Oh Brad Laner, you are such a totally awesome guitar/noise/electronic music making dude! You're a member of Medicine, been associated with kid606's tigerbeat6 label, worked alongside Ken Andrews and all kinds of studio geniuses, and you're also known as Electric Company, a catch-all label for your impossible to sort experiments in sound. Unfortunately, there is also little information I can find about you in grand detail beyond this timeline. Luckily, there is TONS of your music available for consumption, although much of it is out of print. That said, today I'm posting two of your incredible releases as Electric Company for all who are as fascinated with your musical output as much as I am. In case you're not happy with that, my sincerest apologies but I figured it would be alright since these albums are no longer available for purchase. Nonetheless, if you would like these removed, please say so and I'll be happy to do so.
The first of these two albums is A Pert Cyclic Omen, your 1995 release of noise, feedback and loops that makes Kevin Shields' work sound like that of a folk guitarist. It came out on Onion Records in conjunction with Rick Rubin's American Recordings. Sadly, like so many releases on American, it disappeared for reasons unclear other than it not being a Johnny Cash album. That's not meant as disrespectful to Rubin or Cash, it's just a fact as most American releases have disappeared from the market after a few years, often after American's distribution once again changed hands.
The second album featured is 1998's Studio City which was issued on Island. This is more of an experimental attempt at drum n' bass or jungle beats, albeit in a very Laner fashion which is to say twisted, tortured and mutilated till it's absolutely fascinating! There are plenty of great moments throughout Studio City like the danceable Darken An' Slobbering, but my favorite track has to be the closer, Soundcard, where Laner lets the track start and stop until it falls apart upon itself. Gorgeous.
For the initiate, Brad Laner's output may seem daunting, and that assumption is understandably correct, but that doesn't mean it isn't fun to dig in. If these albums grab your interest, be prepared to check out his releases with Medicine, Amnesia, Lusk and so many others. A wonderful starting point would be Medicine's Sounds Of Medicine EP, although I might have to post that here as it is also out of print. For now though, enjoy these polar opposite releases from Laner as Electric Company. I'm not promising they're easy records, but they are truly rewarding!
Electric Company - A Pert Cyclic Omen
01 pA. iNTERCOM cYCLE
02 pOLYMERIC aCCENT
03 eLM cRYPT oCEANIC
04 a pERT cYCLIC oMEN
05 eLECTRO aMP cYNIC
06 cOME cIRCA pLENTY
07 cYCLIC pEE mATRON
08 iN cOMPACT cELERY
09 cYCLOPEAN mETRIC
10 i cAN cOP mY tERCEL
Electric Company - Studio City
01 Arbor Sirens
02 Star Klang
03 Darken An' Slobbering
04 Greenland
05 Throb Ear
06 Second Serve
07 Appendix
08 Born Algebra Skinned
09 Yard Disturb
10 Soundcard
No comments:
Post a Comment