GREAT FALLS and HÖHLENMUSIK ENSEMBLE cds out this week

Very happy to announce the first Paradigms releases of 2011 this week. It's our pleasure to introduce to you the limited editions from Seattle's GREAT FALLS and Stuttgart's HÖHLENMUSIK ENSEMBLE. Both herald bold steps forwards for Paradigms both musically and aesthetically so we hope you'll be interested in investigating.

Both are immaculately presented, limited to 500 copies each and available exclusively from the Paradigms webstore. We're also issuing a very special GREAT FALLS cd and t-shirt bundle. The shirt features majestic artwork from the pen of Great Fall's Demian Johnston himself and only 30 of these such packages will be available.

Full tracks are now available to stream on the Paradigms audio player and both are available for purchase from the Paradigms webstore here

Thanks and enjoy

Paradigms Recordings
London. England
March 2011

BLOODIEST - Descent

Something dark and foreboding is stirring in Chicago. It's name is BLOODIEST. A seven piece ensemble fronted by Bruce Lamont, vocalist, saxophonist and member of Yakuza and Circle Of Animals to name but a few of his glorious musical outlets. The debut album 'Descent' is coming early next month on Relapse Records and looks set to be another favourite here at Paradigms. 2011 is already spoiling us.

Vast, symphonic in it's epic scale and featuring members of past Chicago favourites of ours including the 90 Day Men and Atombombpocketknife, we can see influence in it's sound pointing to the heavy, vibrant underground rock scene that fueled Chicago throughout the 90's alongside the brooding menace of Swans or Neurosis, perhaps. Lamont's vocal delivery borders on the shamanic here too, further adding depth to this black trip. Marvellous. Another mighty new recording well worth investigating next month. In the meantime, there's a powerful video preview and a special preview stream of the track 'Fallen' below. Enjoy.

†† This week's HOLY TRINITY ††

Three new albums have been commanding our attention over the past few weeks courtesy of the always remarkable Thrill Jockey and Kranky record labels. Our latest sonic revelations and accompanying thoughts, if we may be so bold...

TIM HECKER 'Ravedeath 1972' (Kranky 28.2.11)

Canadian electronic artist Tim Hecker has without a doubt captured some of his finest work here on his new 'Ravedeath 1972' album. Dense, warm and sometimes claustrophobic waves of tectonic, pulsating bliss drive the recording but what really makes this a triumph is the attention to detail in his composition.

'Ravedeath 1972' is based around a series of pipe organ recordings captured on location at the Frikirkjan Church in Reykjavik, which were subsequently taken back to the studio and became part of this glorious soundwork. Richly layered, Hecker knows exactly when to build the vast, almost religious atmospheres skyward but he is also master of restraint, dialing it all right back down or adding just the right sound to capture a perfect, yet always epic balance throughout. Quite wonderful and one will be hard pushed to find a more captivating, emotive and engaging electronic record this year.

THE SKULL DEFEKTS 'Peer Amid' (Thrill Jockey 14.2.11)

Swedish based no-wave post punk five-piece THE SKULL DEFEKTS have really nailed it on 'Peer Amid'. With the addition of Lungfish vocalist, artist, writer, mad-monk, cosmic yogi and all round modern day renaissance man, Daniel Higgs, to their ranks, we were naturally excited and intrigued. And we were not disappointed.

It rocks hard. It's a blown out psyche-out. Kosmische repetition is key here -- driven by a drum beat that is almost tribal and a bass that rattles to your bones. 'Gospel Of The Skull' hints at classic Lungfish for a moment too, both lyrically and sonically before drifting into the hypnotic haze of 'The Silver River'. Higgs' vocal delivery is perfect; ranging from almost spoken word mantras, to wayward chanting; working effortlessly amidst the Skull Defekts noise. It all comes alive on 'Fragrant Nimbus', with the tightest percussion breaks this side of Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley before it takes off into the cosmos. The result will be ringing in your ears long after the record has ended.

ARBOURETUM 'The Gathering' (Thrill Jockey 14.2.11)

'The Gathering', the fourth album from Baltimore's ARBOURETUM is one beautiful record. Steeped in a rich folk / Americana tradition yet laden with a resonance of warm, reverberating late 60's / 70's heavy rock, the striking force here is the delicate songcraft.

'The Gathering' breathes an air of honesty throughout. Somehow relaxed and organic yet somber and introspective. We'll hold our hands up and say we don't have any knowledge of the lyrical source material (that being Carl Jung's 'The Red Book') but appreciate it's sentiment and depth nonetheless and vocalist Dave Heumann's delivery here is powerful and provoking. From it's pastoral roots, 'The Gathering' is never afraid to bring the heaviness; inducing a psyched haze from overblown bass speakers and doomed country low-end. The tone is pure vintage, but never forced and it's stark, alluring simplicity reaps rewards; but there's also a cloud of sadness that hangs heavily over the proceedings, never more so than on the haunting rendition of Jimmy Webb's 'The Highwayman'. Arbouretum have created something really special here and 'The Gathering' will be playing on our minds for some time...

HEXVESSEL - Invocation Summoning

To accompany the wonderful 'Dawnbearer' album that was released earlier this month, HEXVESSEL unveil the video to 'Invocation Summoning' today. Enjoy.



