ARBOR
140; 7"EP
RYAN GARBES REAL SUGAR
B/W THE LIGHTS
 |
Ryan Garbes is the drummer of
Iowa City bands such as Wet Hair, Dunebuggy, Trash Dog, and formerly
Raccoo-oo-oon. His recordings under his own name represent a unique
brand of solo multi-track recording with a seamless integrity; through
a skillful use of instrumentation and recording technique, Garbes
eschews notions of low fidelity for songs reminiscent of traditional
American garage rock produced in the haze of an early 90’s UK
aesthetic. Genuine pop songs, cloaked in a comforting wash
of reverb, as if Lou Reed had done a record for Creation; more ecstatic
than obstructed Garbes’ voice is a refreshing one outside the continuum
of the contemporary four-track bedroom pop. In an edition of 300
copies with full color sleeve and printed labels by Ryan.
sample: the lights
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$7.00 | CANADA;
$7.50 | WORLD;
$10.00
return
|
ARBOR
137; 12"EP
PALE BLUE SKY SHADES OF GREY
 |
Pale Blue Sky is the new project
from Mike Pollard (formerly Treetops). Shades Of Grey is the project’s
genesis; a long considered transition uniting the organic drone-work of
the former project with compositional structures. The recordings
embody a delicate sense of distance; staring out at the moving
landscape obscured by the mediation of the window. Through
blurred fidelity the origin of melody is placed under microscopic
inquiry; an exploration into the moment of tonal interaction.
Pale Blue Sky utilizes repetition and non-linear movements, attempting
to reconcile simplicity, form, and sentiment through modes of
difference. Placing focus on spatial concerns, as well as emotive
potential, the five songs contained within are each different
embodiments of the possibility of the transformative decay of
remembrance. An ephemeral glimpse; the moment has already passed.
For quiet, distanced listening. Mastered by William Hutson, cut at 45
rpm. In an edition of 400 copies with full
color glossy jackets, printed inner sleeves, and printed labels.
sample: fleece
(excerpt)
sample: interlude (drift)
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$12.00 | CANADA;
$15.50 | WORLD;
$22.00
return
|
ARBOR
133; 7"EP
COPPER GLOVE SURVIVING THE
GARDEN OF HATE
 |
Copper Glove, the new project
from Baltimore’s Door (formerly Earth Crown; who shared splits with
Secret Abuse and Kites on past Arbor releases), shows a further
progression of his one man industrial-noise synth unit. In
opposition to his former work, Copper Glove is more mindful of
composition; utilizing tone generators and processed synthesis and
vocals to present a dense cut up analog form of industrial concréte.
Door’s nihilistic optimism carries itself with a sense of
effortlessness; ideological aggression, a pure translation. With
focused energy, the noise of the machine continues as man controls
it. The city is destroyed but we can still live here,
forever. In an edition of 300 7”s with silkscreened covers with
white ink on metallic black paper and printed labels by Door.
sample: protogenerator
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$7.00 | CANADA;
$7.50 | WORLD;
$10.00
return
|
ARBOR
128; C30 CASSETTE
BRETT NAUCKE SOUTHERN
CALIFORNIA
 |
The debut release under his own
name, Brett Naucke’s Southern California is an aptly titled seven track
suite. In the nature of his other projects, Face Worker and
Exercise, Naucke continues his exploration of upward advancement
through a contemporary approach to ambient, classically new age music;
here he wholly embraces discrete structures allowing the tracks to
carry a natural progression, transparently simple though deeply
considered. Recalling the work of early 80’s West Coast composers
such as Ray Lynch, Naucke’s command of smooth synthesis is both
meditative and active; drifting washes of light, organized tones.
Translucent, linear growth; following the clouds across the sky.
In an edition of 125 copies with full color cardstock covers and
labeled tapes.
sample: theme: (west)
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return
|
ARBOR
123; C20 CASSETTE
JUSTIN MEYERS THE
AMPLITUDE OF NEIGHBORS
 |
Minneapolis’
Justin Meyers has
been producing extremely discrete musique concrete for the past few
years. Through field recordings Meyers achieves a double sided
voyeurism; his capturing of another’s space, and the listeners glimpse
into his space. His care and precision demands attention with an
unconscious magnetism; on Both Sides
the recording of an outdoor
summer’s evening is paired with subtle beating frequencies
symbiotically shifting in and out of the other, producing a deeply
compelling command over space. This same phenomena is explored on
A Visitor:
composed with simple sine waves, infinite variations of
listening interaction are possible, imposing the piece directly within
the space of the listener. In an edition of 125 copies with full
color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
sample: both sides
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return
|
ARBOR
122;
C15 CASSETTE
CLOAKED LIGHT PLAIN CURTAIN
 |
These early four-track
experiments from Peter Friel’s Cloaked Light project offers a look into
focus. With the slowest subtlety changes grow, only perceptible
through reflection. A new form of seeking to understand; a
non-linear music, offering a space of contemplation to look forward and
behind. On A Long Green Hall
Friel shifts meaning and reorients the place of speech in a Lucierian
experiment with self-help tapes. On But I’m Trying, subtle tonal
expansions mirror the manipulation of speech on the previous track,
though without the
recognizable markers of language the result is more obscured.
