Jason Lescalleet-Songs About Nothing

[i am the cheese]

Oops.
Somebody didn't like it:
http://www.discogs.com/sell/list?release_id=3771411

[jon abbey]

that person looks like they might just buy things, rip them and sell them, I think I know who it might be actually.

[i am the cheese]

Well, it certainly sold quickly.

[jon abbey]

another testimonial, from Jérôme Noetinger, who never says anything about the releases I send him, just wrote me this:

"THAT'S A FUCKING GREAT CD !"

[jon abbey]

"Songs About Nothing. First reaction: holy shit."-David Jones on FB (crawjo here)

[jon abbey]

I forgot Will Guthrie's from a few weeks ago (he preordered it), via e-mail:

"jesus wept !!!!!!!!
this is good !"

[Jamest]

Agreed, it's a damn fine album - an artist who continues to surprise me, in a good way obviously.

(so much so I even registered with IHM just to be able to say that).

[jon abbey]

just now on FB:

Joe Panzner
‎(wendy and joey are out of the house. SONGS ABOUT NOTHING at cochlea-melting volume.)

Joe Panzner in all seriousness, this is on the shortlist of best things that have ever happened in this house. it is physically impossible to listen to this loud enough.
2 minutes ago

Joe Panzner god himself just asked me to turn it down.
2 minutes ago

[free math]

Lovefest!

[mono tony]

recovered .txt excerpt from bpickles' unwieldy desktop server:

"three more weeks on the paper route and i'll have enough scratch for the much-lauded, insider-accoladed songs about nothing 2XCD on erstwhile recs."

"i'm anticipating this one a lot."

"fuck."

[jon abbey]

again from FB:

=====================

Graham Lambkin

NP: Songs About Nothing. A masterclass in how to do it.

[jon abbey]

Volcanic Tongue just listed this, and gets into it a bit more in-depth:

"Stunning double disc collection of mind-erasing loops, avant classical drone and minimal cold wave threat from Jason Lescalleet, presented as a back-handed tribute to Big Black’s notorious 1992 album Songs About Fucking: Songs About Nothing is the sound of pure entropy, moving from ear-scalding feedback sculptures through nod-out minimal synth repetition through scrambled choral works and widescreen soundtrack drones. The first disc unfolds in a series of stately movements linked by a form of oblique progressive logic with an increasing atmosphere of all-out psychosis until it feels like you’re listening in on advanced surveillance electronics or experiments in sonic/psychological warfare (a quality which often marks out the most extreme Lescalleet recordings). The second disc consists of one massively extended track which expands on the ‘narrative’ feel of the first disc with the sounds of helicopter blades, distant cries, riot tones, hallucinatory/piercing upper register violence and huge blocks of eviscerated silence, with aspects of Masayoshi Urabe’s convulsive approach to orchestrating nada. A stunning release from Lescalleet, his best to date, and a set that demands to be explored repeatedly in depth. This is hardcore. Highly recommended. "

[presquepartout]

promo crowd-sourcing

[jon abbey]

a video for the fantastic first track on 'Songs About Nothing':

[i am the cheese]

From Lescalleet's rarely-updated blog:
http://lescalleet.wordpress.com/2012/08/12/august-tour

[jon abbey]

also the first two reviews are up:

http://www.tinymixtapes.com/music-revie ... ut-nothing

http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/7311

[jon abbey]

and Jason just posted this incredible pic:

"Here I am at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, holding my PCM-D50 as I record the very emotional prayers of the man next to me. You can faintly hear this recording as the helicopter flies overhead in an early section of THE FUTURE BELONGS TO ONE."

[jon abbey]

"The whole record embodies a fusion of punk, screw, noise and atmosphere I would not have imagined possible until I heard it. It's a standout, even within this guy's impressive catalog."-Michael Pisaro, on FB

[jon abbey]

Brian O takes a crack at 'Songs About Nothing' (spoiler alert!)

http://olewnick.blogspot.com/2012/08/ja ... thing.html

[free math]

This album is large; it contains multitudes. Along the lines of Love Me Two Times, it's one where you can't put it on and after a few minutes think that you've got a feel for it. Constantly something new, episodic composition but also long-form development/non-development. Not sure if that makes sense. A beast that you can revel in individual moments of or try to take the whole thing in and make sense/nonsense of. I guess I am trying to set it apart from Lescalleet's more drone-oriented pieces where you can sort of put your thumb on what's going on. And I think this album is still more than just "Oh, it's operating as tape collage." It's clearly more than that. There's musical performance and collage and who knows what else, but it's a long-form synthesis. Like some of the best Erstwhile records, or some of the best records in general, it's one you have to listen attentively to the whole way through and it doesn't spell anything out for you. Only by listening to it again will it possibly begin to become more familiar. You can't, like, think back on it and understand it better. Maybe this is just the nature of non-repeating and non-formulaic music? Tell me if you think I'm wrong, or if I'm using these terms and concepts haphazardly.