Kranky S&D

Search: Labradford (esp. first four records)

Search: Dadamah

Oh yeah:

Quite right. You people, having this thread without me. ;-)

Search: oh, everything except for...

Destroy: ...a certain collective of cockfarming Canadian bastards.

That's what I always say about Mosquito Dream...

Destroy: GYBE, Low, Bowery Electric.

as people, they totally suck, and i was a little disappointed when the likes of kfw / outhud signed to them. apparently there was some huge blow up with gybe (about $, surprise) and they left. i think the new gybe is distro only through constellation...

last year's pan american record was excellent.

the labradford records are the class of the label, and all of the low stuff is great too.

ignore gybe.

i still dig the outhud release... pan american... labradford... and the one gybe ep i have ... looking forward to charlambides...
m.

Um, whaddaya expect from a label named Kranky?

The two Spiny Anteater albums they put out are fine, under-rated gems that you should search out.

S: _Gravitational Pull vs. the Desire for an Aquatic Life_, Stars of the Lid
D: Everything past the first Godspeed album. One of the rare cases where Ned can summon more bile and invective than i can...

-Matt, who can't wait until their catalog is bought by Nike.

Anyway, search up through KRANK 024 or so. Particular faves: Dadamah, Labradford's self-titled, Bowery Electric's self-titled, both Magnog albums, first two Jessamine albums, the first Dissolve, Roy Montgomery, Windy And Carl, Low, and Stars Of The Lid.

Destroy: most of the other stuff

Destroy: Low - "Embrace" from _Things We Lost In The Fire_

Destroy:
Fontanelle, Amp, Low, Out Hud.

Cheers

Comments:

-- I like OutHud on compilations but still see no need to buy one of their albums

-- I'm not sure what to make of Clear Horizon (Jessica Baliff + Dave Pearce) ... the first half of the song is pleasantly Jessica Baliff, then it's all "cue Flying Saucer Attack" and there's an abrupt shift to an FSA droning thing. It's good, but it feels stapled together more than an actual collab. Interesting choice of track ... I'd like to hear the album so that I can judge properly

-- Why don't I own any Stars of the Lid albums? How can this be?

-- Two Pan.American tracks, which are both excellent, but I always find that PA albums drag.

Anyway, it's a very mellow comp overall ... worth my ten bucks with plenty of room to spare. Has anyone else heard it?

One of the unreleased tracks was a SotL song from their upcoming album. It's very much like the "Tired Sounds ..." material (judging from "Requiem for Dying Mothers Part II", also included on the comp).

The entire compilation is more drone/ambient (and psych-folk) than rock (or post-rock(!)). There's nary a percussive beat to be found.

Forgetting what music you have is a sign that you either have too much music, or aren't keeping track of it properly. Or both.

They're astounding live, too, but I'm sure you already know that.

Search: Nearly everything, especially SOTL, Dead Texan, Aix Em Klemm, Growing

Destroy: Outhud's second album. Ewww...

d: dunno, i'm not really a big bird show fan

Destroy: Hmm.. I don't know enough about the Kranky roster to play.

Magnog are still great, v. underappreciated.

-- chris andrews (frae...), October 31st, 2004.

typical ilx response, sir!

search: a load of bands the 'casual' listener probably won't have heard of, and definitely won't have heard.

destroy: low, gy!be, i.e. the ones that the 'casual' listener has probably heard and/or liked.

Rush are on Kranky now?!?

hi, i really like White Rainbow's "Prism of Eternal Now". however my friend told me it's boring "new age". getting old is a bitch.

Cloudland Canyon

^
^
awesome cd. i'm a big fan.

i've been ignoring kranky for years but i went and listened through their last year's releases on emusic and well fuck me if there isn't a bunch of really great stuff that's been flying beneath my radar. dig the cloudland canyon stuff, the latest valet album is lovely too, lotus plaza, strategy.. nice.

^ otm... Jonas Reinhardt is great, too

I just saw Windy & Carl / Benoit Pioulard the other night. Windy & Carl put everyone to sleep, which is to say they were wonderful!

Hahaha.

