Spring keeps us busy as labels and artists get their releases out before the slower summer months. We're also preparing for Record Store Day, where we'll have live electro/experimental performances and free jams; local music preacher John Baptist testifying for Vinyl records, a listening session of odd and unique vinyl; selected titles from our DVD collection viewed in our Squid Theater; and discounts on our large collection of used and promo copies that are not listed online. If you're in the region on April 18th stop by and help us celebrate the day!
This week at our retail store we're presenting Jacob Wick performing solo on trumpet. Wick is one of my favorite "extended technique" players, probably because I come away from his work with a sense of narrative, and when performing live, he holds me and his audience in suspense. Wick is not as well documented in recording as I'd like, but we carry a few essential recordings, which you can see on Squidco with this search.
Presenting shows in a small city like Wilmington is both challenging and rewarding, providing an opportunity for us and our local community to see outstanding music. Kudos to the artists who throw themselves out into the world to bring their unique vision to others. The challenge, of course, is convincing people who might not know anything about improvised and creative music to expose themselves to something new. It seems that listener's tastes are increasingly homogenized as the "new radio" of Spotify or Pandora takes the adventure out of exploring unfamiliar music. If you're reading this blog you already know the rewards of hearing something unexpected and appealing to your particular taste. Supporting those artists live, and by buying their physical releases, helps to keep creative music alive, vital, and viable.
And off the soapbox!
New Releases this week:
This week we've added the latest two Relative Pitch releases to our homepage: a beautiful Susan Alcorn album with her playing lap steel on 4 Ennio Morricone titles, and joined by Michael Formanek on bass for an original composition; and Matthew Shipp's alternately duo and trio album with frequent collaborators Michael Bisio and Mat Maneri, in a grouping Shipp refers to as his Chamber Ensemble (but which to my ears is simply sophisticated jazz trio work).
We also added the latest Eugene Chadbourne album, a very fun album of songs from his youth performed in studio and live with a large cast of collaborators. Even more interesting is the very thick book Dreamory that Chadbourne has published, gathering writings, tour diaries, dream diaries, draft-dodging memoirs, and much more. For those unaware, Chadbourne has published reviews and articles to magazines and online review sites for years, and his writing is informed and articulate on a wide spectrum of music. The book is a daunting but rewarding read.
We also listed 3 Mikroton releases, all firmly in the ea-improv world, presenting some of the finest players from the US and Europe. I'm especially fond of the eRikm/Brandlmayr release, which keeps the player's grounded through Brandlmayr's identifiable drumming, over which eRikM (and Brandlmayr) introduce and intervene unusual sonic elements. It's unpredictable and a great deal of fun for the listener. Mikroton has developed an excellent and consistent catalog of modern EA, avant improv, and experimental releases, and if you haven't spent the time, it's well worth your time exploring their catalog.
We also added 3 very strange cassettes of organized sound on the UK Discombobulate label: Mutual Process; Star Turbine; Posset. We captured the cassettes to create audio samples, which you can hear on the Squidco website.
Squid Tech
We've been working on the mp3 samples we offer on our site for each release. We recently acquired a new GoDaddy server just for mp3 samples and media, using our alter-ego domain name, teuthida.com, which is the order under which all cephalopods, including squid, belong to. The new server is much more responsive, allows a far greater amount of bandwidth and storage than their previous location. We're working on changes to the site which will allow more devices to listen to those samples, as we currently rely on Adobe Flash to play the samples, prohibiting many Apple and Android devices. Audio samples are a great way to familiarize our customers with the music we sell, and we encourage customers to explore and listen, and hopefully to take a chance on releases they might not have considered otherwise.
Also, our Search feature has been upgraded, and we should be exploiting new features soon that will allow more customized searching on the site. In the meantime, the search is faster than it was previously, and the occasional search error you may have seen on the site will, hopefully, be gone.
Upcoming Soon
We have placed orders for two new New Atlantis releases: an amazing rock-oriented release from guitarist Ava Mendoza, and the equally impressive complex instrumental rock of Upsilon Acrux. We expect those to arrive in the next week or two, and you will find them first in our Just In section. You can also ask us to email you when they, or any other titles we have listed in our Upcoming Section is in stock.
