Vee Hua 華婷婷Fontanelle
Ever-trustworthy metal tastemakers Southern Lord Records are releasing the latest from Portland rock experimentalists Fontanelle! Their last three releases were escapades in ambient jazz-rock weirdness released on Kranky Records in the early aughts. Vitamin F, to be released on October 23rd, is a record for music nerds who love to be lost in the sounds of horns, guitars, and drums interfacing with one another in unpredictable ways. The massive lineup includes musicians such as Rex Ritter, Andy Brown, Mat Morgan, Borg Norm, Brian Foote and Paul Dickow, as well as the following guests: Gentry Densley (Eagle Twin), Steve Moore (Earth, sunn 0))), Hans Teuber, Eric Walton (Skerik), Jef Brown (Jackie O Motherfucker) and Dave Carter.
This is a record for music nerds, no doubt. Spin Magazine calls the record “it may be the most metal record to feature no actual metal on it whatsoever”, and that may actually be the most accurate possible description. You can stream “When the Fire Hits the Forest” from Vitamin F via Spin.
Says the press relase:
For this brand new recording, FONTANELLE has been trying to transport themselves back in time to 1973 into Patrick Gleeson’s Different Fur Trading Company Studio. Through the studio expertise of Randall Dunn (sunn 0))), Black Mountain, Wolves in the Throne Room), it sounds like they made it!
Rex Ritter’s tour of duty with sunn 0))) during FONTANELLE’s hiatus seems to have irreparably changed his DNA, as well as the entire band’s. Adding an amazing array of horn players, many of whom were heard on the most recent sunn 0))) LP Monoliths & Dimensions, FONTANELLE have fortified their jazz vocabulary and have conjured a burly fusion approach that has been dubbed “White Magus” – a sound sure to appeal to fans of Miles Davis (circa 1969-74), Toritse and Mahavishnu Orchestra.
Source Of Yellow
Twin Lakes Records have recently released a three-song EP from Brooklyn musicians Source of Yellow! On The Said, three tracks show the range of Source Of Yellow’s interests. “1 & 9” show off some indie folk twang in a minimal atmosphere and “Maybe!” meanders on in pleasantly chaotic fashion — but it is the spaced out, percussive, and just noisy-enough opening track, “The Said”, that makes me truly curious about the band’s future outputs.
In the meantime, those who are interested in art can also pick up a copy of the record, which comes with a limited edition archival print. A lucky 50 human beings will be able to own the triangular work by visual artist Pali Kashi.
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Jake Renn
Navi Esparza