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CD
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TYPE 076CD
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Heavy Winged are a sprawling North American trio made up of drummer Jed Bindeman, bassist Brady Sansone and guitarist Ryan Hebert. Over the last few years, the band have released a cacophonous splatter of cassettes, vinyl and CD-Rs for Not Not Fun, Digitalis, Aurora Borealis and a handful of other esteemed imprints. Most of these have been mercilessly grimy signifiers of their buzzing free-rock style, and were recorded poorly to almost accentuate the harsh guitar tones and double-time blast beats. This latest jagged offering, however, is a rare beast in the Heavy Winged canon, offering a higher-fidelity peek into their muddled world. This time around, the band escaped to a "real" studio to record two slices of extended sludge rock, which come across as wider than ever, thanks to some fresh recording techniques. Something like an unholy union between the sheet-noise of Yellow Swans and the blissful sub-harmonic transcendence of early Mogwai or Sonic Youth, Sunspotted is an album that takes tried-and-tested sounds and bends them beyond recognition. Sure, plenty of bands have made distorted, blurred, guitar noise before, but rarely with the conviction and wit of Heavy Winged. With their early explorations into doom and metal, we find the band on a high, framing their high-octane jitter into something that could almost be mistaken for beautiful. Just as the aforementioned Yellow Swans took their sound from the outer reaches of noise to something, dare I say it, pretty, Heavy Winged have focused their three individual powers to come up with an album that revels in its depth and shimmering beauty. It might take a few listens to reveal its layers, but Sunspotted is a challenging and rewarding listening experience. Standing at the top of the band's already estimable catalog of albums and EPs, this album finds them at a key moment, a moment where they have found a balance between fidelity and grit, harmony and discord. Step in, turn it up and let yourself descend. Cut at Berlin's D+M.
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LP
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TYPE 076LP
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LP version. Heavy Winged are a sprawling North American trio made up of drummer Jed Bindeman, bassist Brady Sansone and guitarist Ryan Hebert. Over the last few years, the band have released a cacophonous splatter of cassettes, vinyl and CD-Rs for Not Not Fun, Digitalis, Aurora Borealis and a handful of other esteemed imprints. Most of these have been mercilessly grimy signifiers of their buzzing free-rock style, and were recorded poorly to almost accentuate the harsh guitar tones and double-time blast beats. This latest jagged offering, however, is a rare beast in the Heavy Winged canon, offering a higher-fidelity peek into their muddled world. This time around, the band escaped to a "real" studio to record two slices of extended sludge rock, which come across as wider than ever, thanks to some fresh recording techniques. Something like an unholy union between the sheet-noise of Yellow Swans and the blissful sub-harmonic transcendence of early Mogwai or Sonic Youth, Sunspotted is an album that takes tried-and-tested sounds and bends them beyond recognition. Sure, plenty of bands have made distorted, blurred, guitar noise before, but rarely with the conviction and wit of Heavy Winged. With their early explorations into doom and metal, we find the band on a high, framing their high-octane jitter into something that could almost be mistaken for beautiful. Just as the aforementioned Yellow Swans took their sound from the outer reaches of noise to something, dare I say it, pretty, Heavy Winged have focused their three individual powers to come up with an album that revels in its depth and shimmering beauty. It might take a few listens to reveal its layers, but Sunspotted is a challenging and rewarding listening experience. Standing at the top of the band's already estimable catalog of albums and EPs, this album finds them at a key moment, a moment where they have found a balance between fidelity and grit, harmony and discord. Step in, turn it up and let yourself descend. Cut at Berlin's D+M.
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LP+CD
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3LOBED 078LP
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"They're back. Heavy Winged has continued to stretch their leathery, scarred, er, wings and grow since their last release for Three Lobed Recordings, 2008's Alive In My Mouth. The band was determined to make Fields Within Fields into a significant part of their discography from the very outset. In October 2009, the band decided to enter the 5D Studios in Brooklyn to engage in what would be a first-time experiment - recording in a multi-track studio with overdubs planned from the session's start. Prior to this experience the band's entire catalog was centered on displaying their ferocious live spirit. Having already proven themselves to be adept at creating grand and heavy statements in an improvised, one-take-only setting, they felt that were ready for the challenge of being both improvisational and composition-minded. The band hunkered down for the session and even brought in some friends to help augment the Heavy Winged vibe. Their time in 5D yielded the two dark fruits which combine to form Fields Within Fields. Brutal and hard, 'Among The Maori' leads the album off and encompasses the entire first side of vinyl. The track opens with a slow, deliberate fade into Jed Bindeman's (Eternal Tapestry, Jackie-O Motherfucker) tribal drumbeat. This beat may start controlled but the track's velocity and volume continue to accelerate, eventually turning 'Among The Maori' into a highly tuned jet engine. Ryan Hebert's guitar playing is exceptional throughout, beginning with an initial prolonged banshee-like wailing and slowly building and fully giving way to a fantastically cranking and grinding post-metallic din by the track's conclusion. 'Among The Maori' stands out among the band's entire catalog as perhaps their truest moment. The album's second side is fully dedicated to the drone doom opus 'The Hum Of The Universe.'" Includes insert and bonus CD entitled Infinite In Every Direction.
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