HELM

To An End

(Alter - ALT01) LP $20.00 (Out-of-stock)

The debut solo album from Luke Younger (also known as half of Birds of Delay) combines field recordings, tape loops, percussion, and electronics (among other things) in a tense and daunting audio tapestry. Properties of the album’s surreal environment of confusion and alienation are reminiscent of the concrete and sound poetry work of Charles Amirkhanian or Bengt Hambraeus; field recordings and mysterious tape audio swell in and out of the mix, and soft washes of white noise float delicately on the surface of an infinite curious hum. A sense of unease simultaneously locks in with an aura of beauty, both worlds compromising to share a space with each other in an extended phantom tone. The long excursion into a wash of calm tone could float away forever. As profound as the discovery of pure silence or the sound of a massive skyscraper collapsing to the ground. It's not about size but about overbearing weight, of which this album carries loads. Edition of 300.

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER / TOMUTONTTU

Tomutonttu / Oneohtrix Point Never

(Alter - ALT02) split 7-inch $8.00 (Out-of-stock)

Kemialliset Ystavat's Jan Anderzen and New Yorker Daniel Lopatin create a unique synthesis formed from a DIY approach to electronic music. With Tomutonttu's "Likaiset Pilvet," Anderzen emerges from his archives with something new after a heavy editing session. Fragmented electronics bring to mind a dozen Parmegiani records melting in unison. Rhythmic loops and other scattered sounds bear similarities to Eric Copeland's recent output. OPN's "Wayland Lincoln Border" continues Lopatin's synth work, recognized for deep layers of warm sound from trance-like melodies, evocative of motion, always evolving, constructing and deconstructing new worlds from sound. An apt counterpoint to Anderzen's chaos. Edition of 500.