Frankenstein Symphony
(Asphodel) Used CD $5.00
Stitched together fragments of other musical pieces, woven together into a coherent, workable whole, from friends and former students who gave their blessings to be part of the electroacoustic / acousmatic pioneer’s experimental venture from the late 1990s, the 64-minute piece consists of layers of tape manipulations and musique concrète, with reassuring hints of traditional harmony and melody appearing in the middle distance and then slowly transforming into something entirely different.
Colors
(Asphodel) Used CD $9.00
A Beat-inspired, mellifluous-sounding, Dr. Seuss-like exploration of the meanings of different colors. “Many of the pieces are parables on racism and human behavior, but they’re also totally silly, and meant to be. Recorded in the late 1960s, the thirty-four tracks … almost-sung to a delightful, freeform studio backing of hip jazz.” From 1995. Barcode punched
A Transparent Mask
(Asphodel) Used CD $7.00
“This late-in-life offering … continues Nordine’s lifelong mastery of the genre he created..., thought excursions and deceptively simple poems that take utterly unexpected twists…. With musical backing that enhances but never overpowers the words, this is a charming and engaging album.” From 2001
Wink: Ken Nordine Does Robert Shure
(Asphodel) Used CD $7.00
“The short poems of John Shure [from the late 1950s] are so in sync with Nordine’s style that it’s a very successful marriage indeed. At first the [late 1960s recordings] might seem so whimsical and slight as to barely exist, but … the world of wry and absurdist observations … is enhanced by his use of two distinct voices for each channel…. The result[ing] ongoing conversation … captures a particular time and state of mind.” Reissue from 2003. Scribbled barcode.
Symphony #2 For Dot Matrix Printers
(Asphodel) Used LP $50.00
“A rhythmic perspective on the sound of fourteen dot matrix printers” from 2002. “Constructed upon a rather monolithic approach, with strikingly interesting results: more like a work of abstract art that might be occasionally revisited, Thomas McIntosh and Emmanuel Madan’s production causes one to reflect on incidental sound-based attributes that often go unnoticed.” Sealed