Our Alt.Vinyl order arrived this week, with two key LPs including a duo between John Butcher and Gino Robair, and Liz Albee & Burkhard Beins duo. We also got just a couple of copies of a pricey a crazy-great Rhodri Davies box set, which has several LPs, stickers, assorted tour flyers and miscellaneous strange additions. Hopefully this is the start of a good relationship between us, alt.vinyl has a very interesting catalog that seems to get better as the label develops. Expect to see the Alt.Vinyl on our site early this coming week.
We also ordered two titles from Sweden's Moserobie label, which is run by saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar. The first is a new Nisse Sandstrom Quintet "Live at Crescendo", and the second is a Record Store title, Kullrusk "Spring Spring Spring Spring Spring" on red 180g vinyl. Those will be very limited, so you might want us to Upcoming Section" target="_blank">email you when it's available to make sure you get a copy.
We also ordered 3 new cassettes from Astral Spirits, probably the coolest tape label we've come across. We're also restock the Ballister cassette, which we've had a hard time keeping in stock. The new releases are:
Astral Spirits (MF078/AS003) Tredici Bacci/ENPSE: Vai! Vai! Vai!/Concetti [CASSETTE]
Astral Spirits (MF084/AS008) Nick Hennies: Casts [CASSETTE]
Astral Spirits (MF089/AS009) Shit & Shine: Chakin [CASSETTE]
Next month Astral Spirits will also release cassettes from Portugal's Red Trio, and by the Boxhead Ensemble.
Astral Spirits (AS010) RED Trio: Live in Munich
Astral Spirits (AS011) Boxhead Ensemble: La Hora Magica
We also placed an order for the new CD from alto saxophonist Tim Berne, "You've Been Watching Me", on the ECM label, which features amazing clarinetist Oscar Noreiga, guitarist Ryan Ferriera, pianist Matt Mitchell, and drummer Ches Smith.
A large order from the UK ea-improv label Confront is also on its way to us, here's the list of new titles:
John Butcher / Burkhard Beins / Mark Wastell: Membrane
IST: New York (Davies / Fell / Wastell / Zorn): featuring John Zorn
IST: London: Conway Hall
Patrick Shiroishi: White Sun Sutra
Joacim Nyberg: Fylkingen, March 27, 2014
Jason Kahn & Phil Julian: Valentines
The Contest of (More) Pleasures (Dorner / Pallandre / Butcher / Sassi / Charles): Ulrichsberg
Bertrand Denzler / ONCEIM: Morph
Bertrand Denzler / Horns: Horns 1.2
Sandy Ewan & Damon Smith: Valle de Mexico
Alga Marghen: Palestine, Charlemagne: Bells Studies [Vinyl]
Alga Marghen: Behrman, David: Wave Train
Alga Marghen: Ashley, Robert: The Wolfman
Alga Marghen: Palestine, Charlemagne: Four Manifestations On Six Elements (Golden 5)
Alga Marghen: Palestine, Charlemagne: Charlebelllzzz At Saint Thomas (Golden 666)
Megaphone/Knock 'Em Dead: Work, The: Slow Crimes [Vinyl Lp + 7-Inch]
Megaphone/Knock 'Em Dead: Various Artists: Miniatures [Vinyl]
Karlrecords: Tone,Yasunao / Talibam! / Sam Kulik: Double Automatism [Vinyl]
Important Records: Blackshaw, James: Summoning Suns
Important Records: Blackshaw, James: Summoning Suns [Vinyl]
Wire magazines - for some reason the US distributor for The Wire stopped telling us about pre-orders for upcoming issues, and we didn't notice that we weren't stocking the lastest issues. We mentioned that to the distributor, and they've begun putting issues up for pre-order again. This week we ordered every issue we were missing, and we should stay current going forward.
Last, Hat Hut records has announced their next round of releases, expected at the end of April. As before, use our Upcoming Section to have us email you when these releases are in stock and orderable.
Steve Lacy : Shots
hatOLOGY 680 (first time as CD available !)
752156068020
Re-issue of Musica LP 3024.
The original LP release was awarded 1980 by
"L'Academie du Jazz, Grand Prix Avant Garde".
Ellery Eskelin : Solo Live At Snugs
hatOLOGY 731 (new release)
752156073123
Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee,
Kent Kessler, Michael Zerang : Tales Out Of Time
hatOLOGY 733 (re-issue)
752156073321
Comments and Feedback:
| 
