Translated, "en glad stund" means "a happy moment."  A saxophone wheezes, light gasps taken between straining exhalations that barely gauge an audible whisper until a few clear and flatlined phrases are achieved overtop a sinister and steady tonal pulse. The eerie and suffocating environment that's composed and performed for "THERE ARE SOME WORLDS WHERE ALL DREAMS DIE (en glad stund)," the recently shared new single from the upcoming LP,  THEIR POWER REACHED ACROSS SPACE AND TIME​-​TO DEFY THEM WAS DEATH​-​OR WORSE , does not convey "a happy moment." Instead, these "worlds where all dreams die" facilitate an obviously intentional dystopian flavor, and it's difficult not to imagine some near-salvation scenario where the victim is close to safety but suddenly struggling as the advantage has changed hands and cries for help are buried as death envelopes the victim like a soundproof shroud. There's a lot of drama in those seven ...

Oozing Wound We Cater To Cowards Thrill Jockey Released: 1/27/23 No Ripcord review:  http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/oozing-wound/we-cater-cowards   Sincerely,  Letters From A Tapehead

I had a good time today. It's not often that over the course of a workday I'm able to direct some attention to my periphery, just enough that I keep to the necessary tasks while engaging with something more worthwhile. In this case, I spent some time today checking out some long overdue songs and artists that I'd meaning to investigate for the past few weeks. It's been a bit since I sorted through browser tabs.  That said, there's a lot to review. I hope you enjoy. Feel free to comment.  ____________________________ Deniz Cuylan: "Hidden Language Of Four" (from Rings Of Juniper releasing 10/14/22 by Hush Hush Records ) Deniz Cuylan · Hidden Language Of Four Courtesy of C L A N D E S T I N E  L A B E L  S E R V I C E S. Deru : "The Dirt" (from  We Will Live On  releasing 10/28/22 by Friends Of Friends ) Courtesy of Terrorbird Media.  Bill Nace : "E:E" (from  Through A Room  releasing 11/11/22 by  Drag City )   Courtesy of Drag Ci...

Side A — Assembled 1/17-2/4 (Written Sunday, 1/30) It's almost 9PM on the final Sunday of the month of January. Sheltered from the outside chill, my headphones are strapped on and I'm reviewing some new singles for this week's mixtape while mentally preparing myself for a demanding and high-pressure stretch of the days till next Friday. Won't be long before the dog needs a walk and we're both stomping through the elements, the crunch of salt and snow our soundtrack.  Apparently, I'd forgotten I'd already purchased Boris's new LP, W , from Bandcamp and I foolishly bought another variant directly from Sacred Bones . So, now I have the "sea blue" and the "baby blue w/ white starburst" variants, the latter of which I'll probably keep sealed. I'm also still waiting on my copy of Sunn O)))'s  Metta, Benevolence. BBC 6Music: Live on the Invitation of Mary Anne Hobbs . I'm supposed to get that this week. It's available ...

Side A — Assembled 1/3-1/7 Following the turbulence of the Holidays and the excessive work schedules leading up to them, music continues to be my long sought-after balm for stress and the monotony of corporate drone'dom. Side A for the first week of January is light and loud, meditative or necessarily aggro. I'm happily excited about some of the records and singles I've had the opportunity to sample so far. Is it naive to assume this trend will continue well into 2023? Probably, but I'm content for now.  Enjoy…  ______________________________________________________________________ Tomato Flower : "Red Machine" (via Ramp Local) Bandcamp — https://tomatoflower.bandcamp.com/album/gold-arc Ramp Local — https://ramplocal.com Gold Arc releases 2/11/22 ______________________________________________________________________ Sea Change : "Is There Anybody There" (via Stereo Sanctity) Twitter — https://twitter.com/SeaChangeartist Shapes Recordings — https...

The Body I’ve Seen All I Need To See Thrill Jockey Released: 1/29/21 No Ripcord review:  http://www.noripcord.com/reviews/music/body/i%E2%80%99ve-seen-all-i-need-see I’ve Seen All I Need To See can be purchased:  Bandcamp —  https://thebody.bandcamp.com/album/ive-seen-all-i-need-to-see Thrill Jockey —  http://thrilljockey.com/products/i-ve-seen-all-i-need-to-see A review of  You, Whom I've Always Hated , The Body's 2015 collaborative effort with Thou, can also be found at No Ripcord . If you're interested, some additional coverage of The Body: The Body live w/ Assembly of Light Choir (Video) — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2011/07/body-live-with-assembly-of-light-choir.html The Body & Braveyoung: "Song One" (Track) — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2011/09/body-braveyoung-song-one.html The Body & Thou: Released From Love EP — http://www.letters-from-a-tapehead.com/2014/04/the-bodythou-released-from-love-ep.html The Body & Thou: "...

Last August, object-core duo Matmos released a 3-hour mammoth of a triple-LP titled The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form . Being that each installation of this release clocks in about an hour, Matmos released a playlist of excerpts with accompanying video to select and consume.  The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form is out now via Thrill Jockey . The group's 2019 release, Plastic Anniversary, was reviewed for No Ripcord . Via Thrill Jockey: Following the release of their new album The Consuming Flame: Open Exercises in Group Form , and a recent performance Bandcamp live showcasing new video pieces, electronic duo Matmos have shared five new excerpt music videos. Included in the set is a video for excerpt "Friendsylum" directed by Ed Apodaca, as well as excerpts "Circle of Swords" (featuring clipping.), "Blessed Order Of", "Boomchicka", and "Maybeism", the latter four of which were created by the band. Ea...

To whom it may interest, Collecting sounds over the past couple weeks for a new entry for my  2020 Playlist . I'd been largely absent for most of July thanks to the demands of my day job, the high doses of pain killers I had to ingest thanks to a severe back issue, and other distractions and otherwise tiring things that required attention and focus. I'm hoping to have more to say in the coming months, (though I've made THAT promise before). If you've hung in there, thank you. If you haven't, maybe I can win back your approval. Hope you're all well and staying safe. Please wear your masks. Enjoy. _________________________________________ numün :  "voyage au soleli" (via Clandestine Label Services / Musique Impossible / YouTube) Album Pre-Order https://music.joelmellin.com/album/voyage-au-soleil via Clandestine Label Services Numün is a trio of New York City soundscape designers who combine a wide range of music ...

Finishing up April with some more additions to the  2020 Playlist . We're heading into another month under lockdown, so I hope that you're all putting aside some time for necessary respite from the... well, from everything. The influx of media is barely navigable or cohesive at this point, an unstoppable barrage of sound bites, news briefs and articles. Please stay safe. Please stay sane. And please be sure to thank anyone who works to keep our essential businesses and health services open and running despite the risks, making those of us lucky enough to function well at home comfortable, fed, and safe. _________________________________________ No Age:  "War Dance" (via mutante /  Drag City / Bandcamp) Album Preorder https://www.dragcity.com/products/goons-be-gone Goons Be Gone by No Age Via mutante/Drag City: With the digital release date for Goons Be Gone quickly approaching (June 5 for all you noobs), it's definitely time to share anot...