news
april 2008
NOW ON SALE
The new Cloudland Canyon album is now available for purchase here. The kind folks at XLR8R had this to say about the album:
"On Lie in Light, their second LP, the band incorporates the era's characteristic motorik sound with droning guitars and whirring synthesizers to make dizzying, atmospheric soundscapes.
The result is a stargazing guitar record full of warmth and imagination. 8.5"
Deerhunter restock:
We now have the Deerhunter-Cryptograms/Fluorescent Grey double album back in stock on the vinyl format.
NEW RELEASE INFO:
On monday april 14th we will be releasing one new title as well as
issuing an older title on vinyl for the first time.
The new title is Christopher Bissonnette's stunning "In Between Words" album, his second for kranky. Rather than me gushing flowery prose, I will let foxy digitalis (in edited form) do the job:
"This is a decidedly darker and grainier Bissonnette. "Provenance" throbs with something approaching menace even as it bursts through clouds into brilliant sunlight. Even as my eyes were happily closed throughout the record, I was let down by the fact that the majority of droners in the world compose music that has a similar aim as this. Why the 9 rating then? Well, even though these six tracks scratch an itch that's easier to reach, the depth of Bissonnette's compositional skills is still astounding. The pristine clarity of "Periphery" has fallen away to a reluctant wonder given to both hope and a piercing melancholy. "Orffyreus Wheel" is tempered with washes of noise and clattering sounds as it reaches upward in emotion, and "Tempest" is a sort of avant-garde abstraction I'd have never expected from Bissonnette. "The Colonnade" and "Jour et Nuit" close out the album with seventeen glorious minutes that soar majestically. Still the grit wears through, but every grain is essential. Christopher Bissonnette could have easily duplicated "Periphery" a couple more times before anyone grew weary, but instead he's proven that he's in the upper echelon of ambient artists today. 9/10"
The other 'new' release is actually a vinyl version of the fabulous krank059 Stars of the Lid-Avec Laudenum album. When Sub Rosa originally released this album in 1999, they did a one-time pressing on vinyl but very few copies made their way to north america. This release also coincides with the start of their north american tour which i will once again tell you is not to be missed.
Both of these titles will be available for ordering from the website on monday april 7th and will start shipping immediately.
more Stars of the LId news
The two most recent Stars of the Lid titles are now back in stock on the vinyl format. Go to the catalog page to order.
And if you needed another argument to see Stars of the Lid live during their north american tour starting in mid-april, here is one in the form of a
video of them performing Arvo Part's "Fratres" in Utrecht, Netherlands in December of 2007.
last.fm
please note:
We have raised our mail order prices by $1 across the board. Please remember that our prices include postage to all
locations, and when that factor is figured in our prices are more than reasonable, especially for our european customers who can
benefit from the ridiculously weak u.s. dollar.
stars of the lid return to united kingdom in may
5/17 at all tomorrow's parties festival [butlins holiday centre/minehead, uk]
5/19 at cube microplex cinema [bristol, uk]
5/20 at st.giles church [london,uk] w/ lichens
5/21 at hare and hounds king heath [birmingham,uk] w/chris herbert
5/22 at stereo [glasgow, uk]
5/23 at the tunnels [aberdeen, uk]
5/24 at church of st.thomas the martyr [newcastle-upon-tyne, uk]
5/25 at holy trinity church [leeds, uk]
NEW RELEASES AVAILABLE NOW
Spring 08 releases from Atlas Sound, Autistic Daughters,
and Valet are now available to order from the catalog page.
01.28.08
We are currently out of t-shirts of any kind. We are working on some new designs and hope to have them ready soon.
01.17.08
If you had to choose just one kranky-related event to witness this year, I think I would recommend catching a rare live appearance from
Stars of the Lid.
They will be commencing a cross-country trek on April 14th in the City of Angels, and will finish in their sorta hometown of Austin on May 7th.
