L'ANIMAUX TRYST (FIELD) RECORDINGS

2012-02-03T13:21:00.001-05:00

02.02.2012
Groundhog's Fortune
[new Cursillistas LP]

Hey folks! A quick update this time to announce that the LONG-delayed, long-awaited final Cursillistas studio album is now available in a limited, one-time-only, vinyl-only pressing of 225 hand-numbered copies. Here's a little more about this LP:

Observe Ember Weeks is the final Cursillistas "studio" album, momentarily lost to time as Herbcraft took flight, now seeing a brief light-of-day. Written, recorded, and mixed concurrently with Wasp Stings (Digitalis), Joint Chiefs (Digitalis), and several small-run/tour-only releases between 2007-2009, O.E.W. touches on elements and styles of all these while also marking a return to a more song-based rural folk psychedelia. Nylon-string minor-key folk-pop commingles with naive noise experiments, breathless first-take improvisation, multi-tracked "full band" jams, wah'ed fuzz guitar abandon, electric slide glide, heavy tom-thumps & tambourine shakes, all presented with Cursillistas' trademark rich reverb treatment and multi-layered vocals. This is perhaps the peak Cursillistas experience in all its bedroom glory, the fitting final chapter to a project that never stayed still for too long, and the definitive collection of the tunes that made up much of Cursillistas' live set from 2007-2009. Deluxe 150-gram virgin black vinyl held in a 4-color, 5-layer silkscreened art paper jacket, with two-sided full-color pro-printed glossy heavy stock insert, hand-numbered to 225.

Many thanks to you heads who pre-ordered the vinyl... your copies are on their way as I type this. I want to note that the photos do not nearly do justice to the silkscreen work Emily Johnson (of Lightning strike Lightning) did on these jackets... in real life they are quite stunning and, as one customer put it, "more than subtly-psychedelic." Test drive the tunes at the Curs-Camp and head on over to the storefront to order!

Next update in Spring, with more new wax and tape... till then....

2012-02-01T13:08:00.001-05:00

Planets Around the Sun and Jared Fairfield tapes are now sold-out. Update coming soon concerning the new Cursillistas LP! Thanks to everyone who pre-ordered the record.. your copies are on their way...

☮MLJ

2012-01-04T11:17:00.002-05:00

ALTERED GEE has been receiving tons of love recently from folks like Foxy Digitalis (a perfect 10/10: "Really, you’re going to want everything you can get after having a small taste of “European Gees,” so the tape is essential. For whatever reason, this just seems to hit a sweet spot in the ears. This is one of those albums you’ll want to put on repeat and then make all your friends listen."), Cassette Gods (Favorite Tapes of 2011: "What a great surprise. This is a 19 year old kid making extreme chillout R&B/electro that completely tops every synth and drum machine album released this year."), and even local blog/zine Dispatch (Jakob Battick's Top 5 of 2011: "It’s like witnessing some self-taught keyboard virtuoso perform his own bizarre misinterpretation of The Chronic, while messed up on all sorts of supplements, and it’s just beautiful. You can listen to it over and over and over (and over) again but still be fascinated, and that’s the reason it takes my #1 spot.").

So it's no real surprise that the cassette we pressed a few months ago is now sold out. The last remaining copies are available locally (Portland, ME) at Moody Lords and Strange Maine, and worldwide via DNT Records.

Also down to just a couple copies each of Planets Around the Sun's WE O WE and Jared Fairfield's Mysteries.

We're gettin close on the Cursillistas Observe Ember Weeks LP release, expect an update by the end of the month.

All orders that were placed during our holidaze sabbatical will ship this week; thank you for your patience! Thanks everyone for a killer 2011!

2011-12-01T19:05:00.001-05:00

2006-2011: FIVE YEARS OF BRAIN OFFERINGS

TWO NEW LIMITED ANALOG RELEASES
[brainshadows 7", oracle offering cs]

Well, here we are folks... five years.

In early-December 2006 we announced the first-ever L'animaux Tryst release, and since then, we've had the privilege to bring to light some of the most far-out esoteric music being quietly recorded in and around Portland, Maine. We can't thank you enough for all the support throughout the years; suffice it to say we wouldn't still be here without the continued enthusiasm of you all, near and far.

Earlier this summer we quietly celebrated the 5-year anniversary of the release of Cursillistas' Thrush Chimes in the Field Haunt on Time-Lag Records; this was the CD-R that put the gears in motion for the L'animaux micro-label enterprise in the first place. The entire album is streaming online for free for the next few months, with the option to buy lossless audio download of the whole thing for $5.

In other news, we are working on finally revamping the entire dot-com website - the first update in over two years, during which the site had lapsed into total obsolescence. What you see over there now is an interim solution until we launch something all-new in 2012. It's a very necessary update; thank you all for your patience while the site got so bad we nearly abandoned it completely a few times.

We've been hustlin, tryin to get the Cursillistas Observe Ember Weeks limited edition LP ready before the end of the year, but it looks like it'll be delayed until January or February. All the records have arrived but we're waiting on the 4-layer silkscreened covers. Pre-orders will ship as soon as they're ready, and we've set the new tentative release date at January 31, 2012.

For now, we are excited to announce two new limited edition releases to close out the year:

LTFR-714-MONO: BRAINSHADOWS: "WILD CHERRY" b/w "RIPE"

FORMAT: 7" [45 RPM] // EDITION: 200 // RELEASED: 12.01.11 // $5.50 + shipping

BRAINSHADOWS is the new hard-pop duo of M.Lajoie & D.Aquarius, exploring a love of trash cinema, echo-chamber mono 45s, pulp sci-fi paperbacks, adults-only comix, Detroitrock, and Rockers. This debut 7” smothers space-echo pop with the psychedelic technicolor grit and grime of a Bakshi / Corman urban sewer. Wah'ed synths and fuzz guitars lift up heavy basslines and off-kit percussion, with nice & ruff soft-focus vocals appearing like phantoms, all produced in engulfing heavy MONO. A-side "Wild Cherry" brings home some tuff teenage motorcycle love-in vibrations; an intravenous alternate soundtrack to a Beyond the Valley of the Dolls party scene. On the flip, "Ripe" is genuine lovers rock dub-pop, with plenty of wah and hazed & hushed come-ons: an abstracted ode to the magick of early Keith Hudson and Horace Andy sides.” Recycled black vinyl 45rpm 7" held in a pro-printed full-color sleeve. Limited to 200.
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LTFR 034: ORACLE OFFERING: HOWL'S ANGELS

FORMAT: CS [c40] // EDITION: 50 // RELEASED: 12.01.11 // $5.00 + shipping

Following last year’s soft-focus stunner Beyond Aquaria on the Cabin Floor Esoterica label, Oracle Offering serves up a full-length cassette steeped in the audio nexus of supernatural horror and Gnostic pagan ritual. An altar built in honor of tape-hiss, vedic synth meditation, and full-moon white witchcraft receives a visitation from a gnarly half-human gang with a taste for female flesh. Lurking behind the sympathetic string reverberation, airy synth atmospheres, and cool-breath choral incantation is the heavy hand here to crash the party: engines rattle, howls are emitted, the coven shrieks, a far-off church bell chimes. A fully-formed VHS [oc]cult classic with all the dialogue removed, this cassette is the last thing you want to meet at the end of a dark alley; a nightmare treasure in the basement of an abandoned cabin in the woods. Recorded, mixed, and dubbed in a 100% analog process from start to finish. Hand-labeled opaque lavender cassettes with full-color pro-printed double-sided j-card, held in a green-tinted case. Limited to 50.

These new titles--as well as all currently-in-print L'animaux-and-related releases--are now available at the new L'animaux Storefront.

Anybody who pre-ordered the Brainshadows 7" and would like to add the Oracle Offering tape to their order, please contact lanimaux @ gmail.com as soon as possible to combine shipping. Any questions, just send an email and we'll get it sorted out.

As is our usual practice, all shipments will cease between December 11th and January 1st. Any orders placed during that time will ship immediately on January 2nd, 2012.

Many thanks, as always, to all of you far and wide! 2011 was a great comeback year for L'animaux, and we still have a handful of copies available for many of the releases (Concord Ballet Orchestra Players, Planets Around the Sun, Altered Gee, Pete Fosco) so head on over to the new storefront and catch up on what you might've missed out on.

See ya in 2012...

☮MLJ

2011-09-27T21:39:00.000-04:00

Lightning strike Lightning's Creepy Power art edition cassette is now sold out. As such the "any 3 tapes" special has been transformed into a three-tape package of the remaining new releases (Pete Fosco, Planets Around the Sun, Altered Gee) for just $13 + shipping. Order now at the storefront.

Orders have begun shipping; any orders placed prior to September 27th will be shipped out by the end of the week.

Thanks everyone!

2011-09-13T22:12:00.003-04:00

TONY CLIFTON'S RANCH = DUB PALACE OF SIN
FOUR NEW LIMITED CASSETTES
[pete fosco, planets around the sun, altered gee, lightning strike lightning]
+ TWO NEW VINYL PRE-ORDERS
[cursillistas, brainshadows]

Been awhile, friends... been kept busy on the Herbcraft tip, had a great summer in support of Ashram to the Stars LP, thanks to everyone who helped set up gigs or stump'd for the record...

Breakin' the L'animaux silence here with four brand-new limited-edition tapes, home-dubbed, hand-assembled, etc. These are mostly ready to go except that we're waitin on the inserts to come back from the print shoppe... so we're taking orders now and they should be ready to ship in about a week.

In the longer-run, we've got two new vinyl projects at the pressing plant, which will be released in late-October. They are both extremely limited editions of around 200 copies, so we're starting to take pre-orders now for folks who want to reserve a copy. All pre-orders taken will be for a discounted price up until release day, and for a limited time we're offering a special combo deal: just $17 + shipping for both the upcoming Cursillistas 12" LP and Brainshadows 7" single. Scroll furthur for more info...

And... get your feet wet with the new L'animaux Tryst podcast, "Way Far Out", available for stream and free download. 10 tracks from the past, present, and future...

L'animaux Tryst's 33rd Congressional Report vol.2: "Way Far Out" by L'animaux Tryst

With love,

MLJ

NEW RELEASES:

LTFR 028: PETE FOSCO: VACATIONLANDED
FORMAT: CS [c43] // EDITION: 75 // RELEASED: 09.13.11 // $5.00 + shipping

While electric guitar mangler / vibe-generator Pete Fosco may call Kentucky home, he is nonetheless a man smitten with Maine. After a trip up the coast to Acadia and Belfast last summer (which included a show with MV & EE and Herbcraft at the now-sadly-defunt Roots & Tendrils), Fosco was so inspired that when he returned home he sat down in front of some warm tubes, strapp’d on a six-string, and let rip on some true Vacationland meditations. What we’ve got here are four extended improvisations/compositions for solo electric guitar, with Fosco bending, growling, coaxing, and summoning tones with fingers, slides, and other mystery implements. The sounds evoke dusty winds streaking across the Desert of Maine, Northern Lights shimmering from atop Cadillac Mountain, and vertiginous views from Pemetic. Sometimes sparse (Fosco is a master at the pregnant pause), sometimes as swirling and dense as a January blizzard, the soundtrack Fosco creates is a heavy homage to the dark mystery and latent wonder of exploration in the Maine wilds.

Black shell cassettes with hand-painted and typed labels, held in polybox with full-color, pro-printed insert on vellum, enclosed in a piece of a vintage map of Maine. Limited to 75.

LTFR 031: PLANETS AROUND THE SUN: WE O WE
FORMAT: CS [c43] // EDITION: 75 // RELEASED: 09.13.11 // SOLD OUT

Ditching the domestic life for a stint of wild-abandon nomad drift, Planets Around the Sun departed from Maine in July to unplug and roll on down the line… WE O WE is their parting gift to the musical community that launched them into new orbits. Drawing from every era of the band’s career and pointing forward to new phases, it is a carefully crafted full-length mixtape of past trysts and future haunts. From the opening acousto-electro instrumental shimmer we move to a stretched-out heavy drone-folk version of the classic White Light side “Saraswati”, here completely re-figured with the addition of guest baritone guitar and cello from local duo South China. The Ian Paige solo excursion “Agnes” follows, with drones and steel strings lulling raga moves into your atmosphere; once the tablas and electric guitar hits, you’re halfway between Demolition Derby and Country Stash, truly a vapor to be savored and returned to often. The B-side hits with “We Owe”, a possession-ceremony standard with netherworld vocal chants circling around watery bass wobbles and wah’ed synth stabs. This flows into “May Day” and its extended doom-dub treatment “Version”, moving from Velvety melodic guitar-scorched psych to a half-tempo high-stepping astral-funk groove. But enough about the past. Planets point to their present/future with the closing track, a cracked lo-fi country-folk tune that serves as their on-the-road calling card. Sure to be a counterculture hit in 22nd-Century America.

