hackedepicciotto is of course Alexander Hacke from Einsturzende Neubauten and Danielle de Picciotto (Space Cowboys, Love Parade, Crime & The City Solution) and 'Lichtung' is the pair's latest album on the Mute label in the U.S. Past hackedepicciotto albums that I've reviewed here have always been interesting so I expect nothing less from 'Lichtung.' A cursory listen to the album gave me the impression the album is less experimental and more personal in nature. The softness of the opener (title track) seems to bear this out; it's an elegant, mystical piece that draws you into another world. "Vogelfrei," the instrumental that follows dispels any notion of frailty. "Wiederbelebung" has some neoclassical influences filtered through a distortion pedal with Black Forest vocals and a distinctly Teutonic cadence. "Ertedank" is kind of spookily psychedelic with industrial percussion and harmonious vocals in unison by both Alexander and Danielle, happening with frequency on several of the tracks, and especially noteworthy in "Zeitenwende," although both have their solo moments. I'm not sure this kind of folksy vocal technique completely resonates with me but I'm willing to give it time. By now you should have guessed by the titles that all the vocals are in Deutsche, but there are English lyrics translations on their Bandcamp site. "Draussen" is an instrumental that had me vaguely thinking of Dead Can Dance, and I'm coming to realize that I like the music more than the vocals overall. So far, this track really makes the album. There's only two more to go with "Einig," the first song I watched the video for, and on this one I really enjoyed the vocals, as well as the animated fantastic beasts that strutted across the screen. Clever! Lastly, there is "Der Marschall," a stately, but somewhat ominous neoclassical instrumental with a heaping helping of melancholy. You could easily use this track for a steampunk funeral procession. Although I'm not as enthralled with 'Lichtung' as by previous hackedepicciotto albums, there is still plenty of merit on it.

This is the self-titled debut album by this LA-based trio consisting of Karolina Wallace: Vocals, Guitar; Adam Wallace: Guitar; and Jason Miller: Bass, Synth, Beats, Sequences. The album is seven tracks of minimal electro/synthpunk with Karolina often singing in her native Polish, but her voice is somewhat obscured and buried in the music so you might not notice that right away. First track, "Hi Vis" has a hypnotic quality about it as it tools along at a medium pace. Following that, "Struck" has defined but minimal guitar riffs with bass synth and a more obvious but minimal drum machine track. Karolina plays her voice against an echo effect and you are likely to recall early Xmal Deutschland and Suicide but perhaps with less energy and panache. I did, however, like the squiggly lead synth in it. Most of what Karolina does vocally is speak-singing with a hint of melody, which is fine for this type of music and it is fairly evident on "Oscillopsia," with its incessant bass sequence. There is a tension of this track that is likely better experienced live than on record, but I bet people probably said that about certain songs by the Doors when they were active nearly 60 years ago. "Floor It" is the barely intelligible psychodrama that haunts your nightmares. Every bit of the musical atmosphere is starkly fantastic and Karolina's mumbled and crooned vocals are the icing on this strange piece of cake. The curiously titled "Casket Casino" has a near Wall of Voodoo rhythm but coupled with Karolina's abstract vocalizing, it becomes something else entirely; something far more modern, menacing and relevant. "Old Mill" is one of those songs that undoubtedly work better live than on record as its monotonous repetition keeps you hoping for changes that never come. Yes, it has a bit of ritualistic attitude, but there is not much of a payoff. Finally, Chalk Teeth goes out with the spritely "Paskuda!" (not a very complimentary term in Polish for women) and here Karolina's vocals are quite different, sort of new wavy Dale Bozzio. I can't help but think of the obscure New York City No Wave project, Kongress, led by the enigmatic Otto Von Ruggins, and how they could have ended up sounding like Chalk Teeth if Marilyn and Robert Crash had stayed with the group. Unfortunately, Kongress never "stayed the course" in most things they ever did, although they did a lot of interesting stuff. As for Chalk Teeth< I wouldn't call this an extraordinary album but it has merit, especially for those who dig minimal synth electro. That the group chose to release the album on (limited edition) vinyl shows commitment, and I have a strong feeling that their next release will have more depth and gusto.

