Today has me melting for the wailing witchiness of Valentina Mushy. Emerging from Rome’s shadows like some twisted Dario Argento siren, she weaves a bellissimo incubo of Pocahauntings fit for the grandest of okkvlt ritvals. She also works with one of my fave video/noisemakers Mater Suspiria Vision, and they’ve recently released a few videos of their collaborations. Check out my favorite one below, and download her sounds to be sucked into a world of dark ruins and mysterious red-cloaked figures.
This dude Human Resources is a cool kid who lives in my area (heh) and makes some really beautiful folky, lo-fi drone-pop. Cryptic stuff, reminds me of what a 14 year old me thought Throbbing Gristle would sound like when a friend described them to me. Perfect for mind experiments or late-night suburban okkvlt rituals.
His latest cassette Fast Times is out now on House of Aragon. Get it.
MIND LEECH
I can always rely on Not Not Fun to supply me with pure gold. Their latest release is a slow-burning split between Psychic Reality (aka Leyna Noel, whose beautiful vocals you may have already heard in The Finer Things) and LA Vampires, a new project from Pocahaunted’s Amanda Brown that was previously featured on the godly MyEstrogeneration compilation. Side A is handled by Psychic Reality, four tracks of throbbing, wailing mystical murk. Sometimes life-affirming, sometimes sorrowful, and always transcendental, Leyna sends the listener on the kind of trip that you return from with your brain leaking out of your nose. Side B goes vampiric on us with woodwinds and jazzy, sub-hiphop beats as heard through a water-submerged boombox, while Amanda’s haunting vocals echo from a dark tunnel, bearing you through a sea of LSD. Damn, got you drooling, well scan this through your brain waves: she’s also planning collabs with Zola J. and Sun Araw. That’s right: reality is perfection.
This excellent 12” split is available now from Not Not Fun. Get it.
IT’S A GIRL THING
I know this may sometimes seem like the Brittany Gould Fan Blog, but darn it, she just makes amazing music. And fuck you for telling me how to run my blog. You’re not my real dad. Anyway, my favorite Colorado hauntologist has just released a collaboration track with Cory Brown under her Married In Berdichev! persona. It’s a beautiful song, showcasing Brittany’s lovely vocals, for once not hidden behind walls of static and noise. There’s a promise of more collab songs to come as well, so get happy and check this out.
God knows I can never get enough psych-drone. Combine the acid-soaked expertise of Evan Caminiti from Barn Owl with the haunting vocals of Lisa McGee, you get the pure magic of Higuma. They’ve returned with their new LP Den Of The Spirits, a windy, dark piece of mystic smoke that will leave you swooning, turning your senses into sensimilla. Lean back and feel the sky pour into you.
Den Of The Spirits is out now on Aquarius. Get it.
SPIRIT VISIONS
Heard recently that Haunted Fucking are totally split, never to make music again. I consider that information to be garbage, as in total shit news. I mean okay, maybe they’re busy; being the two people behind Upset The Rhythm has gotta be pretty time-consuming, but take like twenty minutes, put a tape recorder on the kitchen table and ghost the fuck out. Damn. Pretty sure everything they put out is gone forever, but if you manage to find some forgotten remainders (might try contacting them directly, sweet-talkin’ never killed a man) then snatch them up; each cassette is a throbbing hunk of clattering space-age Red Indian fuckery with enough audio hallucinogens to knock down a Tyrannosaurus.
When I first saw them play was back in 2007, I was entranced by New Thrill Parade. Their costumed, No Wave-y art madness combined jittery guitar hooks and spastic saxophones, all stabbing in time to vocalist Amitai’s yelps and wails. When they broke up late last year, I was bummed as heck, but last night Amitai contacted me with some mi-t-fine news. He and Loric (also of NTP) have started a new project called Water Borders, a gorgeously dark and droney thing with echoes of Cindytalk and Swans, as well as more current acts like Robedoor. Not only are they working on collaborations with the beautiful Glasser and my buddies Bestial Mouths, they’re also planning to release an EP sometime around April, hopefully coinciding with their first live performance. This is one of those things that you need to be on top of RIGHT NOW, so check out these two wonderful tracks and keep your eyes and ears peeled. 2010 is the year of the Witch.
