http://rosequartz.blogspot.com/2009/05/ice-age-tea.html
http://redneckfistula.blogspot.com/2009/05/jane-pow-tar-now-sean-mccann.html
on the old, long, live cdr Boomerangutan
McCann runs neck and neck with Prurient for most prolific man in the experimental underground. Much like the aforementioned noise guru, a surprising majority of McCann's work is excellent, and you will be hard pressed to find a release of his that isn't worthy of at least one listen.
McCan took off on his musical journey with Boomerangutan in early 2008, and hasn't slowed down, disseminating his spectral sounds on cassette and Cd-r (15 releases proper by my count) but so far nothing on vinyl. Hopefully that will change soon. While McCann gambles with being overly prolific with this many releases, he's also got the skills and the creative capital in the bank to back him up if the dice don't roll his way from time to time.
Boomerangutan consists of 16 untitled tracks ranging in length from 1:26 to 8:38 long, which is a refreshing change from the 20-30 minute long-players which are so prevalent these days. I'm not trying to decry the lengthy tunes, as many times the form is dictated by the nature of improv explorations. That is, it just takes that long for some pieces to culminate and become fully realized. McCann, however, has a knack for packing his shorter tracks to overflowing with interesting and dynamic sounds, each component carefully crafted and placed as to attain utmost efficiency. The economy of his sound, if you will, leaves nothing to waste.
Boomerangutan begins by introducing us to an abundance of disparate but well mixed sounds that congeal in a murky pool whose depth is somewhat concealed upon initial listens, but clears upon subsequent evaluations. A mashup of apparent found sounds, echoing chants, and tribal drumming, all warbling through tape hiss and a distant shoegazed guitar sheen (ala My Bloody Valentine) create an atmosphere of enchantment which never lulls or dulls.
Space-synth notes fluctuate in between the ever-mutating drones as an undergrowth of sound thickens and spawns colorful blooms of noise, mimicking the collaged cover-art of the release. A metallic hue, subtly evident during Boomerangutan's initial tracks, begins to take over the proceedings, pushing the releases essential rhythms and ubiquitous loops into outer-territories, flirting with pure noise and creating a paradox of musical emotion as the dilatory pace is antagonised by the harsher elements of the overall sound. Eventually this bipolarity drives the inmates insane, and a cacophony of inhuman voices overwhelms all but the endless electronic hum and some steady maraca-like percussion, leaving an unsettling feeling behind.
Throughout its remainder, Boomerangutan fluctuates between airy and reflective drones, desultory experiments with large arrays of obscure instruments, pure pedal and synth din, banjo strumming on ramshackle porches with steel guitar accompaniment, and soulful guitar meanderings, obviously lessening in intensity over time, but never losing its anxiety, an element which serves it well, keeping it alert and focused throughout its 72 minutes. The consistency here never becomes boring, and its creativity never goes over the top. Mccann manages to keep affairs intact and focused while wrangling a panoply of unique sounds out of a multitude of sources. Versatility and vision meet controlled chaos as seen through a kaleidoscope of sound.
from Tiny Mix Tapes
http://www.tinymixtapes.com/TMT-Cerberus-05
Phylum Sigh c57 - DNT Records
Sean McCann’s latest is a tour de force of wails, chimes, tweets, and spasms. Like the aftermath of a tornado ripping through a Medieval carnival, Phylum Sigh is an organic treat. The album draws its power from the sounds of busted Ferris wheels, carnie barkers, warped children’s jewelry boxes, and any kitchen sink-associated sound that can be transformed into the happy sounds of children at play amidst the rubble that was once a spritely theme park. Often, McCann’s Frankenstein creations border on the scary and sadistic — the sort of monkey-grinding fair that would accompany It, as he torments his long-time victims for the last time — but for reasons unexplainable, as distant and jarring as the songs seem, there’s a familiarity to cling to. Whatever specters conjured from Phylum Sigh’s ghost town are ran away by Peter Pan happy thoughts. During the darkest times, the happiest in all of us can flip the script and save us from damnation.
from ear conditioned nightmare
Haven c71 - Holy Cheever Church Records
So I know Sean McCann has been getting a lot of press around these parts of late (the guy has been extremely busy it seems), but when I got this number in the mail today from Chris Riggs and his Holy Cheever operation, I threw it on right quick and, about 50 minutes into its 70-plus minute length I couldn't help but write about it. To be honest, I was a little surprised when I saw Riggs was putting out a McCann tape, as Riggs tends to go toward the lower case improv/noise stuff way more than the squishy synth work that McCann's been releasing of late. But of course though, had I forgotten so soon? McCann is equally adept at long form post-classical, post-rock, post-composition string movements a la Midnight Orchard, and this is just such the case. Which makes perfect sense in my book.
