ERWINGS FROM USUAL SPOTS

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YOUR OWN SHADOW BLOCKS THE LIGHT compilation tape
"This is a wild and diffuse compilation of bands who flop over a lot of genres,
most of them abrasive, caustic and brilliant. As diverse as this is, it can also be
seen as a greasy tribute to lo-fi guitar, the moredistorted the better. Culver and
XXIII are two bands that deliver the most muddy pop, thoughDestroy all tie
fighters makes the most of plain old feedback. Mosaic antenna uses loops to sicken
the stew, and the yuriyuri increase the decibel level to a slightly painful degree.
All the bands on this comp inhabit a late night auto-body shop, where the sit in the
greasiest bay and brood. "Your Own Shadow Blocks The Light" is a quick set
by like-minded bands, whose sonic assaults are gleefully deranged and grimy.
This is music to play at the barbeque that gets rained out, to help make squirrels,
ants and relatives just go away and leave you to drink alone. 8/10"
- Mike Wood / FOXY DIGITALIS (10 June, 2009)

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PLEASURES AND DAYS: live
"Helsinkilainen Pleasures and Days on naita musakomboja, joita kuullessa
tulee mieleen "miksi en ole kuullut nailta mitaan aiemmin?" Live (Hyster, 2008,
KAS) sisaltaa riemukkaita keikkaaanityksia vuosien takaa.
Mätkimispainoitteista synapoppia ja huudantaa, villia meininkia. Depeche
Moden ja Alien Sex Fiendin äpärälapsi on loytanyt isoisansa vanhat
natsivermeet ja luulee, että Vangelis oli punkkari."
- HUUHKAJA PÄIVÄNVALOSSA /Thursday, June 12, 2008

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GREY PARK: 2 X Live at Koko Theatrere
YOUR OWN SHADOW BLOCKS THE LIGHT compilation tape
"It’s always been a pleasure to review anything by Finland’s outstanding
Grey Park and this release proves to be no exception.
Sitting either side of a recycled cassette come two live sets of the finest industrial
ambient experimental shortwave analogue lo-fi drone work compositions its been
my pleasure to sit and listen through for many a moon. This really is up there with
the best of the genre [what ever that is] and the fact that it lies in obscurity on a recycled
cassette available for a measly one and a half euros only enhances its genius.
Since 1998 all Grey Park releases have come on ridiculously limited cassette or CDR
runs and every one that’s been through these hands has been soaked up with the
appreciation of a connoisseur. It wasnt until 2007 that they appeared on vinyl
and then a limited run single platter.
How this has come to pass when theres garbage getting money thrown at it like confetti
at a wedding is one of the injustices of the time. But don’t just take my word for it.
Use that email and disappear into a world of slave ship beats, low hertz tones, radio static,
industrial emptyness, dialogue samples, drainage pumps, the shipping forecast, helicopter
landings, steel works ... all of it a seamless fit of grand design. Releases like this make zine
writing a pleasure.
Grey Park also appear on the Hyster comp "Your Own Shadow Blocks The Light"
along with other Idwal favourites Culver plus a few others. Regular readers will know that
Culver can do no wrong and here again the drone quotient of buzzing guitars hits the spot.
XXIII hit things found in a school music room for 12 minutes whilst Kytö & Suihkonen
carry on in an eerily scraping way. Destroy All Fighters piece of ghostly vocal drenched in
some seriously destroyed guitar is worth buying this for alone. Mosaic Antenna and Yuri
Yuri complete the line up with some equally fine bouts of earthquake like rumbly noise and
high pitched whine. All round magnificence.
Hyster tapes are one of those labels that consistently release sounds of outstanding quality
and direction and for which, in return, they seek no publicity or reward.
Releasing quality merchandise on recycled cassette seems oxymoronic in an age when all
thing digital hold sway. All the more reason for you to track these nuggets down then."
- IDWAL FISHER /Monday, 5 May 2008