The new Jonas Reinhardt album 'Powers Of Audition' is all kinds of awesome. I'm really digging this. It's instrumental kosmiche synth-laden prog of the highest vintage-appreciating order, with a wee handful of totally propulsive krautrockers to get your head nodding, before you're transported back to soaring warmly on the higher astral plain... very nice.

The new Loscil album 'Endless Falls' is also rather lovely. Looks like I'm back on the Kranky collecting train when these ones filter through properly.

This new one, 'Endless Falls', is inspired by the hefty rainfall in Loscil's Vancouver hometown, and I think is really evocative, both musically and aesthetically (it has a great cover shot, apparently by his 4 year old daughter), of those long, slightly melancholy days when you're inside listening to and watching the rain blurring the world outside the window, immersing yourself in your house-bound self.

http://image.allmusic.com/00/amg/cov200/drn500/n582/n58297nkvdn.jpg

Will have to check that Loscil, I really like what I've heard previously.

I can't claim this is an impartial recommendation, because he's a dear friend, but Chris Herbert's Mezzotint from a couple of years back is a slow-burner of the highest order. This is more recent than the album, but is a fair representation, and is wonderful:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK-HL64XXaY

(it has a great cover shot, apparently by his 4 year old daughter)

Love this.

Ha, the other I just did a search to see if anyone had been talking about Loscil on ILX and there was absolutely zip in the search. Now there is, and good. Have really been enjoying the new one, and thought Plume was pretty good too. Wasn't actually aware he was from Vancouver (or part of Destroyer) until last night. Huh!

I seem to remember back in the mid-90s the big acts on Kranky were Labradford, FSA, Stars of the Lid, and Jessamine. Jessamine really seems to have been forgotten...

Did they tour much? Can't remember. A very good band for sure, maybe rediscoveries are nigh.

But wait, FSA? They were VHF and Drag City unless I've completely misremembered.

No, I'm mis-remembering. Coulda swore they were on Kranky but I'm mistaken.

Jessamine were hit and miss but when they hit they were terrific.

Really fond of Jessamine, but I wonder if they got overlooked a bit due to vocals (which were kind of ordinary indie-schmindie compared to their sound). Totally amazing drummer, whose name I don't know. I still play "You Have Ugly Talents, Martha" and "You May Have Forgotten" and "Pilot-Free Ignition" on a regular basis.

new Belong record on kranky is really really great

YES! New Belong! <3 I´ve only heard the one song they released online, I´m waiting for the vinyl to arrive!

Is the album pretty much like that song, ´Perfect Life´?

This band is so criminally overlooked. One of my greatest musical discoveries of the last decade I think. Somehow they found a place between all existing music and made it so uniquely their own. I know no other band that sounds like them, not on a deeper level.

I caved and downloaded the album. All your fault Ilxor! ;-)

Enjoying the shit out of this. Cannot wait for the vinyl!

hah nice, i have done my good deed for the day!

yeah loving the belong album. quite difft to the EP of theirs i have. like a more gentle soft moon

wow i am listening to this song

http://www.futuresequence.com/article/review-belong-common-era/

goddam this is great

WOW,thanks for this recommendation, the part at 2:15 on the very first song ("Come See") blew me away. new shoegaze that doesn't suck, and doesn't feel like a lesser copy of some antecedent. sold.

yeah it's really good! glad everyone's latching on so easily. every year there's basically 1 or 2 great shoegaze/dream-pop albums. this year it's Belong (for me anyway)

It's odd but I've never really linked Belong to shoegaze, not directly. For me they emerged mostly out of noise and reverb-drenched pop echoes on previous records. Seems that pace-wise they are stepping it up on this record though, it's less "druggy and slow, and suddenly it really is very shoegazey. Amazing.

just listened last night. very good!

will order this tomorrow night.
listening to Kranky Kompilation now, what a consistently kickass label

my full thoughts on new Belong album here

this is highly OTM:

Somehow they found a place between all existing music and made it so uniquely their own.

