A shimmering fog of globally infused psychedelia, a demented whirl in the fog of all oceans, this album is just exploded with strange color, just like tape art (also by Jake)
WAS52
Jake Blanchard – Bryophytes
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Category Archives: Download
The Lamp – False Memory
The first album by The Lamp was a limited edition of less than 15 and in accordance with the artist’s wishes, all masters were permanently deleted. For the follow up album, a download has been permitted but it will only be available while the tape is on sale. Once the tape has sold out, the album will be hidden. It will still be available to re-download for those who bought it, but it will no longer be on sale.
The first album was simply a DJ set that got out of hand and accidentally became something else, but this is the first deliberate album. Side one a strange, scratchy ritual with weird rumbles and mumbles. Side two a stretched out synth symphony. Both tracks apparently have concepts behind them but the artist declines to share them.
Artwork shown here is what was used for the download version. Physical copies were not photographed in line with the artists wishes. Download and cassette both now withdrawn from sale as originally outlined.
WAS50
Nick Mitchell Maioto – Pino Carrasco
ONE ELEVEN HEAVY PRESENTS
Just like the Makoto album we put out recently, here is another artist caught in the lockdown and something exciting and unexpected happening, Nick’s ideas for the 3rd 111H album met the landscape of his relocated home of Spain and took a few surprise turns in his imagination. Sure, there’s that good time classic rock feel of the cream of 111H but look at the map, look how Africa and Spain almost touch like God and Adam’s fingertips in Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Adam”? Something swept North over the Straits of Gibraltar and touched this record in a way the planned Nashville sessions couldn’t possibly have.Don’t take my word for it, though, listen to James Jackson Toth:
Oh, sure, it’s an outstanding record, one that will silence any doubts anyone might still have about this former psychedelic noisenik’s ability to write and perform rousing, classic-sounding rock and roll songs.
But, see, I’ve been hearing the sketches of these songs for almost an entire year. Because they were originally intended to be recorded for the third One Eleven Heavy album, to be made in Nashville this summer, Nick emailed these tunes to the band members to solicit our feedback and ideas. But then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and our transatlantic quintet (average bandmember commute: around 2500 miles) had to postpone our recording plans.
By now I’d listened to Nick’s demos a dozen times. I figured out a few cool guitar parts to play to accompany his, learned his arrangements by heart. I was wondering, with excitement, how we were going to pull off some of those crazy time changes and deep layers of percussion. So when Nick told me he was planning to release these songs on a solo album, I knew that I’d probably never get to sing the sweet harmonies on the breezy and exuberant “If I Were A Sawmill,” or get to chug along with the propulsive, crackling “City of Grit,” or jam on the heavy-lidded Doors-meets-Canned Heat choogle of “Ode To What.” In my mind, I’d already claimed these songs for One Eleven Heavy.
Maybe One Eleven Heavy will get to perform some of these tunes live at some point; I dunno. Nick will probably write twelve more just as good or better by the time the five of us finally reconvene to record our third album. But it won’t be these songs; songs that I have grown, over a short period of time, to know intimately, songs I have driven around listening to and singing along with, songs that set an intimidatingly high bar for my own contributions (as yet unwritten) to the One Eleven Heavy record-that-wasn’t. I don’t mind telling you that when Nick sings, on opener “If I Were A Sawmill,” “let’s get on the road tonight,” I get a little lump in my throat. Will we ever get to do this again?
Listen to Pino Carrasco if you must. My prediction is that it’ll be your favorite record of the year. It’s mine, too. But, you know, to hell with this guy. To hell with this insane, impetuous, mischievous, stubborn, charming, gentleman guitar wizard, and a pox on this beautiful and inspiring music that should have been One Eleven Heavy music.
The next time Nick and I have to share a bunk bed in some godforsaken “band hostel”—and I hope very much that we do—I’m totally gonna wait till he falls asleep and then hack his Twitter account and follow a bunch of Christian pop punk bands. Then I’m gonna draw a caricature of the Kool Aid Man on his face.That’ll teach him to make solo albums, the bastard.-James Toth, July 2020-
Also, to celebrate we made 30 eco-friendly, fair-trade, high quality Belle Canvas t-shirts. Available bundled with the LP or just with a download of the album.
