Article
2012 Artists' Picks

Albums
36
The Alvaret Ensemble
The Boats
Dadub
Day
Enduser / The Teknoist
Alejandro Franov
Christoph Funabashi
The Inventors Of Aircraft
Kostis Kilymis
krill.minima
Lau Nau
Madera Wind Quintet
Todd Matthews
Lubomyr Melnyk
okamononoriaki
The Outside Agency
Oyaarss
peterMann
Pleq + Philippe Lamy
Roach & Metcalf
SaffronKeira
Martin Schulte
Jay Shepheard
Tape Loop Orchestra
Techdiff
TM404
Yard

Compilations / Mixes
Darkroom Dubs Vol.3
Petre Inspirescu
Pop Ambient 2013
v-p v-f is v-n

EPs / Cassettes / Singles
Alis
Arkaik
Babi
Bee Mask
Bungle
drcarlsonalbion
Fescal
Fluorescent Heights
William Ryan Fritch
Greyghost
Junction 12
Lind and Loraine
Alessan Main
Martinez
Mikal
Show Me The Future
10 Yrs hhv.de 45 Vol. 10
Wolf Cub

drcarlsonalbion and the Hackney Lass: 'Modern English Folklore' volume one: Hackney
The Wormhole

The first thing one notices about this second chapter in Dylan Carlson's drcarlsonalbion project is, of course, the presentation, with its two seven-inch vinyl discs (black or clear) enclosed within a strikingly illustrated gatefold sleeve; thankfully, the songs on the discs themselves are as striking. For this project, the Earth guitarist is joined by Rosie Knight, a young spoken word poet and activist from Hackney who gives voice to her writings on the first disc's two pieces; the second disc is the same material presented in instrumental form, the voice wholly stripped away. Whereas Edward Kelley's Blues / Drunk on Angelspeech, the inaugural drcarlsonalbion release, appeared on cassette and used alchemist John Dee as a springboard, Modern English Folklore Vol.1: Hackney shifts the focus to ancient myth and occult folklore and the present-day borough of Hackney in London's East End.

On the opening song, “Hackney Iliad,” Carlson's guitar provides a gently drifting base for Knight's distinctive, measured delivery. Sometimes violent in its imagery, the text references familiar mythological figures (Cronos, Orpheus, Odysseus) by way of relating the text to a modern-day narrative rooted in East End. Side two's “Tyler's Hand of Glory” recounts the dramatic story of a man who pursues occult learning, seeing himself as a modern-day Warlock who monitors suicides on a police scanner; a sense of dread and gloom infuses Knight's cryptic text, which Carlson nicely complements with a raw yet unobtrusive backing. As captivating as Knight's presence is, there's a part of me that's drawn even more to the instrumental versions, simply because one gets to hear Carlson's tremolo-laden playing without anything else getting in the way. When reduced to electric guitar and effects only, “Hackney Iliad” becomes a meditative drone reminiscent of Fear Falls Burning in its slow unfolding, while “Tyler's Hand of Glory” presents an even more molten handling of the material.

February 2013