2012-01-21T22:41:00.000-08:00

Now booking "FREAK CITY ALL-STARS" Spring 2012
Bridgetown Records label showcase tour

Featuring:
Kevin Greenspon (ambient/tape collage; Los Angeles)
Baby Birds Don't Drink Milk (hazy psych pop; Chicago/NYC)
Vehicle Blues (loner shoegaze; Chicago)

March/April performances in Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Kansas, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Nevada, California

If you'd like us to play your living room, basement or art space or can help in any way, email bridgetownrecords@gmail.com

If you want us to come ANYWHERE else, just let me know and I WILL come to your town in Summer/Fall!

2 hour radio spotlight/interview with Kevin Greenspon / Bridgetown Records on KUSF in San Francisco, 11/15/2011:

Winter Batch 2012 Special Package Deal: [download a free mixtape compilation of these releases here]

[click for larger photo]
#67: Dr. D.R. Barclay One Note mixtape
#66: Giant Claw Clash of Moons C36 pro-cassette
#65: Sky Stadium Continental C54 pro-cassette
#64: Reighnbeau Ashes C48 pro-cassette
#63: Hakobune November Light C42 pro-cassette

Fall Batch 2011 Special Package Deal: [download a free mixtape compilation of these releases here]

#62: Buchikamashi Seireikai C26 pro-cassette
#61: Former Selves Hope C46 pro-cassette
#60: Mandarin Dynasty Perpendicular Crosstalk C41 pro-cassette
#58: Kevin Greenspon Waypoint C10 tour cassette
#57: Ancient Crux 2011 Tour EP C19 tour cassette

Classic Pack Special Package Deal:

Four of the label's most popular releases on three formats: DVD, CD and cassette
#55: Kevin Greenspon Paradise A.D. CD
#50: Former Selves Fait Accompli DVD
#36: Whirl (now known as Whirr) Distressor C31 pro-cassette
#32: Kevin Greenspon + Cloud Nothings split CD

Catalog:

Bridgetown #67 - $6
Dr. D.R. Barclay One Note
mixtape

Dr. D.R. Barclay - One Note (side A excerpt).mp3
Dr. D.R. Barclay - One Note (side B excerpt).mp3

Barclay’s newest offering utilizes 8 years of research and a lifetime of record collecting to present the first definitive collection of one-note guitar solos from dozens of classic pop/punk/blues/indie rock/etc. songs. The accomplished disk jockey's skillset and attention to detail is nothing short of remarkable: each carefully chosen sliver of music is strategically arranged into captivating movements that leap across genres with expert transitions between solos as Barclay cued and played the songs directly from the original vinyl records. The analog experience comes complete with the native hiss, crackles and pops of each record, and each tape is dubbed in real-time from a master cassette to retain the medium's warmth.
A highly addictive listen that reveals a fresh and unique interpretation on the art of DJing and modern music, One Note focuses in on forgotten moments that normally go unnoticed in casual listening: bridges, interludes, outros and fractured shards of minimalist guitar solos. Guaranteed to be a hit at parties, dissipate traffic and ruin first dates.
Limited to 50 in clear shells with black lining. The packaging for each copy exposes a different selection of album covers from the records used in the making of this tape.
Press: Decoder Magazine

More info about the artist: Dr. David Barclay initially seems like an unusual title to perform under, but the name is no moniker. Holding a Ph.D. in Oceanography from UC San Diego, Barclay's scientific distinctions include producing the deepest sound recordings in the world while measuring ambient noise in the Marianas Trench and recording the underwater soundscape that spans the 750 mile-long Mississippi River. All seriousness aside, the Canadian's academic background serves as a catalyst for an endless list of unorthodox ideas and projects that span across the past decade. His impressive résumé is packed with accolades that range from performing 24-hour long DJ sets in front of a live audience to conceptual appropriations in the realm of internet art installations and countless print works. As an integral member of bands from British Columbia, Québec and California, his unprecedented antics include live radio performances conducted over the telephone while feeding his live set through a series of webcasts, more telephones and even hijacked radio stations to produce reverb and delay that is physically produced by the broadcast of airwaves.

