting to bury the warbling guitar that stand as the track’s central element. Like the others here, this track carries on for a certain amount of time and then abruptly ends; the piece doesn’t seem to be heading towards any specific destination as it were and also doesn’t feature any sort of honest conclusion. Birth’s final track is the spacey “Neetfif,” which has more a sense of openness to it when compared to the more constrained and almost claustrophobic sound of the earlier pieces. A whining and sputtering repeated guitar melody swirls around in the compositional scheme of this track, occasionally showing up as if to suggest a comet gliding by while alternately screeching, twinkling, and groaning guitar parts feature more noticeably in the mix. I’d say this is probably the track most listeners would gravitate towards since it’s somewhat more familiar sonic territory, but it’s another track which appears to be designed to instill a sense of paranoia and/or worry in a listener. Having heard two of Silber’s 2014 Christmas EPs now, I think it’s safe to say that the bulk of these releeases would at best be an acquired taste. For me, Birth seems a bit more tenuous in its ties to the holiday season than did Baptizer’s Nativity, and would seem to many like little more than a jumbled mess of sound - though that tendency doesn’t stop it from being interesting and maybe even impressive from a conceptual standpoint. Odd to a level that many listeners simply won’t tolerate though never quite becoming genuinely abrasive, Birth clearly falls into the sound art category since it’s very obviously not at all concerned with the development of melodies or song-like structures. The experimental music crowd would find this (and the other releases in the series) to be exciting, and I’d say it would best be appreciated by those interested in the way minimalistic “music” and sound can be used to instill mood or even create an emotional response in listeners. ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack Discordant guitar ambient for being trapped in an elevator trying to escape a Christmas party. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: evlewt neetriht neetruof neetfif |
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Ronja's
Christmas Witch
- Ronja's Christmas Witch MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 169 12 tracks, 31 minutes $2 download ~ Vital Weekly The most substantial of the six EPs that make up Silber Record’s lineup of 2014 Christmas-themed releases, Ronja’s Christmas Witch is also the most accessible and perhaps likable of the bunch. Produced by Icelandic musician Mkl Anderson (of the group Drekka) in collaboration with Sarah Dunevant & Þórir Georg who recorded the material on the album during a one-night session in October 2014, Ronja’s Christmas Witch plays in a somewhat similar manner to modern post-rock, including a mixture of minimalistic music compositions and more ambient-based, found sound recordings. Labeled as “Christmas Dreams,” these tracks, perhaps appropriately given the setting the recordings were made in, frequently have an icy and rather desolate sort of sound to them, but many are also quite serene and calming. The album’s opening track (“First Dream of Christmas” - the tracks are numbered thusly up to the “Twelfth Dream”) appears to be a recording of a traditional seasonal tune being sung (in Icelandic I would presume) at a get-together of some sort. The end of the track features an English-language speaker asking “Where are you going? Salvation’s that way:” a statement that implies the listener is heading in the opposite manner. Ronja’s Christmas Witch is never as dark as might be suggested by that statement however: these dreams may not be all sunshine and rainbows, but they’re never utterly hopeless either. The majority of the album’s tracks present relatively brief snippets of atmospheric ambient or drone music built around rumbling bass tones, soft rhythm elements, and just hints of what I would consider melody. Some tracks, such as the “Third Dream of Christmas,” have a more optimistic tone to them: this particular one is built around the sound of tinkling bells, with warmer chords that lie just beneath the surface. As such, the piece continually threatens to turn into something downright cheerful but never quite reaches that point. By the mid point of the album, the generally ominous and almost menacing mood established on the fourth and fifth tracks is upset somewhat by the mysterious yet almost comforting sixth piece. With its airy, synthesized vocal melody, there’s an emotional resonance to this track, but the subsequent “Seventh Dream” is about as far as the album treads into the realm of jarring industrial-like drone. One of the album’s longer pieces, track seven starts off with a hollow-sounding, woodwind-like melody. Ever so slowly, grating mechanical whirr and more shrieky higher-pitched tones bubble to the surface, yet these more harsh sounds never quite overpower the original elements of the piece. Following an eighth track that instills a nostalgic feel in the listener and a ninth piece that recalls SD Laika’s brand of glitch electro, the nine-minute tenth track begins with a solitary acoustic guitar line and continues by unleashing resonating ethereal chords that echo endlessly in the mix. Like many of the tracks here, it’s almost as tempting to focus on the odd and noisy elements that creep into the background of the composition as it is to focus exclusively on the “melody,” and the sense of “space” in the piece is immediately noticeable. The sparse “Eleventh Dream” actually has bits and pieces of the melody from “The Little Drummer Boy” played on a chirping guitar, and the album ends with a field recording that captures the sound of power tools drilling before ending with a few moments of silence. All in all, though it’s much too minimalistic to be of interest to those used to the flashy production and continual sound of most of today’s popular music, I found Ronja’s Christmas Wish to be the strongest and most consistently interesting of these 2014 Silber Christmas EPs. Even if this album too is very experimentally-inclined, with a lot of unconventional composition techniques on full display, there’s much more going on here than was present on any of the other releases in the series. The fact that Christmas Witch is quite relaxing and generally pleasant to listen to also makes it significantly more palatable than the nearly formless guitar experimentation that was the focus of several series entries. Fans of stuff like Grouper or even the more ambient side of post-rock would probably find this EP worthwhile – it actually very precisely captures the type of mood I’d prefer to have during the holiday season. ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack Mkl Anderson of Drekka leads us through a world of Christmas dreams. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: First Dream of Christmas Second Dream of Christmas Third Dream of Christmas Fourth Dream of Christmas Fifth Dream of Christmas Sixth Dream of Christmas Seventh Dream of Christmas Eighth Dream of Christmas Ninth Dream of Christmas Tenth Dream of Christmas Eleventh Dream of Christmas Twelfth Dream of Christmas |
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Yellow6
- Merry6mas2014 MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 168 10 tracks, 75 minutes $2 download ~ Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience A collection of outtakes, live recordings, & new material wrap up the year 2014 for Yellow6. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: October Song October Drone Drone #2 Sleet Day They Look Lost Red Candy Gusts Lighthouse (Version 1B) Lighthouse 2 To Be Continued... |
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Small
Life Form - Parts for Holiday Projects MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 173 4 tracks, 14 minutes $1 download ~ Mark Barton, The Sunday Experience Methinks on some level, the Parts for Holiday Projects EP, created by the group Small Life Form as part of Silber Records’ 2014 Holiday EP lineup, is trying to convey the notion that underneath that bushy beard, Santa Claus may be getting fed up with the tiresome routine of Christmas (as are some of the rest of us...). Containing four tracks which are named in a way suggesting that they chronicle a typical Christmas Eve, the album is billed as an EP of “electroacoustic manipulations,” but that term typically indicates that what we’re left with is something that’s not altogether musical. I’d go so far as to say that most people would find this as pleasing to listen to as industrial machinery clanking away, but there is a method to the madness here and I swear I can even hear jingle bells at least once during the course of the EP. Bookended on the front side by the brief “slumber,” which has a gurgly, underwater sort of sound to it, and “workshop,” which imagines Santa’s North Pole toy factory as a nightmarish, mechanized hell, the album’s obvious feature track is the nearly nine and half-minute “it’s not all milk and cookies.” This track finds the affable, rotund fellow adored by children of all ages replaced by a metalized Santa that’s sputters away as he goes about his business of providing toys (...or maybe miter saws...) for the world’s children. Harsh and abrasive, the piece slowly builds from an almost hypnotic drone into what seems to be a pulsating rumble and whirr of spinning parts and pieces that doesn’t so much conjure up images of flying reindeer as ones of the housekeeping staff vacuuming up after a particularly rowdy holiday gathering. The album’s final piece “wake up” is similarly hard on the ears, with a continual, thick, and overwhelming hiss being the main (and pretty much only) element heard in the track. Honesty, if all you want for Christmas is hearing loss and a headache, you’ll likely find just what you’re looking for here. Needless to say, Parts for Holiday Projects EP simply is not something that much of anyone would actively enjoy listening to (though it may be ideal as background white noise to fall asleep to while the kids destroy their gifts). From a conceptual standpoint, it’s unusual to say the least and demonstrates that Small Life Form mastermind Brian John Mitchell knows a thing or two about producing and engineering bizarre and downright gut-churning audio. Still, this is exactly the kind of release that the concept of “2Deep4U” was intended for: something that few people would have any idea how to approach let alone any inkling to check out. Most people would be better off skipping this and frankly, the majority of Silber’s 2014 Christmas release lineup, but I’m glad that lineup made a place for an album release like this: it’s the perfect antidote for an overload of stale “holiday favorites.” ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack Small Life Form explores the secret sounds of jingle bells. : Press Release : Digital Booklet : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: Slumber Workshop It's Not All Milk & Cookies Wake Up |
