Mike Shiflet / Pete Swanson - "Bedside" b/w "College View" | Album Feature

Amish Records returns with another entry into their Required Wreckers Series and just in time for the crisp autumn days ahead of us. Mike Shiflet & Pete Swanson's split LP entry marks the fifth release in the ongoing series that has previously seen releases by Ben Vida, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Ensemble Economique, Gregg Kowalsky with Jozef Van Wissem, & Son of Earth. The series focus on the outer limits of artistic sound creation & each releases elegant packaging design sets it apart in a sea of over ambitious label's setting out to make a mark for themselves.

The split LP begins with Mike Shiflet's "Bedside" a beautiful, almost pastoral, electroacoustic composition. The track showcases a wide spectrum of sound and quality that incorporates multiple different sources a sound creation and processing. This ranges from the lo-fi hiss of distant field recordings to soft and lulling synthetic tones. As a listener I personally always enjoy it when a recording artist is able to seemingly blend together the history of recorded sound and new composition so thoroughly with each other.

Pete Swanson's side continues the rhythmic white noise explorations that he has been exploring for some time now. Screeches and crashes permeate the mix with a general air of chaos that is rendered with an edge of clarity that few "noise" compositions are able to capture. This isn't a sludge fest of blurry brown noise that seems to gobble up all other surrounding sounds like a black hole. There are indeed slight melodic phrases swimming throughout the fluorescent buzz and flickering bits of electronic overload.

Mike Shiflet & Pete Swanson split LP is available now via Amish Records.

Beer Damage - Expression of My Sweatpants | Track Feature

Welcome to Beer Damage's first official release (if an internet stream counts. Well you know why not! Or is it the radio? It's ok I suppose.).  The duo, comprised of Pete Swanson & Brian Sullivan, may be known in these parts as part of a Last Nights Presents show this past fall and it seems like they've been quite busy since then. "Expression of My Sweatpants" will most likely be my #1 track title of the year, or possibly decade. I once wrote a short story whose core themes were also expressed through a gentleman's sweatpants but that's neither here nor there, now is it.

A possible reference for these sweatpants could be like listening to a Nintendo soundtrack drunk at a really rad party. The music and general din of the guests are all competing for attention. All I really want to do is chill and bob my head to the groove, but there is always something to lead me away with a subtle sense of humor. Maybe it's because they know they're making straight up avant-dance grooves. Now that I write this though I'm really seeing a general trend of folks moving to New York and "discovering" their love of rhythm, and by default in many cases forms of dance music. Though I think I just bit off more than I can chew at the moment...

You can stream Beer Damage's "Expression of My Sweatpants" from their upcoming LP Hobo on the Face of Music at Pete Swanson's soundcloud here.

Last Nights Presents: Pete Swanson / Keith Fullerton Whitman / FORMA / SSPS @ 285 Kent this Friday May 11th

Pete SwansonKeith Fullerton WhitmanFORMASSPS
 Projections by EyeBodega 
 Friday May 11th 285 Kent Ave Brooklyn, NY 11237 8pm | $10 | All Ages
Facebook Event Page 

Last Nights Presents: Pete Swanson, Keith Fullerton Whitman & more

Pete Swanson - Streaming Man With Potential

Pete Swanson - Man With Potential by _type

A little bit back I posted a video for Pete Swanson's track "Remote View" taken from newest album Man With Potential. Since then the album has been released by Type records who are also streaming it in it's entirety. The release comes after a steady stream of Swanson's solo work in the last two years as he has put out two albums on Thee Lobed and Root Strata respectfully, along with a good handful of quietly self-released recordings.

The stream of Man With Potential provides a glimpse into the new almost techno-oriented direction Swanson's work has taken. The results are not one oriented towards getting people onto the dance floor. As the press release states "This is Birmingham techno filtered through the mists of the Pacific Northwest, and is all the better for it. Elsewhere ‘Remote View’ explores a more downtempo sound; coming across like post apocalyptic house music as heard from a club bathroom." Such a description and sound places the music firmly within the realm of what Sonic Boom's Experimental Audio Research was after on The Köner Experiment album.

Man With Potential is out now on Type records.

Last Night Presents: Beer Damage / Earn / Mirror To Mirror / Civilian Device

Flier by Aviram Cohen

Beer Damage

(Pete Swanson [ex Yellow Swans] + Brian Sullivan [ Mouthus ] )

Earn

Mirror To Mirror

Civilian Device

Sunday November 20th

Shea Stadium

20 Meadow Street

9pm | $7 | All Ages

RSVP on Facebook here

Pete Swanson - Man With Potential & show

Pete Swanson - Remote View from John Twells

Type records recently announced a new solo record by Pete Swanson (formerly of Portland's Yellow Swans). The track "Remote View" is an album cut from the upcoming Man With Potential. The song takes on a dance four-to-the-floor aesthetics as heard through a horror flick, somewhat perfect considering the day. Come to think of it maybe it's the perfect late night burner for the evening, adding a bit of creeping dread into your step. The video by William Sabiston matches this atmosphere perfectly by taking it to some ghostly rave, whose strobe light is slower than if it it had a codeine drink earlier in the night. Great stuff really.

On a side note Pete Swanson will be performing at the next Last Nights show this Nov. 20th, where he will be collaborating with Brian Sullivan, who some may know as 1/2 of Mouthus and his more recent solo venture as United Waters. Their performance in my eyes can be seen two different ways. The first being an extension of the recent Pete Swanson / Mouthus / Golden Retriever show at Issue Project Room not too long back. While the second being the organic outgrowth due to Swanson's recent geographical relocation, resulting in two like minded and high profile noise denizens to meet for some collaborative get togethers.

Anyway the night will also see performances by Earn, Mirror To Mirror, & Civilian Device. It will be held at Shea Stadium, but there will be more info for all this later on. So until then...