Stunned no. 36

M. Geddes Gengras — Smoke Blower c44 (Stunned no. 36) — out of stock —

SIDE A: The come-up. A flick too many of the bic lighter perhaps, and then it’s a red-eyed night prowling the east side of town in pursuit of a burrito and more ganja. Or maybe a ganja-burrito? Someone should invent that so we could eat it. Rounding the corner now and –oh crap– it’s the cops. Sirens, dogs barking, the choppers start following, dropped the burrito back there somewhere (yet to score any ganj…). And suddenly a snap-to after 22 minutes of this modular synth-sourced hallucination, and the realization that we’ve been listening to ‘Smoke Blower’ by M. Geddes Gengras. Yes, L.A.’s own Renaissance Man: part Antique Brothers guitar wiz, part Green Machines uberstudio founder, part drummer for the mighty Robedoor, etc. Ged’s rap sheet goes on and on. It’s starting to make sense now. Or is it? SIDE B: re-ignite. You thought shit was crazy back there? Goodness gracious, son. Until we’ve actually stood under a dozen hydrogen blimps erupting in unified concert, this is the closest document on our hands approaching such levels of up-your-guts bass frequency experience. Fried, fried, fried. A psychic plunge upward, only to watch as a scythe the size of Florida rakes down the redwood forests. Tree trunks and rattlesnake ribcages all eventually clipped and neatly bundled with patch cord, piled miles upon miles high... 'ew' & 'whew'. Hand numbered edition of 100 pro-dubbed & imprinted c44 tapes in clear shells with green foil liner w/ double-sided color jcard.
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review:

— ECN

Stunned no. 35

Nodolby — c32 (Stunned no. 35) — out of stock —

Nodolby is one of the few acts of recent times that can still give us a remarkable thrill, harkening back to days earlier in this decade when ‘noise’ meant the gloves coming off and all you could do was brace yourself for the impending shockwaves. Dokuro Records boss Mic Scariot has been refining his Nodolby circuits to the side of his long-running group Ent, and lately this solo show seems to be surging ahead with an unexpected bumper harvest of psychoactive sizzlers. The untitled c32 proudly presented here has been marinated in acid rain and tastes nasty when it wants to be. But at moments it pauses its wild sensory-max'd climbing entirely to siphon streams of irradiated drone glory into our midst. Of all Nodolby’s output we’ve heard, this cassette shows a particular devotion to the neon awe that accompanies a mind existing fully outside of time, surging where it wills at the speed of sound. A thrill indeed. Hand numbered edition of 100 pro-dubbed & imprinted c32 tapes in light blue shells w/ double-sided color jcard.
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reviews:

— Animal Psi
— Tabs Out

Stunned no. 34

Sean McCann — Frame of Mind c38 (Stunned no. 34) — out of stock —

Sean McCann hardly needs introduction around here after having delivered his breathtaking album ‘Sway’ on Stunned in summer ‘08. One might initially assume ‘Frame of Mind’ to be a simple continuation of last year’s highwater mark. But mere seconds into this c38, we’re affirmed that these freshest of Sean’s crops are in the grip of a holy orbit unconcerned with what has come before. This is his transition from occupying a seat in the symphony to tapping the conductor’s wand at the podium. Opening night’s hush and poise is palpable as the framework’s magnitude is unfurled against a hazed rainbow canopy. Then, the presentation of some massive whirling chrysanthemum emitting gold-flecked clouds of brass vibrato, chamber orchestra drone, bowed strings, and vast fields of guitar & synth sun worship. Every time Sean dips his ladle into the pool of higher soundstates we pay attention. On ‘Frame of Mind’ he seems to have dropped in the deepest bucket he could find. Let’s drink up. Hand numbered edition of 120 pro-dubbed & imprinted c38 tapes in melon shells with double-sided color jcard.
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reviews:

— Animal Psi
— ECN

Stunned no. 33

Kabyzdoh Obtruhamchi — Estcho x2 cdr (Stunned no. 33) — out of stock —

When Kabyzdoh Obtruhamchi’s self-titled c50 debuted late last year (Stunned no. 18), it sent a jolt through those of us who might have been unaware Russia had such a tempest brewing in its belly. Like some hyper-elastic one man jam-band oblivious to anything but perpetual motion, his sound simply shredded. And now after mere months, Sergey Kozlov is back to kick our butts permanently into the future. The trouble is doubled and so are the discs on this one-two ‘K.O.’ punch. As this is some of the most untethered sound being spun on either of the globe’s hemispheres right now, it goes without saying that ‘Estcho’ is a soundtrack of the yet-to-be. Like dropping by the year 4000 when a race of tattooed cyborgs throb in dionysian telepathy under guitar-guided biochemical tent party beats. Raveup til’ sundown and back again. Who knows where this celebration/liberation will take us? Hand numbered edition of 100 painted x2 cdr sets in oversized case w/ full color art.
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reviews:

— Brainwashed
— Tiny Mix Tapes
— Agitated Atmosphere

Stunned no. 32

throuRoof — Throught the Book of Lambspring (Stunned no. 32) —out of stock—

From vial to vial pass the sonic fluids necessary to produce throuRoof’s second chapter here in his Sacred Art of Alchemy series, which began with 2008’s much-discussed ‘Emerald Tablet of Hermes’ on Housecraft, and is set to conclude in its third & final part later this year on Thors’ Rubber Hammer. Like an ancient alchemist, throuRoof’s Antonio Gallucci synthesizes mantric sound effects with metaphysical drones, marking combinations once thought impossible. As second parts go, ‘Throught the Book of Lambspring’ is where the action settles in enough for the series’ bigger themes to emerge. Mysterious consequences take hold with this brazen elixir-brewing; before one knows it, all is a stew of indiscernible tones, guitar plucks, and haunted hums. As the piece closes on high notes of a bloomed confusion, we’re left hanging but not dissatisfied – the storyteller having led us to a most strange crest of the narrative. Limited edition of 80 hand numbered & painted 3” cdrs in case w/ double-sided color insert card.
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review:

— ECN

Stunned bonus #6

The Doglands — EP (Stunned bonus #6) — out of stock —

Hard to believe it’s been exactly a year ago since we re-issued The Doglands’ self titled album (Stunned no. 6). It seems appropriate then to have The Doglands back to put the cap on his groggy blend of guitar-n-synth mellowtimes for the return of our bonus release series. Unconcerned with the timing or schedule of anything but the sentient spring sun, our man in Oregon traces an arc that might amble but always returns to the same spot on the horizon. Morning’s comedown isn’t necessarily a letdown. Breathe deep again under the brief pleasure of this special edition EP. Hand numbered and limited to 40 painted cdrs in royal blue Tibetan rice paper sleeve.
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review:

— ECN