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Baptizer
- Nativity MP3 EP 2014 | Silber 172 2 tracks, 20 minutes $1 download Given the unsettling and almost apocalyptic quality of his music, I was somewhat surprised to learn about Baptizer’s sincere interest in religion, though anyone vaguely familiar with the Bible knows that there’s plenty of unsettling and apocalyptic passages in it. It’s somewhat unfortunate that most people who think of religious music (myself included) typically tend to picture stuff of the “Kumbaya” singalong variety these days: religious music can take the form of any number of things and honestly, I find Baptizer’s brand of contemplative and hypnotic music to be much more spiritually satisfying than any number of traditional/conventional hymns or songs of praise. Baptizer’s Nativity EP certainly falls in the category of being hypnotic, made up of two tracks built around almost industrial background sound. The opening track here is entitled “The Demons of Herod Hunt in Vain,” which references the futile search initiated by the reigning King of Judea when he learned of the imminent birth of Christ. As might be expected given that framework, the track is harsh and menacing, with grating, staticky noise standing as its primary element for much of its run time. Snippets of what seems to be a religious monologue peek through the gurgling noise elements, and towards the end of the piece, much warmer and more optimistic sound elements bubble to the surface. These brighter motifs suggest the sense of hope offered by the actual birth of Christ, since Herod’s men were unable to track down and eliminate him. The thirteen-minute title track similarly makes a transition from being cold and unnerving at its start to seeming more inviting by its conclusion. Early on, the piece is very earthy, with sounds of birds chirping and a baby making its first onomatopoeic sounds heard over piercing, metallic accents. Later on, more resonant droning sounds gurgle out of the background and give the track a poignant, almost regal feel, and it finishes with a section that’s reminiscent in sound to the trumpeting choruses heard in many classical pieces of religiously-inspired music. To me, “Nativity” reflects the Virgin Mary coming to terms with the birth of the Christ Child. Though she must have been reluctant or even afraid when first hearing the prophecies relating to her divinely-guided son, the track seems to capture Mary’s acceptance of his destiny and her place in the ongoing story. Even if the track isn’t especially melodic or even musical at times, it’s quite peaceful and calming, positioning the listener in a nice, relaxed space. In all likelihood, this is not what would come to mind when most people imagine religious music, yet Baptizer’s Nativity EP seems to embody many ideas and themes related to the actual birth of Christ – not the consumer-friendly Christmas holiday that we are more familiar with today. I found this to be an extremely well-crafted and almost inspiring release that prompts the listener to go on a voyage of introspection and self-discovery. Honestly, that’s about as outstanding a holiday gift as any music could provide, and I’d recommend this relatively brief EP to those willing to approach it with an open mind. ~ Andy Armageddon, Bandjack US project BAPTIZER is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Jim Baptizer, mainly a standalone venture but with occasional guest appearances from others I understand. The EP “Nativity” dates back to December 2014, and was released through US label Silber Records. This two track EP doesn’t have all that much in common with conventional music, and arguments can be made for these creations being soundscapes rather than music as such, where the mood, atmosphere and a certain theatrical flair takes precedence over melodies and harmonies. Opening and title track Nativity is a 13 minutes long journey, initially opening with a gentle drone underscoring bird sounds and the joyful sounds of a baby, then developing towards a more sickly, otherworldly atmosphere with more dominant drones while the bird sounds fade away, then concluding on a more majestic note as the sickly timbres from the backing drone fades away and a subtle majestic voice texture is applied instead. The second and concluding piece, The Demons of Herod Hunt in Vain, is a radically different affair, opening with dark, machine-like brooding sounds, ominous and haunting, where traces of whispered voices and talking gradually increase in intensity while the darker backdrop recedes in intensity, concluding with an arrangement of eerie voices, almost angelic layered voice effects underscoring while the initial dark and oppressive drone backdrop have just about faded to silence. Those fond of music made in a more or less conventional manner will probably find this production rather less than appealing, but for those fond of soundscapes and sound effects assembled in a fairly theatrical manner and in a way that invites to associations should find this production to be rather appealing I’d suggest, and in my view those who recognize themselves in this description should take the time to investigate this production. ~ Olav Martin Bjørnsen, House of Prog Baptizer provides the caustic soundtrack of the first Christmas. : Press Release : Prefer to listen on Bandcamp? Track Listing: The Demons of Herod Hunt in Vain Nativity |
: Press Release : Reviews |
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