Each track offers insight to the others processes. Recorded in
Summer 2009, these tracks are some of the earliest from the project, a
precursory inquiry to the tapes on Ekhein and Monorail. Upcoming
split 12” EP with Pale Blue Sky further explores the nature of tonal
interactions and non-linear potentials of sound. In an edition
of 125 copies with full color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
sample: but i'm trying,
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return |
ARBOR
119; 12"EP
RALE
WHISPERING GALLERY
 |
Following recent tape
releases on Young and Ekhein, Bill Hutson’s Rale project should no
longer be an elusive one. His modular synthesized low-end focus reaches
new depths with each release; managing to provide a richness in texture
and a deep listening experience in slow moving forms. Hutson exercises
a dedicated control and mastery in composition as a result of his
overwhelming knowledge of the potentials of sound. Far off
organ chords become enveloped by an atmospheric heavy air; melody isn’t
shunned, but obscured. Frequencies arranged seamlessly, with a modest
approach; like the growth of a grey cloud. In an edition of 400 12” EPs
cut at 45rpm in proprinted cardboard sleeves with printed labels.
sample: folding bedroom (excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$12.00 | CANADA;
$15.50 | WORLD;
$22.00
return |
ARBOR
106; DOUBLE LP ALBUM
JAMES FERRARO
CITRAC
 |
The CITRAC collection
presents one of James Ferraro’s most cinematic visions; showing his
recent mode of soundworld creation in top form. By shying away from
pure musical creation and opting towards the organic birth of sonic
universes James finds a new way to tell a story. Evoking vastly
imaginative imagery, this 80+ minute suite spanning two LPs, contains
the previously released “Postremo Techno Mundus Symposium”, excerpts
and alternative edits from Liquid Metal’s Alternative Soundtrack to
“Digital Overdrive”, and the all new “Digital Tribe”. Presenting
deep-nightmarish atmospheres of surveillance and captivity on through
the rush of the open road; the hypnotic, lo-fi result is one that could
only come from Ferraro’s alien mind, eternally stuck in a 1980s vision
of an impossibly archaic future. In a total pressing of 550 double LPs
with
full color printed inner-sleeves in pro-printed black and white
cardboard sleeves and printed labels by James.
sample: (excerpt)
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$22.00 | CANADA;
$25.50 | WORLD;
$34.00
return
|
ARBOR 099; DOUBLE 7"EP
CARLOS GIFFONI
THE ABSENCE OF ESSENCE
 |
Carlos Giffoni’s heavy
synthesizer work recalls the crushing, massiveness of early industrial
music. Completely consuming the air around it with heavy vibrations and
total deprivation. These four tracks rip holes through the sonic
barriers, loud and powerful but with entrancing subtleties and discreet
builds. The nature of the 7” format does not harm Giffoni’s work which
normally exists in extended lengths; instead very succinct and
unwavering compositions result: creating four vignettes of grey
industrial zones. As the person responsible for No Fun Productions and
the No Fun Fest, this Brooklyn transplants presence in the current
progression of the genre is undeniable. In an edition of 400 2x7”(one
on white vinyl and one on black) sets in foldout gatefold sleeves with
art by
Maya Miller of Heavy Tapes/Religious Knives.
sample: lift (excerpt)
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$11.00 | CANADA;
$11.50 | WORLD;
$14.00
return
|
ARBOR
088; 7"EP
C. SPENCER YEH + LASSE MARHAUG
THE ELEMENTARY
PARTICLES
 |
This collaborative work
between US improviser C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core) and European
sound artist Lasse Marhaug is one of the most diverse and rewarding
efforts by either artist. It is the result of hours of recording, cut
up and spliced together, giving the listener a glimpse into various
short snippets of the sessions. Harsh quick sonic blasts, violin
scrapes and drones, field recordings, vocal exercises, room clatter and
more are used in the process, but the way that they are assembled and
woven together provides a nonstop experience that goes best with highly
concentrated listening. Still the result is so varied that something
new can be heard on every listen; a recording so intense you can never
truly grasp what is actually happening; most definitely a highlight in
both artists’ discographies. In an edition of 400 7”s in proprinted
foldover sleeves with art Jose DeDiego and an insert.
sample: in contemporary western society... (excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$9.50
return
|
ARBOR
085; C40 CASSETTE
JEFRE CANTU-LEDESMA BLOODSTREAM
SERMON
 |
On Bloodstream Sermon,
San Francisco’s Jefre Cantu-Ledesma (of Tarentel and the Root Strata
label) presents a deep, drifting pair of extended drone works.
