Audioccult Vol. 4

Light a candle. Draw the required sigils. Now, raise your arms above your head and slowly, gently, exhale your soul. You won’t need it here. This is Audioccult, and it’s time to get low.

Undoubtedly the biggest thing to happen in the last week was My First Chelsea Wolfe Show. I sincerely hope it won’t be my last. But as the lingering black threads of pleasure fade, I find new audio obsessions to blow your way. Currently, almost everyone I know is obsessing over the taffy-pulled hip-hop of Arca and his toddler-terror video for ‘Ass Swung Low‘ off his most recent release Stretch 1. Throbbing, minimalist beats drip like sludge over insectile vocals, made all the hotter/creepier by being vocalized by demonic kids. You can download Stretch 1 for free here, too.

Arca – DOEP

Blackest Ever Black is probably one of my favorite labels right now. The London label is home to a variety of wonderful artists and sounds, but it’s Young Hunting that really makes my heart pound. The Edinburgh duo fall somewhere between the mysticism of Current 93 and the paganistic exuberance of Dead Can Dance, their latest LP The Night of The Burning ranks as one of my favorite 2012 releases thus far (and you can read more about that here). BEB is offering up a new track for free download, a cavernous piece of dense ambience that expands on the claustrophobic feel of Young Hunting’s previous work. If that’s not enough for you, how about some post-This Heat vinyl? The label is set to drop the first ever vinyl edition of Gareth Williams and Mary Currie‘s Flaming Tunes, the 1985 cassette released by the two shortly after Williams had left the legendary experimental post-punk group. Considerably more gentle than his previous work, Flaming Tunes showcases a unique side of Williams that fans might not be familiar with. It’s certainly long overdue for re-release in any format, and I look forward to playing the hell out of it.

Young Hunting – A List Of Indignities

Gareth Williams & Mary Currie – Generous Moon

Every once in a great while, I find myself dragged by friends to industrial parties, and I always, always hate it. I sit there in my New Era hat with the Psychic TV logo like I’m Lord of the fucking TumblrGoths, nursing (with wound) my overpriced vodka-cran (so goth) and hating on everyone and everything. “Whyyyyyyyyy” I think (or scream, depending on how thrown I am); “Whyyyyy are you listening to this crud, this crap and shit and complete audio waste, when amazing compatible artists like Prurient, Trust, AIMON, White Car, and //TENSE// are making music right NOW??” The latest //TENSE//remix of Crossover‘s ‘Don’t Tvrn Yr Back On Magic’ should be echoing through some sub-par speakers right this second, making those boots stomp and fog swirl. Instead, here’s the same damn Covenant song you’ve been repping since 1999. This world is so corrupt.

Pendu recently posted a new track from melancholic electronic duo Von Haze, a perfect little slice of summery gloom from their upcoming LP Kar Dee AkK Ake. Use it to block out distractions from the mortal veil as you travel the city; it’s quite excellent for that. Tropic of Cancer are also bringing the bleakpop with a new 12″ entitled Permissions of Love. ‘The One Left’ is stark, simplistic and cold drum-machine beats and fragile, plucked guitar. It’s easy to abuse the post-punk genre, which make beautiful examples like this precious to me. So young but so gold.

Von Haze – His Love Is Fine

Tropic of Cancer – The One Left

Over the weekend, the folks at Germ sent me Hecuba‘s new album, much to my delight. Their 2009 LP Paradise was one of my yearly favorites, and the one time I saw them in LA was everything I love in a live show: oddball antics, a true weirdo spirit and captivating presence. The songs were pretty sick, too. Modern holds onto the same strange, dreamlike dance that Hecuba’s debut carried, but with a more mature feeling. Tracks like ‘Faith’ and ‘Crime, Violence’ showcase Isabel Albuquerque’s voice like never before, dominating even over the searing, fuzzy synths. It’s a fantastic and unexpected return, and any fan of avant-garde (yet immensely hook-heavy) electronics should be all over this.

Finally, a guy posted this on my Facebook and I saw it at 3am and liked it.

Published April 30, 2012.