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.

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.

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.

THE SPRING 2008 TRYST HAUNT (THE ABOVE THREE 7" RECORDS):

USA - $24, SHIPPING INCLUDED

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

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!)

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.

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).