Wow! It's been ages since I've heard anything from Uhushuhu, formerly of St. Petersburg, Russia, now located now in Dilijan, Armenia, for obvious reasons. Way back when Uhushuhu was one of the prominent luminaries on the marvelous Russian label, Zhelezobeton, run by Artem O. At this point in time the Uhushuhu project consists of Pavel Dombrovsky – lyrics, guitars, bass, melodica, drums, synthesizers, field recordings, samples, mixing; D. Rylov (Prorok) – spoken word, vocal processing; Dmitry N. Shilov (Neznamo) – bass , synthesizers; K. Borozda – guitar. Being out of the Uhushuhu loop for so long, I really didn't know what to expect. The artist(s) describe 'To Those Lost in the Woods' as "A tense musical and poetic journey through the night." Opening track, "How Mine Smothers in You" begins with an ominous atmosphere, and then a spoken word voice-over in Russian. Fortunately Uhushuhu provides an English translation on their Bandcamp site. It's quite poetic but also quite dark, and too lengthy to quote much of it here but the first stanza should give you a taste.

"How mine in you smolders in a northwesterly wind,
How the dead at morning no longer begin,
How puddles hold water, how milk fills a dish,
How firewood flames, how butterflies wish.
So the leaves, so the sand,
So a god grown tired of his plan.
So a stream through the trees does it go,
Filling furrows where buckwheat will grow."

While the first track is primarily atmospheric, "Soil" has a repeating bass or low guitar line with sustained synth string pad. It sounds like something out of a Twin Peaks soundtrack. Once again there is a Russian voice-over. The gloominess is palpable and pervasive. In the middle a riffing saxophone emerges. Perfect. Color me impressed. NeXT, we're headed "Down The River" with a broader musical palette on this one. Again there is a Russian recitation, but the music is more like hypnotic ambient krautrock. "Foliage" sounds like it was based on a folk tune and has a kind of Slavic melody to it. I don't know why this one has me thinking of Mortiis, but it does.

We are back in dark ambient territory on "Ryba," and yes, there is another Russian recitation. They're beginning to grow on me and sort of add a documentary cinematic touch. "After a Beetle" is industrial dark ambient with ritual acoustic percussion (some sort of hand drums) and a distant flute. I can picture sullen men in a circle with painted faces perhaps imbibing some sort of psychedelic brew. What strange ceremonial ritual is taking place? Inquiring minds want to know! Whew! After all that I'm ready to "Fall Asleep," the title of the final track on the album. Uhushuhu is back to a more melodic format on this one with a repeating guitar figure in the forefront. It's kind of bittersweet and dream-like. Nice, and the perfect way to end this extraordinary album. Another one mastered to perfection by Peter Andersson. Although it helps, I don't think you have to understand Russian to appreciate 'To Those Lost in the Woods' A surprisingly delightful work, in the darkest of of ways.

'Air Signs' is the latest album by ambient music artist Brad Deschamps of Toronto, Canada, who has a slew of previous releases going back to 2015 under the name of Anthéne. The pieces on 'Air Signs' are based on fairly minimal guitar loops with overlapping swells and melodies. Inspired by the hawk on the cover, which landed right outside the window at his workplace in a hectic area of downtown Toronto, the pieces are light and airy, reflecting the stillness of our natural surroundings in the midst of human made chaos. This is classics ambient at its best; calm, peaceful, minimal. This is absolutely what ambient music creator Brian Eno envisioned when he first set out to do ambient music; minimal, unobtrusive, background "wallpaper music." There are only six tracks on the album, and all of them under 8 minutes each, the longest being the title track at 7:30. There is a hint of wistfulness in some of the compositions such as "thorns," but there is no over-arching melancholy or sadness.

