Herbert Howells - Requiem

As a student in London he lost friends and contemporaries to the carnage of the First World War. His Elegy for viola, string quartet and string orchestra, perhaps the first of his works composed explicitly as a memorial, was written in memory of Frances Purcell Warren, a viol player killed at Mons in 1917. One of his closest boyhood friends, Ivor Gurney, whose inherent mental instability was almost certainly exacerbated by his experiences in the trenches, was a later, longer drawn-out loss. Howells himself was exempt from military service on medical grounds due to the onset of Graves Disease, a condition that forced him to give up his first salaried position as sub-organist of Salisbury Cathedral (with a loss of income and independence) and for a time threatened his life—the ultimate loss.
 
The loss of income, security, employment, and of friends in the trenches, was not unique to Howells. Many suffered such setbacks and came to terms with them. But the loss of a child is always uniquely poignant and tragic. The death from polio in 1935 of his nine year-old son Michael was, needless to say, the most traumatic and devastating of Howells’ personal experiences. It is natural enough to expect a deeply personal loss of this nature to be reflected in any artist’s work. On Howells, with his already deeply embedded sense of the elegiac and transient, Michael’s death had a profound effect. It is arguable that everything he subsequently wrote was coloured in some way by it. Three of the works recorded here, including the substantial Requiem for unaccompanied voices, are connected in some way to Michael. None of the remaining pieces was specifically composed as a memorial, but everything on this disc comes from a mind that constantly reflected on the passing pageant of life, and is coloured by that process of reflection.

Performers: Choir Of Trinity College, Cambridge, Stephen Layton

1. A Hymn For St. Cecilia
2. Salve Regina
3. Gloucester Service: Magnificat
4. Gloucester Service: Nunc Dimittis
5. Take Him, Earth, For Cherishing
6. St. Paul’s Service: Magnificat
7. St. Paul’s Service: Nunc Dimittis
8. Requiem: Salvator Mundi
9. Requiem: Psalm 23
10. Requiem: Requiem Aeternam I
11. Requiem: Psalm 121
12. Requiem: Requiem Aeternam II
13. Requiem: I Heard A Voice From Heaven
14. Michael: All My Hope On God Is Founded

mp3/320kbps

Johann Pachelbel - Un Orage d'Avril

"The pieces presented on this disc share a certain 'chamber' character, in the sense that they were surely composed for domestic use. Such is undoubtedly the case with the suites from the Musikalische Ergötzung published in 1695, where, aside from the difficulties entailed in the ‘scordatura’ writing,everything seems to indicate that they were intended for a public of sophisticated amateurs, likely toexperience great ‘musical delight’ (just as we did!) when performing this music, as the very name of thecollection suggests. The origins of the vocal pieces are less clear, and some of these arias were probablywritten for a specific purpose and for dedicatees known to a small circle of friends, such as the simplesong in praise of someone known as ‘Guter Walther’, who seems to have had a strong temperament, orthe impressive funeral laments (Mein Leben and Wie nichtig?) which are interspersed with moralisingcomments. Others seem to have a more generic meaning, in the tradition of songs to celebrate thearrival of a new season – for example Das Gewitter im Aprilen, which compares the volatility of thecapricious April climate and the constancy of friendship.

"But what links all the works on this recording, whether or not they possess a text, is their ability to conjure up painterly images. We find ourselves surrounded by sound pictures that might well have come from the golden age of Dutch and Flemish art, notably those representing episodes from everyday life. When you listen to the Aria from Partie VI or the Ballet from Partie I, don’t you have the impression that you’re in the midst of the hubbub of the folk festival depicted by Brueghel in The Peasant Wedding (and also seen in the great banquet of La Kermesse héroïque)? Don’t you get the urge to take up your lute like Jan Steen in his self-portrait and accompany yourself singing the last phrase of the Saraband from Partie VI (yes, it’s true, you have to add a text to it, but nothing could be simpler!). Listening to the Saraband of Partie III, don’t you feel the same shivers down your spine and the same doubts that seem to affect the women Vermeer painted reading their letters? And don’t the Aria of Partie V or the Gavotte of the Partie a 4 have the same half-pompous, half-comical character we find in Frans Hals’s portraits of groups of officers?
 
