Spectrum Spools: A New Label

                Editions Mego may be one of my all-time favorite labels. Originally they started out as plain-old Mego. Due to various circumstances I have yet to be privy to, they became a Phoenix, burning out and rebirthing as a new label which does essentially the same thing.

                Lately they’ve been changing that format a little bit. For one, they’ve been releasing a lot more ambient-based sort of stuff like Mark McGuire and Emeralds. Sure, the noise hasn’t ended; they have the wonderful Robin Fox and Hecker. But its gradual shift towards more mellow soundscapes is hard to ignore. Plus, some of their releases have begun to get greater attention: Oneohtrix Point Never got a positive write up in none other than Pitchfork, alongside a few others from the Editions Mego roster. Usually it is just Boomkat covering them, so having a review site that more people read has definitely helped them out.

                Keeping this in mind, they created a sub-label: Spectrum Spools. Spectrum Spools will serve as their North American comrade. According to their blurb on their website, they claim it will be: “showing yet more talent shining up out of the North American synth underground”. Hopefully they’ll be right. It is about time the wonderful American experimental underground got some credit. 

                I look forward to these guys making good on their promise. Their diversity often means that I don’t always like what they put out, but more often than not, they release quality, something many labels forget when trying to jump on the bandwagon. Keeping tabs on experimental classical, digital, noise, metal and even folk (see Bill Orcutt’s unstable material) they make sure to try accept the weirdest of the weird.

                Right now I’m eagerly awaiting Fabric and Bee Mask’s material. We’ll see whether or not this proves to be a prudent move by Peter Rehberg, or if it will show he’s losing his mind. Be aware this is the same guy who thought participating in race car competitions would be a good idea for an Avant-Garde record label. Not sure why he thought that, seems kind of insane thinking about turning the masses onto obtuse noise and ambience with race car drivers. Plus, I think it ended up costing them a ton of money they probably didn’t have, though record label owners have to be somewhat crazy I figure.

                March I’ll start having these two artists reviewed and seeing what they really have to offer, or if it’ll turn out being phoned-in ambient garbage like what I’ve been hearing more and more of lately. Here’s hoping for success.

Ambarchi / Fennesz / Pimmon / Rehberg / Rowe – Afternoon Tea 7.9

Not your standard day of having tea with your grandmother. This tea-time is far more intense, like watching the walls melt around you. An invisible third person tells you insane things as you’re just trying to enjoy your Chai. 

If you’re familiar with even one of the above artists, that might not be enough to prepare you for what’s about to happen. Sure, most of the improvisers on here are primarily interested in the guitar, but don’t expect any of the lush beauty that Fennesz often give. Instead, expect more of Rowe’s “I can’t believe a guitar made that sound”. 

The live recordings “Live Tea 1 & 2” tend to be less dark than the studio versions. In the studio versions, the drones become more prominent and emphasis is on decay. Whereas with the live recordings, you get a sillier mood, but things are a bit more decipherable. 

Actually, the live versions were not included in the original release on Ritornell. Having the night and day versions give you a better idea of what the group is able to accomplish. These are very competent electro-acoustic recordings. It is interesting to note how even with all the collaborators, it is impossible to determine who is doing what. By listening to each other, they are able to accomplish quite a bit. 

Even with the intellectual bent of the recordings, there are some beautiful moments, particularly in the beginning of “Live Tea 2”. This is definitely worth seeking out.

Emeralds – Does it Look like I’m Here? 7.3

Emeralds specialize in a certain type of progressive rock gone amok. Think of endless synthesizers blazing a trail straight into the sky, and you’re halfway there. Obviously this works well as background music for whatever you might be doing, but there’s certain moments that remind you human hands are behind this.

Those bits are like the halfway mark at “Candy Shoppe”, the last fourth of “Genetic” and so on. Pieces of genuine emotion are thrown in there to bring you back from space, down to reality once again. Most of these songs are relatively short, and the mixing between each track is really enjoyable.

Mego continues down a different path this year. So far, there’s been considerably mellower stuff from Peter Rehberg’s label. Even the new Hecker material gives me the sense that perhaps this cosmic sound might be making a comeback. Hopefully Emeralds and their side projects continue to deluge us with material, though I still happen to enjoy Mark McGuire’s solo stuff over this.