Out of the Box #8
Basement Ghost / Castle EVP
Out of the Box is an irregular series focusing on seven inch records. It’s an excuse to engage with my collection in a new way, as well as to write about older records and genres we don’t often cover at ACL.
OUT OF THE BOX #8
Dynasty Yellow Swans w/ John Wiese ~ Basement Ghost / Castle EVP (2004)
Last year defunct noise legends Yellow Swans (Pete Swanson and Gabriel Saloman) reunited for the first time in more than a decade to perform a handful of shows. Originally active from 2001 to 2008, their posthumous 2010 swansong, Going Places, remains perhaps my favorite final record from any group. Well, not so final anymore, and that’s something to celebrate. Archival recordings have slowly been trickling out ever since their reunion was announced, and Swanson had even hinted that new material should be expected shortly. Wait no longer, they’ve just released Out Of Practice I, the first of a projected handful of cassettes documenting their work in 2023.
So for this installment of Out of the Box, let’s take a closer listen to this 2004 split between Yellow Swans and John Weise. As the title, Basement Ghost / Castle EVP, suggests, what we have here are two joint compositions, one on each side. And even if still meandering at times, it’s a 45, so what we have are two short and sweet, mostly restrained and occasionally exuberant sonic exploration.
It’s interesting looking back on this record 20 years later, as Swanson, Saloman, and Wiese have all continued often prolific careers as solo artists and collaborators. They’ve all come along way, but there’s still something so refreshing about the interplay between the three musicians. Adding a third to a duo can be really clarifying and transformative.
John Wiese doesn’t get enough props, it seems to me. I recently highlighted his Magnetic Stencil series, in which he draws upon “an expanded ensemble of recorded sound contributions” from various collaborators, including C. Lavender, profiled on the latest episode of the Sound Propositions podcast.
Billed here as Dynasty Yellow Swans, the group had a habit of adding a rotating D-words to preface their name, signalling a group in a constant state of flux. There are as many Yellow Swans are there are D words.
“Basement Ghost” begins with some tentative rhythmic scrapes and surface noise. Tones distort and modulate, as the music strips back with each addition, building patiently. Layers of sound accumulate gradually, attention jumping from one layer to another, a cloud of chaos sneaking up and never quite letting loose a deluge. Swanson’s guttural vocals and Saloman’s guitar are occasionally legible, but often the source of each sound remains ambiguous. At six minutes, the trio allow themselves enough time to give their music space to take shape without boring the listening. THe b-side, “Castle EVP” has a much more abrasive introduction. Weise takes centerstage, before din drops out into droning high frequencies, a low end gradually rumbling to the surface. Rather than resolve cleanly, the composition mostly just fades away, inviting us to flip the disc over and try again.