Hand-written (in white paint) cassettes held in a case with full-color pro-printed art, featuring a reproduction of a totally psychedelic needlepoint by Paige’s grandmother. Limited to 75.

LTFR 032: ALTERED GEE: EUROPEAN GEES
FORMAT: CS [c69] // EDITION: 75 // RELEASED: 09.13.11 // SOLD OUT

It may be counter-intuitive to think of “G-funk instrumentals” as a possible product of an icy and blizzed-out Maine winter, but holed up at the House of Hits (aka Hit Factory) in Winter 2011 with an array of analog synths (SEIL OR 400 for the highs, Moog Taurus II for the lows) and hip-hop golden-age drum machines (E-mu SP-1200, Drumulator, and Korg DDD-1), Key Jr. Dee Jay and Slouch formed Altered Gee amid a thick cloud of purple smoke and didn’t stop making hits til the tape ran out. Recorded entirely on 8-track cassette(!), the deep-grooved trunk-rattlers on European Gees ride that line between suave Euro electro-futurism and dank, dirty, post-Zapp R&B boogie and G-funk, all stretched out, heavy-lidded and dazed. Weightless, pitch-shifting, portamentoed synth lines arc over and around each other, anchored by heavy-bounce syrupy-thick bass and Slouch’s ace reverbed-out kick’n’clap beats. This is dance music with runtimes long enough (in the case of “Magnum Opus”, 15+minutes of synth-funk ecstasy) to get lost in the transcendence of the groove. The song titles say it all: “Dowsed”, “Funky Airs”, “I Wanna Lay You Down And Feel You Up”… this is some sexy, fonky shit, ideal for sittin low in your Coupe de Ville and gettin scandalous in some sweaty bedsheets.

69-minute white cassettes with individually-chrome-painted and typewriter-engraved labels, held in a case with full-color pro-printed j-card designed by the band. Limited to 75.

Check out the preview on their Bandcamp page.

LTFR 033: LIGHTNING STRIKE LIGHTNING: CREEPY POWER
FORMAT: CS [c40] // ART EDITION: 33 // RELEASED: 09.13.11 // SOLD OUT

Way back in 2008, The Wire magazine named Lightning strike Lightning’s “The Moon” 7” single as one of the top 10 of the year, while Foxy Digitalis’ Brad Rose remarked that they were “quickly becoming one of my favorite bands” while naming it the Best 7” of the Year. So what’s been going on since then? Public silence; private Creepy Power. After four long years of hermetic writing, recording, re-recording, editing, mixing, re-mixing, and so on, LsL finally emerges once again with their second full-length, the follow up to their 2007 disc Turn Myself Into The Ocean. Many of the original ingredients remain (worldless female haunt-vox, busted mini-amp guitar growls, tom-violating rhythm tracks, banjo ruffs) but are in service to arrangements that are both tighter and more expansive. Moments of breathless spectral visitation bloom alongside forest-folk recitations, bell loops drawn out to time-bending drone, heavy dirge remembrance, and general free-form folkery. While the murk of of the previous recordings has been dialed back a bit on Creepy Power, the gossamer echo chamber that remains—combined with the slightly-higher-fidelity—makes for a smoother ride and headier drift; this is one to get lost in.

SPECIAL ONE-TIME-ONLY ART EDITION: Clear cassettes with in-house screen-printed labels, held in a case with double-sided reversible pro-printed j-card, each with a one-of-a-kind Land camera photograph taken by band member S.Turley with tracklisting handwritten on back, held in a sewn fabric sleeve. Limited to 33.

LTFR 1204:
CURSILLISTAS OBSERVE EMBER WEEKS 12" LP

PRE-ORDER SPECIAL: $14
Long-delayed "lost" Cursillistas album, begun recording in January 2007 (post-Les Biches; pre-Wasp Stings) and originally conceived of as the proper follow-up to the more song-based Thrush Chimes CD-R from 2006. After two-and-a-half years of writing and recording, the album was abandoned, only to be completely remixed, remastered, and re-sequenced from heaps of cassettes and zip disks in 2010-11. Many songs were previously only available on tour-only CD-Rs & tapes in demo form - this is the only proper release of the mostly-unheard "studio versions" of this material, which made up much of Cursillistas' live set between 2007 and 2009. Pressed onto deluxe 150-gram black vinyl and housed in a heavy cotton stock art paper sleeve, with five-layer silkscreen print and two-sided insert. Limited to 225 copies.

LTFR 714:
BRAINSHADOWS "WILD CHERRY b/w RIPE" 7"
Debut single from this new "hard pop" duo of D. Aquarius and M. Lajoie, which smothers Spector-era space-echo pop in the psychedelic technicolor grit and grime of a Bakshi / Corman urban sewer. Wah'ed synths and fuzz guitars lift up heavy basslines and off-kit percussion, with nice & ruff soft-focus vocals appearing like phantoms, all produced in engulfing heavy MONO. A-side "Wild Cherry" brings home some tuff teenage motorcycle love-in vibrations; an intravenous alternate soundtrack to a Beyond the Valley of the Dolls party scene. On the flip, "Ripe" is genuine lovers rock dub-pop, with plenty of wah and hazed & hushed come-ons: an abstracted ode to the magick of early Keith Hudson and Horace Andy sides. Recycled black vinyl 45rpm 7" held in a pro-printed full-color sleeve. Limited to 200 copies.

2011-01-27T16:59:00.000-05:00

PLANETS AROUND THE SUN: TOWER CS and WHITE LIGHT & CURSILLISTAS: TRAVEL LIGHT CS now SOLD OUT.
Eclipse Mailorder (USA), Tomentosa (USA), and Norman Records (UK) will have copies available in the coming weeks.

Only two copies left of the Concord Ballet Orchestra Players 2xCS art edition as of Thursday afternoon. Email lanimaux@gmail.com to grab one before they're gone!

Thanks everyone for the orders! They'll start hitting the mail on Monday.

MLJ

2011-01-25T22:05:00.002-05:00

L'ANIMAUX HQ = ICE PLANET HOTH

THREE NEW LIMITED CASSETTES

[planets around the sun, concord ballet orchestra players, white light & cursillistas]

With the ever-present danger of being permanently snowed-in, it's a fairly typical January here in Maine... And while actual windows-down road-trip days seem pretty far off at the moment, we can at least offer a variety of new soundtracks to your favorite metaphorical/metaphysical trip of choice...

Deep waters beneath the floe:

LTFR 026: PLANETS AROUND THE SUN: TOWER

FORMAT: CS [C-32] // EDITION: 45 // RELEASED: 01.25.11 // SOLD OUT

WITH AN OUT-OF-PRINT DEBUT CASSETTE [GOLD, DIGITALIS LTD.] UNDER THEIR ASTEROID BELT (AND A DOUBLE-LP WAITING IN THE WINGS), PLANETS AROUND THE SUN EMERGE FROM THEIR PSYCHIC SABBATICAL TO PRESENT THE TOWER CASSETTE. SELECTED FROM NEARLY THREE YEARS OF DOCUMENTED EXPERIMENTATION, THESE FOUR TRACKS PLAY LIKE RADIO TRANSMISSIONS FROM EXTENDED TRIPS INTO A STARLESS VOID, RETURNING WITH THE MESSAGE THAT PSYCHEDELIA ISN'T ALL PAISLEY AND PEPPERMINT SWIRL. THE CURIOUS PSILOCYBIN-NAVIGATING OPENER WINDS INTO THE RITUAL DOOM-MARCH OF LONG-TIME LIVE STAPLE "SLOW HORSE", HERE CAPTURED IN ALL ITS BLOWN-OUT LIVE-FI GLORY. A TAPE-FLIP REVEALS EVEN DARKER ROADS AHEAD: WAILING ECSTATICS PULLED SUBTERRANEAN, SURFACING FOR AIR TO THE OBEAHICALLY-WARPED INNER-GROOVES OF A POSSESSED BLACK ARK DUBPLATE. THE TAPE RUNS OUT ON AN ORGAN-AND-WAH-PEDAL-STOMPING FREE-PSYCH JAM, AMBIENTLY RECORDED AMONGST THE BLIPS AND WHIRS OF THE SPACE VESSEL'S ELECTRONICS RUNNING ON ZERO-GRAVITY AUTOPILOT. A MIXTAPE FOR YOUR NEXT TRIP ALONG INNERSPACE HIGHWAYS, TOWER IS STRICTLY LIMITED TO 45 HAND-NUMBERED HOME-DUBBED BLACK FOIL CASSETTES, PACKAGED IN FULL-COLOR PRO-PRINTED HEAVY STOCK J-CARDS IN NORELCO CASE.

LTFR 027: CONCORD BALLET ORCHESTRA PLAYERS: FIRST ANNUAL NORTH FALMOUTH ORGAN SLAUGHTER
FORMAT: 2xCS [CHROME C-49 & C-55] // EDITION: 75 // RELEASED: 01.25.11 // PRICE: $8.00 + SHIPPING

AFTER BEARING WITNESS TO A COUPLE MIND-BLOWING LIVE SETS BY THESE PSYCHEDELIC TRUTH-SEEKERS, WE ARE COMPLETE CONVERTS TO CONCORD BALLET ORCHESTRA PLAYERS' CAUSE AND ARE PROUD TO BRING THEIR EPIC ANALOG DEBUT DOUBLE-CASSETTE AUDIO-TOME FANFOS TO THE PHYSICAL REALM. CONCORD BALLET GATHERS TOGETHER A CREW OF THE BOSTON-AREA'S FINEST KRAUT-WORSHIPERS, SPACE-ROCK PSYCHONAUTS, AND IN-THE-MOMENT FREE-IMPROV EXPERIMENTALISTS ONTO A SINGLE SPRAWLING STAGE, RESULTING IN A WIDE VARIETY OF HEADY CINEMASCOPE-WORTHY JAMS. DOCUMENTING CBOP RELATIVELY EARLY IN ITS EXISTENCE, FANFOS SUGGESTS A PARTICULARLY WIDE-OPEN CANVAS AND TECHNICOLOR PALETTE OF POSSIBILITIES (GHOSTLY THEREMIN, FLUTE, CASIO BANKS, ELECTRIC GUITAR DIVINATIONS, GROOVING BASSLINES AND EDGE-OF-SEAT DRUMS), LEADING THE LISTENER DOWN PRISMATICALLY-VARIED PATHS AS THE BAND NAVIGATES THRU THE PERPETUALLY-MANIFESTING "NOW". RANGING FROM BRIEF MYSTERIOUS VIGNETTES TO MAJESTIC SIDE-LONG MINDSCAPES, THESE TRACKS WERE RECORDED WITH A FLY-ON-THE-WALL LIVE QUALITY THAT DOESN'T OMIT TRIPPED FIRE ALARMS, OFF-MIC SNEEZES, OR STUMBLES, ALL OF WHICH REVEAL CONCORD BALLET TO BE DEVOUT BELIEVERS IN AUTHENTIC IMPROVISATION AND PSYCHEDELIA. EXPERTLY MASTERED BY GREG DAVIS AND PRO-DUPED ONTO PREMIUM CHROME TAPE, FANFOS IS LIMITED TO 75 COPIES AND PACKAGED "AUDIO-BOOK STYLE" IN A WHITE VINYL FOLDER, WITH PRO-PRINTED FULL-COLOR COVER ART. ALSO INCLUDES A DOWNLOAD CODE FOR A COMPLEMENTARY DIGITAL COPY, FOR EASIER TRACK-BY-TRACK PARSING OF THIS MASSIVE MISSIVE.

LTFR 1203CS: WHITE LIGHT & CURSILLISTAS: TRAVEL LIGHT
FORMAT: CS [CHROME C-40] // EDITION: 45 // RELEASED: 01.25.11 // SOLD OUT

ORIGINALLY PRESSED AS AN EXTREMELY-LIMITED (150 COPIES) TOUR-ONLY VINYL SPLIT 12" BACK IN JUNE 2009 AND LONG OUT-OF-PRINT, TRAVEL LIGHT MADE A BRIEF RETURN TO CIRCULATION LAST MONTH TO COMMEMORATE A SINGLE WHITE LIGHT REUNION SHOW IN PORTLAND, ME. IT REMAINS A DOCUMENT OF TWO OF L'ANIMAUX'S ORIGINAL FLAGSHIP BANDS DEEP WITHIN TRANSITORY PHASES THAT HAVE--FOR THE MOMENT--FOUND SOME RESOLUTION IN THE REALMS OF PLANETS AROUND THE SUN, HERBCRAFT, AND ENDLESS CAVERNS. HOME-DUBBED NEEDLE-DROP BOOTLEG-STYLE DIRECT FROM THE ORIGINAL VINYL PRESSING, TRAVEL LIGHT IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR THE FIRST TIME TO THE WORLD AT LARGE IN THIS SMALL LIMITED CHROME CASSETTE EDITION.