Their trusty sidekick Luke Savisky will be in tow to provide his usual stunning visuals composed of layered 16mm films, and to put the proverbial cherry on top of this sundae, SotL will be accompanied by a string trio for the entire trip.
I know of no better value for your entertainment dollar than seeing the Lid live, and most of these performances will be in a non-rock club setting for your added enjoyment.
Please start making your plans now to see one, or more, of these very special shows.
stars of the lid US tour 2008
4/14 at echoplex [los angeles, ca]
4/15 at the independent [san francisco, ca]
4/17 at holocene [portland, or]
4/18 at triple door [seattle, wa]
4/21 at southern theater - wordless music series [minneapolis, mn]
4/22 at staerkel planetarium [champaign, il]
4/23 at sebring-lewis theatre [grinnell, ia]
4/24 at 930 listening room [louisville, ky]
4/25 at warhol museum [pittsburgh, pa]
4/26 at lakeshore theater [chicago, il]
4/27 at museum london [london, on]
4/28 at music gallery [toronto, on]
4/29 at masonic temple [montreal, qc]
5/01 at remis auditorium - museum of fine arts [boston, ma]
5/02 at good shepard faith church [new york city, ny]
5/03 at st. mary's episcopal church @ penn university [philadelphia, pa]
5/04 at iota [arlington, va]
5/05 at fine arts theatre [asheville, nc]
5/07 at ritz theatre [austin, tx]
5/08 at granada theatre [dallas, tx]
11.27.07
We just got our hands on some copies of the latest White Rainbow release, the Sky Drips Drifts CD on the States Rights label out of Portland.
This is 67 minutes more of Adam Forkner's blissed out head trip and comes highly recommended. Go to the catalog page to get your copy now via paypal.
11.09.07
Now available for immediate shipment! We are proud to reissue the debut album from Labradford, as well as the premier kranky release, originally issued in October 1993.
Prazision LP not only announced the arrival of Labradford, a new force in organized sound,
but also set the standard for kranky as the prime example of what would soon be the label's forte; releasing challenging work that will stand the test of time.
The album has been given a proper mastering job for the first time, and the B side of their debut 7" single has been added to the A side that appeared as an addendum on the original release.
10.14.07
We don't know whether to be amused or bemused by the following, maybe a combination of both:
"Lindsay Lohan may be in rehab, but that hasn't stopped Maxim from featuring her on the cover of its September 2007 10th anniversary issue. In the interview - which was conducted in mid-May, before both her DUI arrests -
Lohan cites the track "It's For You" by Out Hud as her go-to DJ song and shares her guilty pleasures:
"Larry King Live," "Oprah" and junk food." MTV News
10.07.07
Now available for immediate shipment! The long awaited debut full length from To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie is finally here.
The Patron is an invigorating and challenging listen which pairs the ethereal vocals and minimal guitar of
Jehna Wilhelm with the rich textures of Mark Mcgee's computer aided sound constructions. Soft and loud, sweet and sour, melodic and noisy,
the album is an amalgamation of seemingly contrasting styles fused into a seamless whole. "Pop" music for the 21st century that pulls no punches.
09.21.07:
We now have available for order the vinyl version of the White Rainbow album we are releasing on CD on October 1st.
This is a 2LP set pressed up by the nice folks at Marriage Records in Portland. Go to the catalog page and get your copy now.
We also got restocked today on the Stars of the Lid-Tired Sounds 3LP from the pressing plant.
This will be the last time we are pressing this item on vinyl. You have been warmed...
news item:
We have a whole bunch of new kranky-related items in our mail order catalog. Check out a new 7" single from Valet,
the debut EP from To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie, a very limited Windy & Carl CD,
and five (!) recent issues from Charalambides' Wholly Other label.
All of these items are available in limited quantities.
First of the fall 2007 releases are now available for order:
krank111 Cloudland Canyon-Silver Tongued Sisyphus CDEP
The first Cloudland Canyon release for kranky follows on the heels of the well received "Requiems Der Natur 2002-2004" album released on the Tee Pee label.