We should be getting copies of 'Dawnbearer' shortly too, so watch out for this occult folk artifact in the Paradigms online webstore in the very near future.

SAMHAIN SLANT AZIMUTH

Now, this disc is blowing our minds right now. A sound collage / horror soundtrack of sorts - mixed by the macabre sonic alchemists DEMDIKE STARE and ANWORTH KIRK during the witching hour of 31st October 2010. May we introduce you to "SAMHAIN SLANT AZIMUTH".

We've been rather taken by DEMDIKE STARE's output of late. From the debut 'Symbiosis' cd to the recent 12" vinyl trilogy - their witching atmospherics and dub-noir horror electronica is truly otherworldly. So this collaboration with Anworth Kirk immediately caught our attention and has been haunting our dreams ever since. A rich 69 minute sound work of true OCCULT EXOTICA and esoteric wonder -- researched from long lost archive sound libraries of the 60's, obscure Italian horror scores and Eastern psyche through to Germanic Kunstmärchen and blackened outsider art / field recordings.

To put it bluntly, "SAMHAIN SLANT AZIMUTH" is quite incredible. Lose yourself in it's hypnotic black ritual of alluring magick sound.

Super limited too and not widely distributed, we've managed to grab a few of these arcane items to sell at the Paradigms store, so check it out here . It's our featured distributed item this month, and deservedly so. Splendid indeed.

Upcoming new releases on Paradigms in March!

We can already sense that 2011 is going to be a wonderfully vibrant year for exciting new music and the upcoming Paradigms release schedule is surely testament to that, in our humble opinion at least. We've spent the last few weeks immersed in some truly extraordinary new albums that we'll write about here over the coming week but it's with great anticipation that we announce the first two Paradigms editions of the year, further expanding our unified vision of challenging, uncompromising and beautifully eclectic work.

So watch out for both of these in early March, but in the meantime, here is a bit of a low-down:

HÖHLENMUSIK ENSEMBLE - Höhlenmusik Ensemble CD (PARADIGMS045)

The debut album from Stuttgart's HÖHLENMUSIK ENSEMBLE is an absolute triumph of experimental electronica, avant jazz and modern composition. A major step forwards into the ether for Paradigms, this ensemble effortlessly crafts a luscious debut album incorporating some of the finest players in the scene and a cosmic jazz milestone to blow minds. Fusing rich strings, vibes, double bass, woodwind and precision percussion alongside delicate electronics into a vast musical vision. Truly spectacular and highly recommended for appreciators of Jaga Jazzist, Isotope 217, Alice Coltrane, Supersilent, Tortoise and David Axelrod, perhaps. Totally beyond.

GREAT FALLS - Great Falls CD (PARADIGMS044)

In stark contrast, we're very privileged to introduce Seattle's GREAT FALLS to the Paradigms family. Their self titled debut is one truly mammoth mechanised beast of angular, pulverizing noiserock from distinguished stock indeed. Featuring ex-members of Kiss It Goodbye and Playing Enemy with a very special vocal appearance from Ryan McKenney of TRAP THEM, such predigree speaks for itself. Mathematical heaviness prevails throughout it's industrial beauty with moments of atmospheric light between the claustrophobic bleakness. Intelligent, calculated walls of black sound with nods to The Jesus Lizard, Godflesh, The Austerity Program, Shellac and other such noise pioneers. Colossal.

Watch out for both of these releases at the Paradigms Recordings webstore in early March, along with audio samples and other good stuff. Each album will be immaculately presented and limited to 500 copies. Now we are excited, so join us...

HEXVESSEL - Dawnbearer

Mat Kvohst McNerney has always been a good friend and an individual who's artistic endeavours and vision has always continued to amaze us. So it was with keen interest that we have followed the inception of his latest HEXVESSEL incarnation. You may be familiar with this project after it's introduction on the Paradigms 'Death Aesthetics' compilation a year or so ago and now he's about to launch the debut album 'Dawnbearer' early in February on Svart Records from Finland, which we wholeheartedly encourage everyone to investigate.

The first thing that strikes us about this colossal fifteen track recording is it's purity. A self proclaimed 'holy body or host carrier of spectres, magic spells and rituals'. This debut release is a spiritual rite of passage through haunting, psychedelic folk music, with nods to Changes, Woven Hand, Espers, Midlake & Comus. I'm listening to it now as I type, whilst enjoying a morning coffee and a cigarette and it is truly intoxicating.

Mat, as always, has assembled a rich cast of collaborating characters to compliment his vocals and guitar foundation, including Andrew Aort McIvor (of Code) on guitar, Carl-Michael Eide (Virus / Ved Buens Ende) contributing guest vocals and members of our own Krugers Medbragte adding mandolin, banjo, upright bass and other such wonders. Mat's wife Marja also sings on tracks throughout the proceedings.

It's strikingly textured and the lyrical depth is mesmerizing as always. It is structured to perfection and the aesthetics behind the whole concept tie 'Dawnbearer' together effortlessly into one of the most honest, beautiful and esoteric occult folk albums we have had pleasure to experience.

Truly magical.

Start your HEXVESSEL journey here. Pre-order the album at Svart Records while you're at it. It could quite possibly be the soundtrack to your spiritual ascension.