Not so long ago I got a promo cd in the mailbox from a, to me, new label called Barge Recordings. On the release is music by the musicians MGR & Xela that I have been following for quite a while now. The first thing that came to mind was “Hmm, a cd as medium. That’s so wrong for this music; this can’t be right at all”. And as if they had been listening to me at Barge Recordings on further reading I noticed the word vinyl on the whole package. Phew, luckily for all of us this music will officially be released on a nice slice of vinyl.
With that being of chest now let’s get on to the more important things.
This release is the first in a series of split albums on Barge Recordings and for this they asked the musicians MGR and Xela.
Side A is for Mike Gallagher, guitarist in the metal band ISIS and solo active as MGR. So far he has released 3 full-length albums under the name MGR. For this split he has created the track Shipping Gold.
Inspired by the Dresden massacre during World War II and the book Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, that deals with this massacre, MGR (Mustard Gas & Roses) makes dark ambient music with post-rock influences.
Shipping Gold is no different in theme than his previous albums, but shows a different approach to the music. Where on albums like Nova Lux and Wavering On The Cresting Heft the music is build around drones with guitars in the background swelling up and fading out not much different as in Post-Rock music, here the use of guitar is much more prominent. In such a way that the guitar melodies have move to the front and the soundscapes have moved to the background adding subtle changes to the music that makes it less noticeable, but much more interesting to listen to. By this approach the music tends more to melancholy than depression as on his previous albums.
After 6 minutes the music becomes louder and distortion takes over the guitar sound. The tension is build and a massive wall of sound overruns everything. But in the end Gallagher keeps everything in control and guides us through the dark.
A great piece of harmony, melody, dissonance and noise in one and a good development in style.
Side B is for the young British musician John Twells who runs the label Type Records and performs music as Xela. In 2002 the publishing career of Xela started with an mp3 release on Monotonik, but fast he grew out of the mp3 scene and got his first release For Frosty Mornings And Summer Nights out on Neo Ouija which is an album full with lush beats and ambient soundscapes, seen as a classic within the IDM scene.
Now 6 years later Xela has completely changed in music style. The only remnant from earlier days is his ongoing inspiration he gets from the world Italian horror and cinema in general.
For Calling For Vanished Faces there is an indirect inspiration through the poem Levana and Our Ladies Of Sorrow by Thomas de Quincy which inspired Dario Argento to make the film Suspiria.
For his mission of fear and despair this time Xela does not work alone, but is supported by Jed Bindeman (from Heavy Winged) on drums.
Music wise this brings a really interesting combination. Twells creates some gifted ethereal soundscapes from voices, guitar feedback and effects that are serene and haunting in the same time. While on the other spectrum Bindeman goes completely wild on his drums improvising as if the devil is on his tail.
The result turns out as a great thing that grows on you with every listen. Maybe it is nothing similar to Xela his old work, but still a interesting listen and recommended.
For those unfamiliar with the development Xela has gone through the past 6 years the combination of MGR and Xela might seem crazy but I must admit that it does work very well. After playing this release on cdr a few times I could do only one thing and that was ordering the real deal. I can’t wait to play this album in its proper medium. Leaves me to compliment Barge Recordings on this excellent choice in combining these two people on one release.
A splendid release, go check it out. |
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Read all about and by Sietse van Erve
and listen to his favorite tracks!
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label reviews of
+ Slaapwel Records
reviews of
+ Ruststukken
+ On Becoming An Island
+ Golden
+ Barge Split Series Vol. I: Shipping Gold / Calling For Vanished Faces
+ Four Simple Songs For Five Dead Bumblebees
+ Split 10 inch: Monopoles De Verre / Between Our Pages
+ S.
+ Through Luminescent Passages I
+ Silent Drama
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+ Fraction (Residual Presences)
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+ Hidamari | Metrics
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+ The Malady of Elegance
+ A Light Year Of Sundays
+ we will be back in about 2 weeks.
+ Nacreous Clouds
+ The Everything And The Nothing
+ I Hold A Wish For You
+ Duo Review: Above The Din & The Two Edges
+ Choral
+ Glyms or Beame of Radicall Thruthes
+ Absolute Grey
+ Heated: Live in Japan
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+ Whether That Will Make People Want To Become Archaeologists, We'll Have To See
+ In Bed We Trust
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+ The Ontology Of Noise
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+ Without Sinking
+ Figure
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+ Let's make a solar system
+ (another) Stunt
+ Glisten
+ Meandering Pupa
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+ Breeze Of Roses
+ Touch Strings
+ Phases
+ So, I'll take your hand and...
+ fourteen worms for victor hugo
+ North Passage
+ Bionulor
+ will be back in a week.
+ Duo review for the albums Alam & Poèmes Saturniens
+ Breathletters
+ A Three Month Warm Up
+ Sycamore
+ 4 {H2O}
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+ The Setting Sun
+ Complex Tone Test
+ Snow Roads
+ To
+ s6t8r
+ Aíneen Musta Puhelin (Black Telephone of Matter)
+ Wild Tracks
+ +1
+ Ending Minutes, Sinking
+ [phonetilosophy]
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+ Top 10 List For 2009
+ Seas Between
+ Glorious Days
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+ Kataract
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+ The Invisible City
+ Intermission 2000-2008
+ Insónia
+ Warm Weather/Le Vieux Favori 4
+ Plus Tard... la Meme Jour
+ Music For A Sleeping Sculpture Of Peter Broderick
+ Ural Umbo
+ Scytale
+ A Young Person's Guide To
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+ Parcelles 1-10
+ Until The Point Of Hushed Support
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+ Leftover_1
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+ changes
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