Thanks. That's a great review ilxor! The Cure reference makes total sense too.

thanks! people can say "shoegaze" til they're blue but the main touchstone i hear is '80s cure :)

which is total ilxor-bait but hey...

ilxor otm - I gave this a quick listen today (it's now up on Spotify), and the Cure was one of the first things I thought of. Need to hear it again, but this does sound like a big step up from their previous.

what did the pitchfork reviewer get wrong?

http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/15235-common-era/

if he wants them to retread October Language, he might as well just put on October Language again, iirc

Really enjoying this Implodes album on first listen. Anyone know anything about them?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2O4cVxQINk

Loving this, and probably preferring it to the Belong album, although it's not all that dissimilar. Hearing traces of Slowdive and Flying Saucer Attack and Low and good stuff like that.

...but duh it is on kranky after all

saw em live about a year ago and was kinda ....bored
the record sounds much better though im not quite sold on the vocals yet

Implodes includes Matt Jencik from Don Cab and Hurl

Dunno why it took me so many damn years to find this out, but this first Jessamine album is just fucking great.

Damn right.

My cd copy of it skips :((((((

Their whole catalog is on Spotify.

Yeah it's great! What's people's favourite one? And what do the Jessamine folks do these days?

Yeah it's great! What's people's favourite one? And what do the Jessamine folks do these days?

Fave Jessamine release is the Another Fictionalized History singles compilation. Great great stuff. The two team-up albums with Sonic Boom are also well worth tracking down (especially the A Pox On You EP)

After Jessamine, Andy (keyboards) and Rex (guitar) went on to form Fontanelle (couple of albums, also on Kranky). Andy also records as Southerning. Dawn Smithson (bass, vocals) has a couple of albums out too.

Unexpectedly, just about all of Jessamine has been part of Sunn O)))'s touring band at one point or another. Couple of them appear on Monoliths & Dimensions

Thanks Chris!

The two team-up albums with Sonic Boom are also well worth tracking down (especially the A Pox On You EP)

funny, i thought Pox was the only one! hmmmm

first Fontanelle album is excellent

enjoying the new disappears record. no massive departure.

my favourite label circa 99/02.

been digging some of it's older releases these past few weeks (trip down memory lane?). tho some of it hasn't aged that well (1st dissolve record, amp, bowery electric, etc), there are still a couple of underated gems in there : doldrums, flies inside the sun or pan american...

never heard the first jessamine. only ones i have are 'don's stay too long' and 'long arm of coincidence'. don't recall them that well (same with spiny anteaters, also).

First Jessamine rules. First Kranky release I picked up.

Yeah, Jessamine had a great sound. Listen to "Royal Jelly Eye Cream" off that first record, it rules.

Hey now, I'm STILL an Amp fan. Had a new album this year and everything.

Agreed on the worth of Jessamine.

Also! Magnog have reunited and are playing out. Dana Shinn's on Facebook and the band's on Twitter:

https://twitter.com/magnogmusic

Just gonna go ahead and post this to encourage any wavering souls to give it a listen, such a cool guitar sound:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlEhlYOtnHs

enjoying the new disappears record. no massive departure.

Really excited to hear this, loved the live thing they did with Steve last year.

Love the one song I've heard from the new Disappears album. I love both their other albums and, so far, don't really mind if they keep refining the same sound.

dreamscape do some pretty sweet dream pop, even if their drum machine sounds a bit too secret shine-ish

Yeah, I just read this, had never heard of them before:
http://www.factmag.com/2012/07/06/kranky-to-issue-retrospective-of-long-forgotten-shoegaze-combo-dreamscape/

hahaha, they really wanted to release an EP called "greater than god," didn't they?

lool i was totally unaware it was secret shine related

totally enjoying implodes atm -- arrived via ken camden, who has become my default walk-to-work spaceout go-to.

Any thoughts on Loscil's Sketches from New Brighton?

i bought it on yesterday and really enjoyed it- it hits that spot- it's weird to compare it to the previous records, it's a softer midrange sound, but the same DNA is there.

bought it / put it on oops

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLApSAwlUU0/UR9CPzy10wI/AAAAAAAAANE/8LjTgX2FKd0/s400/implodes-recurring-dream.jpg

^ new Implodes album out in April

new song here:
https://soundcloud.com/kranky/implodes-scattered-in-the-wind

closing section is beautiful, stellar guitar sound will get you right between the eyes

I was having a Disappears moment on the occasion of the new album, and then this week I was having a Stars of the Lid moment, which reminded me of the Labradford moment I had a month or two back. So out of curiosity/boredom I looked up the whole Kranky catalog and realized that this just might be my favorite label. Man, they have been so consistent for almost twenty years. That said, I also realized how many releases I've not heard! So: I made a Spotify playlist of the entire Kranky catalog, in order from KRANK001 to KRANK182 or wherever they're at currently.