"All these musical miniatures float by, caressing our ears, like the light, fleeting April clouds that troop past before our eyes: all of a sudden the sky grows overcast and the stormy rain falls before finally giving way to the dazzling blue of a sunlit horizon. An ideal setting for portraits or scenes drawn from life in which those concerned must certainly have recognised themselves, and which nowadays bear precious witness to a bygone age that is still rich in emotions and lovely to behold... and listen to." (Amandine Beyer & Baldomero Barciela. tr. Charles Johnston. From the liner notes.)

Performers: Gli Incogniti, Amandine Beyer, Hans-Jörg Mammel

1. Partie V In C Major, P374: I. Sonata
2. Partie V In C Major, P374: II. Aria
3. Partie V In C Major, P374: III. Treza
4. Partie V In C Major, P374: IV. Ciacona
5. Wie Nichtig? Ach! Wie Flüchtig, P500
6. Partie II In C Minor, P371: I. Sonata
7. Partie II In C Minor, P371: II. Gavotte
8. Partie II In C Minor, P371: III. Treza
9. Partie II In C Minor, P371: IV. Aria
10. Partie II In C Minor, P371: V. Saraband
11. Partie II In C Minor, P371: VI. Gigue
12. Das Gewitter Im Aprilen, P75
13. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: I. Sonata (Adagio)
14. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: II. Aria
15. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: III. Courant
16. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: IV. Gavotte
17. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: V. Saraband
18. Partie VI In B-Flat Major, P375: VI. Gigue
19. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: I. Sonatina
20. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: II. Allemand
21. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: III. Gavott
22. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: IV. Courant
23. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: V. Aria
24. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VI. Saraband
25. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VII. Gigue
26. Partie A 4 In G Major, P450: VIII. Finale. Adagio
27. Mein Leben, Dessen Creutz Für Mich, P360
28. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: I. Sonata (Allegro)
29. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: II. Allemand
30. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: III. Courant
31. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: IV. Gavotte
32. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: V. Saraband
33. Partie III In E-Flat Major, P372: VI. Gigue
34. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: I. Sonata
35. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: II. Aria
36. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: III. Courant
37. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: IV. Aria
38. Partie IV In E Minor, P373: V. Ciacona
39. Guter Walther Unser Raths, P180
40. Partie I In F Major, P370a: I. Sonata (Allegro)
41. Partie I In F Major, P370a: II. Allemand
42. Partie I In F Major, P370a: III. Courant
43. Partie I In F Major, P370a: IV. Ballet
44. Partie I In F Major, P370a: V. Saraband
45. Partie I In F Major, P370a: VI. Gigue
46. O Großes Musenliecht, P391
47. Canon & Gigue, P37: I. Canon
48. Canon & Gigue, P37: II. Gigue

mp3/320kbps

Deterge - Anoint

"God is not afraid of new things! That is why he is continually surprising us, opening our hearts and guiding us in unexpected ways." Includes a foldout on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful and Glorious Mysteries of Christ, prayers of the Rosary with a how to, and a Rosary pendant. Power electronics from Jim Haras, owner of the Fusty Cunt label. Reminiscent thematically of some elements of the work of Mackenzie Chami (Koufar, Bachir Gemayel), who has released on Haras' label. This is a harsh noise assault, layered with looping tones and lyrics (though sadly inaudible) ranging from doleful incantations to pained modulated outbursts. One can always question the seriousness with which these themes are treated in this medium (the undeniably lewd Fusty Cunt logo is still included, for example); I would hazard this is closer to the thematic seriousness of Chami's projects than the sardonic super-extremism of acts like Con-Dom. 

A1. Joyful
A2. Luminous
B1. Sowerful
B2. Glorious

mp3/320kbps

Sick Llama - Being Viewed

A subtle drone based noise release from Heath Moerland's Sick Llama project. Moerland owns Fag Tapes, a prolific US noise label, and this is on Chondritic Sound (which is in similar standing). The A side gives us a mid-pitch fuzzy drone in the left channel, with subtle tones appearing in the right. This builds into a very deep, rumbling noise drone.