Woke up from sludge dreams to see that my favorite one-woman psyche droner Meghan Remy is releasing a new U.S. Girls LP early next month. She’s also released a new video for the first track leak, Red Ford Radio. It’s a slightly more melodic track then what she usually presents, like a Joy Division track heard through a fever haze.
Meghan’s new album Go Grey is out February 2nd on Siltbreeze. Get it.
A WOMAN’S WATERS
My favoritest noise duo Caldera Lakes have just released a new cassette! Tape is the perfect medium to listen to Brittany Gould’s beautiful, otherworldy vocals punctured by Eva Aguila’s throbbing drones and harsh noise. Naturally the second I got the news I immediately purchased one, and you should as well because they’re limited to 100 copies.
Caldera Lakes’ self-titled cassette is available now on Accidie. Get it.
JOIN THE CLUB
It feels like forever since I made a mixtape, but I recently did this one for a friend. I’ve provided a rip because I am awesome and I want you to hear all the cool stuff he gets to hear too. It does include a weirdo drone version of Korn’s ‘Got The Life’, and yes, the irony is so thick you could sculpt it like Play-Doh. But does anyone unironically like Korn? Seems unlikely, but in this economy, can we really afford to authentically like anything? I’m not sure but fucked up if true. Enjoy!
In 2010 the growing personal trend is to slog through the piss-and-moan drudgery of life until the day when you die of gay cum overdose, but until then I’m definitely enjoying this track from San Fran’s Hissing Wound. Mad dark slow-burning jams to satisfy the smokiest soul.
It’s reminding me a lot of another great band that I haven’t listened to in a while, GHQ. Marcia Bassett is so godly. Play ‘Kissing Tongues’, follow it up with GHQ, and then watch as I literally kiss a girl tongue and also abs and labes and whatever.
Oh and the Knife just released a really good song too but hey, that’s everywhere and easy to find.
THE SOUND OF COLD
The Grouper/Roy Montgomery split just came out and it’s really gorgeous stuff. The Montgomery recording is pleasant enough but, being the huge Grouper fan I am, it was Liz’s stuff that really grabbed me. ‘Pulse’ is evocative of crisp, sleepy days in sunshiney meadows, ‘Hold The Way’ floats along on wordless vocals, and ‘Hollow Press’ rises and falls in static-laden waves. The standout track, however, is ‘Vessel’; it shines like a melancholy star in a winter sky. Liz has never sounded better, and her vocals will steal your heart.
The vinyl has already sold out but you can still get it on itunes. So….get it.
OWL HAVE SOME’A THAT!
Woke up this morning with triangle stigmata; knew it was an Okkvlt Day for sure. Grab ya boards, snow never stopped skate witches. “Skate Or Die”….why not both? Dead Celeb Year, there are no more celebrities left and next year it’s our turn to die forever (nobody stops being dead) and I hope nobody comes to my funeral and then before they fill in the grave a car full of drunk horny teens drives by and one chucks an empty Bud bottle out the window and it lands on my coffin with a ‘clunk’ as hollow as my life.
In his guest post for Pitchfork’s Best Of 2009 list, Pictureplane’s Travis Egedy mentioned the term ‘Witch House’ in regards to the dark music that’s been so popular this year. I love the term, and while this reactionary compilation of ghost music may not be exactly what Travis had in mind, I feel it’s in the same ‘spirit’ AHAHAHA fuck my life, folks.
Better Than Sex is(pick one)
- a blog for new music/art/style - a loving tribute to Rodney Dangerfield - gay and for faggots - a Native American Ghost - a safe and fun place for teens! - going to take a nap - totally triangles!!! and is run by
DANIEL
If you want to send me something new and interesting, contact kingtreehouse AT gmail DOT com The music and photography I post on here is to help people find out about all the stuff I love. If I've posted some of your stuff and you want it taken off, contact me! I'm legally allowed to call you a little gay baby if you do this, however.
