(Clicka qua per la versione Italiana)
At the turn of the 21st century,
beyond shoegazing and drone-rock, there was Neil Campbell's
Vibracathedral Orchestra,
a Leeds-based collective that draws inspiration from avantgarde
composers of the 1960s and 1970s such as LaMonte Young and Pauline Oliveros.
Campbell learned his craft in the the A-Band, a project he shared with future
gurus such as Richard Youngs and whose opus was
collected on Artex (Siltbreeze).
The Orchestra is him jamming with friends and long-time collaborators
Bridget Hayden, Adam Davenport, Julian Bradley and Michael Flower
(cassettes and singles such as
Falling Free You and Me/ Filling Sacks With Coloured Scraps document
the early stages when they were only a trio).
Working with a variety of acoustic instruments (violins, lutes, zithers, horns,
bells, guitars, percussions) as well as electronis, they turn their early
albums, Lino Hi (Giardia, 2000),
Versatile Arab Chord Chart (VHF, 2000),
My Gate's Open (Roaratorio, 2001 - Lexicon Devil, 2004), their first vinyl release,
MMICD (Ikea Packaging), a compilation of 2001 recordings,
Long Live The Weeds, live performances from 1999 and 2000,
Hollin, basically leftovers from the Lino Hi sessions,
Hot Booty, a 1999 live performance,
Music For Red Breath, soundtrack for a film,
The Vibracathedral String Quartet, a concerto for two cellos, acoustic guitar and mandolin,
and self-released cassettes such as
Mothing (1998), Copse (1998),
Their Spines Crumble For A Hug (2000),
into mystical experiences.
The former's standout track,
Can I Put My Thumb In Your Pudding Please,
reveals their naive, dadaistic nature.
While a little redundant, they are effective attempts at redefining
dreamy, cosmic free-form noise for the post-shoegaze generation.
How The Garden Is (Harpendedn, 2001) was a collaboration between
Neil Campbell and Richard Youngs.
Dabbling With Gravity (VHF, 2002) tries to rediscover the writing on
their blank pages. The resulting structures wink at
Indian ragas (The Body Is the Arrow), like the Third Ear Band jamming
with John Fahey and being remixed by Brian Eno, but mainly their are chaotic,
colossal sonic barbeques that immolate logic to the religion of imagination.
Tracks:
Hypnotism in your Hips (4.00),
Let Steam Rule & Luck Lose (8.01),
He Play all day Long (5.47),
Bombay Stores Disco (3.17),
Fingernail R'n'B (2.54),
The Body is the Arrow, the Arms form the Bow (14.08),
"Mutual Amnesia Sugar" (5.52),
Hall 7 broke my heart: True as God (2.26),
This is where No-one Worked Out (4.07),
Mystical Coughing (7.25),
Going Out Intending to Dig (3.40).
Tour (VHF, 2003) documents live performances with Sunroof.
The Queen of Guess (VHF, 2003) is mainly divided between two lengthy tracks.
Ramshackle Sunrise is another otherworldly fusion of free-jazz, raga and minimalism.
Goodnight Stars Goodnight Air is pretty much the opposite, a static, contemplative, ambient fresco.
Ridin' Free (Eclipse, 2004)
Neil Campbell also released
Sol Powr (Lal Lal Lal, 2002 - Music Mundane, 2007).
and the
hour-long drone of Foment - Maximum Version For Astral Flora (2004).
Pontiac Lady (VHF, 2004) is a three-CD live album.
The Vibracathedral Orchestra finally adopted a more professional sound for
Tuning To The Rooster (Important, 2005), recorded in a regular studio
with a regular producer. All the tracks were previously released, but in this
album they are given their definite form. The highlight is
the 17-minute Wearing Clothes of Ash.
After the limited-edition Ragged & Right (Hot Boots, 2006) and the
long-playing The Sun Balance/ The Open Knot (Qbico, 2006),
the Vibracathedral Orchestra rediscovered its original free-form chaos on
Wisdom Thunderbolt (VHF, 2007),
adding drummer Chris Corsano,
Matthew Bower of Skullflower and Sunroof, Pete Nolan of the Magik Markers and John Godbert of Skullflower to the core group of
Neil Campbell, Mick Flower, Bridget Hayden, Adam Davenport, displaying better
skills at amalgamating synths and horns
(the twelve-minute cosmic Rainbow Whirlwind).
Michael Flower debuted solo with Returning To Knowing Nothing (Qbico, 2007), that harked back to
LaMonte Young's droning minimalism.
Astral Social Club is Neil Campbell's disco project, that released dance ditties
such as Monster Mittens (Dirty Knobby, 2008).
Astral Social Club's entire output was released as a series of 16 albums, later
collected on just two volumes:
#1-7 and #8-16 (2008).
The music ran the gamut from droning freak folk to free-form noise.
#18 (2009) and #19 (2009) collect live performances.
Neon Pibroch (Important, 2007) and Super Grease (Important, 2007)
returned to Vibracathedrals' spaced-out ragas.
Astral Social Club's Octuplex (VHF, 2009) marked a more serious turn
for the project. This all-electronic tour de force is
a wild reservoir of psychedelic techno music such as Caustic Roe
and
cybernautic musique concrete such as the eight-minute Pilgrim Sunburst
Muscle Adductor and Hot Toxer are the "hits".
In between lies a vast territory of unexplored genres: the cyclic distorted
magma of Mugik Churn,
the grotesque industrial pantomime of Aggro Vault,
the fibrillating and droning multi-layered soundscape of Sweet Spraint,
and
the chaotic accumulation of aural events of Radial Hermaphrodite.
Further confusing the ASC program,
Plug Music Ramoon (Dancing Wayang, 2009) and
Psychic Smog 1-7 (Qbico, 2009)
instead indulged in the old-fashioned Neil Campbell droning sound.
Neil Campbell also collaborated with French musician High Wolf as
Iibiis Rouge on Iibiis Rouge (Dekorder, 2011) and
Hespherides (Weird Forest, 2012).
The Radiant Mirror (2007),
The Four Aims (VHF, 2009),
The Chocolate Cities (2009),
and
You'll Never Work In This Town Again (2010),
were visceral collaborations between
Michael Flower and drummer Chris Corsano.
Mick Flower and Adam Davenport hired
John Moloney of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and John Godbert of Total for a
new trilogy, each part highlighted by a lengthy piece:
Joka Baya (Black) (VHF, 2010), with the psychedelic raga
Rag Alap IV,
The Secret Base (VHF, 2010),
with the shamanic folk dirge Eyes Of Wood,
and
Smoke Song (VHF, 2010), with the propulsive space-rock jam Get It Got It Good.
Trojandropper (Zum, 2012) was a collaboration between Neil Campbell
and Robert Horton, including some electronic dance.
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