Heavy-hearted in the Midwest since 2011
Jake Schrock builds very specific sound worlds. They feel familiar yet wholly singular to the Texas-based analog electronic composer. His 2018 Holodeck Records debut Tropical Depression was this island vibe-heavy record. Schrock painted visions of steely shores and sinking suns with vintage synths and drum machines, giving us an album that was equally Caribbean and […]
Read More Jake Schrock : Temporal Visions EPI didn’t discover Pye Corner Audio until 2016. I was in the midst of healing from back surgery(herniated disc) and I was obsessively searching the Mondo/Death Waltz Recording Company’s website to see if I could snag any soundtracks(for therapeutic purposes, of course.) During that time I’d found the amazing Pentagram Home Video’s Who’s Out There?, […]
Read More “She Hunts At Night” : Digging Into Pye Corner Audio’s ‘Prowler’Well hello stranger. So how are we all doing? Did you know, it’s now officially 2024? Yeah, I just found out yesterday. Went to bed on Sunday night like normal, then woke up on Monday morning and we’re in a new year. Crazy how that happens. Okay, just joking. I knew it was 2024. I’m […]
Read More 2024There’s something magical about the silence of a snow-covered winter’s eve. That moment you step out from a warm, conversation-filled family room into a snow-covered neighborhood can be overwhelming. There’s a deafening hush, as if stepping into your own head space; snow falling from darkness above, soundless and impervious to the everyday static and aural […]
Read More zakè & Benoît Pioulard : eveHi kiddos. End of 2023. We made it through yet another year of ups and downs, quiet moments of reflection, frantic moments of “whaaa???”, and everything in-between. Bottom line: this is life so deal with it. I’m a pretty open guy, at least I’ve become more open since the scourge of 2020. Talking about the […]
Read More Complex Distractions Presents: Favorite Albums Of 2023(All The Rest)Well we have made it yet to another year-end list season. It’s been a long-ish year for me, but there has been plenty to soundtrack the angst-y days and anxiety nights. What do I do to cope with the mental anguish and shadowy unknowns? Well, I listen to music. I exercise as well, but the […]
Read More Complex Distractions Presents : Favorite Albums Of 2023(Ambient/New Age/Drone Edition)Hello Folks. We’re officially one week out from Christmas. What does that mean? Well, it means that we’re only two weeks out from New Year’s Day. That means that 2023 is an old geezer of a year and that 2024’s water is about to break. My sense of time and the passage of time has […]
Read More 2023 : We Hardly Knew YeLeave it to Kurt Vile to release a 52-minute album and call it an EP. Vile never seems to be in a hurry to get to the end of a song. He rambles and sways through 7 or 8 minutes of jangly guitar riffs, slow motion vocals, and richly-layered compositions that live and die by […]
Read More Kurt Vile : Back To Moon BeachIt’s been 13 years since Midlake’s former singer/songwriter Tim Smith has released any new music. Midlake’s 2010 release The Courage of Others was a dark, somber record built on acoustic-driven tracks with touches of flute and overcast moods. Nothing as driving and 70s rock-driven as their previous effort – the excellent The Trials of Van […]
Read More Harp : AlbionIt’s 3:50 am on a Monday morning and I’m writing to you all. Why? It’s not because I can’t or don’t want to sleep, believe me. Ever since my 20-year old who’s living on her own was late getting to work last week I’ve been paranoid about making sure she’s up on time. She’s what […]
Read More Weekend Wrap-Up : Still Moving Things, Work Brunch, Movies, Two Weeks Till Santa