Talking about this thing with any detail is nearly impossible of course, as the two 35-minute sides each exhibit much the same feel and approach, with richly layered string work ebbing back and forth as naturally as blood in veins--two steps forward, one step back, one step forward, two steps back. The first side belongs to "Haven" parts one through three, and each movement is as still and gracious as the last. Great to hear someone going for it here and really extending his stuff into the endless, drifting along with no preferred arrival point, no egotistic gestures of self congratulation, no righteous nods to anything other than the music, at this time, in this place. It's as washed out and wonderful as music can be.
The B side is another single work, "Dreaming for Years," whose tectonically patient string loops go on and on, building mountains and eroding them again. There's a maturity here in McCann's allowance of the sound to just be as it will be and do as it will do, and it becomes increasingly difficult to tell if you are simply hearing the same loop over and over or if this is live and ever changing, no matter how minutely. Seems likely that McCann's ust letting your mind change while the music remains constant, but who knows. No matter. This stuff is stiller than Arvo Part, more minimal than La Monte Young, and more beautiful than Messiaen. Astounding, and perfectly suited to the Holy Cheever way. Which is a way highly deserving of some serious attention. Hopefully this tape will open up some ears to the rest of the catalog, because there are few other places where experimental music is being practiced to such a high degree so consistently. More on the way form the new batch of Holy Cheever shortly for sure. Oh, and the tape is limited to 70, which for McCann is fairly small, so head over to Holy Cheever HQ if you want one. They're still available, but I doubt for long.
from ear conditioned nightmare
http://earconditionednightmare.blogspot.com/
Frame Of Mind c38 - Stunned Records
A couple Sean McCann tapes up today that I've been waiting to cover for a bit, as each one is represented by two of my favorite labels, Stunned and DNT. Figured I'd start out with the Stunned as there's a bunch of Stunned to get through and I'd love to try and hit them all before they're all sold out from source, though that's been happening faster and faster these days. Nice to know that people are finally catching on to the action over there, and especially that a lot of people seem to just be getting it all (judging by the out of stock bonus by The Doglands, also soon to be reviewed here), which is the right move every time over there.
Anyway, when I heard Stunned was putting out another Sean McCann release. The first on Stunned, Sway, seems to have been a catalyst somewhat in McCann's well-deserved cred, but this follow up may be even better. If McCann has proven anything of late, it's that he can blow minds in all modes, and this tape is no exception. Opening with the title track, a blend of bowed strings and drone that soon dissolves into battered rhythms and odd spaces, McCann sets out running here, and the results are as carefully constructed and gorgeous as one could hope. Really some next level stuff. While a lot of people seem to be getting into the new age drone vibe these days, McCann keeps it interesting through his distinctive voice and instrumentation, as his bowed banjo emits snippets of Oriental waterlily ballads while the thudding string tugging and skittering electronic sequencing entrap the center and allow it to breathe easy.
Another aspect of McCann's expertise lies int he quality of the recordings themselves, which are treated as carefully as the music insinuates. So many people working in this world have a major jones for lo-fi murky drone, and really it's tough to not love it, but while a project like Skaters benefits from that aesthetic, allowing each sound to blend into the other in a propelling momentum, McCann's calls for a clearer production that allows every detail of his sound to come through. The following "Slight Manner," also with drifting strings and drone, is as crisp and illuminated as the sounds within. With each instrument as audible as it is, the different pockets of detail found over the course of a number of listens is exponentially increased. The feel is as vibrant and gentle as the sounds themselves.
