As major labels continue to exist behind the times, artists and labels with little capital and lesser reputations are producing some of the most innovative, interesting, and inspiring music. Whether it's creating a new niche in digital technology or looking to once obsolete formats, Agitated Atmosphere hopes to pull back the curtain on a wealth of sights and sound from luminaries such as Steven R. Smith . Isolation is a funny creature. Often it's rendered as the product of villainy—the end of a path of self-destruction that leads to loneliness. Yet [...]
You may know Steven R. Smith from aliases such as Hala Strana and Ulaan Khol. He joined improv clarinetist Gareth Davis for the album Westering . It's a record of varied textures, but none better than on Surmises . It's a piece of exquisite melancholy: slow and icy and beautiful. Somehow they've managed to achieve the ECM trick where swathing a sound in reverb only makes it sound clearer. It's gorgeous. They also manage to keep a surprisingly strong rhythmic sense for something so sparse and slow. You'll like this. [...]
An alternative version of Regen Volt, Soka Lesz the heartrending Hungarian traditional song by Steven R. Smith (Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol) is up for free download on Worstward's bandcamp. The original version I posted before has less distortion and more psych but I simply adore this song so here it is. via gacougnol Image credit : How to be a Retronaut Bandcamp Steven R. Smith - Regen Volt, Soka Lesz (Version 2)
I've been a fan of Chicago based label Immune Recordings for a long time now. The selection of their releases really marks them as one of my favorite labels operating today. They show a perfect match to my taste in music; The last album by Portland, Maine hero Micah Blue Smaldone, to the brilliant Cities by [...]
I've been a fan of Chicago based label Immune Recordings for a long time now. The selection of their releases really marks them as one of my favorite labels operating today. They show a perfect match to my taste in music; The last album by Portland, Maine hero Micah Blue Smaldone, to the brilliant Cities by [...]
This is the Jewish new year time, and Small Town Romance Blog, being Jewish, wishes you a happy new year, even if that's the middle of the year for you. [Audio] STR Mixtape - The Bright New Year Title Artist Starting Time The Bright New Year Bert Jansch 00:00 The Lost Race Bela Tarr 01:28 A'in Le'an Lalechet Malka Spiegel 05:29 The Autumn People Black Mamba 07:37 I'm Coming Home Isbells 11:04 Cave In Living Rooms 15:15 Killing Joe Arpaio Crocodiles 18:05 [...]
Remake of a traditional Hungarian folk piece by the prolific guitarist and composer Steven R. Smith better known with his work as the Eastern European experimental folk output Hala Strana or his solo guitar soundscapes as Ulaan Khol among others. Maximum dose of melancholia for harsh winter nights. Check the video for the original song. Off his instrumental covers EP The Death of the Last Years Man on Emperor Jones , where he offered "Celestial versions of songs by The Smiths, Leonard Cohen, Muzsikas and Tim Hardin". Smith borrows some elements [...]
steven r. smith cities in decline 2009 (française version) Un été, voici quatorze années, 1995 donc, au lever du jour, je me suis rendu en bord de mer et j'ai attendu, le regard fixé sur une bande de mer à mi chemin entre la terre et l'horizon. J'ai attendu. Avec l'espoir que des flots surgisse une cité. Rien ne fût. Je suis rentré. Plus tard, le même jour, avant que le soleil [...]
As any zookeeper who has served his dues will tell you, big things need to be approached with great caution. I'm not sure how they would deal with the back catalogue of Steven R Smith, but a tranquilizer dart and a giant net would help - he is an artist who can't keep still for [...]
As any zookeeper who has served his dues will tell you, big things need to be approached with great caution. I'm not sure how they would deal with the back catalogue of Steven R Smith, but a tranquilizer dart and a giant net would help - he is an artist who can't keep still for [...]
Hi friends. It's been an eventful 48 hours. My bank account has been frozen by Bank Of America, leaving me with...$12 in cash that has to last me until my new debit card arrives this week. Supposedly there was "suspicious activity" reported by Mastercard, but when I called to ask what happened, I was told that they were not allowed to reveal what the activity was. I called bullshit, and they held their ground. So, really, I don't know why they froze my assets. Maybe someone got ahold of my account information, maybe they didn't. We'll never know. I just [...]
It's been seven months since we said goodbye to The Best Podcast You Have. On Monday May 7th, 2007 (my first full day in Los Angeles - coincidence?) Jack offered the final episode of his Circulations Amethyst series, entitled "The Night We Called It A Day." Now, Podcast Jack has returned with his newest incarnation of his pet project (now with fancy website !). The first episode is available as a video file on Jack's website. It features some cool music and two brief images of yours truly. In fact, I open and [...]
Hey people! You have until Monday at Midnight (12:00am PST Tuesday) to enter the 1st Annual Swan Fungus Holiday Contest™ ! Remember, all you have to do to enter is draw a picture of me, Field Commander LeVine, and caption it! It can be a drawing by hand, an MS Paint drawing, or even a collage! The winner gets a fully-autographed Jesus Lizard concert poster! You can see the poster and find out more about the contact by visiting that link! Holy shit! Hey scions of Billy Corgan! There's some good music on this page! [...]
DJ Daniel Blumin writes : With Thanksgiving fast approaching, many are going to want to do some fortifying before embarking on "the journey home". Some may turn to drink, whilst others may consider more sensible pursuits, such as catching up with recent live sessions in the bountiful archives of WFMU. Of course, those choices are not mutually exclusive, but if one just absolutely had to choose, I'd heartily recommend the latter. Here's one perfectly dapper reason: a few weeks ago, Steven R. Smith, best known for his work in Mirza, [...]
This might be the single most pathetic article I've ever read in any news publication ever. It comes from the prestigious Wall Street Journal, and it's about social identity theft. Apparently there are not only people in this world who are dumb enough that they resort to websites in order to find romance, but there are people using those websites who cannot think of original ways to describe their interests, and take information from other users' profiles. The article states, "Among the 125 million people in the U.S. who visit online dating and social-networking sites are a growing [...]
First, thanks for the kind response to the Chorchazade post yesterday, whether by e-mail or comments or reposting the album at other websites. I'm glad I could make so many people's day. I'll try to put up the Death Is Eeklo album if I have a spare moment this weekend. Time is short, though. I am a busy, busy man. How incredible was LOST last night? I'm such a sucker for anything they do on that show. I thought last night was going to be devoted to the dude highlighted on the Find 815 website (yes, [...]
Hala Strana's Steven R. Smith's latest solo album casts a huge shadow on the bulk of his previous work. Though wrought from the same broken soul blues mold that much of his work stems from, Owl has a unified foggy desolation that creeps like ice under the boot of Smith's lonesome guitar odes. I've long been impressed by Hala Strana, and Smith has worked alongside a number of great musicians from the Jeweled Antler ranks, but this outing sees him pour more of his being into every strained line and muted shuffle of strings than seems possible. Even [...]
steven r.smith across the flats 2007 richard youngs low bay of sky 2007 (française version) Puisque nous sommes plongés dans les plates ténèbres, comment savoir si le monde, celui que nous connaissons, n'est pas autre chose qu'un rêve collectif. Chez Richard Youngs, l'automne répond : "J'ai besoin de [...]
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Sasquatch Day Three: The Day Many Men Cried for the First Time In Their Lives…
