J.R.C.G. : Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra)

Justin R. Cruz Gallego, aka Tacoma-based musician known as J.R.C.G. defies a tag to any sort of genre. Listening to his Sub Pop debut Grim Iconic…(Sadistic Mantra) you’re hit in the chest with serious rhythmic and groove intentions. He locks into his Latin roots and lays down some seriously heady percussive trips, but on top […]

Sml : Small Medium Large

The latest to come out of Chicago’s forward-thinking record label International Anthem is by Sml. Sml consists of the quintet of bassist Anna Butterss, synthesist Jeremiah Chiu, saxophonist Josh Johnson, percussionist Booker Stardrum, and guitarist Gregory Uhlmann. The project began as a series of long form improvisations at the beloved but now closed LA venue […]

Shameless Self Promotion Time

For the most part these hallowed pages here at Complex Distractions are meant to highlight musicians and bands that I find interesting. Artists that inspire me enough to talk about them and spread their word across these internet wastelands. As well as talking about music, movies, books, and other art-related stuff, I talk about me. […]

Witchboard Readies New Album ‘Incidental Goth Club Music For Television and Film’, out 7/12; Listen To “Get Anxious”

Witchboard is the musical project of writer, producer, and director Glenn McQuaid. Known most notably for his debut film, 2008s I Sell The Dead, as well as his audio series Tales From Beyond The Pale(both with Larry Fessenden and Fessenden’s production company Glass Eye Pix.) McQuaid also directed a segment of the original anthology film […]

Strand Of Oaks : Miracle Focus

Timothy Showalter has been kicking around as Strand of Oaks since his 2009 debut Leave Ruin. Starting out with a folksy, singer/songwriter vibe he shifted focus into more synth and pop touches on the project’s breakthrough record Pope Killdragon. His Neil Young affectations were replaced by Tangerine Dream and Kate Bush as influences on his […]

MIDI Janitor : Holy To Dogs

There’s something eerie – almost ghost-like – to the music of MIDI Janitor, aka Jonathan Orr. It’s like music made of spare parts; ancient, broken down machines wheezing out bygone melodies to steam-powered beats. Sometimes the eerie gives way to the ethereal, as if Orr was soundtracking a digital sunset in some early 80s Capcom […]

Pye Corner Audio : The Endless Echo

Pye Corner Audio opened a whole new world of electronic music for me. It’s one I’ve tried putting a label on ever since I first heard The Black Mills Tapes; then Sleep Games, Stasis, Hollow Earth, and Entangled Routes. It’s the label I’m still attempting to come up with right now listening to Martin Jenkins, […]

Morph Stereo : Here We Are

Keith Canisius returns once again as Morph Stereo for another round of hazy, ambient modular cosmic trips. This time with the 3-song EP Here we are. A blend of Krautrock and early 80s experimental electronic music, Canisius blends all of of the vibes of his other musical projects(Rumskib/Astral TV/Shortwave Broadcaster) into one immersive experience as […]

Dawn Chorus and the Infallible Sea : Reveries

Over the last couple of years I’ve started painting. Acrylics, canvas, and my imagination lay out some simple vision that sits in my head waiting to reveal itself through hand, brush, and color palate. The urge to communicate something from heart to head to canvas. This is not to say I find myself particularly good […]

Keith Canisius, Shortwave Broadcaster, and Morph Stereo : Music For Connection

My first exposure to the music of Danish producer/musician/composer Keith Canisius was his work in the excellent Komische/Berlin School duo Astral TV. Astral TV created heady, buzzing electronic music via electronics and processed guitars, capturing the sound of electronic experimentation via the foundational music DNA found in early 70s German music pioneers like Tangerine Dream, […]