The second side divides itself between three tunes that further explore the depths McCann creates. The first, "Bending Through," opens with a glistening electronic line that phases in and out above thick, aired out bass. It is absolutely immense and beautiful, soon slipping into an odd song of sorts, with drums and clatter carrying the piece forward. Not so much cosmic as its sounds might entail, the piece always sounds grounded in some sense, remaining that much more captivating for it. There's almost an Animal Collective / Black Dice vibe to this, only without any of the self-consciousness. "Colors" follows with another mini tune that eventually winds up leading (or should I say swaying) into the closing "Homeroom," whose vocal croons and lazy percussion evoke the tropical vibe everyone seems to be seeking these days, only in a far more dense and nostalgic way than most pull off. It's a beautiful tape, and of course beautifully packaged and (yeah!) still available from Stunned, so go grab two!
from ear conditioned nightmare
http://earconditionednightmare.blogspot.com/
Phylum Sigh c57 - DNT records
As I mentioned below, double duty on the McCann factor today, which is totally fine by me any day, but these two were such pleasure to go through I figured I'd do them back to back with no regrets whatsoever. This time around it's McCann on DNT, with a cute little doggy on a couch on the cover. While that might not connote anything too outrageous, the tape may even be trippier than the Stunned, with a greater emphasis on electronic blips and pseudo techno effects fiddling.
This can be seen from the outset on the first track, "Betazoid," which careens back and forth in electronic bliss, waters a bubblin'. Totally weird stuff here, endlessly aimless and drifting, but beneath all the murk you can here the soft tingling of banjo strings or the bass bellow of some distant organ line. Endlessly complex and really tough to get a handle on, this is stuff that avoids any overt genre and is just plain exciting. More than that though, it's also highly emotive. "Sunk Eyes" has drowning string gestures and laser tones flitting about in a surprisingly tough tugger of the heart strings. Beautiful. Or dig "Ice Age Tea," which takes the longing sounds of the previous track and opts to send them into some mental sink hole of bright colors and summer thunders.
The second side has five tracks, and with that many angles squished into so little a space you'd think that not much would be possible, but McCann says so much from the outset that he really doesn't have to get that far to make his presence known. The opener, "Mango Christmas," lets loose from the outset with haunting vocal moves and decaying chatter above a highly rich and amorphous bubbling synth. "Meaningless Desire" gets a bit more deranged as Dolphins into the Future sounds bounce around above some saw blade string bows and warbling atmospheres. I could go on and on, especially seeing how this tape is VAST. Super long and totally fulfilling. You know the deal, every release this guy does is better than the last and these two are no exception, presenting some of the best work I've heard from him yet. Also, keep your eyes peeled for Sean's own label, Roll Over Rover, and their new batch of stuff coming up. It looks like it should be another killer one for sure.
from AUXILIARY OUT
http://auxiliaryout.blogspot.com/2009/04/super-fun-3-round-up.html
Sean McCann – Background Sound Two [No Label]
This 3” is another long, lovely piece by San Francisco’s Mr. McCann. I know his stuff is always lovely but this thing is one of the lovelier ones. This would be meditative if it wasn’t so immediately, palpably beautiful and in a strange way, saddening. There’s a wonderful mournful quality to the sounds here. A pretty melody twinkles, emanating from a far corner of the stereosphere as you just kinda drift along in a synthy sea. Not too much to say about this other than I’m enjoying the ride. McCann shifts incredibly subtly between ideas keeping the piece entirely engaging over its 22 minutes. I like how the melody at the beginning drifts away but makes a sly, unexpected comeback in the last couple minutes.
But why am I telling you this? This thing was given out with orders from McCann’s label Roll Over Rover and is all gone. Furthermore, it was limited to an utterly ridiculous 22 copies. That almost makes me angry there’s so few of these around. This piece deserves a reissue as a side of a split LP or tape or something like that. Hopefully some good soul reads this and takes it upon him or her self to do just that. It’s too goddam good to drift into obscurity.
http://smoothassailing.blogspot.com/2009/03/sean-mccann.html
the truth is marching in c40
[2009, peasant magik]
the title of san franciscan sean mccann's cassette is more than just a nod to one of the works of albert ayler, it's also (loosely) conceptually based off of it / inspired by it. i wonder if it's purely incidental that the truth is marching in looks similar to when the saints go marching in, seeing as how saints is another one of his efforts (a duo with jason bannon). speaking of bannon, not sure if he's also on this release, but mccann's myspace includes jason as a band member.. additionally, sean's in soul manure and seahag, and also co-operates the relatively new imprint, roll over rover.
