The two team-up albums with Sonic Boom are also well worth tracking down (especially the A Pox On You EP)
funny, i thought Pox was the only one! hmmmm
first Fontanelle album is excellent
― i genuinely thought when i first joined that he was the admin (ilxor), Thursday, 28 July 2011 03:23 (twelve years ago) link
enjoying the new disappears record. no massive departure.
― the majestic ned? (electricsound), Thursday, 23 February 2012 23:50 (twelve years ago) link
my favourite label circa 99/02.
been digging some of it's older releases these past few weeks (trip down memory lane?). tho some of it hasn't aged that well (1st dissolve record, amp, bowery electric, etc), there are still a couple of underated gems in there : doldrums, flies inside the sun or pan american...
never heard the first jessamine. only ones i have are 'don's stay too long' and 'long arm of coincidence'. don't recall them that well (same with spiny anteaters, also).
― rusty_allen, Friday, 24 February 2012 14:23 (twelve years ago) link
First Jessamine rules. First Kranky release I picked up.
― Trip Maker, Friday, 24 February 2012 14:42 (twelve years ago) link
Yeah, Jessamine had a great sound. Listen to "Royal Jelly Eye Cream" off that first record, it rules.
― grandavis, Friday, 24 February 2012 15:12 (twelve years ago) link
Hey now, I'm STILL an Amp fan. Had a new album this year and everything.
Agreed on the worth of Jessamine.
Also! Magnog have reunited and are playing out. Dana Shinn's on Facebook and the band's on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/magnogmusic
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 24 February 2012 15:15 (twelve years ago) link
Just gonna go ahead and post this to encourage any wavering souls to give it a listen, such a cool guitar sound:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wlEhlYOtnHs
― grandavis, Friday, 24 February 2012 16:16 (twelve years ago) link
Really excited to hear this, loved the live thing they did with Steve last year.
― Gonjasufjanstephen O'Malley (jon /via/ chi 2.0), Friday, 24 February 2012 16:24 (twelve years ago) link
Love the one song I've heard from the new Disappears album. I love both their other albums and, so far, don't really mind if they keep refining the same sound.
― scott pgwp (pgwp), Saturday, 25 February 2012 03:19 (twelve years ago) link
dreamscape do some pretty sweet dream pop, even if their drum machine sounds a bit too secret shine-ish
― booger pickup (electricsound), Thursday, 5 July 2012 23:25 (eleven years ago) link
Yeah, I just read this, had never heard of them before:http://www.factmag.com/2012/07/06/kranky-to-issue-retrospective-of-long-forgotten-shoegaze-combo-dreamscape/
― gonna send him to outer space, to hug another face (NickB), Friday, 6 July 2012 16:08 (eleven years ago) link
hahaha, they really wanted to release an EP called "greater than god," didn't they?
― the girl from spirea x (f. hazel), Friday, 6 July 2012 18:03 (eleven years ago) link
lool i was totally unaware it was secret shine related
― booger pickup (electricsound), Friday, 6 July 2012 23:15 (eleven years ago) link
totally enjoying implodes atm -- arrived via ken camden, who has become my default walk-to-work spaceout go-to.
― these albatrosses have no fear of man (La Lechera), Friday, 5 October 2012 04:36 (eleven years ago) link
Any thoughts on Loscil's Sketches from New Brighton?
― djh, Monday, 8 October 2012 18:34 (eleven years ago) link
i bought it on yesterday and really enjoyed it- it hits that spot- it's weird to compare it to the previous records, it's a softer midrange sound, but the same DNA is there.
― the tune was space, Monday, 8 October 2012 19:32 (eleven years ago) link
bought it / put it on oops
― the tune was space, Monday, 8 October 2012 19:33 (eleven years ago) link
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WLApSAwlUU0/UR9CPzy10wI/AAAAAAAAANE/8LjTgX2FKd0/s400/implodes-recurring-dream.jpg
^ new Implodes album out in April
― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Thursday, 7 March 2013 17:20 (eleven years ago) link
new song here: https://soundcloud.com/kranky/implodes-scattered-in-the-wind
closing section is beautiful, stellar guitar sound will get you right between the eyes
― acid in the style of tenpole tudor (NickB), Thursday, 7 March 2013 17:25 (eleven years ago) link
I was having a Disappears moment on the occasion of the new album, and then this week I was having a Stars of the Lid moment, which reminded me of the Labradford moment I had a month or two back. So out of curiosity/boredom I looked up the whole Kranky catalog and realized that this just might be my favorite label. Man, they have been so consistent for almost twenty years. That said, I also realized how many releases I've not heard! So: I made a Spotify playlist of the entire Kranky catalog, in order from KRANK001 to KRANK182 or wherever they're at currently.
