Transmissions from the Rainbow Bridge

Constellation of Ions & Other Information

2012-02-18T13:07:00.006-06:00

Fade in billowing clouds of guitar ambiance and swirls of electronic phasing. Burst through with Art Blakey soaked in codeine jamming with some metaphysical amalgamate of Czukay and Waters. Groove bombs dropping, rapturous synthesizer echowave fallout. Fade away bell meditation and alien jungle.

Mike Sharp: Drums, Synth

Alex Hughes: Bass, Bells

Tyler Taylor: Guitar

Braden Balentine: Synth

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href="http://ssssssungoddddd.bandcamp.com/album/cuts-from-the-ether"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Cuts from the Ether by 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As of this week, Sungod's "Cuts from the Ether" readies for production. All tracks now mastered and in transit to the label. If the workings of the universe permit it, we would like to have this available by SXSW...pure optimism. Preliminary information including tracklist and lineup:
Sungod's Bandcamp:http://ssssssungoddddd.bandcamp.com/album/cuts-from-the-ether
Dusty Grass Imprint:http://dustygrassimprint.bandcamp.com/
A detailed write up concerning the release and KVRX session will come as the tapes arrive to hand........

The Sonic Meditations repress of Sungod's "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others" could potentially arrive by the end of this month. Soon anyway. A previous post stores all the relevant information concerning the release but we will keep in touch here regarding availability.

Concluding, some short videos from two Sungod live performances. The first contains some cosmic drone from our recent set at the Carousel Lounge. The second captures a moment from our very first appearance and features some magnificent (and close up) cymbal work by Mike Sharp. Both shot by Brian Boeckman. Be well.

Psychotropic Elephas

2012-02-04T12:06:00.000-06:00

In the absence of any significant news, I would like to share some excellent photographs from Sungod's recent evening of psychodrone at the Carousel Lounge. All photographs courtesy of Brian Boeckman.

Tiphereth: Vision of the Harmony of Things

2012-01-18T16:58:00.002-06:00

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On the 26th day of this current lunar cycle, Sungod shall materialize as two distinct intertwinings of soul and flesh, of consciousness and matter, of mind and body, to act as a sonic-conduit for a specific instant of the Universe's creative urge. The magickal operation initiating the exposition of sound shall proceed without the use of physical and percussive acoustics; instead, the two receivers of the transmission shall rebroadcast using vibrational, magnetic, and oscillatory means of electromagnetic wave generation. Analog synthesis, six string flux devices, time distortion, and vacuum tube circuitry only, to supply directed manipulation of local air pressure for the duration of a 15° rotation of our communal gravity-vessel. The location of this spacetime event allows the conveyance and consumption of externally sourced Bacchic fluids to assist telepathic connections. Expect percolating Teuto-electronics, black hole drones, acid-fried guitar explorations, and beauteous drifts into comforting envelopes of light and sound.

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We have completed the artwork for Sungod's Cuts from the Ether, the first live document of our 4-piece sound collective. More coming on that as soon as the tapes go to press, but for now, a taste of the layout featuring Justin Grove's hypnotic line work. I am convinced the path to enlightenment lies somewhere in contemplation of the astral webwork of rays and curves.

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Recording, as ever, proceeds slowly...but at the edge of our collective vision there are flutters of shapes, shadows dancing, hints of form...spectral apparitions, as it were, of the full realization of whatever these months of toil, joy, and frustration have been moving towards. Soon, I hope, we can unveil the initial fruits of this endeavor, for a very exciting opportunity has emerged from the void. Primitive superstitions allow me to divulge no more details than that, but soon my brothers and sisters, soon.

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Admire thou the High Way of Water! Is not Water the soul of the life of things, whereby they change? Yet it seeketh its level, and abideth content in obscurity. So also it resembleth the Tao, in this Way thereof!

The virtue of a house is to be well-placed; of mind, to be at ease in silence as of Space; of societies, to be well-disposed; of governments, to maintain quietude; of work, to be skilfully performed; and of all motion, to be made at the right time.

Also it is the virtue of a man to abide in his place without discontent; thus he offendeth no man.

First Matter LPs available on Bandcamp

2012-01-09T14:42:00.004-06:00

Descending, as well all must, to converse upon the droll topic of commerce...it has come to my attention that Bandcamp now allows the sale of the physical, inertia possessing counterpart to the digitized media they host. Owing to this and until they run out, twenty-one copies of the First Matter LP, the last of our personal stash, reside there for monetary exchange.

