New Batch – Sacred Phrases
1.29.15 by Mike Haley

Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

That should be it. That should be the entire post. Just “Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck”, and a link to buy the first tapes of 2015 from Sacred Phrases. Then, since I got ya here, we cold shoot the shit. What ya feel like talking about? Superbowl? The Lost island? I mean, what’s in the hatch!? Or how about these Hollowfonts and Invisible Path cassettes? Yeah, let’s talk about those. Because Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck.

Hollowfonts “Primitive Masonry” will tie your dome in knots. The sort of knots usually reserved for Boy Scout Knot Tying Championships. Dude’s first tape on Phinery was a slammer, but this one… THIS is the one. The opener, Hushmoney, is a spiritual sound-quest as Michael J. O’Neal studiously lurches caked layers of drones down halls, eventually opening some double doors, letting in an obsessive beat. It’s the first 4 minutes and 10 seconds of what’s an extended mosaic of paper thin vocals, deviated rhythms, and massively engaging ambient washes. This recording is pretty massive in the complexity department. It’s like a Cosco of complexity, with some pieces bordering on synth-pop kissy-kiss sessions. You. Must. Dig. In.

The second tape is a project of ex-Barn Owl member Michael Bailey called Invisible Path. The couple of Invisible Path songs on the “Hollowed Ground” cassette take their god damn time sliming through cracks in the audio spectrum. The extremely meditative burner, with sun drenched, Beanie Baby soft guitar providing some TLC, goes into the phone booth and comes out (Superman style) as a Fuuuuuuuuuuuucking fizzy mutant with no shoes and a funky smell. I’m not even gonna mention the transition about 2/3rds of the way in. I wont do it. I wont. Okay, I will. Because, you guessed it. Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck. Scathing synthesizer action. Nothing fancy, just maddening oscillation that cuts like a freshly sharpened blade. Did I mention that’s just side A. The B side goes equally hard for another 20 minutes,  messing with some esoteric sounds. More of everything you NEED right now.

I know it’s pretty much as early as you can get, and nobody wants to hear anything about “year end lists”, but expect to see these mugs all over those things. Both are limited to 100 copies and can be snagged from Sacred Phrases for $8 (slightly more outside of the US). Also note that SP is working on  the “Inscription Vol.3” compilation, which is great.