This 23 minute EP is a secular call to prayer with humming, looping and loping ambient passages interspersed with bursting rhythmic energy and agitated guitar lines.
Pulling influences from the foggy ether of generations past, Cloudland Canyon has staked their claim to the shadows of cult musical culture of the late 1960's and early 1970's German underground scene.
krank110 White Rainbow-Prism of Eternal Now CD
After years of outer space exploration in Yume Bitsu and Surface of Eceyon, Adam Forkner decided to turn his focus inward.
And focus he did, working at a dizzying pace that culminated in the production of the 5CD/1DVD White Rainbow Box (2006 Marriage Records),
a remarkable album not because it was 4.5 hours long, but because the overwhelming majority was of extraordinary quality and not mere filler.
At a somewhat brief 71 minutes, Eternal Now pulses and flows with mantric chants, clattering percussions, sighing sustains and guitar leads unashamed of their scorching transcendence.
He breathes new life into archaic sub-genres such as progrock, new age, and electric hippie folk, while never stooping to the negative aspects of any of them.
Prism of Eternal Now leaves behind the bounds of gravity for a free floating meditational headtrip of inner space exploration.
Go to the catalog page to order either or both of the above titles now.
More info soon on fall 2007 releases from To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie and Charalambides, as well as the reissue of the Labradford-Prazision LP, their debut album and first ever kranky release in a remastered version with a bonus track added.
Stars of the Lid and Deerhunter vinyl update:
Finally... some good news about vinyl. We now have both Deerhunter vinyl and the Stars of the Lid vinyl back in stock. Go to the catalog page to get your copies now.
Mail Order News:
The postal service has again raised their prices. We had just recently gotten around to raising our prices to be in line with the price hike from
almost two years ago, this time we are moving a little faster. The good news is that prices for all CD orders. as well as vinyl orders inside the u.s.,
have not changed since the last hike. The real price hikes come for heavier mail leaving the country, meaning vinyl. For example, it now costs us $12.00
to mail a single LP to any location outside north america, $15.20 to mail a single 2LP set, and $16.80 to mail either of the last two Stars of the Lid 3LP
sets overseas. So we apologize for another mail order price hike, but this is just for vinyl titles and just for packages leaving the country.
More Good News:
Paul Dickow returns for his second Strategy album for us, and it blends bits of abstract sound, house, techno, dub, and even a little funk and soul into a unique sound environment,
and is the defining moment to date for this young man. And this is exactly the kind of head buggery that we at kranky are always glad to deliver to the masses, or at least the select few who care to pay attention.
"Future Rock is Dickow's first fully realized document, a beautifully rendered set of cross-pollinating pop-ambient-house-dub. It'll be hard to top this one in 2007." - Earplug
And we here at kranky are proud (to put it mildly) to release the newest album from Andrew Pekler following releases on Staubgold and Scape. Inspired by library albums from the 70's,
Pekler takes what seems a rather limited number of sound sources and turns them into sonic treasure, recalling in tone Cluster's krautpop classic "Zuckerzeit" with playful melodies and spare arrangements.
"Taking a much more minimal direction than his previous efforts, Pekler manages to force hissing grains out of his chosen instruments and inject a soul and a beating heart into what is intrinsically 'ambient music'.
An assured impressive piece of work." - Boomkat
Now available for immediate shipment!
The second full-length from Robert AA Lowe aka Lichens is entitled Omns.
Expanding on the depths of his debut The Psychic Nature of Being, Lichens has turned in a rich work with an even wider scope.
The CD is coupled with a DVD of a singluar live performance shedding light on the Lichens experience for the uninitiated.
Go to the catalog page and get your copy now via paypal.
Goods news for modern man:
The new Valet CD and Deerhunter CDEP are now available for immediate shipment via paypal. Go to the catalog page for ordering.