After scouring Spotify (a few artists are kinda hard to search due to weird typography vs html coding), I found every single album except for maybe four. There's a Fontanelle EP, the first Lichens and Nudge records, and a Deerhunger 7" that aren't there. Everything else is there.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Tuesday, 10 September 2013 15:59 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X33EZhfB_Kk
Justin Walter album is still one the year's best imo - a really beautiful album of treated trumpet sounds and burbling electronics that that rise up out of the dead quiet of night like jeweled chains set against soft black velvet. Very poised and graceful, kind of like Jon Hassell meets Cluster, but every now and again it also attains this psychoactive kind of Terry Riley meditative dream state.
― i'll be your mraz (NickB), Tuesday, 10 September 2013 16:35 (ten years ago) link
http://styleofsound.culturecrat.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/kranky-records.png
http://styleofsound.com/kranky-records-20-years-of-hugs-andor-drugs/
― eris bueller (lukas), Tuesday, 17 September 2013 22:31 (ten years ago) link
Can we please see Labradford in that TBA spot?
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 04:45 (ten years ago) link
By the way for those interested - after I made that Kranky playlist mentioned upthread, I started writing my way through the entire catalog. I'm up to the 12th or 13th release at this point. About 170 to go. Scroll back a little to get to the beginning if you're interested: http://sctttnnnt.tumblr.com
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 04:46 (ten years ago) link
started listening to that playlist, what an amazing thing.
― eris bueller (lukas), Wednesday, 18 September 2013 05:35 (ten years ago) link
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, September 18, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink
Four months later I've gotten to 96 albums and counting. Handy little archive here, if you like.
This afternoon I was on the Consequence of Sound Aux.Out podcast talking about this project, plus a few digressions. Talked about a lot of Kranky bands, with some shout outs to Windy & Carl, Growing, Charalambides, and others. My bit starts around 38 minutes in and goes til the end, if anyone is interested.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Saturday, 25 January 2014 04:03 (ten years ago) link
I see Bleep is offering a 30-track bundle of Kranky tracks.
https://bleep.com/stream/30%20tracks%20of%20kranky?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=tweet&utm_campaign=30%20tracks%20kranky%20tw
― crowhurst, Tuesday, 11 February 2014 06:15 (ten years ago) link
It's a Krapload of Kranky!
― davey, Tuesday, 11 February 2014 12:25 (ten years ago) link
Really enjoying the new Tara Jane O'Neil album on Kranky.
― Barnaby, Hardly, Tuesday, 11 February 2014 16:03 (ten years ago) link
Yeah, I've been enjoying the TJO album a lot. Still processing it but it's very nice. I basically lost track of her after her first solo album and her various post-Rodan bands broke up (Retsin, Sonora Pine). I didn't realize she had so many solo albums since then - totally fell off my radar.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Tuesday, 11 February 2014 23:45 (ten years ago) link
Yeah she's been very busy in recent years, in a great way. The new album is indeed lovely.
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 11 February 2014 23:48 (ten years ago) link
Scott, just started reading your Kranky project and am loving it, and getting intoduced to a whole heap oif great stuff via it. Thank you!
― ornamental cabbage (James Morrison), Friday, 14 February 2014 04:00 (ten years ago) link
Oh good! Thanks. It's been a lot of fun. I've discovered a lot too, and it's been very rewarding to stick with so many artists' discographies where I might not have given much time if I was just searching music for casual pleasure.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 14 February 2014 04:28 (ten years ago) link
I've been writing my way through the Kranky catalog for the last eight months. 130 albums down, roughly 50 to go.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 7 May 2014 15:14 (ten years ago) link
This is still one of the best projects of its kind around.
― Ned Raggett, Wednesday, 7 May 2014 15:15 (ten years ago) link
Thanks Ned! It's been (mostly) fun.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Wednesday, 7 May 2014 16:25 (ten years ago) link
Enjoying the title track from High Plains' "Cinderland":
https://highplainskranky.bandcamp.com/releases
― djh, Friday, 17 February 2017 23:51 (seven years ago) link
Demen
https://soundcloud.com/kranky/demen-niorum/s-2Lswu
― djh, Thursday, 2 March 2017 18:42 (seven years ago) link
Seems like Kranky went on a signing spree. MJ Guider, Forma, Earthen Sea, High Plains, Demen - all new to the label within the last 18 months. By contrast every release in 2014 and 2015 was by an artist who had other albums on the label. The last album by a brand new artist they released before MJ Guider's record last year was the Justin Walters album in 2013.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 3 March 2017 02:43 (seven years ago) link
fwiw High Plains is Kranky vet Scott Morgan / Loscil and cellist Mark Bridges. Submers is a fave ambient disc, so stoked for the combo of his aesthetic and a cello.
