Date: Wed, 23 Apr 97 10:42:59 -0700 From: Jens Alfke Reply-To: ctip@dharma.firstcomm.com To: Multiple recipients of Subject: Review: Flowchart, Stars Of the Lid FLOWCHART "Tenjira" (US, Darla, darlarec@sirius.com) This four track EP is volume 1 of Darla's "Bliss Out" series, so I picked it up on the strength of Windy & Carl's sublime "Antarctica", which is volume 2. While not quite as majestic and mysterious, it's a fitting companion. The overall mood is a tongue-in-cheek spaciness, with pretty little synth melodies and squidgy Moog noises competing for the foreground while various other loops go on underneath. The title track in particular, with its rotating guitar-lint loop, organ, and sampled vocal coos, might have been a lost 1993 collaboration between Seefeel and Stereolab. (I've always found it hard to explain how Stereolab fit in with other pure-impure cohorts, but this EP provides a neat bridge.) It took me a few listens to fully appreciate this EP, but the first three tracks really are excellent. The last has a lot of potential but is marred by a really unimaginative plodding rock beat (like some Casiotone preset) and an inability to end at the right moment -- instead the dull beat goes on for another five minutes while some keyboard noodles fade in and out. Chop off those five minutes and this is a real gem, with a lightness of mood that's too often missing from the "post-rock" or "ambient" genres. Date: Fri, 25 Jul 1997 02:21:50 -0400 From: Srilank@AOL.COM Subject: Re: what amp album should i buy? > AMP is a different band, not on 4AD, unrelated to the Pixies. They have 3 > different CDs out that I know about... Related to FSA somehow - don't recall exactly tho. Come to think of it most bands are related to FSA in one way or another. Hmm. I'm thinking of writing a book on it, possibly making it a game, doing some t.v. spots, and then finally creating a small obsession among college campuses dotted across the U.S. and abroad. Flying Saucer Attack - bits. (sans bacon) ahem. AMP have, let's see..._sirenes_, which I believe was the first proper full-length. This followed a handful of 7'"s on Wurlitzer Jukebox, kakemix and Enraptured and some comp. appearances - the only one coming to mind atm is the "angelfood electronics" vols. 1 &2. Next up was the sprouting of A.M.P. for confusions sake. This incarnation had one member who shared a flat with a sister of a close friend of someone who knew Richard from AMP - and so the moniker becomes easy to see and the flexibility and transference between the two "bands" is blatently obvious. "well, duh." - the world sighs noting the connection and sure as hell not needing *me* to point it out. ...and I continue; A.M.P. debuted with the effortless "studio e.p." on (The Azusa Plane's in house label) Colorful Clouds for Acoustics. A nice drony feedback wash of wax - not terribly engaging but the need to not "up" the parent AMP was indeed in effect, *thus* the lukewarm blandness of this release. A.M.P. and AMP each had a release that were concurrent in late spring of this year. A.M.P. expanded it's horizon with the brilliant "heart and soul dissolves" - a four movement ambient foray. Nicely textured drone with a hint of melody, some female vocal unintelligable utterings all sewn together loosely yet flowing together wonderfully. AMP put out their second full-length _astralmoonbeamprojections_ on kranky. This IMO is a hit and miss affair. Still maintaining that drony exhibitionism - while growing into some other realms. Not rock solid, but tracks such as the beautiful "shiftime" and "celestialreturn" make the redemption cut. The last release by either of these outfits was by AMP earlier this month on the stellar Darla Records "bliss out" series. Entitled "perception darla" and described as 88 minutes of melancholic instrumental epic mood pieces. jason srilank@aol.com onnow : belle and sebastian - if you're feeling sinister