After scouring Spotify (a few artists are kinda hard to search due to weird typography vs html coding), I found every single album except for maybe four. There's a Fontanelle EP, the first Lichens and Nudge records, and a Deerhunger 7" that aren't there. Everything else is there.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33EZhfB_Kk

Justin Walter album is still one the year's best imo - a really beautiful album of treated trumpet sounds and burbling electronics that that rise up out of the dead quiet of night like jeweled chains set against soft black velvet. Very poised and graceful, kind of like Jon Hassell meets Cluster, but every now and again it also attains this psychoactive kind of Terry Riley meditative dream state.

http://styleofsound.culturecrat.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/kranky-records.png

http://styleofsound.com/kranky-records-20-years-of-hugs-andor-drugs/

Can we please see Labradford in that TBA spot?

By the way for those interested - after I made that Kranky playlist mentioned upthread, I started writing my way through the entire catalog. I'm up to the 12th or 13th release at this point. About 170 to go. Scroll back a little to get to the beginning if you're interested: http://sctttnnnt.tumblr.com

started listening to that playlist, what an amazing thing.

By the way for those interested - after I made that Kranky playlist mentioned upthread, I started writing my way through the entire catalog. I'm up to the 12th or 13th release at this point. About 170 to go. Scroll back a little to get to the beginning if you're interested: http://sctttnnnt.tumblr.com

― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Four months later I've gotten to 96 albums and counting. Handy little archive here, if you like.

This afternoon I was on the Consequence of Sound Aux.Out podcast talking about this project, plus a few digressions. Talked about a lot of Kranky bands, with some shout outs to Windy & Carl, Growing, Charalambides, and others. My bit starts around 38 minutes in and goes til the end, if anyone is interested.

I see Bleep is offering a 30-track bundle of Kranky tracks.

https://bleep.com/stream/30%20tracks%20of%20kranky?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=30%20tracks%20kranky%20tw

It's a Krapload of Kranky!

Really enjoying the new Tara Jane O'Neil album on Kranky.

Yeah, I've been enjoying the TJO album a lot. Still processing it but it's very nice. I basically lost track of her after her first solo album and her various post-Rodan bands broke up (Retsin, Sonora Pine). I didn't realize she had so many solo albums since then - totally fell off my radar.

Yeah she's been very busy in recent years, in a great way. The new album is indeed lovely.

Scott, just started reading your Kranky project and am loving it, and getting intoduced to a whole heap oif great stuff via it. Thank you!

Oh good! Thanks. It's been a lot of fun. I've discovered a lot too, and it's been very rewarding to stick with so many artists' discographies where I might not have given much time if I was just searching music for casual pleasure.

I've been writing my way through the Kranky catalog for the last eight months. 130 albums down, roughly 50 to go.

This is still one of the best projects of its kind around.

Thanks Ned! It's been (mostly) fun.

Enjoying the title track from High Plains' "Cinderland":

https://highplainskranky.bandcamp.com/releases

Demen

https://soundcloud.com/kranky/demen-niorum/s-2Lswu

Seems like Kranky went on a signing spree. MJ Guider, Forma, Earthen Sea, High Plains, Demen - all new to the label within the last 18 months. By contrast every release in 2014 and 2015 was by an artist who had other albums on the label. The last album by a brand new artist they released before MJ Guider's record last year was the Justin Walters album in 2013.

fwiw High Plains is Kranky vet Scott Morgan / Loscil and cellist Mark Bridges. Submers is a fave ambient disc, so stoked for the combo of his aesthetic and a cello.

Does Grouper count? If so, GROUPER FFS PEOPLE.

Gave the Demen an ear last night via an advance, very enjoyable.

Ah, didn't realize High Plains was a Loscil project! That excites me.