WAS46
Kawabata Makoto – The Infinity That Wasn’t
To me, there’s always been a world of difference between Kawabata Makoto’s solo work and his group work with Acid Mothers Temple. His solo works have always been minimalist, spiritual, energy accumulating and inward looking, whereas AMT is wild party music, a cosmic outgoing, a burst of great energy. His solo work is avant garde classical folk music whereas AMT are a rock n roll band from the end of the universe.
Then this landed in my inbox and burned that rule down. On “Infinity That Wasn’t” Makoto has become a band, multi tracking his own drums, keys, guitars and electronics. It goes far beyond any convention. The epic opener ending up furious guitar shreds dueling over hypnotic organ riffs like Can replaced Irmin with Philip Glass.
released July 3, 2020
Kawabata Makoto : acoustic & electric guitars, drums, hand clapper, drift box, electric organ
all music by Kawabata Makoto
recorded at Acid Mothers Temple, May – June 2020
produced, engineered and mixed by Kawabata Makoto
mastered by Andrew Liles
cover art by Sarah Coppen at Desert Moon Art
Special edition comes with t-shirt
WAS45
Bird People – Molting
the much delayed (our fault) WAS40 is here and for a special number like that we needed someone special so here is Bird People again with a stellar 5/6 piece line-up incluidng Eric Arn [Primordial Undermind] and some absolute drop to the floor slowburn psyche rock.
Forget all your troubles and surf the sunset slipstream of this one!
released June 5, 2020
Eric Arn – electric guitar
Roy Culbertson III – drums, percussion, trombone, voice and electric violin
Johanna Forster – electric guitar
Lucas Henao Serna – drums and percussion
Michaela Konrad – accordion
Stefanie Neuhuber – alto sax
Johannes Oberhuber – bass, voice
Ulrich Rois – electric guitar
Recorded April and May 2018 on Olympus LS11 at Studio 7, Vienna, Austria
Mastering by Ulrich Rois
Cover Photography and Layout by Ned Netherwood
WAS40
David Colohan – Prosperpolder
Our second David Colohan album this month is a more cinematic affair, recalling classic synth soundtracks getting lost in the fog.
WAS39
David Colohan – Arc of a Snowfall
A blissed-out electronic album from David Colohan (Raising Holy Sparks/United Bible Studies), one of two we release this month, side by side on CDR and digital. David says “Returning from a trip to Istanbul, the skies were clear & Europe was covered in snow. I spent hours gazing at the endless illuminated wilderness below, as if in a dream. Arc Of A Snowfall is an attempt to recapture that feeling.”
Made using Casio MT-400V, Korg MS-20 Mini & modular synthesizer through Binson Echorec EC3, Phonic Digital Echo Chamber PH6070, Shin-Ei ER-23 Echo Reverb Master, Boss Digital Delay DD-6, Boss Digital Reverb RV-5 & Boss RC-20XL Loop Station.
Recorded in Ballymahon, Ireland during February 2015.
WAS38
Josh Doss – Don’t Let Your Time Pass You By
Singer-songwriter Josh Doss is from Lexington, KY and has spent several years honing his craft and putting out his own CDRs and downloads. Recommended to me by the great James Jackson Toth (who is always right, be it about music shopping, artists or me needing to get glasses), Josh agreed to do a tape for me and put together a band for it. While his songwriting is in the great North American tradition, touching all the greats, his approach to music echoes through the more avant garde side of rock, recalling Velvet Undeground or those classic Spacemen 3 demos that Father Yod put out.
The three piece band sound amazing with a warm, fuzzy, tight sound. There’s some spectacular jammage on tracks like “Come With Me” and “Suspicious” that sounds like Malcolm Mooney-era Can covering California period Fleetwood Mac. It’s a pleasure and a privilege to put this out and I can guarantee you’re going to be hearing more from this guy in the future.
“hazed late-night gems tipping on a fulcrum of damped down boogie blues and sore-throated Americana” – Raven Sings The Blues
This is also WAS34. Its a good number.
David Colohan – Hill Of The Moon
A very special double cassette release by David Colohan.
David is one of the co-founders of acclaimed Irish collective United Bible Studies and also helms his own Raising Holy Sparks. He also used to record as Agitated Radio Pilot. He’s always in The Wire these days and just before Christmas he was on a split release with his UBS bandmate Richard Moult
Imagine If Popol Vuh lived in rural Ireland and were in thrall to the local landscape and folklore then this is how it would sound. A hypnotic, devotional work imbued with strange, inexplicable, almost Neolithic atmospheres. It’s bloody wonderful of course and is only a limited edition of 100. Oh, and it comes with a download coupon.