― the body of a spider... (scampering alpaca), Friday, 3 March 2017 04:18 (seven years ago) link
Does Grouper count? If so, GROUPER FFS PEOPLE.
― attention vampire (MatthewK), Friday, 3 March 2017 11:25 (seven years ago) link
Gave the Demen an ear last night via an advance, very enjoyable.
― Ned Raggett, Friday, 3 March 2017 14:02 (seven years ago) link
Ah, didn't realize High Plains was a Loscil project! That excites me.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 3 March 2017 14:11 (seven years ago) link
Earthen Sea is good. Abul Mogard-type vibes.
― I hear from this arsehole again, he's going in the river (James Morrison), Saturday, 4 March 2017 00:31 (seven years ago) link
not sure where else to post this, but kranky fans might be interested in this:
https://vimeo.com/203361631
Looking back at this historical trajectory, Peter Burr, Mark Fingerhut, and Forma have created a spiraling interdimensional narrative aptly titled DESCENT - a meditation on one of humanity’s blackest hours. Taking the form of a desktop application, descent.exe gives the user a brief glimpse of a world descending into darkness - an unrelenting plague indifferent to the struggles of the user. There is a silver lining, however, tucked into the software’s final sweep. An equanimous watcher, reduced to a single eye, looks on as the plague of rats that has infested your desktop destroys itself.This video is a recording of descent.exe running alongside Fingerhut's deepdesktop.exe.Visuals: Peter Burr peterburr.org, undervolt.co/Peter-BurrProgramming: Mark Fingerhut markfingerhut.com/Music: Forma - Descent (from Physicalist, Kranky 2016) formasounds.bandcamp.com/, formasounds.com/
This video is a recording of descent.exe running alongside Fingerhut's deepdesktop.exe.
Visuals: Peter Burr peterburr.org, undervolt.co/Peter-BurrProgramming: Mark Fingerhut markfingerhut.com/Music: Forma - Descent (from Physicalist, Kranky 2016) formasounds.bandcamp.com/, formasounds.com/
i ran across it because i really like peter burr, but the music is outstanding too. turns out it's from a recent kranky release (Forma - Physicalist) which came out last fall.
― Karl Malone, Thursday, 9 March 2017 17:32 (seven years ago) link
I'm about to pre-order the new/old Grouper LP from kranky, but i want to pick up a couple others at the same time. are there any especially good, recent kranky releases? i've kind of drifted away from them over the years, to the point where i'm not sure i've even listened to anything by several of the most recent artists (Christina Vantzou, Dedekind Cut, Justin Walker, Demen, Earthen Sea, Anjou).
― and in my opinionation, the sun is gonna surely shine♪♫ (Karl Malone), Thursday, 8 March 2018 23:36 (six years ago) link
Justin Walter is great - parts of his most recent album sound like Labradford filtered through ECM (in a good way)
The Gregg Kowalsky album is modular synth melancholia stuff, definitely solid if you like that sort of thing
The little I heard of the new Dedekind Cut album sounded nice, if instantly forgettable as soon as it was no longer playing (which is a criticism I have of a lot of this stuff)
Anjou is essential if you like Labradford, though it's definitely its own thing - it's Bobby Donne's most recent (not really new) project and it's wonderful
Good luck, tell us what you end up choosing!
― Paul Ponzi, Friday, 9 March 2018 00:04 (six years ago) link
Christina Vantzou is great - in the vein of Winged Victory for the Sullen. And for that matter Winged Victory for the Sullen is great too if you haven't picked that up.
I second the Justin Walter rec - he's probably my favorite of their most recent group of signees (say, the last 4 years or so).
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 9 March 2018 15:13 (six years ago) link
need to listen to that justin walter again. his debut on kranky was amazing but the recent one didn't really grab me all that much tbh
― i'm surprised to see your screwface at the door (NickB), Friday, 9 March 2018 15:33 (six years ago) link
I do like the debiut more, but the second album is good too.
― sctttnnnt (pgwp), Friday, 9 March 2018 20:04 (six years ago) link