isis - wavering radiant

isis is one of those bands that have a certain attraction to me but still i would never go over the odds to get a hold on their records. i'll gladly pick up whatever i find along the way but won't unload extra cash for a specific variant or something like that. nevertheless i am always very excited when an ebay option or colour re-press pops up. this being so i was surprised to find a coloured lp offer for the band's last full length "wavering radiant" from 2009 amongst the new stuff over at per koro.

even though the record was a little bit on the expensive side, i didn't hestitate to add a copy to my cart. i always loved the visual aesthetics of isis records and "wavering radiant" is no exception. the cover art looks like it was glowing and the blue streaks have almost a 3d quality to them. the haptic of the gatefold adds to spatial feeling because it is not smooth but a little wavy. well, sort of, you have to feel it yourself, i guess.

the gatefold is one of those ultra sturdy stoughton tip-on jackets. because of the cardboard being that thick, i can't even slip the gatefold into my usual reclosable pvc sleeves. a real piece of quality work. the vinyl itself is the european pressing on black with white splatter. i was a little sceptical if the outcome was looking good. in theory a cool colour-way but mostly those variants have way too less splatter and thus look still boring. fortunately i got a copy where the guys at the pressing plant didn't save on white vinyl pellets. looking sharp!

musically this is just the moody and avant-garde metal and hardcore mix i was expecting from isis. their stuff is nothing i can listen to on a daily basis but when i am in the mood for their atmospheric yet heavy stuff, i will definitely grab "wavering radiant" with a thrill of anticipation. it's hard to pick a favourite because i understand an isis record as a whole, so i suggest you listen to all of it. 775 copies on this variant. robotic empire. 2017.

red sparowes - every red heart shines toward the red sun

shortly after i got myself the first red sparowes record 'at the soundless dawn', i ordered this baby too. it is the band's second full length called 'every red heart shines toward the red sun'. it's kind of funny that an instrumental band can come up with a lyrical concept for a record. but this is just what red sparowes did here. the concept is carried by the song titles.

and not only this, of course the songs on their own carry a specific mood matching the lengthy song titles. the concept tells the story of a campaign which was part of 'the great leap forward' in china of the late fifties and early sixties of the bygone century. it was called 'the four pests campaign' and meant the mass killing of four animal 'parasites'. the rat, the fly, the mosquito and the above all the sparrow.

it was widely believed that these animals would feed on a considerable portion of the people's harvest and therefore had to be exterminated. in order to specifically eliminate sparrows peasants were encouraged to make noise by banging pots and the like, to scare the birds into continuing flight which would eventually kill them from exhaustion. the mass killing caused the locust to multiply uncontrollably and caused, along with other programs without foresight, a great famine between 1959 and 1962 with 45 million victims.

it was very interesting to listen to the music, reading the song titles and then informing myself about this chinese campaign and its horrible consequences. a very sophistically concept worked out by the band. more of this! the musical part however, is a darker approach compared to the first record. quite natural considering its grim topic. check it out here. the presentation is great too! lovely gatefold with nice art work and matching vinyl colour. third pressing with 500 copies on 'red sun' vinyl. robotic empire. 2006

red sparowes - at the soundless dawn

red sparowes is an instrumental band from los angeles, california. they are consisting of current and former members of renown bands like isis and neurosis, plus some other bands i don't know about but might be also pretty popular. the first encounter between red sparowes and me, was on lenny's 'the emerging addiction' blog.

at the time i wasn't ready for some instrumental post-rock, which is the term i come across pretty often in connection with their sound. after i lost my heart to toundra from spain, being an instrumental band as well, i thought i might give them a shot. after some internet research i listened to some stuff via the tube and the next minute i was scouring the market for some red sparowes vinyl.

discogs became one of my biggest friends in the past when it comes to get used and sought after vinyl, without the pain of bidding on ebay. a great source for collectors. i found a german seller offering a copy of red sparowes' first full length 'at the soundless dawn' from 2004 for a reasonable price and a few days later it was mine.

the record is pretty complex and it doesn't reveal its full beauty by the first listen. it takes time to fully embrace the multi-layered soundscapes. but once you did, it won't let go. beautiful music. beautiful vinyl, too. the first time i see a clear coloured merge pattern. usually this pattern comes with opaque colours. clear dark green with clear light green merge, or 'swamp' coloured out of 500 copies. robotic empire records. 2011 re-press.