Always prone to having a big presence at Birmingham’s Supersonic Festival, this year Thrill Jockey really seem to be taking over, with a five bands playing at the UK’s finest underground music festival. Ranging from the an extremely rare UK appearance from Sweden’s The Skull Defekts and Eternal Tapestry’s first gigs since the release of their latest album Beyond the 4th Door; to the triumphant return of perennial favourites Barn Owl and White Hills, a good chunk of Thrill Jockey’s 2011 release schedule will be in attendance. In addition, Alexander Tucker will be treating festival goers to a unique performance of new material with projections of films made especially for the event.

British experimental musician Alexander Tucker releases his Thrill Jockey debut Dorwytch in April 2011. This record breaks new ground for Tucker by combining minimalist string arrangements with electronic manipulations and drones to produce doom chamber-pop songs and psychedelic music-concrete collages.

Tucker’s sound has developed over the years since his first self-titled solo album, which featured acoustic finger-picking, experimental electronics and was released on Jackie O Motherfucker’s U-Sound Archives label. Three years in the making Dorwytch finds Tucker refining his song craft and introducing minimalist string movements that build into dense spiraling riffs around his distinct vocals. This album will beguile and entice the listener, placing Tucker at the forefront of the experimental pop landscape.

A very special performance at Supersonic Festival will see a performance of this new material matched with projections of films made specially for the event. The performance is a extension of the Alexander Tucker visual world of hair beings and other worldly creatures.

You can download Alexander Tucker’s “His Arm Has Grown Long” as a free MP3 here:

http://www/thrilljockey.com/assets/freedownload/Alexander_Tucker-His_Arm_has_Grown_Long.mp3

and see the video here:

http://vimeo.com/21839464

Barn Owl’s new album Lost in the Glare came out this week and to celebrate they are revealing a new video for the track “Turiya”. The prolific San Francisco-based drone duo of Evan Caminiti and Jon Porras have created another epic, stunning album featuring their signature dual guitars and interlocking monolithic progressions. You can find out about their various projects here: http://www.electrictotem.com/

Barn Owl “Turiya” video:

http://vimeo.com/28938368

http://www.thrilljockey.com/vault/vimeo/Barn_Owl-Turiya.html

Barn Owl “Turiya” track:

http://www.thrilljockey.com/assets/freedownload/Barn_Owl-Turiya.mp3

http://soundcloud.com/thrilljockey/barn_owl-turiya/

Artist page here: http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/?id=12625

TOUR DATES:

October:

23.10.2011 Birmingham (UK), Supersonic Festival
25.10.2011 Helsinki (FI), Semifinal
26.10.2011 Stockholm (SE), Debaser
27.10.2011 Oslo (NO), Cafe Mono
28.10.2011 Durbe (LV), Zemlika Festival
30.10.2011 Porto (PT), Amplifest

November:

16.11.2011 Geneva (CH), L’Usine
17.11.2911 Paris (FR), Cafe de la Danse w/ Evangelista
18.11.2011 Leuven (BE), STUK
20.11.2011 Utrecht (NL), DB’s
22.11.2011 Berlin (DE), Berghain Kantine

23. – 27.11.2011 Barcelona/Madrid (ES), Primavera Club

Just a reminder that Eternal Tapestry will be coming to Europe next month following their two Thrill Jockey releases this year, Beyond the 4th Door and the collaboration with Sun Araw, Night Gallery . Combining long stretches of melodic guitar improvisations with dark mystical songs that slowly build and expand to allow in layers of light, Eternal Tapestry create epic, brooding psychedelic sounds inspired by 70s experimental rock.

EU TOUR DATES

20 Oct 2011     UK      Ipswich         McGintys                                                                                                                                        21 Oct 2011     UK      Penryn          Miss Peapods                                                                                                                                    23 Oct 2011     UK      Birmingham      Supersonic Festival                                                                                                              24 Oct 2011     UK      London          Corsica Studios (with White Hills)                                                                                           25 Oct 2011     UK      Brighton                Prince Albert                                                                                                                           27 Oct 2011     FR      Paris           La Java
28 Oct 2011     CH      Lausanne                Le Bourg                                                                                                                                 29 Oct 2011     FR      Nantes          Soy Festival                                                                                                                                    02 Nov 2011     SP      Barcelona       Moog
03 Nov 2011     SP      Madrid          The Space Cadet @ El Perro Club                                                                                          04 Nov 2011     PT      Lisbon          ZDB
05 Nov 2011     PT      Porto           Plano B
06 Nov 2011     SP      Vitoria         Ibu Hots

LINKS:

http://www.myspace.com/eternaltapestry

label page: http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=12759

FREE MP3!! The Skull Defekts “Fragrant Nimbus”

http://www.thrilljockey.com/assets/freedownload/The_Skull_Defekts-Fragrant_Nimbus.mp3

With just the right blend of psychedelia and hypnotic grooves, White Hills weaves in and out of anthemic chants, deep space bleeps and other worldly madness for a mix that proves to be intoxicating. Since the release of the band’s debut album, listeners have been praising their originality and unique brand of heavy space rock. White Hills formed out of the need to forge Space Rock into the 21st Century. Their new album H-P1 is their most fully realised album to date and the one that takes them furthest from their pure space rock roots.  It is also their most angry record.  It is a reaction to what White Hills sees as government co-opted and controlled by corporations.

EU DATES:

Mon     Oct 24          London, UK                      Corsica Studios

To get a taste of their spectacular live performance, here’s a new live video for the title-track H-P1, shot at this year’s SXSW and directed by bass-player Ego Sensation

Website: http://whitehillsmusic.blogspot.com/

The compositions of Bell’s music for banjo and other various instruments has been ongoing since the early nineties. He is probably most famous for his bass playing in Lungfish and the duel guitar compositions of Human Bell.

The Aramaic language had an expression – Ephphatha, to be opened, as a portal. That ability to be open, to listen completely and communicate purely is at the heart of Human Bell. David Heumann and Nathan Bell’s gorgeous guitar duets form instrumental canvas painted in the warm colored hues of folk and rock music, and simultaneously a blank canvas for the listeners themselves to paint. Their songs are delicately crafted with an immaculate clarity, expressiveness, and most of all, openness.

Human Bell links:

http://www.thrilljockey.com/artists/index.html?id=10251