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CULVER: they killed suzie carter
RE-CLIP: notes 99-09
"..back to Hysters monochrome vision and recycled cassettes. Culver fit in to the
monochrome ideal well seeing as how Culvers main home is Matching Head,
another tape label with a black and white philosophy. Culver fans wont be disappointed
with these two tracks; one a murky trudge round an underwater cement factory,
the other an ohm drone, a burbling range of notes that if stretched across a hundred years
would be worthy of Cage.
Re-Clips Notes is a 16 track comp spanning the last ten years of their existence. Its a
slightly trippy slip and slide mix of hypnotic broken analogue beats, field recordings and
spacey ambience thats hardly original but still listenable. Im not averse to such working
but on recycled cassette the finished product is lost in a midden of muddy mid range.
All the above are cheap, welcome and come in editions of 50.
- IDWAL FISHER blog /Saturday, 21 November 2009

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PLEASURES AND DAYS: live
YOUR OWN SHADOW BLOCKS THE LIGHT compilation tape
"This is a tape, on which are collected various live tracks by Pleasures and Days,
from the years 2002-2004. They have the definite feel of genuine old-school
industrial - beats, simple backgrounds, Lauri Luhta's angry, blurry vocals.
The sound quality is rough, with audience noise and other distractions, but that too
just seems appropriate. Particularly No More is a really catchy tune, which benefits
from being captured from the stage.
For me, it shows exactly why the old timers of industrial managed to be so impressive
with even crude rhythmic expressions. On the other hand, when one listens to this
tape several times, it becomes noticeable that there aren't that many elements in the
music, and it could just as well be fully playback as it could be intensely live-made.
Then again, when one compares it to the same tracks which are on the Peak Age
album, one has to but appreciate the extra edge they have gained here. And in any
case, Absolute Othereness is a damn fine song.
Pleasures and Days is clearly a band that needs live circumstances in order to really
reach its full potential. On this tape, that has been done. If you're into slightly melodic,
strongly rhythmic retro-industrial, do pick this up and give it an active listen."

"This collection of tracks by apparently Finnish experimental artists contains both the
easily anticipated basic things as well as surprising genius. Most of the songs are
unfortunately from the first category, offering guitar-minimalism, just-generic-minimalism,
or develop nowhere.
Luckily the other side is represented too: Grey Park's Asian Driver is all its simple
monumentalism one of the bands best tracks ever, a short wave of sound that says
all that needs to be said.
On the same level is also Mosaic Antenna, who with rough, simple sounds dig into the
deep recesses of the listener's soul. In general, this tape leaves a bland feel - far too much
of the contents just grinds in place, going nowhere.
There is no change or development, nor do the repetitions give any reason to seek hypnosis in them
A couple of good tracks and a lot of secondary fillings.
Does not really inspire further listening."
- KUOLLEEN MUSIIKIN YHDISTYS / 11.03.2010

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PLESURES AN DAYS: live
"Aanitteita vuosien 2002 ja 06 valilta. Viisi kappaletta koneilla ja ties minkalaisilla
instrumenteilla. Heti alkuun taytyy sanoa etta nauhoite tai nauha on ihan paska,
aani patkii ja heiluu, ettei siina mielessa ihan oivallinen arviointikappale.
Ehkei tama ihan paska sinansa muutoin olisi, aika vinksahtanutta meininkia. Valilla taustoista
paatellen voisi kuvitella kuulevansa Sylvia tai jotain nopeampaa ja hamyisempaa versiota
Depeche Modesta. Vokaalit ovat senverran hautautuneet ettei niista saa oikein taytta selkoa,
mutta melko lupaavaa huutelua tuntuisi olevan.
Ei ainakaan mitaan hittimaakimista. Harmittaa hiukan kun tata olisi mielenkiinnosta voinut
kuunnella hiukan paremmallakin soundilla ja minahan en tosiaan mikaan hifisti ole.
Muunkinlaisia julkaisuja tuntuvat pistaneen pihalle ainakin myspacen perusteella, en tie
sitten onko aanen taso tata samaa. Tai hei, ehka se onkin juuri se idea.
- TOINEN VAIHTOEHTO nr.222 (6/2009)

