Phanes' Birth is an album of Roger Petro, who also did an artwork for this release. Release itself is limited to 50 copies and consists of 8 tracks - 5 from Phane's Birth released in 2002 and 3 newer tracks.
The design is simple, but it suit music very well. Album is presented on a black CDR (very stylish ensemble of black and white we have here) in an ejector case. Actually as it seemed to me after the listening this kind of package fits really well what the listener is going to get after he unpacks the CD and puts it into the player - plain and simple on one hand and mysterious and non-standard on another hand.
As for the music I would characterize it as dark ambient/drone/glitch project. Each kind of music fits its own time of the day and its own situation. This is the kind of music that gives better images and is better perceived at night. One may say that music of such kind cannot be various and usually ends up in monotonousness. But it is not so. Each track based on a different set of sounds - that's what I like such kind of music for. While listening I had two kind of feelings - feeling of endless space and feeling of underground, being surrounded by walls.
The albums starts from the underground feeling - it is as if melody leads you somewhere, it is coming and going as a fast guide who goes far in advance and then comes back to call for you. You walk but as if you were in imponderability and your legs were as wadded. Things slow down. The second track was equal for me to listening to own body, because all you can hear is silence and little, almost unheard noises that fill in the atmosphere during those 5 minutes and 6 seconds. It could be anything: hissing, whispering, slight deep distant growling. Overall it has something in common with noises in my head which I listen to while falling asleep in complete silence during the winter, when soft snow steals the sound of cars passing by behind the window. The clear rythm structure appears first in the third track - it sounds in a more agressive way than the previous ones, it is more direct, noisier. And again you have this feeling of volume due to multilayer structure of the track. On the other hand number four gives me rather a feeling of space. It is the most light one on the album, probably due to the synth passages used in the background and the "main theme" if it can be called so.
Another track that has a clear rythm structure is the fifth one. It also sounds direct as track number three, but I feel it has another mood. Maybe it is due to the thing that (as the track number four) it is associated for me with Far East (thanks to some special sounds and the melodic patterns) which I consider to be something mysterious but nevertherless pure and full of light. That's hidden under the numerous sound layers that form this track. Sixth track (Red Ants if I'm not mistaken) has the name suiting well its plot. Roger Petro created the feeling of fast repetitive motion which resembles motion of little insects..well..just I doubt they are indeed THAT little - one's sick imagination can always grow them till the size of an elephant, cosmic aliens invading the planet. Track number seven brings again the feeling of things slowing down. Mostly this effect is reached with the help of transparent ambient canvas of sounds in the background and slowed down half whispering (sometimes) voice, which reminds a person talking in delirium or while falling asleep when you're partly in your dream and still partly in reality. Phane's Birth's last track which lasts for only 1:27 is based on quite a plain, brutal and direct rythm structure which kinda wakes one up after the previous hypnotizing track, passes by as a fast sequence of pictures.
What can I say more? After listening to this album I realised that all in all I like ambient music, despite the fact that sometimes it is lacking rythm structure that keeps one concentrated. Glad to know that there're still labels that focus on non-standard and non-familiar.
moleculerecords was established in chicago in 1999 as a micro-label; it was initiated to self-release limited edition experimental, electronic, glitch, and drone cds and cassettes by roger petro and brian small. moleculerecords continues to be an umbrella label for acitine, marblehead, harvest, pulse, and more recently, human remains.
our sister label, elseproduct, is committed to releasing uncommon music; their back-catalog is a venerable who's-who in cutting-edge electronic music. please check out their website, elseproduct.com, for outstanding releases.
current news:
april 2008...human remains is a newly-formed project; look for sporadic updates. harvest is back on track; demos will be featured here along with human remains tracks.
marblehead:::perverse realm of decency: on hiatus :::LISTEN HERE
nightshade was choppy when I sent it to you...unformed. you've done much to sew up the damage in this human remains song...the corpse resembles a person that once was-thanks!
We don't know when we will get around to releasing a full album but we have plans for a demo or perhaps an EP. The soonest I expect any of this would be in a few months. We are more interested in playing live than releasing albums at the moment.
I'd rather make some t-shirts and posters before the CD is ready. :)
Hey you! I have not been on myspace as of late but I am cooking up a project to send you soon! Email me your address again when you get the time! Hugs to the whole crew!
