Beast in Heat

By combining elements from Ambient, Atmospheric Pop, Synth-Pop, Techno and Trance, Hemisphere create compositions where the melodies of a sensual, romantic hue, not lacking in mystery, have an important role. The emotional air of the music is emphasized by the warm textures of the synthesizers. The rhythms, of a rather slow nature, yet often powerful, complex and with an important percussive component, complement the basic approach of this album.

Preceding Beast Rest Forth Mouth is 2007’s Red Bloom of the Boom, a 7-track, 43-minute exploration that crosses the streams of psychedelia and prog. Pitchfork called it “a true cohesive work in an era when the album-as-art form appears to be slowly dying” (7.8), and The Onion found it “a powerful, functional mix of This Heat, ‘70s soft rock, early Genesis, and oddly, later Pink Floyd.” The album was further informed by a collection of remarkable music videos by the band and their collaborators, providing a mirror into both the creative scope of the Bear In Heaven consciousness, not to mention the day jobs they keep as editors, filmmakers, and designers. The packaging and visuals for Beast Rest Forth Mouth continue in this tradition, the band collaborating with artist Laura Brothers to create the tactile doorway into the sonic swirl of the album.

Formed in Toronto, Canada, in the late 60s, Heat Exchange are known for their three fantastic 45s for the Yorkville label - released in the early 70s - on which they mixed hard rock with psychedelic, heavy progressive and funk-rock sounds. So it was a major surprise to discover that in 1972, the band recorded more stuff with the intention of releasing an album. But in the end, the deal fell through and only four of those tracks were released as part of their 45s. Soon after, the band disbanded.

The Scandinavian countries, with well-funded symphony orchestras, have been producing a new generation of composers who write for them. The best of these, a group that undoubtedly includes Anders Hillborg, have begun to attract attention and commissions from outside the region. Three of this group of four works from between 2010 and 2014 (Hillborg has been at it for decades) had commissioners from outside Sweden, and the mighty centerpiece, Sirens, was commissioned by the Los Angeles Philharmonic (whose former music director, Esa-Pekka Salonen, conducts it) and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Big Business are a band. They play heavy rock. On that, we can all agree. Things get tricky when you try to classify exactly where on the musical spectrum the dynamic duo’s racket falls. “I guess psychedelic heavy metal punk rock? I don’t know. People always say ‘sludge rock,’ which I always found to be lazy and kind of inaccurate. A lot of our songs are fast, and it’s not like we’re playing a half-assed Black Sabbath riff over and over again. That’s been the struggle of the band. We’re a band that doesn’t really fit into what everyone else is doing,” according to drummer Coady Willis.

Bill Nelson - Dreamy Screens: Soundtracks From The Echo Observatory (2017) {3CD Box Set Esoteric Recordings COCD 31015 rec 1981-1982}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 517 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 261 Mb
Full Artwork @ 600 dpi (png) -> 605 Mb | 5% repair rar
© 1981-82, 2017 Cocteau Discs / Esoteric Recordings / Bill Nelson / Cherry Red Records | COCD 31015
Ambient / Electronic / Experimental / Modern Instrumental / Post Rock / Guitar

Deluxe three CD clamshell boxed collection. Dreamy Screens: Soundtracks from the Echo Observatory set features three albums, all recorded at Bill Nelson's Yorkshire home studio, the Echo Observatory, in 1981 and 1982 - Sounding the Ritual Echo (originally issued as a limited edition bonus LP with Bill's 1981 album Quit Dreaming and Get On the Beam), Das Kabinet (a soundtrack to a production of The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari by The Yorkshire Actors Company issued as an LP on Bill's Cocteau label in 1981) and La Belle et La Bete (a soundtrack to a stage production of Jean Cocteau's classic 1946 film Beauty & the Beast, first issued as a limited edition bonus LP with Bill's 1982 album The Love That Whirls).

This work by Hemisphere is a beautiful space odyssey based on the use of synthesizers, ideal to let imagination soar through unearthly worlds. A general trait of the album is the fact that the music happens to be very intense, vital, as if reflecting strong emotions. The 11 pieces included in this release have a melodic cosmic style with some Atmospheric Pop touches. The latter are basically in the rhythms. The melodies present a certain romantic character, with slight symphonic traits. Perhaps the most remarkable theme is "Night of the Living Machine", in which the melodic grandeur of Hemisphere is strongly present.