Earthen Sea is good. Abul Mogard-type vibes.

not sure where else to post this, but kranky fans might be interested in this:

https://vimeo.com/203361631

Looking back at this historical trajectory, Peter Burr, Mark Fingerhut, and Forma have created a spiraling interdimensional narrative aptly titled DESCENT - a meditation on one of humanity’s blackest hours. Taking the form of a desktop application, descent.exe gives the user a brief glimpse of a world descending into darkness - an unrelenting plague indifferent to the struggles of the user. There is a silver lining, however, tucked into the software’s final sweep. An equanimous watcher, reduced to a single eye, looks on as the plague of rats that has infested your desktop destroys itself.

This video is a recording of descent.exe running alongside Fingerhut's deepdesktop.exe.

Visuals: Peter Burr peterburr.org, undervolt.co/Peter-Burr
Programming: Mark Fingerhut markfingerhut.com/
Music: Forma - Descent (from Physicalist, Kranky 2016) formasounds.bandcamp.com/, formasounds.com/

i ran across it because i really like peter burr, but the music is outstanding too. turns out it's from a recent kranky release (Forma - Physicalist) which came out last fall.

I'm about to pre-order the new/old Grouper LP from kranky, but i want to pick up a couple others at the same time. are there any especially good, recent kranky releases? i've kind of drifted away from them over the years, to the point where i'm not sure i've even listened to anything by several of the most recent artists (Christina Vantzou, Dedekind Cut, Justin Walker, Demen, Earthen Sea, Anjou).

Justin Walter is great - parts of his most recent album sound like Labradford filtered through ECM (in a good way)

The Gregg Kowalsky album is modular synth melancholia stuff, definitely solid if you like that sort of thing

The little I heard of the new Dedekind Cut album sounded nice, if instantly forgettable as soon as it was no longer playing (which is a criticism I have of a lot of this stuff)

Anjou is essential if you like Labradford, though it's definitely its own thing - it's Bobby Donne's most recent (not really new) project and it's wonderful

Good luck, tell us what you end up choosing!

Christina Vantzou is great - in the vein of Winged Victory for the Sullen. And for that matter Winged Victory for the Sullen is great too if you haven't picked that up.

I second the Justin Walter rec - he's probably my favorite of their most recent group of signees (say, the last 4 years or so).

need to listen to that justin walter again. his debut on kranky was amazing but the recent one didn't really grab me all that much tbh

I do like the debiut more, but the second album is good too.

Here's a vote for Justin Walter - Unseen Forces

Never heard the first one. Same general vibe?

Yes, same general vibe. Might be a case of "first one I heard" but I just like it a hair more than the second.

the Demen album is incredible, probably my favorite of 2017

https://youtu.be/uXcTSlsme1s

I think I played Demen's Nektyr more than any other record last year. Justin Walter is also a safe pick (I prefer his second album – and yes, I did hear it first).

xposts....:( i was apparently so impatient yesterday that i couldn't even wait 30 minutes for a reply before submitting my order. i ended up adding tim hecker's virgins to my order, just i've listened to so much of his music via spotify without actually owning anything. feels like i owe him a little.

if i could turn back time, if i could find a way, i'd probably give justin walter a shot. next time!

25th Anniversary shows in Portland, Chicago, LA, NYC: http://www.factmag.com/2018/10/23/grouper-loscil-steve-hauschildt-kranky-25th-anniversary-shows/?fbclid=IwAR1HDyg2yd7sz7bSbzPBsxd18OgFeLxk8PD5X1du0I_9JRwUOH15-troUPo

Nov 16 – Portland, OR w/ Loscil, Valet, Saloli
Nov 17 – Portland, OR w/ Grouper, Benoit Pioulard, Strategy
Dec 1 – Los Angeles, CA w/ Grouper, Brian McBride, Less Bells
Dec 8 – Chicago, IL w/ Windy & Carl, Pan•American, Steve Hauschildt, Justin Walter
Dec 15 – NY w/ Christina Vantzou, Forma, Earthen Sea, Saloli

By the way - five years ago I posted about a spotify playlist I made of the entire Kranky catalog. I still keep that playlist up to date.
https://open.spotify.com/user/scottpgwp/playlist/6LjovhU0NCPKEMmSAPEWBZ?si=9SyijQ8qSEmoYbUUhy24sQ

Fuck: this tour needs to come to Europe.

