Fantastic album. Don't think they've released anything less than great. IMHO.
Coincidently I'm retreading Willy Vlautins "The Motel Life" just now.
That's interesting. I've had 13 Cities for a good while without reall getting into it..didn't have the same immediate appeal as 'Post to wire', the only other album I have of theirs. Over the last few days while laid up I've had time to listen through some albums from my 'Am I missing something here' stack.... and found that yes, I had been missing the quality of this album alright. Very impressive/moving lyrics & music. I must explore their work further.
I note that lying pretty immobile (back problem!), can open the ears !!
Got this little gem earlier today. So far I've only listened to side one which was a mistake given the time - late morning. This is a night time record where it's real beauty resides. Absolutely beautifully realised packaging in the shape of an old album of black and white photos.....
Hapsburg Braganza is the moniker used for the eclectic output of Newcastle's Phil Begg. After two years living in Belgium where he regularly played improvised concerts around the country, he has been active in Newcastle since 2006, operating at the more serene end of the Newcastle underground spectrum. Much of his output to date has been long-form and abstract, including several releases and numerous live performances of electroacoustic composition/sound collage, ambient drone, field recordings and lower-case electronics. 'Recurring Dreams' takes a dramatically different form, covering a lot of ground over 4 sides of solo guitar lamentations, quietly heavy atmospheres and psychedelic excursions. Although the album marks new territory for him, it nonetheless echoes his earlier themes of spaciousness, melancholia and mental imagery/memory associations.
“The album is a blend of both studio recorded tracks and nocturnal living-room recordings; of rehearsed pieces, refined/semi improvisations and a few fully improvised moments. Since much of the album materialised in a dimly lit room while not far away from sleep, I played without any strong predefined ideas about what I was trying to create. I was surprised and delighted by the vivid involuntary memories of the past and specific visual/dream associations this music brought to mind. I'm far less interested in what music 'says' than I am in what it 'does', so this kind of psychoactive memory association is a holy grail for me. I don't see these pieces as having any fixed meaning that can translate universally, but perhaps my biggest aim is to create a music that is melancholy yet emotionally ambiguous, creating atmospheres that are susceptible to this type of response.”
Hapsburg Braganza sets up a simple electric guitar and devices then lets loose sepia-toned memory gongs in your tiny skull. For lovers of sun-dappled afternoons, daydreaming and other peoples photographs.
This is just a lovely album! Beautifully recorded as well...
I can't wait for Whelan's next week. Wonder who the guests might be? Lisa Hannigan would be obvious, but a from man who seems to have worked with everyone in the business, from Madonna (his sister in law) to Marc Ribot and Hugh Laurie one wonders what to expect...
"I may skip. I may even warp a little.... But I will never, ever crash. I am your friend for life. " -Vinyl. Michell Gyrodec SE, Hana ML cart, Parasound JC3 Jr, Stax LR-700, Stax SRM-006ts Energiser, Quad Artera Play+ CDP