A. Untitled
B. Untitled

mp3/v0

Sharon's Last Party - Bayonets To Lhasa

Sadly the only full length release from this excellent Swedish project. Bayonets to Lhasa takes us through spacious, blistering drones evocative of Tibetan ritual chant into a sick cathartic madness of drums, swirling rhythms and piercing, babbling flutes. While the title might evoke the PLO advance on Lhasa in the Battle of Chamdo in 1949, the cover evokes a different form of movement into Tibet's holy city: some fever dream enchantment into an uncomfortable state of climactic nirvana.

A1. Nommo
A2. Nomnia
A3. No No

mp3/320kbps

Segerhuva - Sweetness Will Overcome

The definitive Segerhuva compilation and one of the best noise/industrial compilations of its decade. The cover evokes a murky, sinister underworld of urbane privacy and the sound running through the compilation is sophisticated, shadowy and intoxicating to match. Alongside this, there is a raw emotional current patterned into many of the compilation tracks and the title; a reflection of the bleeding heart-red of the cover. Much for the imagination. Scandinavian mainstays Sewer Election, MNEM, Ochu, Treriksröset and Blod take the fore, with a notable Japanoise appearance from Government Alpha. One of the few Sharon's Last Party tracks can also be heard here (an excellent and underrated project): a glitzy lounge jam underwritten by an intense, threatening synth drone. This track is an excellent proof-of-concept for the whole compilation. Drug trafficking discussed in hushed tones in a high end city bar.

1. Sewer Election - What Love Am I Supposed To Show You?
2. Koeff - Offer
3. Skin Area - Post-Raw
4. MNEM - Syphilitic Solar Surge
5. Jarl - Envägskommunikation
6. Moljebka Pvlse - Cora
7. Institut - Choose
8. Government Alpha - Dimple
9. Sharon's Last Party - Cocktail Pussycat
10. Treriksröset - Eating Tarmac
11. IRM - Like Hearts
12. Ochu - Uhmghnn-trådarna Som Tyglar Samvetets Svets
13. Martin Bladh - Safe As Me
14. Irgun Z'wai Leumi - Telefunkel
15. Barrikad - I Don't
16. Blod - Heartbreaker

mp3, 320kbps

Treriksröset - Venal

Harsh noise release from Swede Tommy Carlsson, who ran the excellent Segerhuva label until its demise in 2010. This C32 was released on Utmarken, another prestigious Swedish harsh noise label. Dense, frenetic harsh noise spanning 28 minutes over both sides.

A. Untitled
B. Untitled

mp3, 320kbps

New Brutalism II

Second in a series of compilations on the Canadian (now Berlin-based) Total Black label. A chic combination of trendy industrial techno, noise, field recordings and spaced out, heavy ambience: a mood well maintained over the full four cassettes and two hour runtime.

A1. Exoteric Continent - Campanya
A2. Exoteric Continent - Proposta
A3. Varg - Alt-Teen Foreplay
B1. Varg & Vanity Productions - Eugénie De Montijo
B2. Stärker - Endless

C1. V. Sinclair - Oblique
C2. Ligature - Window To The World
D. Order Of Nine Angels - We Are The Nameless

E1. Internazionale - Medora And Gulnare
E2. Krube. - Untitled
E3. Desroi - Synlab II
F1. Fingering Eve - Extinctopia Camouflage
F2. Jesuve - Excess II

G1. Flysch - Odevšad
G2. Cremation Lily - Heart Of The World
H1. Jesuve - Excess I
H2. Heinz Hopf - Glass På West Pride

mp3, 320kbps

Goat - Oceanic Thrones

Release from 2007 on now defunct Michigan label Nurse Etiquette. Goat is an excellent if hard to find American noise project, focusing on esoteric, often satanic, themes (with varying levels of tongue-in-cheek). Both tracks here are excellent, but 'Ask for the Ancient Path' is really a stunning 40 minute onslaught, on par with the hour-long 'Goat's Holy Mountain' on the Harshnoise label.

1. Ask For The Ancient Path
2. Blood Atonement

flac, 16-bit