For those interested in the technical aspects, the guitar loops on the album are mostly processed with a Chase Bliss Lossy pedal as well as a Vongon Paragraphs filter both creating unusual tones, overtones and artifacts. There is also heavy use of a Maneco 16 second delay for lo-fi forward and reversed loops. The album was mastered by Peter Andersson, who you might know from Raison D'être, Stratvm Terror, Necrophorus, Atomine Elektrine, and other music projects. One aspect I particularly like on this album is the use (but not overuse) of backwards guitar, most noticeably on the fifth track, "all a blur." Whether you're looking for music for meditation, or a soundtrack to watch the world go by, "Air Signs" definitely fits the bill.

It is rare that I do a review of an album without receiving a physical copy of the release, and lord knows I receive enough email promos from promoters, publicity agents, bands and other music hustlers. Most of them aren't even in the genres Chain D.L.K. covers, but this one qualifies. The Holy Sun Opera House is not an opera company or a cult religious organization, but rather a music project consisting of classically trained soprano and drummer Krissy Barker and composer dl Salo, out of Los Angeles. Together they weave symphonic synths and operatic vocals with heavy drums. What got me was the publicist/promotor's FFO: early Dead Can Dance, Fever Ray, Klaus Nomi. Forgive my ignorance but I have no idea who Fever Ray is, so I watched a few of their videos. Interesting experimental music both sonically and visually out of Sweden with a pretty good following, but this review is not about Fever Ray so check them out on your own time. Just looking for a frame of reference here and I got one.

The album consists of nine tracks and according to info on the duo's Bandcamp site, "The self-produced album was conceptualized as a way to describe an obsessive mind with music and inspired by the recurring dreams of singer Krissy Barker. In it is a realm of shifting rooms, dilapidated houses and passages. These unsettled rooms and spaces pose a striking confrontation of fear and anxiety from deep within." Fair enough. Opening track, "Voice of Gob" sounds heavily gothic from the get-go; heavy orchestrated synth strings with Krissy's angelic voice emerging. It's slow and stately with a simple but effective melody, and they use a real choir for backing vocals. Nice! "Passage II" is sort of an experimental drone piece of cake with operatic voice icing. The singing on "Latched On" is more pop than opera at first but once the orchestration comes in it turns operatic, quite dolorous over all. The title of the next track, "Decrepit Mansion" may seem on the nose (like something off a Halloween sound effects album) but the 3 lines of lyrics sung repeatedly in rounds has nothing to do with decrepit mansions or haunted houses, but about things one does not normally notice. Rather cool in its own way. Has anyone seen or heard the "Witch in the Attic" ? I knew there was someone there, breathing heavily at night while I'm trying to sleep, invading my dreams and turning them into nightmares. The track is a percussion-less dreamscape transitionally leading into "The Attic." The orchestration here is full-on and may remind you somewhat of early Dead Can Dance, Arcana, Gitane DeMone or even Diamanda Galas. Krissy's vibrato is intense and the music is gothic as fuck.

The penultimate song on the album is "Room That Wasn't There Before, " a cool cross between pop and opera with a very memorable melody. My only complaint about it is that the rhythm track is severely buried beneath the orchestration. A remix of this one is sorely needed. With only two tracks left, the tail of the previous slides smoothly into "Passage I" (odd that it comes after "Passage II"), another kind of orchestral ambient drone piece using cathedral-like chord progressions, which I suppose echoes the "Holy Sun" part of the group's name. Finally, there is "Room with the Rain," sung throughout in the operatic mode with a dirgy pace and symphonic orchestration. Not nearly as compelling as "Room That Wasn't There Before " but atmospherically poignant nevertheless. The Holy Sun Opera House is absolutely a project worth checking out. In spite of a few minor flaws (namely, more oomph in the percussion/rhythm department) this album holds up very well, especially for fans of the non-pop-rock gothic. (In days gone by labels such as 4AD, World Serpent or Cold Meat Industry would have signed this act in a heartbeat.) The Holy Sun Opera House is likely to appeal more to European audiences than U.S. listeners but don't let that dissuade you. There aren't many operatic rock outfits out there as a Google search will attest. (Try it; you'll get only mediocre results such as The Who's 'Tommy' and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody.") With the full complement of media options available (LP, CD, cassette, digital) you have no reason not to go for it.