A thread for HOWIE LEE's sublime, genre-spanning Chinese folk/prog/jazz/Balearic/grime opus 'BIRDY ISLAND'

This is something else...

https://f4.bcbits.com/img/a0031040344_16.jpg

https://howielee.bandcamp.com/album/birdy-island

https://open.spotify.com/album/359tImW8MlmgoaECeGtBFE?si=3u_nPLySROeY3BtV1M8ghQ

There's a lot going on here, but it never feels busy or like it's trying too hard.
Some hark-backs to Cornelius's "Point" album and maybe even Tortoise's "Standards", but it sounds like it couldn't have come out at an earlier time than this year

Yes! Haven't gotten a chance to fully get into this one but his 7 Weapons Series was one of my favorites last year.

I haven't heard the earlier stuff but it's meant to be quite different from this

Yeah, this is lovely but definitely different than I expected. Like, I was expecting a pretty electronic album compared to the club tracks on the last one, but not all the live (?) instruments and folk/prog elements.

It reminds me of a lot of things but especially Scott Herren/Savath y Savalas right now.

while we're here: it really fucks me off that the first Savath & Savalas album isn't on Spotify. Puts a gaping hole of desire in a lot of my instrumentals playlists

This album is blowing my mind right now, thanks for the heads up! Truly worldbuilding stuff. I'm going to have to really dive into this person's work.

Yeah I love this album.

this is fantastic morning fun

loving these soundscapes and vibes so far

the name sounded familiar: he was one of Lafawndah’s collaborators on the Ancestor Boy II remix album:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLNiDxO-QDM
Lafawndah • JOSEPH X HOWIE LEE REWORK

(second time I namechecked that album this week, what are the odds)

This is so great, it really did work as a weekend morning record (and my partner usually has me turn off anything with a hint of loopy repetitiveness, which speaks to this record's constantly shifting musicality).

I'd love to know how he recorded certain tracks, or what the mixture of samples to recorded parts is. Also really need to go check out his earlier records.

Arrived yesterday.

Deliberately not streaming this till I get my copy

Thanks for starting this thread dl this is really cool stuff that I never would have come across otherwise. Having gone and listened to some of his earlier material, it's a more straight mix of Chinese folk and club music, some of which is pretty good but a fair amount did little for me. The new one's definitely a cut above, lovely soundscapes.

Seconded. I had never heard anything quite like it. I ordered the CD after one listen.

This album is compelling in its meandering. Maybe once I get more acquainted with the tracks I'll discover a stronger internal logic but honestly, I hope not.

Listening to 2019's Tiān Dì Bù Rén today, it's excellent. It's based around traditional Chinese instrumentation but way more beat-oriented than Birdy Island. It doesn't have quite as much of that blurred quality that makes me wonder if something is played, sampled, or programmed, but it's definitely there.

https://howielee.bandcamp.com/album/ti-n-d-b-r-n

wow this is really cool

Looked up some interviews and confirmed for myself that he does in fact play drums on some of the records, and stringed instruments. And obviously a lot of it is programmed using sample libraries as well, but the blend gives it that special touch.

yeah this is my favorite EOY poll discovery so far

I definitely hear some similarities to Eyvind Kang's more orchestral works (Narrow Garden and Virginal Coordinates in particular)

(xp to UMS)

xp I love The Narrow Garden <3

this is interesting, it reminds me a bit of that Meitei album Kwaidan from a while back: https://meitei.bandcamp.com/album/kwaidan with the caveat that Kwaidan is based on Japanese, not Chinese folk music

i think this is partly a factor of my ignorance but this feels so unique, so distinctive, i don't know if i could even describe it to someone. it's so alive, so inventive....really a knockout.

These guys must be friends? https://anti-general.bandcamp.com/

New EP in Birdy Island mode: https://howielee.bandcamp.com/album/event-fact-and-those-which-are-emphasized

Another new EP of live duets with a drummer: https://howielee.bandcamp.com/album/walking-on-thin-ice

Buddhist club music, I'm in

https://howielee.bandcamp.com/album/at-the-drolma-wesel-ling-monastery

Holy shit yes

Out today!

loving it a couple of listens in, giving me deep forest vibes at times

Love it, hits similarly to the 7 Weapons record that first got my attention.

This gets better and better the more it goes along.

If it’s like Deep Forest at times it’s pretty much the opposite of easy listening - I don’t think I could ever get away with playing it around the house