The weekend, yeah yeah.

So this weekend I went all the way uptown to an Excepter show at Columbia. Columbia is maybe the worst place to have a show at(because who really wants to go uptown), but it was good fun nonetheless. Excepter shows generally are. JFR and Porkchop did their crazy thing and it was funny being at an Excepter while sitting on couches in the lounge of a dorm at Columbia. Different, but still cool. The crowd wasn't into it too much...but it was Columbia, not sure what to expect.

Blues Control and Imaginary People opened, and Blues Control were nothing special, but it was Imaginary People's first show and I was very impressed by parts of their set. A drum-guitar-synth trio playing improv free-noise/drone, at times they weren't fully together and the sound lost that special something, but I was nonetheless impressed, especially for a first show. Playing your first show at a place like Columbia is a little strange, but they had fun, even though the crowd didn't seem particularly receptive. When they get a MySpace I'll put it up, definitely a band to watch out for once they develop and start getting to know each other.

Of course I also made a trip to Other Music and picked up some great stuff, new and old. First was Kyrgyz, the newest release on Digitalis. Kyrgyz is the quartet of Tom Carter(Charalambides), Robert Horton, Loren Chasse(Jewelled Antler) and Christine Boepple. This album is everything and more that you could expect from a collabaration between these great artists. Utilizing almost every instrument known to man, Carter and Horton bring in the incredible ethereal drones while Chasse and Boepple layer it with incredible instrumentation using bells to hurdy gurdys. Listening to this album it is easy to get lost within the walls of psychedelia that are created, and it can be a wonderful feeling. Highly recommended.

Second was Alejandra & Aeron - Scotch Monsters, their only release not on their Lucky Kitchen label, but on Softlmusic. I've raved about them before, and I feel that this is some of their strongest work, a concept album about the wild spirits of Scotland, it really does capture the harmony of nature.

Next was August Born, a side project of Ben Chasny with Hiroyuki Usui. I was somewhat underwhelmed, but I had very high expectations. Ben doesn't stray far from his Six Organs sound on this, but Usui's field recordings, droning guitar and very unique vocals create an interesting sound which certainly deserves some notice. I'd recommend most Six Organs albums over this, but like all Chasny side projects it's worth checking just to see what he can do.

Finally was a release I'd been meaning to pick up for a while, The Blithe Sons - Arm of the Starfish. Although I'd been told this was a stronger album than We Walk the Young Earth, I have to disagree. While certainly a good showing from Chasse and Donaldson, I disagree with those who herald Arm as the most impressive Blithe Sons album. Not to discourage you from buying this, but I'd recommend picking up We Walk the Young Earth before Arm of the Starfish. Their brand of dark and beautiful psychedelia comes through much clearer on We Walk, but both are beautiful albums. A good release. Recommended.

I also snagged the Flying cd-r, because I had heard the name dropped on several occasions from sources that I trust. It was...different than I expected, not exactly my thing, but I can't totally discredit it. Check them out at www.flyingflyingflying.com.

Indeed.

mp3s: Kyrgyz - Hirzur Vadisi(Peaceful Valley)
The Blithe Sons - We Walk The Young Earth(from We Walk The Young Earth)

Listen to a few samples of August Born tracks on the Boomkat Website(sorry, being lazy, haven't ripped it yet)