Also available at the same time, is the Deerhunter double LP which combines the universally acclaimed (well, truth be told we have not heard back from the Andromeda galaxy yet)
Cryptograms album with the all new Fluorescent Grey EP for one low 2LP price. kranky mail orders are typically sent out within two days of receipt, excluding weekends
(even the superhumans in the kranky mail order department have to rest sometimes). Right NOW is the perfect time to order some kranky titles for your home. And they go great with any decor!
Kranky Introduces Valet
Blood is Clean
is the debut release by Honey Owens under the name Valet.
The songs were formed out of a natural and spontaneous process as separate incidents of recording
over a 5 month period from January to May of 2006. They were recorded by and large in single,
live takes with minor additional tracking added here and there. The results are at once spare and expansive;
exploratory, yet deceptively simple. Honey Owens has been an important figure in the Portland experimental
music scene for more than 10 years, collaborating with an array of both oscure and well-known music projects including:
World, Nudge, Dark Yoga and Jackie-O Motherfucker. Honey Owens lives and works in Portland, Oregon.
Available April 16, 2007
More Deerhunter On The Way
kranky is finalizing our spring 2007 schedule. next up for release on
April 9, 2007 in the UK and Europe, and April 16, 2007 in North America:
krank107 - Fluorescent Grey CDEP
krank104 - Cryptograms/Fluorescent Grey 2LP
That's right, it's not enough that Deerhunter have provided us with one of the most talked about albums of the new year. This all new four song EP was recorded at the time that the band was doing final mixdown on Cryptograms, and the progression of the band in the time between the two is pretty astounding. The CDEP also has as a bonus video for "Strange Lights" from Cryptograms.
And for all of you people who have been inquiring about Deerhunter vinyl, ask no more. The double LP collects all of the material from the LP and the EP into one neat package.
We will post order links for both of these items a few weeks before release.
New Music and Videos available now!
The much anticipated kranky debut from Deerhunter, Cryptograms is now available for purchase. Catch their video for "Strange Lights" along with the new video from Benoit Pioulard for "Triggering Back" in in the videos section.
Pre-Orders Being Taken Now & Free MP3 from the forthcoming Stars of the Lid album
Since we know that people have been impatiently waiting for new music from the Lid for a long time, and since we also know that the April 2 release date of the new Stars of the Lid and Their Refinement of the Decline album is still a long way off, we offer here a free taster from that massive work. Apreludes (In C Sharp Major) is one of the shorter tracks on the album, but that in no way implies that the emotional heft therein is diminished in any manner.
Pre-orders of this 2xCD and/or 3xLP set are now being taken from the Catalog page.
Free Pan American and Benoit Pioulard Ringtones
Polish website, tone shared, has posted exclusive PanAmerican and Benoit
Pioulard
ringtones for download along with rings by Andrew Pekler, Atom Heart,
FS Blumm, amongst others.
http://www.toneshared.com/index.php?view=library
New Signing
kranky is pleased to announce the signing of Atlanta based five-piece
Deerhunter. their kranky debut will be released january 29, 2007, and the
stars are already aligning themselves in anticipation. Our good friends at
Pitchfork jumped the gun a little today, but they could not contain
themselves. check out what they had to say about Deerhunter in conjunction
with their posting of one of the forthcoming album's central tracks:
http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/page/news/39308/Infinite_Mixtape_51_Deerhunter_Spring_Hall_Con#39308
New Videos Online Now!
Three new videos are now available in the videos section. "Lakeside Blues" comes from Jessica Bailiff's latest album, Feels Like Home; "Motoc" comes from Loscil's latest album, Plume; and "Two Across the Mouth" comes from the latest Boduf Songs album, Lion Devours the Sun. Download and enjoy!
Now Available
The following new releases are now in stock and available:
KRANK103 - Christina Carter - Electrice
KRANK102 - Tim Hecker - Harmony In Ultraviolet
KRANK101 - Chris Herbert - Mezzotint
KRANK099 - Boduf Songs - Lion Devours the Sun
KRANK098 - Benoit Pioulard - Precis
KRANK097 - Jessica Bailiff - Feels Like Home
KRANK096 - Loscil - Plume
KRANK095 - Charalambides - A Vintage Burden
KRANK094 - Gregg Kowalsky - Through the Cardial Window
KRANK093 - Bird Show - Lightning Ghost
KRANK092 - Keith Fullerton Whitman - Lisbon
KRANK091 - Chihei Hatakeyama - Minima Moralia
Sound samples are available for all releases.