WAS20
“quite simply a modern masterpiece. Atmospheric, evocative and drenched in an earthy beauty” – Grey Malkin, The Active Listener
“Something centuries old = mysterious and magical music…” – Fluid Radio
Various Artists – Noise In The Wood
A fund-raiser for Calder Valley Flood Relief Fund following the Boxing Day floods that affected the towns of Todmorden, Hebden Bridge, Mytholmroyd, Sowerby Bridge & Brighouse. All music on here recorded live at Was Ist Das? promoted gigs in the Calder Valley except for Aaron Dilloway’s set which was recorded at TUSK Festival 2015 by Sam Grant www.tuskfestival.com and for the Blown Out track which is from their album “Jet Black Hallucinations”.
Download version tracklisting:
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors (live at Hebden Bridge Masonic Hall 3/11/2013)
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes (live at Hebden Bridge Inkfolk 9/08/2015)
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Cometary Orbital Drive (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 23/08/2014)
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge And Conversation (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 21/10/2012)
5.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
6.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo (live at Hebden Bridge Inkfolk 21/08/2014)
7.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek (live at Cragg Vale Robin Hood 20/09/2012)
8.vert:x – Cube Abuse (live at Todmorden Golden Lion 28/09/2015)
9.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure (live at Hebden Bridge Nutclough Tavern 25/10/2013)
10.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
11.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues (live at Hebden Bridge Masonic Hall 27/09/2014)
12.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
13.Hush Arbors – Gone (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club (08/05/2012)
14.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of His Tenderness (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
15.Isnaj Dui – The Way They Are (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 15/08/2015)
16.Woven Skull with Core of the Coalman – Sea Grave (live at Todmordern Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
17.Richard Dawson – Judas Isacriot (live at Todmorden Unitarian Church 16/08/2015)
18.Bridget Hayden – Non-Linear Chaotic Problem (live at Inkfolk 30/03/2014)
19.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea (live at Hebden Bridge Trades Club 16/04/2014)
20.Blown Out – Transgalactic World Eater
21.Aaron Dilloyway – Live At Tusk
Tape version track listing:
Side A
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso U.F.O. – Cometary Orbital Drive
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge And Conversation
5.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo
6.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues
7.The Lamp – Someone Playing Dulcimer To The Ducks
Side B
1.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky
2.The Sly And Unseen – Here We Are, Here We Are
3.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek
4.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of His Tenderness
5.The Lamp – Hebden Dawn Chorus (dub)
Side C
1.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway
2.Hush Arbors – Gone
3.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks
4.Bridget Hayden – Non-Linear Chaotic Problem
5.Richard Dawson – Judas Isacriot
6.Damo Suzuki Network – Bridge Medley
7.The Lamp – Very Heavy Water
Side D
1.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure
2.Woven Skull with Core of the Coalman – Sea Grave
3.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea
CD Tracklist
CD 1
1.Dean McPhee – Smoke & Mirrors
2.Ashtray Navigations – The Pink Margarine Cubes
3.Acid Mothers Temple & The Melting Paraiso UFO – Cometary Orbital Drive
4.Dead Sea Apes – Knowledge & Conversation
5.Bird People – Calder Valley Rockaway
6.MV & EE with Mick Flower – Shit’s Creek
7.The Sly And Unseen – Here We Are, Here We Are
8.Chicaloyoh – The Sound of his Tenderness
9.The Lamp – Fiddler & The River
CD 2
1.Raising Holy Sparks – Everyone Yearns For The Boiling Black Sky
2.Wooden Wand – Barstool Blues
3.Girl Sweat – Off The Tracks
4.Hush Arbors – Gone
5.UK Muzzlers – NoNoNoNo
6.Suzuki Junzo – Chi No Mure
7.Richard Dawson – Judas Iscariot
8.Bridget Hayden – Non Linear Chaotic Problem
9.Carlton Melton – March of the Cicadas / Out To Sea
10.The Lamp – Hareandhoundsound
Limited edition of 25 double cassettes and 50 double CDRs plus a bandcamp download
WAS19