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RE-CLIP: notes
I like these moments, when I can hear something new and be completely in the shadow
as to who is making these sounds. When it comes to re-clip, Im quite sure Id know the
person by sight, but I just wouldnt know that that particular person is behind this tape.
However, it doesnt really matter. In fact, all the better. I can put on this compilation tape,
released by Hyster Tapes and recommended to me by said labels operator, and wallow
in the blissful electronics, not knowing who the man behind these lovely lo-fi beats is.
It is inevitable, that one day I will learn the identity of re-clip, but until then, Ive got this
tape and I will play it at night, while riding my bike, to friends, during the day, at work or
whereever I please.
Electronic music-aficionados probably remember how good Aphex Twins Selected
Ambient Works-compilations are. This tape sort-of continues in that vein, consisting of
selected recordings spanning ten years of re-clips existence. Low fidelity beats collide
with ambient stylings, primitive techno and minimalism. As a dabbler in the field of
electronic music, Im in no position to give grand statements, but I can humbly state,
that this is exactly my kind of electronic music. Awesome! Also, this release comes
on recycled tapes. My copy is recycled on a russian vocabulary tape. Listened to
closely, one can hear the original audio playing in the background. How exciting is that?
- ERRORKRAUT blog / 11 JUL 2010

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SECOND ONE comp. tape
...The prosaically titled ‘Second One’ though is a real winner, a far more
upbeat affair for the most part with some fine head bobbing moments and a classic
track from the ever groovy Crank Sturgeon. Five tracks on one side and a side long
outing on the other. Aiko kick things off with some sample madness and what sounds
like photocopier noises layered on to amp buzz and a gently strummed acoustic guitar refrain.
Cleavage pump out eight minutes of murky heavy duty arms out straight, jab em into the keys
Emeralds like synth throb. Crank Sturgeon provides some garbled Schimpfluch lunacy in which
un-synced hand claps and Dada verbals mix with someone trying to talk whilst drinking and having
a piss at the same time. Re-Clip meanwhile appear to have morphed into some kind of Mego
tinged slow analogue beat machine. Not bad in a swaying, meditative Midwich kind of way. Which
on side one leaves Hiss Nausea and almost four minutes worth of distorted to buggery gabba beats.
This comp would have been just about perfect had it not been for the last ten minutes of the Varropas
track ‘Moln pa Drift 1978’. A gorgeously fragile side of crumbling drone in which a small and
recurring wobbly hit string motif is pulled through a landscape of wheezing machines and outer space
burbles. Even the deterioration in tape quality at the onset adds to the all round ambience, as it continues
upon its wavering path it grows in volume until the tape runs out. If it had carried on with its miserable
start to the very end I’d have been happier but you can’t have everything can you?
- IDWAL FISHER blog / Sunday, May 22, 2011 1:08 PM

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DEAR BELOVED HENRY / ALBERT MATERIA: split
Hyster are Finnish too. I remember them for a particularly impressive live Dieter Muh release and for
the fact that all their releases arrive on recycled cassette. Who Dear Beloved Henry is I have no idea though.
Here he give us a single 24 minute track of tape spool drone, sea side organ slowed and distorted, fingers on
fast running capstans until a revelation of its source; a Casio thump beat, a two chord keyboard chug with
plenty of right hand plink to while away the dying minutes.
Albert Materia’s mainly piano built songs sound like Cecil Taylor doing a David Sylvian impression in French.
On the first track you can actually hear him approach the piano and take a drink before cracking his knuckles and
launching into a song in which each machine gun strike of the piano matches a vocal utterance.
Anyone familiar with David Sylvian’s more out there moments will feel a similarity with the eleven minute, self
explanatory ‘Lullaby’. The French [?] accent, the mournful, wobbling delivery, the minor chords, the sense
that I feel Materia is making this up as he goes along all adds to the charm of the piece. With his voice wavering
between a dithering falsetto and a stuttering fa fa fa f-f-f-f-resh-ness he manages to imbue his songs with a naivety
thats rarely found these days. His lyrics are also worth hearing:

I am the people
Where is my heart?
I am the chatter
I am the the noise, noise
I am the springtime noise

Its all rather marvelous. Somebody should give him a recording contract.
- IDWAL FISHER blog / jan 05, 2012