the first of truth's four tracks unfurls with sparse affected guitar, but quickly blisses out with several layers of swirling psychedelic ambiance, ethereal vocals, the buzz of bowed instrumentation and a steady thumping of submerged drums (and bass guitar). basically, a trippy clusterfuck, if you want to be technical about it. this opener is certainly busy, but i find that there's a perfect combination of disjointed, arrhythmic sounds and repetitive loops, as well as occasional melodies, preventing one from becoming too lost in sean's fertile soundscape. the other song on the first side carries about in roughly the same fashion, until the final four minutes of it break form by introducing a pensive guitar melody, suitably supported by the percussion. most of the denser ambient layers will have been dispensed, except for warm, formless vocals. bowed string work is also carried over, though, now it seems more like an environmental addition, instead of the noisy texture that it was earlier. this finishing stretch is surprisingly coherent, considering, but unsurprisingly terrific.
having exercised the ghost of albert ayler, mccann will settle down into something more serene for the beginning of the second side. the lack drums, or rhythmic foundation in general, is the most noticeable departure, but that structural space will be ably occupied by a memorable wavering ambient drone and warm layered loops of sean's affected vocals. he'll continue to apply various complimentary instrumental noises, manipulations and other electronic embellishments throughout these eight minutes. that same feeling of warmth will permeate the final track on the truth is marching in as sean again centers everything around the solid foundation of melodic droning. it starts out by heavily favoring stringed experimentation, eventually growing to incorporate electronics, as well. once that organic clatter fades out of earshot, the commitment to droning becomes greatly increased (and amplified). accompanying the pleasantness of that are chewed up manipulations and bubbling synthesizer, providing a very extra-terrestrial conclusion which is wholly appropriate seeing as how sean had his head in the clouds for the majority of the cassette.
this tape ended up being broken down into four separate tracks, but the way that it plays out as you listen to it, is more like each side has two parts to it; logical continuations of previously exhibited themes and musical styles which run damn near linearly, yet, manage to have a few singular aspects to them.
overall, this is a lovely album imbued with such a variety of sounds that it's practically futile for me to try to keep track of all of them. despite its restlessness, there was careful attention given to properly accommodate everything, controlling what could have been chaos, and turning it into something quite beautiful.
http://www.earconditionednightmare.blogspot.com/2009/02/sean-mccann-midnight-orchard-roll-over.html
Midnight Orchard
Here's another one from Roll Over Rover... really heavy stuff from both releases I've heard from them so far. This one's by co-label head (along with Stew of Ugly Husbands fame) Sean McCann, who's been melting minds lately with releases on Peasant Magik and Cloud Valley (both killer) and now this, easily the heaviest date I've heard from him yet. With these dudes at the helm the label's sure to continue on some wild pathways seeing as how consistently this dude's been slipping into some marvelous inner stratospheres...
I guess the key factor on this release is its length. Its over 90 minutes long, and while his previous releases are mostly infested with warm synth goop and guitar moves, the opening title track here is pure symphonic drift. Bowed strings are caressed over and over in rich layers of lucid dust, building small melodic fragments in a soupy whole as it sways along with a definite aquatic Appalachia stance. Really slow and gentle lulling stuff, but with enough emotive sense to carry it along for its entire 40 minutes. The string quartet that Arvo Part didn't dare write, and a real and rare achievement that moves far beyond the sum of its parts. A must hear. That "Spun Around," the last five minutes of the side, aren't a total let down afterward is impressive enough, but the piece actually serves to strengthen the previous by exploring a different take on the same approach as strings glide around one another, humming and plucking like some backwards, pointillist sitar met with Derek Bailey. Beautiful.
The second side consists of a series of "Straw Hats," 16 to be exact, and each one explores more explicitly various facets seen in the previous side; country ramblings, lush drone realms and heavier fare that eeks toward the sublime. One minute light drifts of banjo meld with other strings to create soft and shattered ditties that both Henry Flynt and Fahey would surely approve of, making for a nice deconstructive vibe, but not without losing any of the melodic beauty of those forms done right. The next, repetitions of synth swirl and choral stretchings turn otherwise lovely drone sprawls into slow burning mountain movers. Each one is equally beautiful and well structured as it dips into another of McCann's seemingly endless streams of ideas.
