November 24, 2008

The Outsiders: Vol. 22

Not all of Stereogum's favorite sounds conform to what folks expect us to cover. In this space, resident Bananafish fetishist Brandon Stosuy focuses on bands, albums, singles, and villages in Sweden that may otherwise pass by unnoticed. This installment's virtual milk crate contains No Neck Blues Band, Xela, and Yellow Tears.

Last installment I got nostalgic about Harry Pussy. Posting an MP3 from No Neck Blues Band could come off as digging into the back of the record collection and reminiscing, but "Ministry Of Voices" is from Clomeim, an extended collagist collection of new material from the Harlem septet. Not that this is surprising: NNCK haven't slowed down since their formation circa 1992 when they started surfacing (at least for those of us in NJ) via hand-screened/painted/etc. LPs and, later, loft shows. In 2006, Qvaris reminded me to keep listening to them; two years later, the invigorating, in-your-face Clomeim gives me reason to run out and see them perform again.

No Neck Blues Band - "Ministry Of Voices" (Edit) (MP3)

Clomeim is out via Locust. Their side/outside projects are worth keeping watch on as well. Like Matt Heyner and Pat Murano's black metal crew, Malkuth (who, it should be mentioned as full-disclosure and cheap promotion, I'm doing a show with next month). And there's also Dave Nuss's Amolvacy and Under Satan's Sun. Plus Coach Fingers, Enos Slaughter, etc. You can hear another Clomeim edit, etc., at the NNCK MySpace.

I've spoken about Xela, the project of Type's John Twells. (He released Grouper's excellent Dragging A Dead Deer Up A Hill). I really dug his last outing, 2006's The Dead Sea. This new collection, In Bocca Al Lupo, his fourth, is four longer tracks meant to be listened to as one 60-minute piece (it was initially composed for a "fear-themed" art installation). Think Lustmord, but via someone more into Prurient, Burzum, Hair Police, and Wolf Eyes (especially the latter on the buzzing, percussive 20-minute closer "Beatae Immortalitatis"). The Gnostic inscription on the back of the record:

Thou hast led me forth above the chaos, the region of chaos and extermination, in order that all the matters in it which are in that region, might be unloosed and all my powers be renewed in thy light, and thy light be in them all.

The first movement, "Ut Nos Vivicaret."

Xela - "Ut Nos Vivicaret" (MP3)

In Bocca Al Lupo is out via Type. More Xela info at his MySpace.

Finally, check out some young blood Long Islanders Yellow Tears. You can find some MP3s at their site, and then there's this: