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☮

...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!

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"

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 | 

 

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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 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.