ace011: tetuzi akiyama + kevin corcoran + christian kiefer "low cloud means death" CD $13 / CD + 3" CDR $16
For years I've counted Tetuzi Akiyama as one of my absolute favorite guitarists. He's been cranking out great records for ages, honing his style and skill in every possible way. Add in Christian Kiefer, who has also put out a string of magnificent releases, and a talented drummer/percussionist in Kevin Corcoran (who has appeared on releases on Weird Forest and played in Antennas Erupt!) and you've got a recipe for something magical.

"Low Cloud Means Death" is a series of sea-inspired improvisations that are fighting a continual battle with the silence between each note. This is sparse music at its finest. Minimal notes float in the air as Corcoran lays a web of various percussion beneath the organic layer Akiyama and Kiefer weave. The instrumentation is varied - Akiyama sticks to acoustic guitar while Kiefer splits time on accordian, piano, and other vices. What the trio produces ends up coming off like an all-improvised Morton Feldman or something of the like.

This is a journey on salt-encrusted waves, traipsing through empty spaces in search of whatever aural mystery can be found. It goes something like this: Thump. Quiet again. Twang thump. Quiet. Quiet. Still quiet. Distant blap. And let me tell you, it is one fantastic voyage.

Limited to 500 copies. Artwork by Eden Hemming Rose.

Special edition limited to 100 copies includes bonus 3" CDR, "The Old Language," featuring a live performance by the trio. Hand-stamped covers.

tracklist:
1. drowned arch
2. four beams over the wreck
3. pale light
4. the pressure of the current
5. one patch of clear sky
6. wind is all winds
7. the vision ship
8. curious forms with darkness
9. rope & cable
10. a prodigality of light

Praise for these artists' previous releases:

"Never one to rest on his laurels, Akiyama has issued another great record that manages to sound nothing like the ones that came before it, and yet somehow still retains trace echoes of the singular clarity of his brilliant mind. If it's the likes of John Fahey and Robbie Basho that you seek, then turn elsewhere. Akiyama seems capable of speaking in no voice other than his own." - Dusted

"Kiefer's latest album Dogs & Donkeys might be his most ambitious and accessible work to date, and boasts another impressive roster of guest musicians. The album includes extended appearances by Wilco's Nels Cline, Low's Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker, and the Band's Garth Hudson (!), and none of their expert contributions are wasted." - Pitchfork