With a precise sense of focus for agreeing tonal arrangement, JCL’s
compositions for Roland Juno 60, pure wave oscillator, and electronics
recall the shifting exactness of La Monte Young’s geometric based
frequency pairings. Bloodstream
Sermon’s
meditative tracks create a breathing space within their own existence,
a break from temporal consciousness. Imbued with a rich sense of
beauty and calming potential; a subtle care. Learning to accept;
letting go, becoming oneself. In an edition of 150 copies with
full color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
sample: bloodstream sermon I
(excerpt)
ADD TO
CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return
|
ARBOR
077; C30 CASSETTE
GREGG KOWALSKY TAPE CHANTS:
EARLY EXPERIMENTS
 |
Bay Area composer Gregg Kowalsky
has spent the past few years experimenting with the cassette tape as an
instrument; utilizing the placement of portable walkmen and the
psychoacoustic effect of their natural interactions. This,
Gregg’s first cassette release, presents experiments from his recent
Kranky record, Tape Chants.
On Early Experiments he uses
cassettes as a way to transfer and manipulate environments.
Through mechanisms of the tape player he can adjust pitch and
amplitude, while through mixing he combines various sources and field
recordings creating new, recontexualized moments. This simple
though calculated approach harkens back to the earliest days of tape
music and recorded sound; creation with what already exists,
reorganizing natural occurrences. In an edition of 125 copies
with cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
sample: (excerpt)
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return
|
ARBOR
075; LP ALBUM
SECRET ABUSE THE IMMEASURABLE GIFT
 |
“The Immeasurable Gift”
is a testament to cathartic possibilities and the role of
creation/release as a means of understanding. Recorded throughout the
past three years in a variety of locations and personal moments;
encapsulated by a common, unrelenting concern. Beautifully delicate,
elegiac melodies concealed within curtains of dense electronic ambiance
reveal themselves like the light at the end of the tunnel; a signifier
of the temporary vessel form. Balancing recklessness with care and
coming to terms with the inevitable; encountering the man on the
shoulder, reminding us that we are all just weary travelers. In an
edition of 425 records in full color proprinted cardboard jackets with
printed labels and an insert; all design by Jeff Witscher.
sample: carefully
opening the window
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$14.00 | CANADA;
$17.50 | WORLD;
$24.00
return
|
ARBOR
059; C60 CASSETTE
LAZY MAGNET / SOCIAL JUNK SPLIT
|
Jeremy
Harris’ Lazy Magnet project has been active for well over a decade
though the work has remained relatively shrouded in mystery. A
true nomad; shifting location and inspiration, following whatever path
may prevent itself. Under the Lazy Magnet guise, Harris has
explored an innumerable amount of musical styles, adapting each to his
uses. On “Yet From The Highest Crown No Blossom Fell” Harris (along
with Sakiko Mori of Daily Life) explores the Sci-Fi textures of digital
synthesizers. A drifting score from the Providence Futuristic
District where man and machine meet to look inside each other.
Philadelphia’s Social Junk present four tracks operating from a
similarly paired Industrial Sci-Fi stance. Some of the groups
strongest work, recorded in December 2008 while still living in
Oakland, CA. Feedback is tamed into a smooth element, as pliable
as the human voice. The union of these organic/inorganic elements
create a unique sense of melody from within the warehouse; clearing
away the trash, polishing the concrete. In an edition of 125
copies with full color cardstock covers and labeled tapes.
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$8.50
return
ARBOR
052;
7"EP
C. SPENCER YEH / SICK LLAMA
SPLIT
|
The malformed
compositions of C. Spencer Yeh and Sick Llama come from opposing
spectrums of noise music, though their similarities are undeniable.
Whether it be Yeh’s solo piece for violin or Sick Llama’s gunked tape
work, the spirit of improvisation shines through. On Yeh’s track, the
churning sounds of metal scrapes and light tinges, like crossed
electric static and growing, buzzing drones are the result of one
violin. His unique approach to the instrument marks him as one of the
most exciting improvisers today whether it be with his solo work or
through his work in Burning Star Core. Sick Llama’s untitled piece is
one of his most concise and interesting tracks; crushing and dirty with
the hiss of tape static. Coming from the stoned mind of Heath Moreland
of Fag Tapes, the expected tape aesthetic is transferred to vinyl with
a compilation of cut up compositions, evoking a series of mystery sound
sources. In an edition of 400 7”s in proprinited fold over sleeves with
art by Maya Miller of Heavy Tapes/Religious Knives.
sample: sick llama- untitled (excerpt)
ADD TO CART:
USA;
$6.50 | CANADA;
$7.00 | WORLD;
$9.50
return
|
|
|