Total mind burner of a tape and easily the best thing I've heard from McCann yet. Lucky for us there's 92 minutes of it. That McCann is capable of exploring such different realms with such impressive ease is comforting in a day when too many people play the same thing every time they step up to their synth. McCann will have you comparing him to different people all over the place, but he's doing it all as well as any of them; and he's doing it all. Limited, of course, so bust a move on this before he's on Deutsche Grammofon or ECM or something.
http://www.brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7395&Itemid=64
The Truth Is Marching In
Although the Roll Over Rover label co-head Sean McCann is a relatively recent addition to the underground experimental scene, he has already carved out a name for himself with fully realized releases on a number of labels. On this album—loosely based on Albert Ayler's work of the same name—McCann uses bowed mandolin, processed banjo, vocals, and a plethora of other techniques to create a work that doesn't so much pay homage to the jazz legend's work as take off from where Ayler's spiritual approach left us.
If McCann's sound is defined by his tools, then his vision is shaped by his approach. Improvisatory as it may be—and surely it has all of the energy and excitement for which spontaneous music allows—McCann's real strength is in his ability to balance this chaotic and kaleidoscopic musical landscape without ever losing a sense of compositional control. The opening piece (all are untitled) opens with an explosion of processed strings and thick synthesized drones that leave no time for mental adjustment; yet McCann's sound is so well honed that the result is exhilarating rather than overwhelming. As everything careens around in celebratory fits, hollow rhythmic pulses echo beneath, giving amorphous shape to the loose fitting flow of the work.
Elsewhere, McCann explores near post-rock territory, bringing in slow and steady bass and drum work beneath drifting vocals and aimless string moves that bend and sway their way toward some beautiful nowhere. That the following side closing track fits right in despite eliminating any overt use of electronics is yet another display of the close attention paid to these works; the lilting bowed string melodies continue developing the same mood without rehashing the tactics that have already proved to work at achieving it.
The second side of the tape opens with the most overtly Aylerian work on the date, though nothing instrumentally would draw that comparison here. Plucked strings mingle between huge swathes of bubbling, choral drone that recall the same cathartic emotional release of Ayler without even a hint of saxophone to be found. That it comes to a stuttering and dark end is perhaps poetically in line with Ayler's own tragic death, but more importantly it infuses the work with a dark shadow that is otherwise largely missing from the rest of the tape. Parts even approach a level of Skaters-like murk, babbling about in confusion that seems the anarchic antithesis to the work's cleansing beginnings.
The next piece's clattered, gamelan-like strings draw on even more comparisons but again, McCann's distinct sound is fully on display. That he is able to garner this much excitement out of sounds too often used for tired ends is impressive in itself, but it's the bigger picture that is this music's greatest asset. No mere collection of "experimental" or "drone" works, the release sees an up-and-coming artist continuing to pursue an already mature musical stance. And that's not something that happens often enough at all.
http://theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com/2009/01/first-post-of-brave-new-year-of-o-prez.html
Sean McCann -- THE TRUTH IS MARCHING IN cs [Peasant Magik]
There's some heavy tremelo action going on here -- this is the sound of calliope music rendered psychedelic through lots of efx abuse and copious amounts of windowpane acid. The structure is loose (to put it mildly) and the sounds are mysterious and varied; on the first side, two relatively chaotic, busy segments are bridged by brief and subdued snippets of watery, flanged noises. The whirling, swirling noises float by like dandelions in the wind, constantly in motion but never harsh or unsettling. Toward the end, an actual rhythm surfaces in the form of a simple snare beat and bass line to accompany all the floaty noises; the piece finally ends with unpredictable horn lines that fade away. The second side offers similar sounds executed with a different strategy, one in which a rumbling bass line is dominant from the very beginning. A steady stream of processed melody lines, like spinning tops, proliferate throughout the piece, growing and receding in density. The sounds are never terribly complex, but there are many of them, which makes for a fairly busy form of psychedelia. Everything comes to an abrupt halt at one point, and what follows is (at first) a more straightforward drone that bursts into percussive sounds and rumbling. This segment eventually drifts into more subdued drones and some peculiar squeaking noises, which in turn segues into more watery sounds as the drone's tone takes on a different character. This is an interesting take on the drone ethos, one that takes a kitchen-sink approach to sound while still remaining firmly anchored in drone territory. Limited to 100 copies.