How Many Projects/Bands Has Skullflower's Bowers been involved in?

i don't think matt bower has done anything with ramleh, but i wouldn't swear to it. he was also in pure (pre-original incarnation of total), which according to the semi-official skullflower page was "guitar-oriented power electronics, sort of like Whitehouse with cheap, damaged guitars instead of cheap, damaged synths."

the second incarnation of total was guitar-based drone ranging from the searingly painful ("exploded star sad servant") to the absolutely beautiful ("silver pillows") to proto-sunroof! stuff ("eternity's beautiful frontispiece," "tanzmusik der renaissance"). i really like the first total lp "beyond the rim" on majora - kind of michael morley-esque guitar fidgeting. generally total is an eternal keening drone.

he's done a couple of releases with richard youngs - "site/realm" on vhf/insample and the youngsbower "relayer" cd on vhf, which is highly recommended if you enjoy sunroof! and the like. also, i strongly suspect but cannot confirm that he's at least a member of the hototogisu, who have some CDR releases and an LP on de stijl, again recommended for fans of sunroof!

matt bower was (i'm fairly sure) a part of the consumer electronics/merzbow "horn of the goat" cd, though i'm not sure if he was an original member

if you enjoy the skullflower stuff, you might want to check out terminal cheesecake or the recently released "pelican songs" cd by the finnish band worms.

Thanks ynf. I read a review of the Worms disc in the Forced Exposure catalogue & made a mental note to check into them. The Skullflower comparison just seals the deal! And I'm pretty sure I read that somebody in Skullflower was in Ramleh, and I thought it was Bower, but I could be wrong. Regardless, they are really good & in a Skullflower vein. Terminal Cheesecake is duely noted as well.

wasn't he also in Total?

Yes, he was !! Thanks for the reminder, Rog.

New Skullflower record on tUMULt by the way - 'exquisite fucking boredom' - and apparently a singles compilation in the planning.

so are those Hototogitsu records really good? i appear to have missed out on 'em. maybe i'll stumble across them sometime.

"white wind of autumn" is very good, it's a charming and happy-sounding record - a friend of mine who has some severe stomach problems that keep him awake at night swears by it as late night listening. the other two releases are a little less unique sounding and lack the kind of bouncy, toy-instrument-version-of-sunroof! feel. still good, though.

i'm pretty sure "white wind" is floating around on soulseek.

FYI...Tom Greenwood of JOMF and I are hosting a tour by Vibracathedral Orchestra and Sunroof this SEptember all up and down the East Coast..want more info?..Just email us!
dan

THis just in - the common link between Skullflower & Ramleh is Anthony Difranco, not Bower.

well...gary mundy (main guy in ramleh) is also a common link.

Currently listening to the newest Hototogisu double CDR Ghosts From the Sun. So where are the noise dudes on this thread anyway?

underrated noise bands & performers? (13 matching messages)

I totally think the Skullflower camp is underrated. Especially Ramleh, who were doing power electronics in like 82, grew out of a sort of Whitehouse scene, and at some point when I was collecting all that stuff, they actually bypassed Skullflower in my book. I can't remember the name of the record but they have this one CD that is so weird and beautiful, I'll have to check. And Skullflower made this transition from Melvins sludge to pure guitar noise to really cool out there improv stuff, when they were playing with Simon Wickham-Smitha and Richard Youngs, who are geniuses but not really underrated. Like when Tim Hodgkinson would appear on a Skullflower record. But people don't really talk about Skullflower, and those were amazing records. There was that transitional period of Black Dice, post hardcore, pre whatever they do now, where I'd see them and swear to god they sounded like Skulfflower, circa Carved Into Roses. Just intense beautiful LOUD sheets of sound.

-- Dan Selzer, August 18th, 2004.

RFI: Sunroof! (2 matching messages)

Total had it's moments, but Skullflower (especially the lo-fi druggy improv late period..."Argon" and "This Is...") was most rulin'.
haven't heard that last Skullflower record that came out on Tumult, which I understand to be Matthew Bower solo anyway.

Julian Bradey rules for this sorta thing...the CD comp on Veglia...so good I gave it to my dad.

-- Russ, August 19th, 2004.

RYAN SHRIEBER IS D/LING SHIT FROM ME WHAT DO I DO?!?! (1 matching message)

matt and I were in the same electronic music program, though I suppose he also got a composition degree, whereas I dropped out to silkscreen posters for my "3 Hours of Skullflower" pledge drive show. Never read the stylus article, will look it up. People should really be nice to each other, especially if they don't know them.

-- Dan Selzer, August 24th, 2004.

How great is this N0!z3 going to be? (1 matching message)

Thursday September 2nd:

Open City
Hototogisu (Matt Bower of Sunroof, Skullflower, Total and Marcia Bassett of Double Leopards)
Tom Carter (member of Charalambides)
Expo 70 (ex-members of The Manifolds)

It sounds like I want to go, but I don't feel like going out on Thursday.

-- dean?, August 31st, 2004.

unofficial website
http://www.monotremata.com/skull/index.html

matthew bower is a massive talent. haven't heard any hototogisu yet but if it's half as good as sunroof!...

btw, the common element between skullflower and ramleh is stuart dennison AND anthony difranco.

just got Silver Bear Mist, the new Sunroof! - some great speeding up/down effects on the third track - solid as ever

DRONE.

the new double cd sunroof is niceeeeee

i think "nice" is an adjective that can describe nearly any bower project.

AMON I MET SOME DUDE FROM BMORE LAST NIGHT AND ASKED HIM IF HE KNEW U. HE WAS A "NOIZE DOUCHE"

I have to put in a word for the recent Skullflower - Orange Canyon Mind. I would also like to add my voice to those praising Silver Bear Mist. Sir Bower continues to make me very happy!

I love the track "Orange Canyon Mind", really chewy. I think I called it new wavey on another thread. Not my favorite Skullflower album though. They all have their charms. As soon as I'm ready to write off one of them I try it again and love it. Haven't kept up with the Sunroof! stuff, though.

its cool how noisy and relaxing it is at the same time.

IAN DID HE KNOW ME? ALSO, WHY AM I BANNED FROM NOISE BOARD STILL? WTF