Also fuck: Kranky is 25 years old = therefore I am ridiculously old :-/

Based on who's playing where, it doesn't look really like a "tour" - all those acts are essentially local to the cities they're playing, I think. or at least they don't live far.

In any case - I would LOVE to see that Chicago set. It's probably been 20 years since I last saw Windy & Carl! And I've never seen Pan*American.

But, I've also never seen Grouper so I'll be excited for that LA show. Brian McBride's first album ("When the Detail Lost its Freedom") is also an unheralded classic from the label - anyone who loves the last two Stars of the Lid albums should also love that album. It is nine-tenths perfection.

thought some people here might be interested that I am about to put out a (superb) new Dean Roberts record on my ErstPop imprint. I am bad about getting the word out usually but in case you are interested, available for preorder now with immediate DL access, and the great first track is streaming...

https://erstwhilerecords.bandcamp.com/album/not-fire

stellar news and that looks like a great line-up of players! super excited to hear it all - will try and order a bit later

Oh I was wondering where Dean Roberts had disappeared. Seriously pumped!

Additional:

Ekkehard Ehlers - Advisor

😎

Great news Jon, looking forward to this!

oh wow, cool! was thinking about White Winged Moth and Dean and wondering what the hell had happened to him.

will buy. thanks for the head's up!

Great news, Dean/AD are Kranky's best-kept secret, sadly.

that Dean Roberts is shipping now, CDs printed amazing with full lyrics inside, Pitchfork review coming shortly.

New Windy and Carl kills. Absolutely one of their best. (It's not quite, say, their Double Negative but it comes from a similar place.)

Which W&C is that? Forest Trails or something else?

New one:

https://windyandcarl.bandcamp.com/album/allegiance-and-conviction

I like the new Dean Roberts but can't help but feel like its deliberately prosaic lyricism detracts from it somewhat, as though he were weaving an aural narrative about failed interpersonal relationships from the wizened perspective of a 50-something divorcee or whatever and I just find that shit hopelessly dull, like a Jonathan Franzen novel.

Basically I hate psychosocial lyrics that make me feel like I'm supposed to relate to them, like 'wow so true man'.

Unsurprisingly, the new Windy & Carl is indeed fantastic.

Listened to it twice in a row last night. It’s terrific.

It is indeed. I'll have a piece running soon -- did a big ol' interview with them, though only a few samples of it will be used in the final result.

The Ana Roxanne album has been my safe space throughout November.

I love the bits where she doesn't use her speaking voice, otherwise it takes me a little too out of itself.

^really enjoying this, it's one of the few times I've discovered something via letting Spotify auto-play.

Her NTS show makes for good work music too

I missed this. What a gorgeous album.

What was going on with the Low hate 18 years ago

i wish i liked the mj guider record a bit more cos i loved her first one, but maybe it'll grow on me with time. not sure what's missing, maybe it's just me? probably worth a spin if you're into bowery electric or early HTRK though

The Ana Roxanne album has been my safe space throughout November.

― technopolis, Saturday, November 28, 2020 3:09 AM (one month ago) bookmarkflaglink

love this

I'd like it better if there was less talking involved.

Anyone heard any more of the Niecy Blues album aside from what's on Bandcamp?

Oh look! https://justinwalter.bandcamp.com/album/destroyer

People are saying Dean Roberts has passed away - awful, awful news.

Waking to the heartbreaking news that Dean Roberts has passed away. Just crushingly sad. I can hear the song of his voice and the physicality of his mischievous, soulful laugh. RIP Dean, and sending love to all whose lives he touched. pic.twitter.com/XRAE31SBtR

— David Grubbs (@blackfaurest) August 14, 2024

Lovely piece on Dean Roberts from Radio New Zealand's Culture 101 show:

https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/culture-101/audio/2018967932/the-moth-has-flown-the-life-of-musical-adventurer-dean-roberts

thank you for that! i love dean - music that always left me feeling enriched, sad there's no more to look forward to