root!!

first off, the new xenis emputae travelling band album, "toadsman's bell" is available from digitalis for $12 PPD. it is wonderful. order here: http://www.digitalisindustries.com/catalog.html. you'll also notice the next two digitalis releases added to the site, which are braspyreet's opus, "mamme laulu," and matt rosin & the dead raven choir's "fire mouth." cja's seminal work, "ironclad," will be reissued around the same time. i'll add that one shortly.

this leads nicely into this post which is about clayton's root label. i received a lovely package from him yesterday with all the new root cdrs and some other things, all of it pure gold. i'll be reviewing some of it in FD more extensively, but first off the futurians' "subway songs" double cd-r is a monster. it features outtakes and stuff recorded during the "faktory" sessions, but fuck. it's so amazing. the futurians are the best punk rock band to emerge in years. no one is even close. also, root! just released a live band of the futurians-related, dick the phone. the DTP 3" on pseudoarcana is nice, but this is even better. more raw, more energy. if you're into the futurians, you'll be into dick the phone. it's sprawling. the strange girls is an odd concoction of drones and wails. it's like floating through black water with nothing by a pilotfish to guide you. you feel safe, even though there's danger surrounding you. it's an eerie album with alot to offer.

but the best news about this package is that "ironclad" will soon be widely available like it never was. this album will make you want to burn your electric guitar in effigy.

link: root!

steven r. smith chapbooks

i just received the latest chapbook from one of my favorite artists, steven r. smith. most know him from his great solo albums, his magical hala strana project, and his work in the jewelled antler centerpiece, thuja. his two recent chapbooks, "these villages" (which is a beautiful accompaniment to the hala strana album of the same name) and the newest, "the scale of conjunction" are beautiful. smith's words joined with his always impressive woodcuts create an impressive whole. what i find most interesting though is his prose. all of steven's great music is instrumental. he is one of the most talented artists i know that can say so much without words. his music speaks for him in angular tones and obscured melodies. but in "the scale of conjunction" we get to read some of his words... and, as would be expected, he writes as well as he composes. the imagery he creates is fantastic... at times disturbing, at others beautiful. my favorite passage is "a sun enshrouded by moths / fluttering in a constant reversal / of inmost and out." wonderful.

these chapbooks are definitely something for fans of hala strana and his other projects. especially those who want to get even more out of "these villages" (which seems impossible, i know...).

visit: http://www.worstward.com/

kneale.francis.milton "hiss methodologies" + news

yesterday, i was exhausted. half of davenport crashed here tuesday night unexpectedly. i was glad to help them out - it was really foggy in oklahoma last night - not ideal weather for driving. was really good to finally meet clay, albeit briefly. good people. i'm so excited to be putting out the new, massive, drunjus album.

anyway, this fantastic double dip done by the trio of campbell kneale, richard francis, and antony milton is a monster. four tracks and just under an hour & a half of drones, this release will lull you into a coma. hushed, whirring sounds float through space like a sattelite orbiting the earth. these tracks bend and twist their way into the depths of your skull, seeking to hypnotize you into a state of lucidity. these are simple pieces on the surface, but underneath, there's so much more happening. it's pretty fucking great. but considering the three artists involved, it's hardly surprising.

celebrate psi-phenomenon

first person 3" cd-r series

i reviewed one of these in the recent foxy update, but i got a package a few weeks ago with the rest of the series (to date). all of these cd-rs, released by andy jarvis, are fucking great. of particular note is the collaboration disc between andy and his sister, mikarla (i think). it's glorious acid drenched psych folk, with hints of drone and sunshine. will say more on that one next update..

but some others, the ben reynolds solo disc - highly recommended. ben's stuff is reminiscent of takoma meets birchville cat motel. intense finger-picking, next to heavy drones. it's a great combination and he pulls it off. also, a split between the mighty neil campbell and fickle is great. campbell's stuff never fails to blow your ears off. the piss superstition split with culver is also excellent. culver does drone as well as anyone, and the piss superstition... well. good stuff. and an awesome name.

everyone email andy and get on board! andy!

welcome

hello. and welcome to the foxy digitalis blog. what's this about, you ask? basically, since foxy digitalis is only going to be updated every 4-to-5 weeks for now, this will be a way for us (though mostly me) to talk about new music we've heard, do some short little write-ups, and spread news about foxy digitalis, digitalis, and other related artists and items. so check back often. aye!

xo,
-brad