Jessica Bailiff
Available on July 25th is Feels Like Home, the fourth solo release from Jessica Bailiff. It's the first full length of solo material from Jessica in 4 years but she's been doing anything but taking a break. Check her fruitful collaborations with Dave Pearce (as Clear Horizon), Rachel Goldstar (as Eau Claire), and Jesse Edwards (as Northern Song Dynasty), as well as a featured appearance on Odd Nosdam's latest album where she made vocal and instrumental contributions. Sound samples are now available
Limited Christina Carter release
Now available in the "other items" of the catalog is Christina Carter's Lace Heart CDR. It's the latest release from Christina's "Many Breaths" label and is also her newest solo album. Limited to 300 copies only, with each one hand assembled in an oversize individually hand- crafted sleeve with distinctive artwork. As always with
Christina's work, this is haunting music and an essential listen.
Charalambides Video Interview
The Eye has a candid talk with Tom and intersperses live footage of
the duo's performance from Terrastock
giving a peek into what to expect from their soon to be released full-
length, A Vintage Burden. Find a link in the video section.
Introducing Benoit Pioulard
Now available in the shop is the
debut single from very young man whose first album will be
out on kranky this coming fall. four gorgeous pop songs seamlessly
layered with electronic elements and found sounds. "Scattering his
numb voice against static-laced electronic backdrops, sleepy
acoustic guitars, and myriad field recordings, Pioulard creates
music that evaporates shade and cold, enveloping his surroundings
in luminous bells and genuine warmth." Stylus
Windy & Carl score for online photo essay
The music of Windy & Carl has been used in an online interactive photo
essay by Harry Gruyaert, hosted at Slate.com under Today's Pictures. The
piece was developed using Flash and is only recommended to those with
excellent Internet connections. You can see the entire piece titled
Rivages at http://todayspictures.slate.com/20060329.
Loscil releases free album
Loscil has released a free album for
download. Stases consists of minimalist drones, some of which you
may recognize as backgrounds to tracks on kranky albums. Available now for
FREE download on an Internet-only label named One. Go to http://one.dot9.ca/2/releases.php?id=027 to get the
free album. There will be an actual new album from loscil released on
kranky in May.
White Rainbow Box
Please check out our mail order catalog for copies of the amazing new White
Rainbow box set.
New video segments from Jessica Bailiff and Windy & Carl
From The Eye we've got video footage of Jessica Bailiff performing live in Chicago, IL in the summer of 2005 and in Dearborn, MI. in Nov. 2005, an interview with Jessica at her home studio in Toledo and some live music from a show in Paris from 2002. Windy & Carl graciously consented to an interview with The Eye at their Stormy Records shop in Dearborn, MI. And a live show at Stormy from Nov. 2005 is available as well. Both can be seen in the video section.
Introducing Chihei Hatakeyama
Chihei Hatakeyama is one half of the computer-oriented
electro-acoustic duo Opitope, which is active around Tokyo. Opitope organizes a performance series called "Radical Mute Geek" in Tokyo and has played at the series with Keiichi Sugimoto (aka
Four Colour), Testuro Yasunaga (Cubic Music), Christophe Charles, and many more. Hatakeyama is also a member of the improvising group Copa del Papa. Minima Moralia is a product of the careful placement of sound afforded by computer programming combined with the timbres of
live performance.
KrankyKast 02 Online Now
The KrankyKast #2 is now available. People using iTunes can subscribe by copying and pasting the following RSS URL into the box under "Advanced" in the Podcast playlist selection in iTunes:
iTunes is free from Apple and is available for both Mac and PC computers.