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Favorite Records of 2011

2012-01-07T14:19:00.009-06:00

Recognizing that we now occupy 2012, I belatedly submit the year end lists for Mike and myself. An entirely useless enterprise, yet informative for any who may be curious as to the periodically diverging and intersecting musical tastes of the creative forces behind Sungod. Through the limited portico of a contemporary annum of music, the astute may scry where each of us has been, and where we are to go.

Mike's List:

Psychic Paramount – II

An explosive sophomore LP by Brooklyn's chaotically controlled trio. Blown out, driving and relentless to the last second. The web of minimal and rhythmically knit guitar work combined with an unstoppable rhythm section creates groove-ridden riff perfection.

Alvarius B. – Baroque Primitiva

Alan Bishop's latest solo-record. Complete with lo-fi acoustic covers and whimsically charming arrangements. His voice belts out as well as it ever did in SCG, and the tunes carry a warm and homeward mood throughout.

Charalambides – Exile

Houston's legendary experimental duo deliver a beautifully put together and stoic record. Complete with the usual heady temperament, the Carters have a feel that's matured so noticeably and lush. The track “Words Inside” sticks out on this record. Some of the best vocal performances of Christina Carter's career.

Master Musicians of Bukkake – Totem Three

The third installment of their “Totem” series. MMoB serves up what might be my favorite record of the series. This record has it's share of transcendent drone-outs on the eastern tinge but also has some of the more rhythmic pieces I've heard of bands in this vein. Not to mention the synthesizers are unashamed and out front. I want drugs.

Seun Kuti and the Egypt 80 – From Africa With Fury: Rise

While the influences are more than obvious, this might be the most eclectic and “together” Afrofunk record since the Fela's Afrodisiac. Seun's band is more than tight, they are a swinging monster. The track “For Dem Eye” gets special mention, as it might have the most infectious beat of the year.

Grails – Deep Politics

Grails is a band that needs no introduction. This record might be their most defining yet. While the Black Tar... series speaks volumes at their influences and songwriting capabilities, Deep Politics proves, yet again, that they are a whole new animal.

The Necks – Mindset

As an Australian Jazz trio, these guys have released some of the most challenging, and rewarding records of the genre in the past two decades. With two sidelong tracks they almost condense some of the more hectic and peak parts of their more expansive works. “Rum Jungle” plays like having your head under a piston, while “Daylights” would represent the headache after, waiting for sweet relief.

Disappears – Guider

Recent hot commodities Disappears give us a record that actually focuses in MORE on the pumping tremolo riffs, catchy vocals and bustling drums to make an LP that actually has less tracks, but more character than their previous effort Lux. “Revisiting” in particular hones my favorite parts of their sound, clocking in at just under 16 minutes.

Mark Mcguire – Living With Yourself

It's pretty common knowledge that this Emeralds alum has his own style of syncopated, freaked out guitar wrapped in a magnanimous and patient sensibility. This record was kind of a late-realization to me. I had heard his previous works and was jamming A Young Person's Guide to... quite often, but the very personal and empathetic style of this record proved to be a great soundtrack to the winter months here in Texas.

Glenn Jones – The Wanting

Cul De Sac guitarist Glenn Jones pulls out his longest solo effort yet. A 2xLP with a side-long finale (Feat. Chris Corsano). While some of the tracks were on a split he released earlier this year, the body of work speaks for itself. In terms of primitive VOLK, he widens his range even further than his previous three LP's. This record is complete with some of the best open-back banjo tunes of his career as well.

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Braden's List:

Moritz von Oswald Trio – Horizontal Structures

I am hard put to name a more forward thinking sound artist than Moritz von Oswald, whose work in Basic Channel, Rhythm & Sound, and the Chain Reaction label have so dominated my year. But none of that, however far-reaching and otherworldly, prepares for the overwhelming brilliance of his vision in the Moritz von Oswald Trio, actually a quintet on this outing, mashing up von Oswald's string synths and Fender Rhodes and Max Loderbauer's expert modern electronics with Sasu Ripatti's clanging, driving percussion, Paul St. Hillaire's dubbed out space guitar, and most interestingly, Marc Muellbauer on acoustic double bass. The concept alone destroys the need for further description, for here we have the format and approach of a classic jazz unit, the preference for live performance and minimalist collective improvisation, applied to the entire history of electronic music. The rhythms move and groove like only Can or early-70s Miles could with persistent motorik, funked out percussion, both electric and acoustic and sinuous snakey bass lines; yet the songs also encompass the stoic space research of early Schulze, Cluster, and TD, the heady pot-smoke haze of dub and space rock, and the attention to detail and production techniques typical of modern dance. This results in a very patient form of hypnotic post-everything music, each piece building into distinct and far out journeys that beg hearing by any fan of true psychedelic music.

Gang Gang Dance – Eye Contact

A strangely compelling trip from start to finish. Confusion abounds anytime I try to analyze just why I love this record so much. Yet I find something absolutely entrancing in the bands syncretic combination of dancey bass heavy grooves, tropical and eastern melodies, adventurous vocals moving as easily from alien R&B to Bollywood coos and twitters, shoegaze guitars, incredible drumming, and some of the best sounding electronic programming I have really ever heard, especially the synthesizers...the gloriously gooey and lush synthesizers that dominate everything. A strange record that exists out of space or time. No precedent comes to mind for what happens here, especially in the band's back catalog, which impresses me not. References, though easy enough to spot, are twisted and contorted into a unique collage, the audio equivalent of some brilliant tapestry, woven by one using all the normal tools, yet achieving colors and patterns never before considered.

Circle – Infektio

As the years go on, I only seem to like Circle more and more. No band I can think of so daringly reinvents themselves every album while continuing to deliver exceptional musical quality. Infektio finds Circle ever exploring new horizons. Beginning with the near impenetrable "Salvos", who's bubbling synths and cold militant percussion set the stage for a satisfyingly dark trip, the listener journeys through fields of sound that at once feel familiar to Circle's universe, yet appear skewed in some sort of disturbing way. The hypnotic motorik pulse feels as present as ever, yet used more subtly than before, weaving in and out of strands of deep space electronics, jazzy skitter, and brief explosions of prog rock bombast. Perhaps in ways similar to pieces from Tyrant and Triumph, but with almost no black metal edge this time around, and more present and dominating synthesizers.

Grails – Deep Politics

Another excursion into the opiated netherworld of Grails. Joined most significantly by Timba Harris throughout, Grails continues to confound with their cinematic approach to some sort of pan-ethnic psychedelic music. The Secret Chief's presence calls to mind the long lost Timothy Horner, whose Ellis-ian viol screeching so dominated and elevated The Burden of Hope and Redlight of years past, yet the strings now, despite grandiose intensity, are used subtly to expand the music into moodier and more emotionally engaging horizons. We get a little less Middle Eastern and Oriental flare than Grails are known for, but the albums effortless progression between mystical drum machine flute mash ups, epic noir-Prog work outs, Gila indebted kraut-folk, and melancholic down-tempo jazz shows yet another way forward for all forms of cosmic music.

Master Musicians of Bukkake – Totem Three

The last entry into one of the better musical trilogies I can think of, and it shines ever as bright as Totem One and Totem Two, if not brighter. The vocal drones and incantations that so accentuated Part 1, yet were downplayed in Part 2, now resurface with renewed inspiration. Led most obviously by impressive careen of Alan Bishop, the vibratory human voices soar over the hypnotic combination of exotic instrumentation and galactic synthesizers. As usual with the work of Randall Dunn, the expert production allows the wide range of tones and timbres to dance within their own space while also vibing together to create this absurdly engaging occult progression into forms of mystical knowledge both mental and oscillatory.

The Necks – Mindset

I came late to the world of the Necks, but searching out and listening to as much of their music as possible was one of the most rewarding explorations of any musical universe I have yet experienced. The journey culminated with Mindset, one of the Necks shortest offerings and also their first to find its way onto wax. Owing to the nature of the medium, the Necks alter their expected approach by producing two relatively short pieces that stand as well independently as together. "Rum Jungle" find the Necks spinning and weaving the animalistic intensity of free jazz into an absurdly engaging and over the top display of wild pulsing physicality. "Daylights", on the surface, seems to be the cool down necessary after the invigorating first side, yet continual listens reveal a subtle fire that is every bit as mind-melting as "Rum Jungle", achieved within dimensions even more abstract.

Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer – Re: ECM

A dream it must be, to have unlimited access to the vast archives of ECM; yet how daunting given the sheer number of releases and the overwhelming consistency and quality of Manfred Eicher's vision. Max Loderbauer and Ricardo Villalobos need little introduction, the former because of his great work in NSI, Sun Electric, and the Moritz von Oswald Trio, the latter because of album after album of the most inspiring and jaw dropping minimal techno of the last decade. For Re: ECM however, the duo's proclivity for heady electronics moves far to the background, with only minimal bass loops and synth chirps used tastefully to expand their arrangements and mash-ups. Most everything I have heard on ECM stands perfectly well, but hearing the various releases combined in novel ways creates a magical atmosphere that somehow soars beyond the sum of parts involved. From the very outset, the release exudes vibes of the transcendental as the entire development of out-music as seen through the lense of ECM unfolds in a dizzying panorama of disembodied chants, drones, subtle free jazz, creepy avant-garde experimentation, and pan-exotic textures.

A Winged Victory for the Sullen – A Winged Victory for the Sullen

Stars of the Lid work so infrequently now that any least gift from their Olympus of Pure Ambience finds me in an anticipatory stupor. Especially considering the prospect of hearing yet another collaboration involving the somehow more obscure Adam Wiltzie. His two prior collaborations outside of the Lid mothership, The Dead Texan with Christina Vantzou, and Aix Em Klemm with Bobby Donne of Labradford, stand as two of my favorite records of all time. Something about Wiltzie's work outside of SOTL, while maintaining the patience and lush beauty, seems more immediate and emotionally engaging, with subtle of hints of song structure ever appearing. A Winged Victory for the Sullen, which finds Wiltzie working with pianist Dustin O'Halloran, continues this loose development. The piano dominates the proceedings here with O'Halloran's deft yet restrained playing and melancholic melodies. Wiltzie backs the twinkling beauty of the piano with an arsenal of gentle guitar, string, and electronic drones that form a billowing cloud of purposeful and affecting ambiance. Like most SOTL related projects, each listen truly reveals new layers of sonic meaning, as the brain, ever searching for new connections, discovers gorgeiously evolving relationships between every least detail.

Zombi – Escape Velocity

Perhaps Zombi's definitive statement thus far. Escape Velocity exudes absolute confidence in every aspect of its presentation. The record, split neatly into sides composed primarily by each member of the duo, starts off with Steve Moore's brain chilling sequence work outs. The courageous minimalism employed on his three compositions strikes me the most, usually involving just one very complex sequencer pattern playing off of Pattera's prog inflected, yet increasingly kraut-discotized drumming. The majestic keyboards once so dominant in Zombi's sound are used merely to add minimal cinematic flare as the serpentine arpeggios escalate in intensity, approaching that fabled sphere of programming ability only occupied by post-Phaedra Tangerine Dream. Bewildering, truly. Pattera's compositions, though also stripped down, exude a pronounced progressive flare. The sequencing remains as intricate and precise as the preceding tracks, yet over the top and symphonic harmonies generate a sense of drama absent from the more spaced out, calculated feel of Side A.

Alvarius B. – Baroque Primitiva

Coming relatively soon after SCG's fantastic Funeral Mariachi, this release finds Alan Bishop exploring similarly subdued and beautiful songcraft, seemingly out of character with a discography that includes Dante's Disneyland Inferno and the impenetrable Jack's Creek. Hooks abound as Bishop delivers his most wholesome and pleasing vocal performance to date. Very little of the confrontational, shrieking, ranting, and snotty mystic appears here; we are instead blessed with Bishop tackling many timeless tunes, further emphasizing his skill as an arranger and his ability to create affecting, timeless pop music. A lo-fi and incredibly intimate atmosphere prevails as we journey through Bishop originals, and fantastic covers including the Beach Boys and heavy emphasis on the work of Ennio Morricone, who's influence has (fortunately) ever dominated Bishop's music.

Spaceship Earth

2011-12-28T16:28:00.006-06:00

"Time lapse sequences of photographs taken with a special low-light 4K-camera by the crew of expedition 28 & 29 onboard the International Space Station from August to October, 2011."

Happened to view this alongside the demo version of "Come Down Easy" from Forged Prescriptions...oddly perfect.

Geburah: The Radical Intelligence

2011-12-22T22:00:00.008-06:00

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Sungod continues laboring at a slow but sure pace, compiling ever more audio incantations to satisfy an as yet unstated force of collective will. Seven crumbling and decaying magnetic memory spirals hold an estimated five hours of universal sound captured between the summer and winter solstices. Thus far, ten completed pieces occupy an hour's temporal breadth. This concentrated manifestation of creation will serve to generate the interest of wide dispersion to the inhabitants of this communal starship, Earth. In the meantime, we continue our Great Work without lust for result, living only in the glory of the present and letting the unconscious dictate the terms of forward movement.

We shall speak more to the content and how our sound progresses when this mass of vibrations assumes more coherent forms. We hope to have enough workable material for several releases taken from the same body of waves, but it remains difficult to speak concretely before everything nears completion. I can say that it represents our finest and most diverse artistic statements thus far and channels everything we love of the exploratory cosmic music of the last 40 years, whether that be krautrock, minimilism, free/spiritual jazz, droning ambience, Berlin school electronics, or the pan-rhythmic excursions of the African continent.

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The repress of "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others" on Sonic Meditations will see release within the next couple of months. Details on that as we know more, but for now, check out this nice write up describing the background of the repress and the music itself:

http://www.exposeventy.com/sonicmeditations/releases.html

"Sungod from Austin, Texas have been working hard and consistently since I was introduced to them at SXSW in 2011. Expo '70 shared the same stage that night early on in the showcase week along with Quiet Evenings, Hubble, Woodsman, Toby Aronson, Kevin Shields, Thousand Foot Whale Claw, just to name a few. Unfortunately I arrived to the show just as Sungod were in on the main stage performing, I didn't get to catch much that evening, but Mike of Sungod and I swapped tapes. Some point in the week I busted out their self-released hand packaged cassette release and came to find out that this was a majestic collection of superb drones, crafted well with great tones and the patience to let the instrumentation blend together.

This is a re-release of that great cassette that was traded to me. Sound hints of early Six Organs of Admittance, La Monte Young and obscure new age synth workouts while incorporating free-form playing under those synth textures, building each track with intensity."

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In other release related news, we have completed mixing Sungod's KVRX radio performance from August 2011. This session features extended versions of some new material and serves as the first documentation of the Sungod live band (featuring Alex Hughes on bass/bells and Tyler Taylor on synthesizers and additional guitars). We will post a lot more information as things finalize, but on our end we have only to master the music and finish the layout. It will be released at some point on Jason Sheehy's fledgling Dusty Grass imprint as a limited cassette (check out his great blog Three Miles from Space for a diverse and frequently updated collection of starry jams).

To conclude, Mike and I shall be posting our top ten records of 2011 within the upcoming week. Stay tuned for that and more as we'll be posting some new tracks and lots of information about upcoming releases in the near future. Be well.

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Heaven and Earth are mighty in continuance, because their work is delivered from the lust of result.

Thus also the sage, seeking not any goal, attaineth all things; he doth not interfere in the affairs of his body, and so that body acteth without friction. It is because he meddleth not with personal aims that these come to pass with simplicity.

Chesed: Initiate the Potencies of Construction

2011-08-11T12:22:00.006-05:00

Do you feel the mass of positive vibrations emanating from our humble region of space time?

.......

On Friday the 19th of August, Sungod, S U R V I V E, and Thousand Foot Whale Claw shall sanctify the 29th Street Ballroom with successive electro-sonic rituals. Passage into the ceremonial chambers begins at 9:00 post meridiem and ends with the communal invocation of Pan Pangenitor.

The flow of space-time appears to mean very little in the trance state, but an approximate sequence of events has Thousand Foot Whale Claw performing at 10:00 post meridiem, Sungod at 11:15 post meridiem, and S U R V I V E at 12:30 ante meridiem. Enlightenment comes at the price of 5 bio-survival tickets.

.......

Following a mere blink of the cosmic eye, KVRX shall convert Sungod into ~3.27 meter electromagnetic waves on the evening of Sunday August 21st. Tune your e/m radiation receiver's frequencey modulation dial to 91.7 million cycles per second, on or near that point in the Earth's rotation we label 10:00 post meridiem.

.......

The extremely limited drone-out known as "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others" and issued by Sungod for SXSW shall reincarnate, again in cassette form, on Expo '70/Justin Wright's Sonic Meditations. The electronic soul still travels the seas of the other shore but could materialise in a form recognizable to human consciousness as soon as September 2011. 100 magneto-plastic cassette cartridges will contain the bounty of this soul's energy.

.......

To conclude, Sungod continues to write and record the follow up to First Matter. Over 2 hours of unconscious inspiration lie imprinted on strips of ferromagnetic iron oxide waiting on further manipulation and distortion. More to report on that as things progress. Be well!

.......

The Te is the immortal energy of the Tao, its feminine aspect. Heaven and Earth issued from her Gate; this Gate is the Root of their World-Sycamore. Its operation is of pure Joy and Love, and faileth never.

Binah: The Sanctifying Intelligence

2011-05-10T01:24:00.000-05:00

At first glance, it seems a waste to use one of the most divine emanations on an update with no real substance. We continue to face technological obstacles in the form of an 8-track that more resembles a large furnace fueled only by bio-survival tickets. Fortunately, it appears as if it will return to us in a months time. The intervening period has not been idle. The recent Laurentide & Cordilleran release belongs to a larger body of work representing a period of intense creativity and focus in Sungod's musical development. Once again tethered to the often frustrating and subtly cruel cassette 4-track, we've honed and progressed our sound into ever widening and divergent sonic avenues. But the threads are never severed and a potent cosmic melancholy pervades and unites the vibrations. The sound, being both continuous and unbounded, can smoothly approach infinity, never reaching, but always carrying forward. As Binah recieves and gives form to Chokmah, that energizing element of existence, that reality underlying all things whatsoever, so we have received and given shape to the intuitive and purely creative force of the subconscious.

Returning to Earth, this translates to a wealth of new material that we'll put to tape over the course of 2011. Without going into too many details, we have been approached to release something on a label both of us respect and enjoy, so we've been compiling and demoing a batch of compositions and improvisations. We also plan to commence production on a follow up LP to First Matter, which we hope to record during the summer and fall. As before, it will be self recorded. The plan is for a massive 2xLP (if some one is interested in pressing it, of course!)

Heaven and earth proceed without motive, but casually in their order of nature, dealing with all things carelessly, like used talismans. So also the sages deal with their people, not exercising benevolence, but allowing the nature of all to move without friction.

The space between heaven and earth is their breathing apparatus. Exhalation is not exhaustion, but the complement of inhalation, and this equally of that. Speech exhausteth; guard thyself therefore, maintaining the perfect freedom of thy nature.

Chokmah: "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others" Available for Download

2011-03-24T10:41:00.005-06:00

NOTE (08/11/11): As Sonic Meditations plans to rerelease this in the fall of 2011, we have taken down all but one track from the bandcamp. You may continue to download all of First Matter at no cost.

The virtual representation of Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others is available for streaming/download at Sungod's bandcamp. Drop in:
http://ssssssungoddddd.bandcamp.com/album/laurentide-cordilleran-others

FLAC/MP3/whatever you want, files of all artwork included in the download.
Same price as the air you breathe.

The Tao resembleth the Emptiness of Space; to employ it, we must avoid creating ganglia. Oh Tao, how vast art Thou, Abyss of Abysses, thou Holy Secret Father of All Fatherhoods of Things!

Let us make our sharpness blunt; let us loosen our complexes; let us tone down our brightness to the general obscurity. Oh Tao, how still art though, how pure, continuous One beyond Heaven!

This Tao hath no Father, it is beyond all other conceptions, higher than the highest.

Kether: Sungod presents "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others"

2011-03-15T13:30:00.005-06:00

I have been eagerly awaiting posting about Sungod's newest release entitled "Laurentide & Cordilleran + Others". This is a full length cassette featuring about 45 minutes of new music.

Each issue of this release has been hand crafted entirely by the band. The purple cassette comes wrapped in a hand-sewn cloth pouch inside a manilla envelope. A photograph glued to the front serves as the cover. A two sided, color card-stock and construction paper insert is included as is a photograph from the recording sessions of "Oh Baby, I Love you So". To complete the package, we have included an incense stick for proper atmosphere and a wax seal to close it up.

The first pressing of this cassette is earmarked for our two SXSW shows and is limited to about 25 copies. We will have 12 for sale at each show.

I want to give a brief description of the actual content of the release. This represents somewhat of a departure from the sounds contained on our First Matter LP. It still remains indebted to our space and krautrock forefathers, but with less rock and much more space.

A1 - "Honey it Ain't No Crime (To Run Off from Home)"

A poor man's raag for acoustic guitar, harmonium, and contrabass. Wheezing, drunken acoustic drones generate a deep pulse. A cloud of fingerpicked acoustic guitar emerges; sometimes gentle...other times frantic. The three wave sources interweave and dance around one another until the singular moment of samadhi as all become one in the everlasting light.

Braden Balentine: Harmonium

Mike Sharp: Acoustic Guitar

Alex Hughes: Contrabass

A2 - "Laurentide"
A luminous cosmic journey from start to finish. This beautiful slab of electro-drift locates the intersection of electric organ, analog synthesizer, and tremolo guitar and the alchemical marriage of these primal elements approximates the fabled Harmony of the Spheres. Soaring strings combine with lush synth trails as cavernous, pulsating guitar chords move the mind ever closer to total bliss.

Braden Balentine: Synthesizer, Organ
Mike Sharp: Electric Guitar

B1 - "Oh Baby, I Love you So"
The sound of a door slams as you enter the opium den. The faux-eastern sounds of a detuned and abused esraj lull you into an introspective haze. The clanging bells and arcing streaks of bowed metal disrupt the meditation and the mind is forced to wander amidst abstract fields of acoustic disharmony. Thuds, clangs, plucks, terror.

Braden Balentine: Bowed Cymbals, Bells, Tibetan Singing Bowl
Mike Sharp: Esraj
Alex Hughes: Contrabass

B2: - "Cordilleran"
A glacial wall of deep synth and organ ambiance surrounds this piece in a sinister glow. Moody echo guitar and synthesized starlight come and go as the sound seemingly approaches the infinite. As one resigns to float forever amidst this dark sonic river, a terrifying crash of detuning guitars and pounding drums distorts all perception; as if some very ancient energy has returned to initiate the destruction of space and time.

Braden Balentine: Synthesizer, Electric Guitar
Mike Sharp: Organ, Synthesizer, Drums

We will very likely do a second pressing of these in similar quantity after SXSW. We will also be posting this release on our bandcamp in the next week or so for streaming and download.

To reward merit is to stir up emulation; to prize rarities is to encourage robbery; to display desirable things is to excite the disorder of covetousness.

Therefore the sage governeth men by keeping their minds and theirs bodies at rest, contenting the one by emptiness, the other by fulness. He satisfieth their desires, thus fulfilling their wills, and making them frictionless; and he maketh them strong in body, to a similar end.

He delivereth them from the restlessness of knowledge and the cravings of discontent. As to those who have knowledge already, he teacheth them the way of non-action. This being assured, there is no disorder in the world.

Ain Soph Aur: First Matter Artwork

2011-03-15T11:35:00.002-06:00

There isn't anything on the net as far as I know that gives a description of the First Matter layout, which we are still rather proud of. Here are some photos. The cover painting was done by our good friend Justin Grove.

All men know that beauty and ugliness are correlatives, as are skill and clumsiness; one implies and suggests the other.

So also existence and non-existence post the one the other; so also is it with ease and difficulty, length and shortness; height and lowness. Also Musick exists through harmony of opposites; time and space depend upon contraposition.

By the use of this method the sage can fulfill his will without action, and utter his word without speech.

All thing arise without diffidence; they grow, and none interferes; they change according to their natural order, without lust of result. The work is accomplished; yet it continueth in its orbit, without goal. This work is done unconsciously; this is why energy is indefatigable.

Ain Soph: Sungod's First Matter

2011-03-08T23:12:00.003-06:00

First Matter has been out quite a while now, so we decided to upload it to our bandcamp. You can listen to the entire LP or download it in just about any format possible. Much more coming to this space in the future including Sungod SXSW performances, line-up additions, and information about a new, very limited and lovingly hand made cassette release containing our finest material yet.

http://ssssssungoddddd.bandcamp.com/album/first-matter

Here are two reviews. I believe there are still copies here are there around the net and we have some as well. Most importantly:

http://www.cyclopeanrecords.com/index.php?/store/shop/

http://theobelisk.net/obelisk/2010/09/16/sungodreview/

   Somewhere, at some point in time, somebody gave one of the two members of Austin, Texas, psychedelic newcomers Sungod a copy of Nebula’s To the Center, and it’s a good thing they did. The duo (doesn’t anyone have a bassist anymore?) have taken this heavy, grooving influence and stretched it out as far as it’ll go, abandoning for the most part the aforementioned band’s penchant for catchy choruses in favor of wide-breadth atmospherics on theirCyclopean Records debut, First Matter. The album’s five tracks follow a reverse-parabola structure, starting long, getting shorter in the middle, then longer again at the finish, but there’s more to the flow than nifty toying around with the track list. Sungod worship at a number of altars and their sound — in no small part thanks to liberal guitar layering — is surprisingly full for an act without a full-time bassist.
   Comprised of string-section Balentine and drummer Sharp, Sungod traffic in a heady, open-spaced instrumental heavy psych, marked by guitar passages so lyrical I had to go back and double check there weren’t vocals on them. Nine-minute opener “The Key is No Key” starts with striking feedback and hard-pounding rhythms. Balentine takes this as a basis for layering reverbed guitar explorations, but keeps a solid foundation underneath. Sharp’s playing is strong whether during these freakout jams or the more straightforward intervals from which they’re birthed, and on the acoustic-led “Under the Golem,” the organic ambience of the song is only enhanced by the various bells and chimes present. On the centerpiece title-track (also First Matter’sshortest song at 3:46), the drums go on a half-backwards tape loop Dale Crover spree of intermittent hits punctuating feedback from Balentine, drones and noises of several other shapes and sizes, so you get some sense of diversity in listening to the album in more than just basic sonics.
   “Blanche of Castle” is pastoral psychedelic bliss made even more summery by the almost constant cymbal play. It’s like something Earth might attempt after a really good meal, but somehow less droning and more exploratory than that seminal Seattle outfit’s most recent work. Balentine keeps the guitars on the move, even if they’re peaceful, and the subtle bass-drum hits from Sharpadd a sense of structure, albeit a loose one. Leading into 22-minute closer “Inkailmeva,” it’s a quiet setup for a song that contains all of the above elements with room left over for some extra bombast and even a smoky, late night Hendrix blues jam about 13 minutes in that eventually brings the monolithic piece to its riffy, satisfying conclusion.
   If nothing else, what the track proves is that Sungod, while obviously playing with a focus on spontaneity, are also capable of enacting a plan with a song, and in so doing, to vary their sound even more. First Matter is well within the bounds of modern heavy psych, but the Austin duo work ably in the genre confines to pull of an album that’s still their own. I’d be intrigued to see the layering approach of Balentine and Sharp live — not that it couldn’t be done, it would just require setting up a lot of loops — and if hearing First Matter is what piqued that interest, then the album has done its job.

http://www.shortandsweetnyc.com/2010/10/sungod-first-matter/

   Sungod’s First Matter is loud and heavy psychedelic rock from outer space. These five tracks are mostly gargantuan affairs wherein everything swirls, reverberates or drones.
   Nine-and-a-half minute opener “The Key Is No Key” is as appropriate of an introduction as any with its varying tempos, chugging and effect-laden guitars, and careening drums that send you hurling into black holes and milky ways.
   The next few tracks are a bit more subdued, alternating heavy and light atmospheres, while “Blanche of Castile” resets the mood nicely with its soothing strums and picks, and echoey slide guitars.
   It’s a nice and welcome respite from the chaos, especially since it’s followed by the 22-minute “Inkalimeva,” a track that one-ups the previous four to an nth degree with its chugging build-ups, vamps and explosions. It reaches a climax at just over 12 minutes in, followed by a hushed, sparse midsection that slowly builds back into a big, swirling crescendo.
   The bigness of some of these tracks might be a bit much to get your heard around the first time through, and there isn’t too much in the way of “hooks” to hold onto, but as an exercise in interstellar rock, it works nicely.

The Tao-Path is not the All-Tao. The Name is not the Thing named.

Unmanifested, it is the Secret Father of Heaven and Earth; manifested, it is their Mother.

To Understand this Mystery, one must be fulfilling one's will. If one is not thus free, one will but gain a smattering of it.
The Tao is one, and the Te but a phase thereof. The abyss of this Mystery is the Portal of Serpent-Wonder.

Ain: The Beginning

2011-03-06T10:30:00.001-06:00

Herein you will comprehend the mystical ramblings of two conduits of a force unknown.
The current manifestation of this force speaks in tongues of air and longitudinal compression.
There are many bodies in the Light of this Force, but here you shall know the Sungod.
The only law is change: movement, dynamism, electricity, love.
Find your way to the City of Pyramids.

Let there be no difference made among you between any one thing & any other thing; for thereby there cometh hurt.