"[White Light's "We Do True"] somehow manages to capture everything that was great about the golden age of American underground rock: noisy guitars, great melodies, and effortless, disaffected cool. ... Ian Paige is a hell of a songwriter and “We Do True” is one of the best songs I’ve heard this year." - FOXY DIGITALIS

"On "Crutches" [Cursillistas] invoke the spirits of Hapshash or Quintessence, Bells and chants echoing over spacey backing... Centrepiece of side A is "That Great Stone", a glorious example of modern Psychedelia, drifting, spacious and very special, the track containing an ambience that is hard to pin down but beautiful to experience, the guitar flourishes adding depth to the piece. Following on, the music descends into a deep-rooted drone as "Rewa Dokpa" re-wires your soul, the music as cleansing as a mountain spring, just lie back and soak it up. Having recovered sufficiently to turn the disc over, White Light immediately re-align the senses with their particular brand of Psychedelia, the Hapshash vibe in full effect again as "The Root Of All Evil" guides us into their world. On "Five Horses" a mellow bass groove ushers us into a smoky woodland grove, Guitar, Banjo and Percussion weaving together to create a silken tapestry of wonder, possibly my favourite track on the LP." - TERRASCOPE

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In addition to these new titles, we still have a few copies left of Jared Fairfield's Mysteries cassette, the Gorman Trio / Sacred Basil split cassette, and Endless Caverns' Magi Hymnal cassette... grab them from the storefront before they're gone... and as always, out-of-print titles can be purchased via Tomentosa and Eclipse mailorders.

We'll also have copies of the brand-new Endless Caverns cassette Sensei Deprivation Tape on Existential Cloth Recordings by the end of the week... feel free to place an order now at the online store.

If you're interested in keeping up with L'animaux, consider joining the mailing list (email lanimaux [at] gmail.com) or Facebook group.

Keep warm, till next time,
MLJ

2010-11-23T15:41:00.000-05:00

LTFR 024 - TEMPERA // ENDLESS CAVERNS ESTRANGED MANE split cassette is now sold-out.

Also sold out of all copies of the HERBCRAFT PAPERS cassette on F.I.T.
Down to the last few copies of everything else... Tomentosa and Eclipse will have copies available soon in their distros.

All domestic and most overseas orders have now shipped; the few international orders left will ship next week [Nov 30].
M☮L

2010-11-10T22:04:00.001-05:00

L'ANIMAUX DRINKS THE MOON // THREE NEW LIMITED CASSETTES
[tempera, endless caverns, jared fairfield, gorman trio, sacred basil]

Wheels are turning and machines are purring once again at the L'animaux Tryst HQ, a gentle wave of activity not seen around these parts in a little while. Deep fall hibernation vibes are keeping the tea kettle on, mukluks on at all hours, and hi-fis glowing warmth in every room as we dub, draw, fold, cut, paste, repeat....

For now, some new limited edition tapes to feast yer ears on ... preview many tracks via the 33RD CONGRESSIONAL REPORT #1 podcast, available for download & streaming now @ Foxy Digitalis.

Everything can be ordered in an automated fashion from our new L'ANIMAUX STOREFRONT, or as always you can feel free to simply email your order to lanimaux [at] gmail [dot] com.

L'ANIMAUX TRYST FALL CATALOG 2010

NEW FEATURED ITEMS:

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LTFR 023: GORMAN TRIO // SACRED BASIL: UNTITLED SPLIT
FORMAT: CS [C-25] // EDITION: 60 // RELEASED: 11.09.10 // SOLD OUT
DOCUMENTING THE FIRST OF SEVERAL LIVE COLLABORATIONS BETWEEN SONIC AMBASSADORS FROM GORMAN [J. SPENCER], CURSILLISTAS [M.LAJOIE], & WHITE LIGHT [I. PAIGE] DURING THEIR WEEK-LONG US TOUR IN 2009, "EXALTED (MOST HIGH)" WAS COVERTLY PERFORMED IN THE BASEMENT OF THE CLINIC [BLOOMINGTON, IN] WHILE THE PROSPECTIVE AUDIENCE WAS STILL PORCH-BOUND. THICK TONE-DRONES FOR THE THICK MIDWEST SUMMER EVENING AIR; FREE-DRIFT NOTES FOR THE RECREATIONAL HIGHS OF THOSE "HIT THE ROAD" DAYS. THE FLIP-SIDE IS A PREVIOUSLY-UNRELEASED SNIP FROM THE SACRED BASIL SESSION THAT BIRTH'D THE DAY OF SIX BILLION CASSETTE [CABIN FLOOR ESOTERICA #7], AN OPEN-FIELD / FREE-RANGE JAM OF RECIFEIAN ACOUSTIC STRINGS, BELLS, PRE-LANGUAGE VOX, AND CREAKING FLOORBOARDS. UNSELFCONSCIOUS HOOTS CAPTURED LIVE AT NEW WYRD 33. HAND-LABELED SAPPHIRE-FOIL TAPES PACKAGED IN AN ART PAPER J-CARD SLEEVE, WITH 60 COMPLETELY UNIQUE INDIVIDUALLY HAND-DRAWN/WRITTEN AND COLLAGED COVERS, HAND-NUMBERED TO 60.

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LTFR 024: TEMPERA // ENDLESS CAVERNS: ESTRANGED MANE
FORMAT: CS [C-40] // EDITION: 45 // RELEASED: 11.09.10 // SOLD OUT
TWO IMPROVISATIONAL PORTLAND ACTS PAY TRIBUTE TO A FAVORITE SPOT IN THE LOCAL UNDERGROUND SCENE: STRANGE MAINE. THIS USED RECORD/TAPE/BOOK/CURIO SHOP BY DAY TAKES ON THE OCCASIONAL TRANSFORMATION INTO THE MOST FREEWHEELING VENUE IN TOWN, AND IS THE SITE OF SOME OF THE GREATEST LIVE SETS WE AT THE L'ANIMAUX CAMP HAVE EVER WITNESSED. ON THIS TAPE, TEMPERA DROPS THEIR FIRST NEW RELEASE SINCE 2009'S STELLAR SELF-TITLED 12"; THIS 19-MINUTE SESSION WAS RECORDED LIVE IN MAY 2010 AND WAS PERFORMED USING JUST TWO MICROPHONES AND MORE DELAY/ECHO/LOOP PEDALS THAN BAND MEMBERS. THE RESULT IS OF AN ENVIABLE SUBTLETY, THE SOURCE WHISPERS AND WHISTLES BENT TO UNIMAGINABLE ANGLES AND LENGTHS UNTIL ONLY SPECTERS REMAIN. ENDLESS CAVERNS' CONTRIBUTION FINDS WHISPS OF CRACKLY ELECTRIC GUITAR LEADS MINGLING WITH DUB-INSPIRED BASS, VOCALS, AND PERCUSSION, ALL STRETCHED OUT IN A HALLUCINATORY TIME-ZONE WHERE EACH TWEAK IN THE CHAIN ADDS A NEW LAYER OF HAZE TO YOUR ALREADY-CLOUDY VISION. HAND-LABELED OPAQUE BLOOD-RED TAPES IN NORELCO CASE, WITH PRO-PRINTED FULL-COLOR "WINDHAM HILL-THEMED" J-CARDS HAND-NUMBERED TO 45.
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LTFR 025: JARED FAIRFIELD: MYSTERIES
FORMAT: CS [C-29] // EDITION: 75 // RELEASED: 11.09.10 // SOLD OUT
AS HUMBLE-YET-IMPRESSIVE IN VISION AND EXECUTION AS ANY CLASSIC UNDERGROUND ALBUM SHOULD BE, THIS OUT-OF-NOWHERE EP FROM RURAL MAINE'S JARED FAIRFIELD IS SO ON-POINT THAT ONCE IT CROSSED OUR PATH WE KNEW IT HAD TO FIND A HOME ON L'ANIMAUX TRYST. WORKING A FOUR-WAY CROSSROADS OF PAGAN UR-FOLK, AQUARIAN PSYCH-POP, CONTEMPORARY UNDERGROUND, AND FUTURE SOUNDS, FAIRFIELD MOVES HIS REMARKABLE VOICE THRU TIMELESS TUNE AFTER TIMELESS TUNE, FAINT VAPOUR TRAILS OF PAST SKEWED-POP CLASSICS ON THE PERIPHERY. ALONG THE WAY, THAT VOICE IS JOINED BY DEFT GUITAR FINGERPICKING, AUTOHARP STRUMS, DRONE/PURE SOUND, A RICH TAPESTRY OF PERCUSSION, AND EVEN ONE SABBATH-WORTHY FUZZ BASS BREAKDOWN, ALL COMPOSED AND ARRANGED WITH QUIET CONFIDENCE AND WARM FIDELITY. THE TITLE TRACK IS ONE OF THE BEST SINGLES WE'VE HEARD ALL YEAR, AND ONCE YOU'VE MOVED PAST THAT PARTICULAR EARWORM, REPEAT SPINS REVEAL NEW DEEP VISIONS LIKE EACH QUARTER-TURN OF A KALEIDOSCOPE. HAND-LABELED WHITE TAPES IN AN OVERSIZED, PRO-PRINTED FULL-COLOR TEXTURED ART PAPER SLEEVE, TIED CLOSED WITH WOOL YARN, HAND-NUMBERED TO 75. Jared Fairfield- 'Mysteries'

In addition to these new limited magnetic-tape offerings, the online shop has a few distro items that L'animaux-related bands [HERBCRAFT, CURSILLISTAS, ENDLESS CAVERNS] have released on other fine labels [Digitalis, Cabin Floor Esoterica, Hello Sunshine, Fuck-It Tapes], as well as older items that are still in print.

For a more transparent rambling experience, check in with the new 33RD CONGRESSIONAL REPORT Tumblr, where we're regularly posting new, forthcoming, and unreleased tracks, mixtapes, videos, oddities, upcoming events, etc. in 12pt. Rockwell [where available].

ENJOY THE EARTH'S BOUNTY // HORN OF PLENTY // CORNUCOPIA
M J L J☮

2010-10-06T20:52:00.002-04:00

...as this particular site drifts into "archival" mode real quick...

...and with the official dot.com gathering moss and weeds...

a couple new sites for increasingly-relevant L'animaux Tryst-and-related updates:

L'animaux Tryst's 33rd Congressional Report

[posts include new and old recordings from members of the L'animaux family and beyond, mixtapes/podcasts, previews of upcoming albums, videos, "happenings" (live events), and redirects of note -- generally updated a couple times a week or more]

L'animaux Storefront

[this is where you can buy things from us via Paypal buttons]

next batch of new releases due in a couple weeks!

the dual tape deck has been ablur making some real-time clones thruout September & October for the following:

LTFR 023: GORMAN TRIO // SACRED BASIL - untitled split-CS [c25; ed. 60]

LTFR 024: TEMPERA // ENDLESS CAVERNS - ESTRANGED MANE split-CS [c40; ed. 45]

LTFR 025: JARED FAIRFIELD - MYSTERIES CS [c29; ed. 75]

look for a digital c45 mixtape of tracks from these albums along with tracks from other upcoming releases by PLANETS AROUND THE SUN, CURSILLISTAS, LIGHTNING STRIKE LIGHTNING, BAD BUS, and field recordings captured in and around the 33rd Congressional Offices thruout 2010.

pre-orders and preview podcast next week!

2010-02-08T13:20:00.002-05:00

L'animaux Tryst Presents: Field Recording #01:
Winter Solstice, December 20, 2009
HFS Annex, Biddeford, Maine, USA

"Wondrous Love", performed by Tempera, Tin Ceilings, Hersey State, and the congregation.
Planets Around The Sun's hands extend
in honor and acceptance
of the sun's shortest day.
Lit candles and rung bells
Evoke the prayers of every denomination
All-One
in compassion and love and communion.

This, the environment
in which Tempera
with thirty fingers on one piano
feet on depressed sustain,
evoke notes and overtones
refracting and melding into
opaque & transparent sound.

Commandment IV:
"Allow each vibration to complete its own cycle without interference"

Emily Dix-Thomas (Hersey State) bows
horsehair on metal strings
and something emerges
Older than all of us--
a hymn--
Randy Illian (Tin Ceilings) & Corinna Marshall (Tempera)
lead the congregation
in a praise
of "Wondrous Love"

This is Field Recording #01.

Download "Wondrous Love"

In this field recording: Tempera
Tin Ceilings
Emily Dix-Thomas / Hersey State
Planets Around The Sun

Further documentation of this event:
Hilly Town
HFS Annex

Next installment: Field Recording #02: "Casiodrone"

2010-01-25T06:41:00.000-05:00

Friends,

L'animaux Tryst is back.

This winter:

"Field Recordings" online series.

Planets Around The Sun cassette.

Tempera cassette.

Bad Bus - "Too Bright (#5)" cassette.

Lightning strike Lightning.

Earthcraft.

In the meantime,

sun is just

tempera |

2009-08-25T14:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks for your orders, everyone... Looks like the Cursillistas / White Light Travel Light LP is totally sold-out at this point. Eclipse Records and Time-Lag might still have copies, and a few are going to Tomentosa soon. Good luck! LTFR

2009-08-21T11:34:00.000-04:00

L'animaux Update, 8.21.09: new Cursillistas; White Light & The American Drone Band Hey everyone, quick announcement that the Pre-Order period for Cursillistas' Les Biches and Tempera's Tempera LPs & CDs are officially over... all pre-orders have been or will ship as of this evening. For anyone who missed out on the pre-order, or if you were just saving your pennies till the records were ready to ship, now's the time! They're disappearing fast! LTFR 1201: Cursillistas' Les Biches (co-released with Time-Lag Records) 12" 180gram black vinyl LP, held in a letterpressed art paper jacket with silkscreened interior, photo-corner-mounted vellum insert sheet, includes a pro-pressed CD version of the album (with minimalist alternate packaging), and held closed with a hand-sewn button & clasp enclosure. Very limited edition of 300 - only a few copies left! $17 + shipping - click here to order and for more info. CD version alone: Exact-duplicated LP artwork, offset-printed onto art paper (same as LP), with a three-panel fold-over design with soft spine, pro-pressed CD and offset-printed vellum insert. $10 + shipping - click here to order. LTFR 1202: Tempera's Tempera 12" crystal clear vinyl LP, held in in-house silkscreened double-sided fold-out poster-style sleeve, includes pro-pressed CD version of the album (with bonus track!) that is packaged with exclusive art full-color printed on art paper sleeve. Strictly limited to 300 copies. $15 + shipping - click here to order and for more info. US customers, order both and for a limited time get FREE shipping via Media Mail. Canada and Worldwide, email first for a shipping quote on combined shipping. Now, a few special items... since these are so limited, please email first for availability before sending payment: LTFR 1203: Cursillistas & White Light's Travel Light Ultra-limited split-12" from our tour, featuring 20 minutes apiece of all-new and exclusive material from Cursillistas and White Light. Lightweight, black 12" vinyl LP held in art paper half-sleeve, with gold & maroon mandala cover art two-color silkscreened on the front side and a back-flap with liner notes offset-printed in maroon. Super limited to 150 copies; only a very few left. $14 + shipping. LTH 713: Cursillistas' Peace Pipers cassette (c-45) I know a couple months back I said these would be exclusive to the Tryst Haunt subscribers, but thanks to a print shop that gave us a bunch of extra sleeves, combined with the fact that some folks haven't taken advantage of the free tape swap option, there are a few extras kicking around that should be in your hands. Exclusive jams that add up to a prequel or addendum to the Joint Chiefs LP out on Digitalis later this year (see below for more info on that). 45 minutes of headspace dustbowl jams that are a perfect complement to your zoned-out summer heatwave evenings. Limited to 100 copies on transparent sapphire-blue tapes, wrapped in a full-color printed textured art paper sleeve, held together with a piece of golden yarn; few left. $6 + shipping. LTFR 020: White Light & The American Drone Band's 4.14.79 Dark, dank, blissed and pissed jams from a Portland all-star cast. Members of White Light, Tempera, Cursillistas, Visitations, Computer At Sea, Planets Around The Sun and many more congregating under the full moon for a good ole fashioned howlin'. Vocal moans, analog synth tones, dueling Crazy Horse-style guitar leads, and a crazy wasted drum circle. All in good fun, of course. Tracing a line from Amon Duul I to Sun Ra to the new weird hypnogogic, this is a celebration of "the now drone" ... this is an exploration of "the dub" ... this is the story of "the drum" ... Stay in the rhythm. Two extended improvised pieces, pro-recorded by Pete Nanortes and lovingly pieced together by your emcee, Ian Paige. 28 minute mini-album, on white-top CD-R, with pro-printed CD insert sleeve on textured art paper, limited to 100 unnumbered copies. $6 + shipping. And one more item to mention, which is, Cursillistas' Joint Chiefs LP is now up for pre-order from Digitalis Recordings. Limited to 200 copies total, with a great exclusive pre-order bonus (Headband Tapes bonus cassette, pin designed by Cursillistas, and an early mp3 download of the album way before the release) it would be wise to reserve your copy now. $19 US, $22 Canada, $30 Worldwide for the special edition, so get to it! You can also preview tracks from the album at that site and at Cursillistas' Myspace.

2009-08-05T13:36:00.000-04:00

UPDATE: Les Biches LP sleeves are back from the letterpress! We'll be busy for the next couple weeks silkscreening the insides and hand-sewing the button enclosure, but pre-orders should get sorted out and shipped by the end of next week. Official mailing list update coming when those are all set, along with announcements of a couple special L'animaux micro-editions... Lips sealed for now. -LTFR

2009-07-20T15:42:00.000-04:00

Hey y'all... massive delays upon delays on the Les Biches LP packaging... We're doing all we can to resolve the situation. Everyone who ordered anything OTHER than the Les Biches LP will see things start to arrive in the mail soon. Otherwise, unfortunately, it'll be another couple weeks at least. Many apologies. The silver lining is that we do happen to have a very few leftover copies of the ultra-limited (hand-numbered to 150) tour-only full-length 12" split LP from Cursillistas & White Light, entitled Travel Light, which carries a light $14 price tag. Email lanimaux [at] gmail [dot] com quickly if interested. Look for an update in a couple weeks when (hopefully) Les Biches will finally be ready to wander the wild. -LTFR

2009-06-11T10:59:00.000-04:00

NEW PRE-ORDERS: CURSILLISTAS & TEMPERA; PLUS CURSILLISTAS & WHITE LIGHT TOUR 2009 Hey folks, Thanks for sticking with us during the silent film era. Some exciting announcements; first and foremost, a big hullabaloo hootenanny going down tomorrow night at Space Gallery for all you Portland (Maine) folks: We're converting SPACE into a living room house party for a night; quilts, afghans, pillows, rugs, and tea by lamplight as you enjoy live performances from TEMPERA, WHITE LIGHT, and CURSILLISTAS. Then, we kick up a dance storm with a performance from AM FRANK (members of VISITATIONS) ... those analog-synth-punk No-Wave party starters with a bagful of dance moves, strobe lights, and a great reverence for Vega/Rev. And, finally, the return of MOD NIGHT, Ian Paige's 60's soul, garage, and general Nuggets-Stax-Motown throwdown dance party DJ set. We'll wrap things up with a special DJ set from the Joint Chiefs (members of Cursillistas); moving your dance pants into obscuro-70's territory with some hard funk, heavy psych, classic rock, and dub-reggae jams. Should be a fun trip for all you heads... Doors at 8pm, music starts at 8:30 sharp, with DJ sets starting around 11pm. 18+ and $6 cover! Of course, I should mention that this is all in celebration of L'animaux Tryst's first three full-length 12"LP vinyl releases and a tour kickoff for Cursillistas and White Light... details on the records a little furthur down; but here's the tour info: CURSILLISTAS & WHITE LIGHT: TRAVEL LIGHT TOUR 2009 6/12 - Portland, ME @ Space Gallery [w. Tempera & AM Frank] 6/13 - Northampton, MA @ King St. Manor [w. Nathan Blehar (Hobbs)] 6/14 - Montague, MA @ Montague Bookmill [w. MV & EE] 6/15 - Delaware Water Gap, PA @ La Societe Expeditionnaire HQ [w. Lewis & Clarke] 6/16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Monster Island Basement [w. Predator Vision & Sudden Oak] 6/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Marvelous 6/18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Morning Glory Coffeehouse [w. Tom Carter, Steve Gunn, Shawn David McMillen, & Gorman] 6/20 - Bloomington, IN @ The Clinic [w. Elephant Micah & Gorman] 6/21 - Knoxville, TN @ The Birdhouse [w. Gorman] 6/23 - Loudenville, OH @ The Gorge Overlook at Mohican State Park [w. Gorman & Requiltings] 6/25 - Kittery, ME @ Buoy [w. Tempera] 6/27 - New Sweden, ME @ Thomas Park [Arootsakoostik Festival; w. Chriss Sutherland, Dead End Armory, many others] Added incentive for coming out to these shows: Cursillistas & White Light will have a special, very limited edition [150 copies] tour split 12"LP entitled TRAVEL LIGHT, which will only be available on this tour. (If there are copies left after the tour, some may be made available through L'animaux). Come on out and say hi! We'll also have lots of presents for anyone who provides us with a place to crash (or a yard to pitch a tent in) for a night, or a shower, or a vegan meal, or wireless internet. Road trips. PRE-ORDERS ON NEW L'ANIMAUX GOODS: LTFR-1201 CURSILLISTAS' LES BICHES 12"LP & CD L'animaux Tryst's first-ever release, Cursillistas' Les Biches, sold out over two years ago and has remained out-of-print until this deluxe reissue courtesy of Time-Lag Records and L'animaux Tryst. Each track has been remixed and analog-remastered from the original souce audio, with four previously-unreleased bonus tracks from Les Biches-era recording sessions added on. The songs themselves marked a transitional period for Cursillistas, where early folk influences were beginning to be pushed into the realm of psychedelic improvisations, live looping, and bizarre instrument choices [three of the songs are led by toy xylophone]. While still rooted in acid-folk-pop, the album marked a clear shift to more experimental tendencies and a more "full band" sound. Pressed onto 180-gram heavyweight black vinyl, packaged in a letterpressed three-fold art paper jacket (with hand-sewn button enclosure and vellum insert mounted over a silkscreened design), and including a CD version of the album, this pressing is limited to 300 copies. [CD version is also sold seperately]. http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/cursillistaslesbiches.htm LTFR-1202 TEMPERA'S TEMPERA 12"LP & CD When it comes to quality control and prolificacy, one can't imagine a band doing much better on either count than Portland, Maine's own Tempera. Considering the thousands of minutes of original material they've committed to tape, microcassette, and hard-drive over the past four years, it's hard to believe that this is still officially Tempera's debut long-playing album. And befitting the band's thorough self-scrutiny (in itself a rare characteristic amongst experimental improv groups in this era) the music is decidedly top-tier. This self-titled LP contains two side-long, long-form improvisations, with kraut-rock inspired tom-heavy drumming backing ethereal vocals and synth tones and drones; smooth, blissed-out ambient passages building to cymbal crashing climaxes. Here, Tempera's Nicholas Barker and Corinna Marshall are joined by electric pianist/drummer Robert Stillman [of Robert Stillman's Horses] to hit that ecstatic, transcendent zone. Pressed onto crystal clear 12" vinyl (and including a CD version of the album with a bonus track), packaged in a silkscreened art paper "poster-style" fold-over sleeve, and limited to 300 copies. http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/temperatempera.htm BOTH TITLES ARE NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER; ALL PRE-ORDERS WILL SHIP OUT ON OR BEFORE JULY 7TH. PLEASE VISIT HTTP://WWW.LANIMAUXTRYST.COM/ORDER.HTM TO PLACE YOUR ORDER. In other news, you may notice that the website's gotten a bit of a re-vamp.. We're still working on it so please excuse the broken links. Email lanimaux[at]gmail[dot]com with questions... Also, as mentioned in a previous blog post, the Sequin Trails tape that was sent out with a few of the Summer Haunt subscriptions has been recalled, and will be replaced with an exclusive new Cursillistas cassette entitled "Peace Pipers". 45 minutes of incense-soaked blissed desert wanderings on acoustic guitar, electric slide guitar, baglama [saz], and voice, from the Cursillistas duo that will be bringing you the JOINT CHIEFS LP on Digitalis later this year. Think of "Peace Pipers" as a prequel, or addendum to that LP, with no material repeated. We'll be assembling tapes as soon as we're back from tour, so they'll ship when the new Tempera and Cursillistas LPs & CDs are ready. If you send your copy of "Slumber Beneath The Leaves" back to us, you'll get the Cursillistas cassette sent to you + a shipping credit for whatever it cost to return the tape to us. [Please use the cheapest shipping rate available to you]. Thanks! For now there are no plans to make "Peace Pipers" available to the world at large, so you Tryst Haunt subscribers are getting a real exclusive here. We're only making 75 copies, for the first 75 subscribers to the series. Speaking of the Tryst Haunt Series, we're having a special sale going on for the next couple weeks: all seasonal sets of three 7" records are available for just $15 + shipping while supplies last... it's a good time to complete the set if you've ordered just one or two seasons so far. The total translates to $18 US [media mail], $21 [US Priority, or Canada], and $24 [Worldwide]. Visit http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/trysthaunt.htm to order. Other specials going on: Order the Tempera LP + CD and get their split single with Bad Bus from the Tryst Haunt Series for just $4. And for US orders, if you pre-order both the Tempera and Cursillistas LP + CD sets, shipping is FREE via Media Mail. Those specials are at the pre-orders and specials page of the site.

2009-02-25T12:31:00.000-05:00

Cursillistas' Maia Maiestas series is now SOLD OUT! Now cross-pollenate those buds, lil' bumblebees... Share share as you'd like. Get in touch if you'd like to make your tape available for all to hear on the L'animaux site. Coming up soon in '09: *L'animaux 12" vinyl debuts from CURSILLISTAS (co-released with Time-Lag) and TEMPERA. Look for pre-orders to start in March. Both exquisitely packaged and supremely limited to 300 copies. *PLANETS AROUND THE SUN, BAD BUS, and ST. MARY'S limited edition CD-Rs. *SACRED BASIL and CURSILLISTAS tapes. all sometime between March and June.

2009-01-25T16:16:00.000-05:00

SLUMBER BENEATH THE LEAVES cassette has been recalled. Please get in touch at lanimaux@gmail.com with questions and to return the tape for a refund. Thank you.

2009-01-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

Summer Tryst Haunt orders have started to ship... starting with earliest subscribers. Everyone who's ordered as of today should receive their records and Tunnels w. Sequin Trails cassette by January 20th. Still plenty of records available, though the tape is nearly sold out. And there are currently 8 of the Cursillistas Maia Maiestas tapes left... get in touch soon if interested. lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com.

2008-12-11T12:47:00.000-05:00

2008 year-end L'animaux Tryst update: CURSILLISTAS' MAIA MAIESTAS CASSETTE SERIES, THE FINAL HAUNT First things first:

l-t-(f)-r 018: CURSILLISTAS' Maia Maiestas cassette series The explanation is fully here, but here's the short-form typed version: once a day for the 31 days of May 2008, Cursillistas sat down before a cassette recorder and improvised a 20-minute performance onto a white c-20 cassette tape. These master tapes were then hand-painted by Dawn Marna, and packaged in or with items found throughout the course of that day. These 31 master tapes are now on sale in the most limited of editions - one of one - each hand painted and packaged uniquely to match the unique performance captured on each tape. The tapes are not going up auction-style, but because there is only one copy available of each tape it's a strict first-come, first-served deal. Limit is one per customer, so if you're interested in more than one tape, please rank them in the order in which you'd like them - in the event your first choice has already sold, you will receive your #2, and so on. The price is $15 US or $18 Worldwide, postage paid. If we're shipping your tape with your Tryst Haunt 7"s the price is $13. There are images, explanations, and sound samples (1.5 minutes from each side of each tape) online here - just click on the date to open a page with images and streaming audio. Once you know what tape you want, email lanimaux@gmail.com with your ranked list and we'll give you further instructions.

And other business: Things didn't go quite as planned, and the FINAL Tryst Haunt 7" set is coming out about six months late. Thanks to all subscribers for your patience... the time has almost come! But, as it gets dangerous to ship stuff around the Winter Solstice holidays, with under three weeks left till 2009 we're gonna put all shipments on hold until January 2nd. Subscribers, your appreciated patience will be rewarded with a free copy of: *****NOTE: THE "SLUMBER BENEATH THE LEAVES" CASSETTE HAS BEEN RECALLED, AND IS NOT AVAILABLE. APOLOGIES FOR THE WEIRDNESS AND INCONVENIENCE. PLEASE GET IN TOUCH AT LANIMAUX@GMAIL.COM FOR MORE INFO****

and those final Tryst Haunt 7"s for your consideration: LTH 710: ghq's "requiem for bhopal" this brooklyn all-star duo of marcia bassett (zaimph, hototogisu, double leopards, zaika) and steve gunn (check the solo digitalis cd sundowner) have been killing it on releases on time-lag, three-lobed, not not fun and others since their debut in 2005. the extended-playing 45 (six minutes on each side) finds ghq hitting that bliss-drift stride, with droned-out atmospheres of guitar layers soothing your headspace into a fully-conscious trance. occasional vocals just barely peak through the blanket, and there's definitely enough noise to remind you this ain't just about good vibes. black 7" vinyl record is held in a black art paper sleeve, with gold-ink offset printing on the back and a paste-on full-color cover. limited edition hand-numbered to 300; embossed for authenticity. LTH 711: vollmar's "new best friend b/w flood punch & holy blessing" justin vollmar's recordings often sound wonderfully and pleasantly small-scale; they begin with gentle strums like a feathered wing brushing a rusted-out six-string, soon joined by the fragile voice of a reluctant singer who's got only one person's ear in mind. occasionally calling to mind lo-fi songwriters like oldham and elverum, vollmar's songs are focused on the intimate and intricate, and recently his presentation has become fleshed out with full-band-type arrangements - modest drums, mini-synths and warm electric guitars in service to the songs. this 7" single presents alternate, more pared-down versions of three songs from his upcoming tell the dirt lp. black 7" record held in a tri-fold chipboard sleeve, in-house screenprinted on front and back, with full-color paste-on photo on front and a hand-written note on the third fold. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300, with embossed dust sleeves. LTH 712: elephant micah's "in midnight b/w ocean floor" as consistently great a songwriter as we've had this decade, elephant micah's joe o'connell is always affecting and almost unbelievably right-on, with a subtle vocal delivery, modest home-tracked recording fidelity, and slight country-western touches. which is what makes this 7" release so intriguing - this is elephant micah interpreting two songs written by friends of his (time and temperature & microwave background), and they are his most recently-recorded works. as expected, elephant micah truly makes these songs his own through no subtle re-interpretation. synth tones, backwards noise guitar, and even a trumpet solo set these songs apart from both their original versions and elephant micah's past work, and yet joe's voice and vision comes through as accurate as always. befitting the "recycling" theme of the songs, this black 7" record comes packaged in discarded 12" LP sleeves, which have been cut down to 7" jacket size, and then in-house screenprinted over with the release info. limited edition, hand-numbered to 300. As always, these are available as a three-record set, bound with hemp twine, for $24 US, $28 World. BUT, the good news is that if you've held out on buying the full 12-record subscription until now, the original price included shipping for four separate packages. These twelve records will ship together media mail in the US, so if you're a new subscriber and want all twelve records, you can have 'em for $65 total. Worldwide, it's $85. If you're a US customer and you prefer to have your records go Priority Mail and insured, it'll still be the original $75 for all twelve. Email me if interested - I will put up new Paypal buttons on the site when I have the chance.

2008-10-16T12:54:00.000-04:00

A quick update: *Contrary to the rumours, this site did not live-blog the final US Presidential debate last night. Sorry for the confusion. *The Summer 2008 Tryst Haunt 7"s are coming along... still. I can at least promise that it won't be Winter yet by the time you subscribers receive them. We're looking at mid-November if all goes well. And to thank you subscribers for your patience, you'll get a secret present with your final shipment. *The L'animaux Tryst website had a slight update yesterday, with the order and upcoming pages updated to reflect most recent changes. We only have about 5 copies of the "Expanses Growing" cassette from Sloow Tapes left, so order soon if you're interested. Quantities are also very limited for the Bad Bus #2 & 8 (Back Hoe) 3"cdr (co-released with Digitalis in an edition of 75 - we only have 15 copies left). As always, shipping is included in the prices, so you can email me at lanimaux(at)gmail(dot)com if you want to combine shipping on multiple items. That will usually knock a couple bucks off your total. *Expect the next big update in November, when we will reveal: the final Tryst Haunt 45s (along with that secret bonus release), the Maia Maiestas cassette series from Cursillistas and friends, and pre-order details for our first full-length 12" vinyl and CD releases from Cursillistas and Tempera. *If you're in the Portland area, come out to some L'animaux shows: Sunday Oct. 19th - CURSILLISTAS Longfellow Kucz (formerly "Garm"; member of Visitations with assistance from Thee Planets' King) Dead Western (from Cali) Snowblink (Canada!) @ Strange Maine, 578 Congress St., Portland, ME 8:00pm, free but $5 suggested donation for travelers, all ages. Sunday Oct. 26th - CURSILLISTAS, opening for: Castanets (awesome) & Dylan Metrano & Paper Birds (members of Tigersaw & South China/Brown Bird) @ Meg Perry Center, 644 Congress St., Portland, ME 8:00pm, $6, all ages.

2008-06-19T13:07:00.000-04:00

L'animaux Tryst UPDATE, June 2008: BIG BLOOD & VISITATIONS, PRISMA/DRONA PARVA, AND THE NORTH SEA/CORSICAN PAINTBRUSH 7"s IN THE (much-delayed) SPRING 2008 TRYST HAUNT!

"It's been a long time comin'". Illnesses, uprootings, and numerous pressing & production delays have all led to this: a two-months-late Spring installment of the Tryst Haunt Series. Yes, it's now officially Summer. But they're all the better for the extra time spent on them. All the packages are beautiful, and these scans don't nearly do justice to what these things look and feel like in "real" life.

We present:

LTH 707: visitations & big blood's "'lectric 'lashes"
in the true spirit of the occasion, southern maine's outerworldly psych-folk beacons visitations and big blood decide to forgo the concept of the "split" release and instead launch forth into a mindbending collaborative effort. the bands are not new to performing together: they've toured together and have even backed each other up under various names. but this release marks the first physical release by their combined forces, and, unbelievably enough, is big blood's first vinyl release ever. the ease with which the bands complement each other is astounding - five clear voices reaching together to guide the record through a buzz-guitar singalong, a breathless pastoral folk tune, a chugging nightmare rock-dirge, and a sweetly-lighthearted vocal exercise. this 33rpm 7" record contains four tracks in a 14-minute official runtime, but will play forever if you let it. in addition, the record comes with a bonus cd-r of tracks from the late-night jam session that pre-dated the recording sessions for the 7", as well as the four tracks from the 7" itself in digital form. a one-of-a-kind package, with each record sleeve offset printed with the bands' artwork in dark blue ink on colorful, individually hand-painted sheets of heavy art paper. embossed, hand-numbered limited edition of 300 record/cd-r sets.

LTH 708: prisma & drona parva's "best buds" 7"
the two spectral ladies of prisma mark their debut release with this 7" split with drona parva. prisma has been performing the quietest shows in and around portland for a couple years now, mixing softly echoing vocals with flute drones, only the gentlest plucking of various stringed instruments, and the occasional analog noise rumble. their a-side track resonates with beautiful restraint and delicacy; the stunning debut all of us entranced by their live show have hoped for. on the b-side, drona parva--the long-running solo project of time-lag records' nemo bidstrup--turns in a blissed-out muti-tracked free-flowing guitar composition. trance-inducing acoustic plucks and strums eventually give way to shimmering waves of fuzz guitar until the whole thing becomes impossibly beautiful. the minimal packaging for the record complements the gentle touch of the recordings held within: the 45rpm 7" record is a custom, slightly-marbled avocado green color with a yellow-green mandala-design center-label. the record is held in a semi-transparent vellum sleeve that has been hand-punched on the corners, giving a soft mask to the striking colors on the record itself, and hand-numbered to 300.

LTH 709: the north sea's "nikolette (reborn)" b/w corsican paintbrush's "under storm skies"
anyone familiar with the extensive north sea discography is aware of brad rose's keen ability to mix it up between eastern-tinged folk instrumentals and more straightforward strummers, which usually feature rose's classic low-in-the-mix mumble-drunk vocals and charmingly loose playing. "nikolette (reborn)" finds him revising a beautiful, quivering folk song from 2007's baby blue bones cd (mymwly) with the more-confident-than-ever vocals now at the forefront, and an army of acoustic strings and hand percussion backing this boxtop prophet's hymn. corsican paintbrush's contribution follows suit, foregrounding eden hemming rose's soft, lilting vocal melody and some rhythm-keeping strums while keeping a lush, hazy swell of drones and cave-echo vocals as the backdrop. equally ethereal and dusty, like 4AD dream-pop marred by dirt under fingernails and ash from the campfire turning cheeks black. black 7" vinyl record has a hand-stamped center label, and comes packaged in a textured black art paper sleeve with flower petal inclusions, with line-drawings and stamped titles in white ink, and an embossed screenprinted insert featuring liner notes and a topographic street map of tulsa. limited edition hand-numbered to 300.

WORLDWIDE - $28, SHIPPING INCLUDED

The first two editions of the Tryst Haunt Series are still available, as are full subscriptions for this year's twelve 7" records (still to come: GHQ, Vollmar, and Elephant Micah in September). Please visit the new "work-in-progress" label website at http://www.lanimauxtryst.com/order.htm for more information and to order.

Finally, it pains me to announce this, but the Tryst Haunt Series will go on indefinite hiatus after the Summer 2008 installment. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which being that I've gotten the itch to start focusing on album-length vinyl releases for our artists. Please feel free to email me at lanimaux (at ) gmail (dot) com with any questions and I'll try to clarify.

2008-03-26T10:48:00.000-04:00

Kelly Nesbitt, and Tassel CD-Rs are now sold out at the label, as are all copies of the Cursillistas Fleece Face cassette in the distro. Please try Time-Lag and Tomentosa for out-of-print LT(f)R discs and tapes. [note: even if items are not listed on the "distro" section of Time-Lag's site, they still may have some copies available. Just ask!] There are still a few copies left of the Robert Stillman's Horses CD-R/DVD-R set, $12 US or $14 worldwide. Email lanimaux(at)gmail(dot)com to order. Apologies for the delay in getting the Winter 2008 Tryst Haunt 7"s out to subscribers; as of today, all subscriptions placed before February have shipped out. Look for a late-April / early-May update to include the Spring 2008 Tryst Haunt 7"s from Big Blood/Visitations, Drona Parva/Prisma, and The North Sea/Corsican Paintbrush, as well as a new 3"cdr from Bad Bus and maybe more! It may bear repeating that subscriptions are still available for the Tryst Haunt Series... twelve 7" records delivered to your door with the change of each season. To order: Tryst Haunt Series (full year), in the US: $75 (shipping included)

Tryst Haunt Series (full year), Worldwide: $90 (shipping included)

Autumn 2007 Haunt: Bad Bus/Tempera, Cursillistas, Lightning Strike Lightning US: $24

World: $28

Winter 2008 Haunt: Bird Microphone, White Light/Barry Burst, The Red F/Sarah Ramey US: $24

World: $28
Each set of records comes bound together with matching edition numbers in handmade, offset, screenprinted, and/or letterpressed sleeves, embossed for authenticity, limited to 300 copies. Lots of stuff done by hand on these, and they've been getting rave reviews from The Wire, Diskant, Electric Voice Phenomenon, Foxy Digitalis, and Animal Psi, so it's about time to snatch up a subscription before they're gone. Email lanimaux@gmail.com with any questions!

2008-01-18T14:48:00.000-05:00

winter 2008 pre-orders for kelly nesbitt, robert stillman's horses, and the tryst haunt 7" series volume 2.

Available for pre-order, immediately, to ship February 19th:

l-t-(f)-r 016: Kelly Nesbitt's Beaks That Could Smile CD-R
in which the dust settled on the antique photo album is blown, revealing all manner and layers of americana therein. kelly nesbitt has been known around town for years as a performance artist and folksinger with one ear in the frontier gothic folk/country ballad tradition and the other in a delightfully skewed avant-garde psychedelic realm, and on this album--her official debut--the two sides harmonize on a dusty spacetrip to places both hauntingly familiar and invitingly alien. it's a stunningly humble, graceful lo-fi world where a kazoo solo is a fine replacement for a guitar solo, and where perfectly-left answering machine messages deserve just as much appreciation as perfectly-delivered gospel-voiced folk songs.

running time: 60 minutes
tracklist:
01. wishy washy
02. glorified renter
03. kelly goes country
04. yes yes
05. gracias a la vida
06. think with your eyebrows
07. earbait #4
08. earbait #3
09. squeeze me calm
10. four track messages
11. beaks that could smile
12. dracula frizzi
13. tabloids
14. this island
15. earbait #1
16. yo yo ma

016 - "Beaks That Could Smile " cdr - $10
5"cdr: white-top cdr with handstamped bird.
packaging: full-color copy of collage and hand-drawn art, pasted onto chipboard arigato pak and sanded till soft.
insert: fold-out 8x10" xeroxed sheet with typed and handwritten text, and bird stamp
edition: limited, 50 copies.

l-t-(f)-r 017: Robert Stillman's Horses' Three Early Maine Films
in which nostalgia is gleaned from the parlour and the ocean; the fairground and the midnight air, in the form of moving postcards and one-man piano rags. using just two hands and two feet to play electric piano, a complete drumkit, nylon-stringed guitar, and tape fragments as though he were a full whiskey-soaked turn-of-the-20th-century band, robert stillman's music is transportive and transformative in any setting, but perhaps most effective as presented here: as the thoughtful soundtrack to archival silent documentary film footage of early 1900's maine loggers, fishermen, and lobstermen. the films and musical accompaniment are suspenseful, reverent, and playful - stillman's score perfectly matching the documentation of maine worklives with a veritable documentary of the american parlour sound.

cd running time: 28 min.
cd tracklist:
01 - 08. logging in maine
09. trout fishing, rangeley lakes
10. glorious (drawing a lobster pot)
11. fox n me
12. dmp chorale

dvd running time: 22 min.
dvd tracklist:
01. logging in maine
02. trout fishing, rangeley lakes
03. drawing a lobster pot

017 - "3 Early Maine Films" DVD-R / CDR - $12
5"cdr: white-top cdr with handcut stamp in red ink.
dvdr: white-top dvdr with handcut stamp in red ink.
packaging: cream-colored heavy cotton paper gatefold sleeve, with black ink linoleum-cut print on the cover and typed liner notes on the inside and back cover.
edition: limited, 50 copies.

and mailing #2 of the Tryst Haunt Series, Winter 2008:

LTH 704: bird microphone's "memory songs ep"

bird microphone follows up last year's paper mines split with cursillistas with this collection of original songs and appalachian child ballads. fitting six songs onto this 45rpm 7" record, bird mic. mixes her trademark dulcimer plucks and cut-up bell percussion clacks with a new focus on voice. love songs that aren't afraid to expose the dissonance; traditionals on the a-side, originals on the b. preview here. black 7" vinyl record with center labels hand-stamped on the A and hand-drawn/colored on the B-side, held in a heavy off-white cotton paper sleeve, with double-vision two-color screenprinted covers and an offset-printed back. hand-numbered to 300, and embossed.

LTH 705: white light's "saraswati" b/w barry burst's "rabies"

ian paige's white light project turns in a graceful, drony and jangly piece of classic lo-fi psych-pop, with a subtle galloping rhythm track keeping the good vibes in line. swirls of phasing synth quietly sneak up on the sweet vocals and lead guitars until all ride off on the figurative elephant in the sky. meanwhile, perennial favorite barry burst crashes that elephant back to the earth dirt and kicks up a party that could only be described as bollywood on acid. tablas and a host of handclaps provide the rhythmic thrust, while eastern strings and a chorus of singers (a multi-tracked barry) parade the blissfully gone love-fest through town. black 7" vinyl record with hand-stamped center labels held in a tri-fold die-cut chipboard sleeve, letterpressed and screenprinted in a multicolor design, with screenprinted chipboard insert. hand-numbered to 300.

LTH 706: the red f's "fingers" b/w sarah ramey's "magic" & "jane"

here we have a couple names new to the l'animaux tryst family, but no doubt familiar to those in the southern-maine know, here presented in split-single form as the official solo debut for both artists. the red f is the solo project of phantom buffalo guitarist tim burns, and there are shadows of his group's gentle and sweetly skewed indie-pop on "fingers". but pared down to just a voice, a creaky acoustic guitar, and the reverbed ghosts in the room, burns turns out one of the most affecting folk ballads we've heard in some time. on the b-side, sarah ramey (lead vocals and guitar for seekonk) presents two similarly pared-down tracks of acoustic strings and double-tracked vocals. the incredible intimacy with which she delivers each half-whispered word and melody alludes to warmth like the crackle of a woodfire on the coldest night. black 7" vinyl record with hand-stamped center labels, held in a heavy white cotton paper sleeve, with offset-printed art with watercolor washes applied by tim burns' hand. hand-numbered to 300 and embossed.

Again, as you know, these three records are available as a set for $24 in the US or $28 overseas, or as part of the Tryst Haunt Series year-long subscription (twelve 7" records total, three with the change of every season) for $75 US or $90 worldwide.

Remember, all CD-R prices include shipping to the US, so worldwide customers will add a couple bucks and we'll knock a couple bucks off for multiple orders.

And in other news, L'animaux Tryst now has a bit of a mailorder distro. This is for items released by other labels that feature L'animaux-related artists. So, as you can imagine, this update includes:

CURSILLISTAS' WASP STINGS THE LAST BITTER FLAVOR CD (Digitalis) $12
CURSILLISTAS' FLEECE FACE Cassette (30 min.) (Open Range Records) $7

Fleece Face is sold out at Open Range, and I've only got a few copies left, so get in touch soon. As always, email lanimaux(at)gmail(dot)com to inquire about availability before sending funds.

2008-01-18T11:48:00.000-05:00

update: all but tassel cd-r and tryst haunt 7" series are sold out. new releases in a couple weeks, pre-orders begin next week with new kelly nesbitt cdr and robert stillman dvdr/cdr releases, as well as info on the winter 2008 set of tryst haunt 7"s from bird microphone, white light/barry burst, and the red f/sarah ramey.

2007-10-29T20:27:00.000-04:00

L'animaux Tryst Update, 10/31/07. NEW: ROUGH RIDE OF CRAFTS AND TASSEL

Available for pre-order, immediately, to ship mid-November:

l-t-(f)-r 011: Rough Ride of Crafts' Streamliner

in which RRoC's main man handpicks twelve of the best bedroom tones to have come from his 4-track in the past few years, presenting an accomplished whole assembled from the various, consistently impressive individual parts. stylistically floating between lo-fi folk strummers, mantra chants, and warm drones, streamliner's beautiful double-tracked poem vox hit a perfect balance between haunting closeness and warm invitation. blanketed in close-mic'ed analog warmth, these songs are like blowing the dust off your favorite songwriter's shoebox demo tape collection; singular, immediate, private and timeless.

011 - streamliner cdr - $10

5" cdr: orange-topped cdr, with hand-stamped title in black ink
packaging: handstamped cover image in black ink, on chipboard arigato pak.
insert: printed collage insert with track titles.
edition: limited, 50 copies.

l-t-(f)-r 012 Tassel's Tassel

in which the inevitable question is posed: shoegaze or stargaze? tassel, a one-man psychedelic fuzz-pop machine, drops seven acid-damaged tracks in just under sixteen minutes, and by the end we're all thinking "more, please." swirls of guitar fuzz, classic lo-fi production, and reverb-washed vocals. majestic rockers mixed with mellow, ambient mood pieces. cut-n-paste found sounds tucked in with mounds of echo; this is music equally befitting both the starship and yr first luv buzz trip down a lamplit highway.

tracklist:
01. untitled
02. interlude
03. star 80
04. good morning autumn
05. coney sand
06. way far out
07. silver car crash

running time: approx. 16 min.

012 - tassel cdr - $7

5"cdr: orange-topped cdr
packaging: hand-painted splatter-color covers, with hand-stenciled design by tassel's matthew o'rourke on unbleached heavy art paper. machine sewn into a pouch that holds cd and insert.
insert: liner notes printed on heavy white art paper
edition: limited, 40 copies

and if you wanted some info on the first three 7"s in the tryst haunt series (there's still time to subscribe) here ya go:

LTH 701: bad bus' "the field" b/w tempera's "2222222222"

marking the vinyl debut of a couple of so maine's favorite improvisational psych outfits, this split 33rpm 7" runs amok with some murky kraut-leaning grooves. bad bus' side builds from loose tom drumming and echoey vocal moans into a locked-in bassline stomper. tempera's track buzzes its way through lo-fi live loops, beats backing aetherial vocals, a complete electro mindgroove. hand-stamped black 7" vinyl record held in a hand-ripped, machine-stitched patchwork record sleeve. hand-numbered to 300.

LTH 702: cursillistas' "taste teeth" b/w "you float, no evens"

cursillistas contributes two exclusive tracks to the series in this 45 rpm 7". "taste teeth" crackles along with a melodic mini-choir of vocals and plucked strings, building to the outro with electric guitar noise, multiplying vocal loops, whistles, and toy xylophone. the b-side builds from a monastic chant, while percussion and whisps of guitar scatter form around. sparse and haunting. hand-stamped black 7" vinyl record held in a heavy cotton art paper sleeve, with offset-printed cover art and titles hand-written with India ink and stylus. hand-numbered to 300, embossed for authenticity.

LTH 703: lightning strike lightning's "the moon" b/w "no you won't"

"the moon" kicks off lsl's vinyl debut with some synth squelch/drum liftoff, until the trademark banjo and extremely-distorted guitar interplay begins the melodic tapestry, joined by four voices around one microphone. "no you won't" was one of the earliest lsl tracks, recorded in an era before murk and caves. a clean electric guitar, bass, and banjo create the foundation upon which a nonchalant female lead vocal spooks some warnings punctuated by fluttering flute leads. as freaky as these folks come. hand-stamped (from hand-carved linoleum stamp) black 7" vinyl record held in a chipboard sleeve, with a full-color photo pasted to the front and an in-house screenprinted front and back design. hand-stamped numbered to 300.

these 7" records are available together as the autumn 2007 mailing of the tryst haunt series, and not available individually (except from the artists themselves). to purchase the 701-703 bundle (for $24 US, $28 Worldwide, postage paid), or to subscribe to the series for the year ($75 US, $90 Worldwide, three records every three months,12 records in all), email lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com. there are still subscriptions available, but act fast!

the first bunch of 7" orders are being shipped out today... if you pre-ordered way back in September thanks for your patience! as you can see each of the records required tons of work by hand, with art for each release created by and carried out by the band members themselves. truly from the heart and hands of these fokes to your ears.

the rough ride of crafts and tassel discs should be ready to ship in the next two or three weeks, and we appreciate your pre-orders. please order by emailing lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com before sending any funds. all prices include shipping to the US, and combined orders will save a few bucks on shipping. check, money order, and well-hidden cash also accepted, but email first.

thanks everyone.. be in touch.

2007-10-05T10:08:00.000-04:00

For your convenience... L'animaux Tryst is now offering instant purchasing through Paypal. Just click the "Buy Now" button and you'll be brought to the Paypal page with the item already in your cart! Couldn't be easier... *Note: This option will only be available for items in editions of 100 or greater. Very limited editions will still be available by emailing lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com first, to verify that the item has not sold out yet. So get your buy on, starting with the Tryst Haunt Series: Autumn 2007 mailing (three limited edition 7"s: bad bus / tempera (split), cursillistas, lightning strike lightning) USA (postage paid): $24 WORLD (post. paid): $28 Tryst Haunt Series, full-year subscription (twelve 7" records, delivered in batches of three each season)

USA (postage paid): $75

WORLD (post. paid): $90

Remember, the first three records will ship in mid-October. Look for a full update soon, with images of what these records look like (handmade and gorgeous) and audio clips from the tracks, along with new CD-Rs from Rough Ride of Crafts and Tassel, probably in the next week or so. Inventory update: All Bad Bus tapes are sold out. Only one copy left of Jazz Angel ($8) and Lightning strike Lightning special art edition 2x3"cdr ($16). A couple copies remain of the Barry Burst 3"cdr as well ($8). Email fast to get them before they disappear! If you miss out, check with Time-Lag and Tomentosa... they now have copies (hopefully not sold out already!)

2007-09-14T11:30:00.000-04:00

bad bus 006c1 double-cassette special art edition is now sold-out at label. time-lag and tomentosa will have a few soon. down to the last three-or-so copies of the lightning strike lightning 008b special art edition as well... email fast or they'll be gone! dig the foxy digitalis interview, and the write-up of the If a tree falls in the forest, can we record it? compilation cassette in the most recent issue of Arthur Magazine! go to the Bull Tongue column (page 51) to read it.

2007-09-07T16:19:00.000-04:00

ANNOUNCING: THE TRYST HAUNT SERIES, plus BAD BUS, JAZZ ANGEL, AND LSL.

Some huge things happening this month at L'animaux. The biggest announcement of the year first.

LTH 701 - 712: The Tryst Haunt Series.

In which the seasons change with a soundtrack, provided by some of L'animaux's associates, friends, and extended family. A year's subscription will find three new, limited edition 7" records at your doorstep (or mailbox) shortly after each solstice and equinox, in all, twelve records of exclusive tracks from eighteen bands or artists.

The lineup, presented thusly:

autumn 2007:
701- bad bus / tempera
702 - cursillistas
703 - lightning strike lightning

winter 2008:
704 - bird microphone
705 - white light / barry burst
706 - the red f / sarah ramey

spring 2008:
707 - big blood / visitations
708 - drona parva / prisma
709 - the north sea / corsican paintbrush

summer 2008:
710 - ghq
711 - vollmar
712 - elephant micah

These records will not be available individually, and subscriptions are limited to 200. Though both seasonal (one mailing of three records) and year-long (four mailings of three records each) subscriptions are available, seasonal subscriptions cannot be pre-ordered and will only be available until year-long subscriptions are sold-out.

The prices for subscribing to the series are:

U.S.A.
one season (three records) - $24
year-long (twelve records) - $75

Worldwide
one season - $28
year-long - $90

Prices are all postage paid.
For more information or to order, please email lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com.

We'll begin taking pre-orders for the year-long subscription immediately, and the Autumn 2007 mailing (Bad Bus/Tempera, Cursillistas, and Lightning Strike Lightning) will be available for seasonal subscription orders on October 1st.

Also available now for pre-order on L'animaux:

l-t-(f)-r 006 - bad bus' 1 & 3 (caucus)
l-t-(f)-r 008b - lightning strike lightning's turn myself into the ocean (2x3"cdr art edition)
l-t-(f)-r 009 - jazz angel's silent death

006: bad bus' #1 & #3(caucus)

in which an all-star cast of maine crazies collaborate on wine-soaked, late-night improvisations. #1 is a haunted-house fantasy, with scrapes and reeds joining tin cans, spare metal parts, and decimated piano keys to create some abstract scariness. one long, 40-minute, unedited take, split on two sides of the cassette. ghosts and spirits just finding their voices, trying to spook the hell out of your basement folk band. conduits indeed. #3 (caucus) was recorded shortly after these spectres discovered a drum kit and no-wave music. tribal drums drive the session, with horn blasts, shards of guitar, voice-box shredding and group chants, glockenspiel, and the ever-present dulcimer creating what at times resembles a tom waits acid trip. stomp if you dare; just don't wake the woodcock. live in basement, no overdubs, ever.

running time: approx. 80 minutes.

tracks:
cassette 1: bad bus #1
cassette 2: bad bus #3 (caucus)

006c1 - bad bus #1 & 3(caucus) double cassette (special art edition) - $10
two 40-minute cassettes: black cassettes, with hand-written titles in white ink.
packaging: discarded library book, pages carved-out by hand to form a case for the two cassettes (see below), with hand-written title in white paint on cover and binding.
edition: limited, 15 copies.

006c2 - bad bus #1 & 3(caucus) double cassette - $7
two 40-minute cassettes: black cassettes, with hand-written titles in white ink.
packaging: cardboard folded and glued to create a sliding-case for the cassettes, with sewn patchwork fabric inclusions, hand-drawn and hand-written liner notes on the outside.
edition: limited, 20 copies.

008: lightning strike lightning's turn myself into the ocean
(see earlier post for album information; this is the same music as the standard-edition cdr, just spread over two 3"cdrs)

008b - turn myself into the ocean 2x3"cdr (special art edition) - $16
two 3" cd-rs: white-top mini-cd-rs, title handwritten with white ink.
packaging: each cd-r is held in its own hand-cut brown cardstock pouch, machine-sewn up two sides, with mixed media (paper and dried flowers) collage on one side and a hand-cut linoleum stamp of the tracklist on the other side. these sleeves are held within a larger, hand-sewn leather pouch, with faded and pasted photo cover art attached to the front.
edition: limited, 25 copies.

009: jazz angel's silent death

in which noise abounds, melody and beauty are found incidentally, and visceral sounds reach for visceral ears. of the four words in the above heading, only the second and fourth are truly evoked from this disc, silence being the hardest to come by. with guitar tracks that are saturated in feedback 'n distortion and arhythmic spoken-word vocals over a bedrock of pulsing drones and beats, this album will put the fear in you like a good ital. horror flick. dense noise-rock orchestrations that are minimal yet overflowing. dirt and soul in a grimey oasis of fuzz.

(preview tracks from the album and a band-made video at their 'space page, www.myspace.com/jazzangelmaine)

running time: 31:26

009 - silent death cdr - $8
cdr: blue-top cdr, rubber-stamped with original artwork by angela of jazz angel.
packaging: screen-printed fold-around covers on textured red paper. includes an booklet insert of art by the band members, printed via xerox transfer onto tracing paper and hand-sewn to the binding. additional insert with tracklisting. held in a plastic sleeve.
edition: limited, 40 copies.

These items should be ready to ship by September 24th. Only one copy per person for both the Bad Bus and Lightning Strike Lightning special art edition releases, please.

As always, a few copies of these titles will be available through Time-Lag and Tomentosa Records' distribution wings. Check there if we're sold out.

To order, please email lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com.

And an inventory update: there are still a few copies of the Barry Burst Gora 3" cdrs ($7), as well as a couple of the If a tree falls in the forst, can we record it? compilation cdrs, a co-release with Avant-Garde Farm Records ($5).

2007-06-25T14:22:00.000-04:00

update: tempera and lightning strike lightning sold out! all copies of the tempera cassette are gone from the label, as are the lightning strike lightning cdrs. try tomentosa records or time-lag records, or contact the bands directly from their myspace pages, since they still have a few copies kicking around. so to recap, the only item still available is the 3"cdr version of barry burst's gora. till soon, matt

2007-06-14T11:13:00.000-04:00

update: barry burst's gora 5"cdr sold out! sorry to have to update so soon after the initial announcement, but the barry burst gora 5"cdr is already sold out. there are still copies of the 3"cdr version available, though. and we're down to the last 4 or 5 copies of both the tempera cassette and the lightning strike lightning cdr, so email lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com FAST if you're interested in reserving a copy.

2007-06-04T14:08:00.000-04:00

now available: new releases from l'animaux tryst:

l-t-(f)-r 005: barry burst's gora
l-t-(f)-r 007: tempera's 4.7.06 / 4.16.06
l-t-(f)-r 008: lightning strike lightning's turn myself into the ocean

005: barry burst's gora

in which portland's psych-rock hero takes a pilgrimage to the metaphysical india of his mind and emerges with some of the most beautifully melodic sitar-and-flute-led acid folk tunes this side of satanic majesties. raga, jazz, folk, and psychedelic rock all inform these four glorious tracks, with plenty of heady instrumental drone jams to balance out the hooks. a document of a cold winter--despite tiger claws that tear bodies to reverent ribbons--with every countless instrument played and recorded by the man himself.

running time: approx. 21 min.

tracks:
01. when the bird flies
02. ke bavajud janata
03. for alice
04. anja sajan anja

005 - gora cdr - $8
cdr: hand-titled white-top cdr
packaging: handmade indian straw paper, watercolored with xerox transfer on the front, hand-written tracklist and title on the back, hand-numbered 1-40.
insert: a one-of-a-kind polaroid photograph taken by barry burst, hand-numbered 1-40.
edition: limited, 40 copies.

005b - gora 3"cdr - $8
3"cdr: white-top cdr
packaging: handmade indian straw paper turned into a tri-fold envelope, watercolored with xerox transfer on the front, hand-written tracklist and title on the back, hand-numbered 1-35. held closed by a small piece of tan velcro and bound with a very thin piece of orange thread.
insert: a one-of-a-kind cropped polaroid photograph taken by barry burst, hand-numbered 1-35. disc is held in a hand-drawn vinyl pouch, adhered to the middle square.
edition: limited, 35 copies.

007: tempera's 4.7.06 / 4.13.06

in which pastoral acoustic instruments fraternize with primal drums and aetherial mantra-vocals to create some mind-blowing improvised sonic excursions. therein two extended organic jams see the band on a folkier wavelength than their more recent recordings and live shows suggest, sounding as one might expect them to operate amidst a power-outage. the first side consists of acoustic guitar strum, looped echo vocals and banshee yelps, bells, and subtle percussion, creating a sparse woodland wonderland. the bee side finds the band working in a more dense magnetic field, echoes of voices and guitars trapped in a chain of effects pedals, with incessant beats breaking through the ambience.

running time: approx. 44 min.

tracks:
side a: 4.7.06
side b: 4.13.06

007c - 4.7.06 / 4.13.06 cassette - $6
45-min cassette: ruby red cassette, with title handwritten in white ink.
packaging: full-color photograph printed on cardstock, folded in the middle and stitched up the sides with two different colors of thread.
insert: black-and-white printed liner notes on white paper.
edition: limited, 40 copies.

008: lightning strike lightning's turn myself into the ocean

in which the ghosts in your attic, after leafing through your boxes of can and nnck albums, decide to pick up your broken instruments and make their own music. songs overflow with more sonic ingredients than the recorded medium can hold; guitar overdrive spilling all over banjo riffs, exponential layers of wordless vocals smothering the pristine marxophone, and rumbling percussion dousing the fattest basslines. all is permeated by a warm layer of cathedral reverb and cavern echo, pointing out the space in even the most dense and cluttered compositions. 11 tracks, 40 minutes, and over a year in the making.

running time: approx. 40 minutes

tracks:
01. present joys
02. let us now praise
03. torches
04. haunt (hands)
05. two havens
06. wolf lamb lion
07. aroostook
08. (climb to me)
09. turn myself into the ocean
10. headlands backwoods
11. fortress

008 - turn myself into the ocean cdr - $10
cdr: white-top cdr with almost-invisible hand-written title in white ink.
packaging: textured brown cardstock, with full-color printed photograph and hand-written title in white ink on the front, hand-numbered 1-40 on the back, and hand-written tracklist on the inside.
edition: limited, 40 copies.

NOTE: the turn myself into the ocean extremely limited double-3" cdr package is delayed, but will hopefully be available sometime in july.

TO ORDER:
send an email to lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com with your name and location. no single orders of more than three copies per format per title, please. price includes shipping to US, email for price quote worldwide. you will be contacted with payment instructions when the product is ready to ship.

