Xanthocephalus/Nodolby split tape (Skell 019)

Two noise dudes who like the bass--that's the idea here, one from Brooklyn, one from Italy. Xanthocephalus has been dropping low-end madness upon the world since 2011, with heavy past releases on labels like Tranquility Tapes and Kendra Steiner Editions. Xantho mainman Russ Alderson utilizes a barrage of noisemakers and synth devices along with his electric bass to create churning megascapes of sound; grab hold of one of these icebergs and let it tow you out into the frigid oceans.

Mic Scariot is Nodolby, an unclassifiable and interesting noisemaker if I've ever heard one. Past efforts have surfaced on such fine imprints as Digitalis, Retrograde Tapes, and Obsolete Units. Years ago I heard a c10 by Nodolby, and was hooked...this particular release showcases some occasionally brutal sounds, all balanced within a framework that hangs together delicately. Mic also runs Italy's Dokuro Records, a label brimming with crucial releases by artists like Antony Milton, Mike Shiflet, as well as Skell Records vets Hering und seine 7 Sachen and Vales. Pro-dubbed, edition of 50. $7 ppd USA, $13 rest of the world.

prices

US $7.00 USD rest of world $13.00 USD

Fossils from the Sun vs. Parashi/Xanthocephalus split c34 (Skell 008)

As a member of Burnt Hills and Century Plants Ray Hare's journeys into the deepest realms of guitar and vocal-based noise psych have inspired and impressed; while his long-running solo project FfrtheSun has released material on labels like Reverb Worship, Digitalis, and Peasant Magik. Parashi's Mike Griffin unleashed a slew of material in 2011, on labels such as Stunned, Tape Drift, and Ghetto Naturalist Series before joining Burnt Hills midway through the year. Their soundclash uses guitar, synth, and voice to brew an amalgam that drones, scrapes, and creeps its way through a side-long 17-minute ride.

Xanthocephalus is helmed by Brooklyn's Russ Aldertone, who released outstanding material on Kendra Steiner Editions and Ghetto Naturalist Series in 2011. He combines elements of harsh noise, field recordings, and occasionally furious bass playing, mixed together with a healthy sense of restraint amidst the chaos. COYE is a molten slagheap of sonics, powerful, menacing, and unique.

Pro-dubbed, color covers, lurking in the unseen matter of the universe. Art manipulation by Julie Watts.
Edition of 50. $6. SOLD OUT.

Xanthocephalus--s/t CD (SK-006)

A xanthocephalus is a yellow blackbird. Like its namesake, this project is not what it seems on the surface. Churning, dissonant, and noisy to be sure, but possessed of a surreal calm within its roaring texture that gives a subtle depth to all of its storm and clatter. Mastered by Chris Lapke at Hospital Productions.