maleficia lp reviews.........
"maleficia is the bay area duo of andy way (n.f. orchest, french radio, carrion, etc.) and ilysea viles sunderman, who crafted this desolate, post-industrial smear of voice, violin, and electronics for the always impressive isounderscore label. with the titles of the two side long pieces being "making" and "remaking," maleficia offers a crucible of elemental sounds being obliterated into a charred dust and rebuilt into ashen constructions of misery and disgust. sunderman's voice is sparsely employed emitting mournful wails that are not unlike those of christina carter, but detached from a freak-folk context and applied to this blackened, post-apocalyptic miasma. the industrialized loops that way wraps around the voice and violin come across like a slow-motion maurizio bianchi on par with the downer records he did with land use or the grim power electronic phase in the early '80s. nocturnal clatter and plumes of black smoke shroud the murkier, noisier side on "making," while funereal strings ground the nightmarish "remaking." certainly for fans of amber asylum, early lustmord, and the dark ambient aspects of broken flag."

www.aquariusrecords.org

"this is not maleficia's first release -- that would be an untitled cd-r on breaking wheel that came out in 2006 and was limited to 120 copies -- but it's probably the first release of theirs that anybody outside of oakland, ca will hear, even though it's not a significantly bigger press run (400 copies). maleficia is actually the collaboration between ilysea viles sunderman (viola and vocals) and andy way (electronics), and the heavy-duty vinyl release consists of two side-long tracks, "making" and "remaking." the first track opens with reverb clanking that is gradually overtaken by droning viola, processed in such a fashion that it sounds more like wind gusting through desolate canyons. as the viola continues to drone, with trembling lines that rise and fall, the clanking electronic noise in the background becomes thicker and more elaborate, until it resembles the sound of machinery at work in the distance. the tonal color of the drones changes in gradual fashion as the noise of the background begins to creep into the foreground, challenging the drones for supremacy in the mix. the depth and texture of the noise changes as well over the duration of the piece, slowly and inexorably, until the balance has shifted from being drone-heavy to noise-heavy. the track eventually ends as it began, with nothing but the clanking noises drenched in reverb. the track on the flip side of the album is similar in intent but marginally different in execution, dwelling more on the droning viola and less on the cracked electronics. a few minutes into the track, the rumbling of the electronics becomes more prominent, sweeping through the drone and adding texture to the ethereal sound. the album's cumulative aesthetic is a mysterious and powerful one, featuring a nuanced balance between drone and noise, with more depth and emotional intensity than one might expect for something so firmly minimalist. dark and beautiful without being overly heavy or morose, the album is ultimately a monument to the mystery of ambient drone and processed sound."

theonetruedeadangel.blogspot.com

"The self-titled, thirty-three-minute debut album from Oakland-based Maleficia, an “experimental noise” outfit pairing Andy Way (electronics) and Ilysea Viles Sunderman (vocals and viola), consists of two side-long pieces, “Making” and “Remaking.” In the opening piece, Sunderman's deathly moaning establishes the gloomy mood which Way then deepens by smothering it in a reverb-drenched cloud of violent blasts, rips, and tears. The agonized wail continues, seemingly indifferent to the vortex of noise intensifying around it and threatening to obliterate it altogether. By the end of side one, you'll feel like you're staring directly into the center of an inferno. “Remaking” opens with the multi-layered saw and shudder of Sunderman's viola and wordless vocalizing, both of which Way subsequently wraps in a grimy, shape-shifting blanket of electronic distortion. There's an elemental, brute force to the duo's sound, something purposefully cultivated if Maleficia's own MySpace characterization is taken at face value (the group's music sounds like “winds, blizzards, fire, rain, earth, the sea, smoke, sea shells, graves, gods, walking, our unending pain ...”). Noise freaks may want to act fast, given the release's modest 400 copy-run."

textura.org

aaaaaand one in kanji

"◆Maleficia [LP]2,170円(税込2,279円)
サンフランシスコ・ベイエリアの要注目実験／電子系レーベルIsounderscore！！こちらも
2009年タイトルとしてイラン電子音楽2LP[Ornamental]と同時期に発表された最新タイトル！！
ビオラ、ドローンボイス、エレクトロニクスを操る、ほぼ無名と思われるオークランドの
実験系デュオMaleficiaのデビューLPで、どうやら英実験系のコリン・ポッター/NWW周辺
で知られるirr. app. (ext.) と深い関係があるユニット。ビオラからの不安定なエレクトロニクス
ドローンと「ア～～」と歌い続ける女性ボイスの絡みが美しい、若干ビザールながらも恍惚系
なミニマル作品！！限定400枚！！"
art-into-life.com