NOTE: as always, these titles will be available in a limited number through time-lag records as a distribution item.

2007-05-11T09:03:00.000-04:00

white light's for your leaves now sold out at source. please try time-lag records. thanks.

2007-05-07T16:17:00.000-04:00

paper mines sold out. try time-lag records. thanks.

2007-03-30T15:25:00.000-04:00

now available from l'animaux:

002 bird microphone & cursillistas' paper mines
004 white light's for your leaves

l-t-(f)-r 002: bird microphone and cursillistas' paper mines

in which two solo entities combine forces on a haunting of american roots music, finding threads and strings through americana, sacred harps, and murder ballads; weaving them in the loom of experimental psychedelia. in her debut release, bird microphone uses one half of the album to create an entrancing mix of concrete sound and cut n' paste manipulation, as improvised plucked dulcimer strings give way to feedback squeals and hypnotic voices, and bells and floorboards awaken the appalachian spirits to give their wooden hands a feather plectrum. for the bee, cursillistas presents a side-long prolonged abstract narrative of murder, death, spirit haunts, and crows in the garden. a fill-in-the-blanks andersen folktale told through echo-loops, fuzz guitar, ghost-vocals, and reverbed drums.

running time: approx. 28 min.

tracks:
disc one / side a:
bird microphone
01. a river shell
02. hidden below
03. becomes stone and sand
04. absent
05. but always here
06. described like sound
07. like reminders
08. always spoken aloud
09. this voice calls to the north
10. and is heard

disc two / side b:
cursillistas
01. ocean rose chest
02. tree curse
03. blood waves
04. groan (drone)
05. crow in the garden

002b - paper mines 2x3"cdr - $12
two 3"cdr: hand-stamped white-top cdrs.
packaging: sewn canvas wallet, with full-color transfer art on the front, hand-colored, screen-printed, and hand-written gatefold art, and hand-stamped back. inside hand-numbered to 1-47.
edition: limited, 47 copies.

002c - paper mines cassette - $7
30-min. cassette: hand-drawn and hand-written white cassette, hand-numbered 1-30.
packaging: sewn canvas pouch, with full-color transfer art on the front and a hand-stamped back.
insert: liner notes printed on vellum.
edition: limited, 30 copies.

l-t-(f)-r 004: white light's for your leaves

in which the bedroom and the aether mix in a tuneful headtrip through folk psychedelia. originally released (and out-of-print) as a debut cdr when the band was called certain numbers, now almost completely re-worked with new sonic trances and our favorite tunes still intact. the album begins with four songs of sublime lo-fi folk, accented with subtle and unique instrumentation and electronic tones. then, for a moment, it takes a side-road that wormholes into the cosmos for an extended section of warm electronic instrumentals, with machines and controlled feedback fraternizing with thumb-piano, snippets of conversation, and other acoustic sounds. all is pulled back to earth with the final track, featuring a guitar strum, percussion, and melodic confessions to bring this wayfaring ship home.

running time: approx. 30 min.

tracks:

01. i can't wait to see
02. i've been had
03. where
04. tightrope
05. pause
06. it's sunny and snowing
07. seldom
08. strawberry
09. rebecca's haircut

004 - for your leaves cdr - $8
5"cdr: hand-stamped white-top cdrs.
packaging: custom-made white stamp on grey-green cardstock paper, hand-numbered 1-50.
insert: hand-written liner notes on pulpy handmade paper.
edition: limited, 50 copies.

NOTE: as always, these titles will be available in a limited number through time-lag records as a distribution item.

2007-03-23T10:05:00.000-04:00

update: l-t-(f)-r 003c v/a: if a tree falls in the forest... now SOLD OUT. try time-lag records or tomentosa records distro if you're still interested, or avant-garde farm records for the cdr version.

2007-02-12T08:52:00.000-05:00

now available for pre-order: 003c v/a if a tree falls in the forest, can we record it?

13 feb 2007
l-t-(f)-r 003: v/a if a tree falls in the forest, can we record it?

in which eleven of maine's most compelling outsider artists of music create blips, cuts, shrieks, and sludge over two sides of a 45-minute cassette, and announce to the world a scene you never knew existed. the tree falls on everything from id m theft able's speak-n-spell-n-unhuman-voice symphony to drona parva's warm electric guitar improvisations and everything thereabouts and in between. we've got crank sturgeon's uniquely fucked dada, bird microphone's bell voice cuts and pastes, pine tree state mind control and rattle of polar bear teeth's combat noise drones, visitations' chants n' strums, aphelion shelter and cursillistas' building-everything echo-swells and loops, bad bus' haunted basement tapes and scrapes, and nancy scott's scratchy manipulated folk-band strums. a definitive document of maine's contemporary avant/experimental/noise scene.

running time: approx. 43 min.

tracks:

side a:
01. Aphelion Shelter - NO MORE WAR
02. Bird Microphone - The Absentee
03. Id M Theft Able - I M Star
04. Crank Sturgeon - Still Hangin' in There (AGPUGJI)
05. Pine Tree State Mind Control - Hostages
06. Rattle of Polar Bear Teeth- Live on WBOR 092406
side b:
07. Cursillistas - Gently Down the Stream
08. drona parva - rabbit gate
09. Visitations - Untitled
10. Bad Bus - Lobster Cancer
11. Nancy Scott - The Sound Band

003c - if a tree falls in the forest, can we record it? cassette - $6
45-min. cassette: ruby-red tinted and hand-written, hand-numbered cassette.
packaging: clear plastic case covered on both sides with a one-of-a-kind collage by alyce ornella (bird microphone) and matt lajoie (cursillistas). vellum track-list insert pasted to the inside of the case. (see below for examples of some of the tape cover collages.)
edition: limited, 45 copies.

TO PRE-ORDER:
send an email to lanimaux (at) gmail (dot) com with your name and location. a copy will be set aside for you. no single orders of more than three copies, please. price includes shipping to US, email for price quote worldwide. you will be contacted with payment instructions when the product is ready to ship.

NOTE: the cdr version of this album, which included album art by crank sturgeon and insert collage by alyce ornella, is available on avant garde farm records in an edition of 100.

//((examples of tape design:))>>//...

2007-01-08T09:08:00.000-05:00

l-t-(f)-r 001: cursillistas' les biches update - SOLD OUT ***the first l'animaux tryst release, cursillistas' les biches, is sold out at the label. it will be available as a distribution item through time-lag records and tomentosa records soon, and available as a 5"cdr on paha porvari records in late february*** l-t-(f)-r 001:cursillistas' les biches in which--that is to say, therein--cursillistas performs five songs of varying lengths and degrees, all vaguely within the realm of psychedelic lo-fi folk rumbles, but with more electricity than ever before. the a-side begins with an epic build, layers upon layers of electric guitars, vocals, distorted percussion, indian flute, horns and feedback drones, which drops out at its most intense to reveal the quiet echoing guitar strum and broken-microphone vocals of the gentle "dirt.palm.line". the bee side features rudimentary use of a nine-note toy xylophone throughout, beginning with an experiment relying solely on the xylophone itself to create its dense toy tone trance. the langley schools celebration sounds of "bag of feathers" follows, with amateur-choir vocal layers claiming pre-eminence over the trumpet call. the album closes with more layered vocals and a focus on xylophone and reverse guitar, gently leading the raft of sea tones to the coastline of does. running time: 23:35 tracks: 01. the snake and the motor 02. dirt.palm.line 03. toy tone yr. death 04. bag of feathers 05. aphra bones 001b - les biches 3"cdr 3"cdr: hand-painted white cd face and hand-stamped black lettering. packaging: hand-drawn ink and hand-painted front on brown bag paper. back is homemade white paper (with brown paper and plant materials mixed in), hand-painted, hand-stamped, and hand-drawn, numbered 1-40. the two sides are hand-sewn together with thread, closing with a simple thread-and-button mechanism. insert: hand-written liner notes, hand-numbered 1-40 on semi-transparent paper, with gold flower design. edition: limited, 40 copies. sold out 001c - les biches cassette 26-min. cassette: hand-painted and hand-stamped white cassette. packaging: clear plastic case covered with dirt and a white feather. insert: hand-written and hand-lettered a-z on semi-transparent paper, with gold flower design. edition: limited, 26 copies (a-z). sold out

prices include shipping to US address. please email lanimaux@gmail.com for ordering instructions. paypal, check, or money order accepted.

2006-12-15T12:09:00.000-05:00

shipping notice: no l'animaux tryst merchandise will be shipped until january 6, 2007, in order to avoid the holiday postal clusterrush. please feel free to contact lanimaux@gmail.com to reserve your copy of cursillistas' les biches in the meantime... l-t-(f)-r 001b = 3"cdr (limited edition of 40) l-t-(f)-r 001c = 26-min cassette (limited edition of 26) coming soon thereafter: l-t-(f)-r 002b & 002c: bird microphone and cursillistas' paper mines split 2x3"cdr & cassette sound experiments and song fragments woven through the american folk tradition. haunting, unsettling, and beautifully melancholy songs about wooden hands and crows in the garden. bird microphone and cursillistas each take a disc/side. 2x3"cdr in limited edition of 47, cassette in limited edition of 26. l-t-(f)-r 003c: if a tree falls in a forest, can we record it? cassette compilation of maine underground/avant/noise/folk musicians, including crank sturgeon, id m theft able, drona parva, visitations, cursillistas, nancy scott, bird microphone, bad bus, and more and more. 5"cdr available through avant garde farm records right now. cassette in limited edition of 26.

2006-12-06T15:30:00.000-05:00

FIRST LT(F)R RELEASE pre-order now: december 12. 2006 l-t-(f)-r 001:cursillistas' les biches in which--that is to say, therein--cursillistas performs five songs of varying lengths and degrees, all vaguely within the realm of psychedelic lo-fi folk rumbles, but with more electricity than ever before. the a-side begins with an epic build, layers upon layers of electric guitars, vocals, distorted percussion, indian flute, horns and feedback drones, which drops out at its most intense to reveal the quiet echoing guitar strum and broken-microphone vocals of the gentle "dirt.palm.line". the bee side features rudimentary use of a nine-note toy xylophone throughout, beginning with an experiment relying solely on the xylophone itself to create its dense toy tone trance. the langley schools celebration sounds of "bag of feathers" follows, with amateur-choir vocal layers claiming pre-eminence over the trumpet call. the album closes with more layered vocals and a focus on xylophone and reverse guitar, gently leading the raft of sea tones to the coastline of does. running time: 23:35 tracks: 01. the snake and the motor listen 02. dirt.palm.line 03. toy tone yr. death 04. bag of feathers listen 05. aphra bones listen 001b - les biches 3"cdr - $9 3"cdr: hand-painted white cd face and hand-stamped black lettering. packaging: hand-drawn ink and hand-painted front on brown bag paper. back is homemade white paper (with brown paper and plant materials mixed in), hand-painted, hand-stamped, and hand-drawn, numbered 1-40. the two sides are hand-sewn together with thread, closing with a simple thread-and-button mechanism. insert: hand-written liner notes, hand-numbered 1-40 on semi-transparent paper, with gold flower design. edition: limited, 40 copies. 001c - les biches cassette - $6 26-min. cassette: hand-painted and hand-stamped white cassette. packaging: clear plastic case covered with dirt and a white feather. stenciled black paint title and hand-lettered a-z. insert: hand-written and hand-lettered a-z on semi-transparent paper, with gold flower design. edition: limited, 26 copies (a-z). TO PRE-ORDER: email lanimaux@gmail.com with your name and address and we'll set aside a copy for you. no single orders of more than three copies (per format) please. you'll be contacted soon thereafter with ordering instructions. NOTE: paha porvari records is releasing a 5"cdr version of les biches in early 2007! NOTE2: time-lag records will be carrying les biches as a distribution item! international orders are encouraged to go through time-lag's catalog. PRICES INCLUDE SHIPPING TO U.S. ADDRESS. EMAIL ANY QUESTIONS TO lanimaux@gmail.com.

2006-10-05T10:44:00.000-04:00

introducing: l'animaux tryst (field) recordings l'animaux tryst is an independent record label based out of portland, maine, dealing primarily in 3"cdrs and cassettes. the packaging of the releases focuses on handmade art, and the recordings themselves are of a lo-fi, home-recorded quality. in every aspect, the "things hands make" are preferred to the "things machines make," which results in a product straight from the artist to the listener with minimal outside mediation. because of the handmade nature of the releases, l'animaux tryst albums are released in extremely limited quantities. whenever possible, they are distributed in small numbers through some mail-order distribution catalogs, primarily time-lag records. to subscribe to the l'animaux tryst mailing list, to receive periodic email updates on upcoming and currently available releases, please send an email to lanimaux@gmail.com with your name and email address. any questions or comments about the label can be directed to the same address. send postal correspondence (demonstrations, propositions, etc.) to: matthew lajoie l'animaux tryst (field) recordings 131 chadwick st. apt.56 portland, me 04102