Ben Vida - "Zizzlers" "The intent with this work is to escape the stereo image and create an activated listening space of expanded spatialization" Ben Vida 's esstends-esstends-esstends , a collection of potentially mind-altering modular synth experiments, is out now on PAN . Do not attempt to drive or operate large industrial machinery after watching this video.

Soft Circle is ex- Black Dice r Hisham Akira Bharoocha and multi-instrumentalist Benjamin Vida (of Town and Country , Bird Show and Singer ). The digital version of Soft Circle 's new album, Shore Obsessed is out now on Post Present Medium . The vinyl should be out on December 7th. What does it sound like? Listen. Downloadable: Treading Water (mp3) Soft Circle is on Myspace Soft Circle is on elbo.ws Soft Circle is on [...]

After yesterday's all-too-easy HypeClouding experiments (also here ), back to the MP3 grindstone: not such a chore, though, when we're trading in burbling kraut-ish post-jazz backed by a Tortoise percussion duo... Bird Show Band > Quintet Four (from Bird Show Band , Amish ) [...]

auf den fünften solorelease müsste man wohl tippen, wollte man das neue werk ben vidas namens "bird show band" in seiner musikalischen vita einer bezeichnung unterwerfen. der weg zu dem mann aus brooklyn ist dabei steinig und unwegsam. ob man nun in richtung seiner bandarbeiten - town and country, singer, central falls, pillow usw. - blickt oder aber bei seiner solotätigkeit hängen bleibt, ein leichter schleier umfängt das oeuvre. lichten wird es vielleicht, konzentriert man sich auf jene alben, da er unter eigenem namen (das erste werk 2000 auf boxmedia hieß "mpls.") oder unter dem moniker bird show "green inferno" [...]

The ranks of the members of Chicago indie rockers Joan of Arc have changed over the years with Tim Kinsella being one of the few (even perhaps only) constants. Kinsella admits that the band is really more than just him, but with over 40 members contributing over time, how does one even capture the diversity of all those people? Well, a new release from Polyvinyl hopes to help. Joan of Arc Presents: Don't Mind Control will feature eighteen tracks from various contributors to the band. It should be an interesting listen, and it will be released on January [...]

Are you like me? Did you select Bon Iver 's For Emma, Forever Ago as your favourite album of 2008 ? If so, then you'll most likely dig the Wisconsin singer/songwriter's new side project. Titled Volcano Choir , the band unites Bon Iver , aka Justin Vernon, with Collections of Colonies of Bees , the frustratingly-long-named Wisconsin quintet. "Island, IS" is the band's first single off the forthcoming Unmap LP. Certainly more avant-garde than anything heard from Bon Iver before, P4K [...]

Maurizio Ravalico / Ollie Bown - Duetto (Part 1) An Introduction To Not Applicable ( Web Release ) Haruki - Gallop On Off Haphazardly, While Sitting (Corps-Morts / 2008) Goldmund - To Two Point Discrimination (Western Vinyl / 2007) Bird Show - Mbira, Harp & Voice Bird Show (Kranky / 2008) [...]

Never let it be said that Ben Vida isn't a versatile musician. On his latest album under the guise of Bird Show, the man manages over twenty instruments; droning, clanging and swirling them into a concoction of mantra-like meditations. This time around though, Vida opens his formula up a bit by letting in a few collaborators, including his brother Adam, Greg Davis and Robert AA Low. The songs on Untitled bounce back and forth between aptly titled studies and more traditional Bird Show songs. In the end this proves to make the songs a bit more interesting than [...]

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 Bird Tree , Hair Police , and Hush Arbors . Despite a bunch of CD-Rs, cassettes, and vinyl-only releases, The Certainty Of Swarms is being marketed as Hair Police's "official" follow up to 2005's Constantly Terrified . Who knows how these things get decided. [...]
I have the distinct feeling that I'm coming down with a cold. This in spite of last night being one of the laziest nights in recent memory. Note to self: No more over-sized, greasy meals on weekends. It ruins one's ability to be social. In any event, Pray for my continued good health. RULES for uninitiated noobs : With 100MB of webspace, I give birth to a weekly Mix Tape to be deposited on your iPods or Zunes or Kingklangs or whatever the industry is currently pushing on you. Sometimes there will be themes that link [...]

From Kranky's website: Lightning Ghost is the second Bird Show album, following the debut release Green Inferno. It centers around Ben Vida's home-fi sound experiments. Tracks are carved out of opiate'd chanting, disjunctive drum circles, synth meditation and prepared piano trance song. Vida's sonic explorations are embedded into tighter song structures, with a greater role given to vocals in the mix. The ceremonial air has been retained and expanded with a strong percussive presence and repeated, mesmerizing musical figures. Vida recorded the album at home, but much of the material resulted from the hours spent on stage this [...]