Bridgetown #66 - $6
Giant Claw Clash of Moons
C36 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Giant Claw - Clash of Moons (excerpt).mp3

It should come as no surprise that Keith Rankin's synthesizer escapades as Giant Claw spiral and dance into the sky and beyond. Hailing from Dayton, Ohio, otherwise known as the birthplace of aviation, Rankin's work evokes imaginary soundtracks to vintage black-and-white space travel flicks twisted in a funhouse mirror and blasted through a wind tunnel. Seemingly empty constructions of beeping background tones and the rhythm of idle flight machinery escalate into a frantic, rapid paced voyage on their way to the closing title track: a climactic opus of planetesimal proportions that rises, falls and nearly crash lands several times over its nearly 18-minute span.
Limited to 100 with full-color, double-sided glossy cardstock inserts. Featuring artwork by Keith Rankin and a guest appearance from Seth Graham (Orange Milk Records)
Press: review

Bridgetown #65 - $6
Sky Stadium Continental
C54 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Sky Stadium - Look.mp3
Sky Stadium - A Millenium.mp3

Video for "Guide to Floating" by Broken Machine Films
In just over one year, Jeffrey Roman of Colonia, NJ has garnered a score of praise for his expert craftsmanship of miniature snapshots of liquid-smooth drone/new age under the guise of Sky Stadium. With a string of rapid-fire solo outings on Monorail Trespassing, Hooker Vision, Goldtimers, Sacred Phrases and Lava Church alongside recent splits with Cough Cool, Potions and Kevin Greenspon, it's no surprise that Roman's first official long player as Sky Stadium serves as his most grandiose statement to date.
Continental wraps up the expansive journey into a monolithic 12 song full-length album that further condenses the precise attention to detail and quality control of his entire discography into just under an hour. While exhibiting a wide range of styles and approaches ranging from the distant sparkle in "Offering," percussive staccato of "Guide to Floating" and the heartwrenching 75-second lullaby "Breaker," each individual piece encapsulates the most essential elements of beautiful music with precise subtlety and tact, stripped of all things unnecessary to play its vital role on the cosmic stage.
Limited to 100 with full-color, double-sided glossy cardstock inserts.
Press: Feedback Attack
Also have a few copies left of Bridgetown #47: Sky Stadium Plateau down below.

Bridgetown #64 - $6
Reighnbeau Ashes
C48 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Reighnbeau - Light.mp3
Reighnbeau - Flutter.mp3

Live at Ross' Salon.. stick around 'til the end!

Bryce Hample of Albuquerque favorites Hedia and The Fertile Crescent returns to Bridgetown with an all-new project that blends elements from genres such as ambient, classical, and post-rock into a slowed-down version of intimate folk songs. Hample displays an extraordinary control over the use of emptiness in his song arrangements, opting for sparse instrumentation and cautious quietude. Plucked notes and hushed words ring out and dissipate as they sink beneath the wooden floorboards of a cozy reverb chamber. These careful exercises in dramatic tension crescendo into moments of overjoyous relief for those patient enough to endure the stark loneliness often associated with silence. There is a vastly understated beauty that stretches across the high desert of New Mexico that Hample calls home. All one has to do is wait for it to unfold.
Limited to 100 with full-color, double-sided glossy cardstock inserts with artwork by Bryce Hample.

Bridgetown #62 - $6
Hakobune November Light
C42 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Hakobune - They All Know That You Have Come (excerpt).mp3

Takahiro Yurifuji hails from a small town in Hyogo, Japan and has been crafting delicate works of organic sound atmospheres as Hakobune since 2007. Built upon layers of guitar harmonies, November Light reproduces room-filling textures that simulate four distinct outdoor environments and their moods. The humble sensibility of a naturalist pervades the forty minute album as melodies softly unfold in tune with the pace of the seasons.
Limited to 100 with full-color, double-sided glossy cardstock inserts.

Bridgetown #62 - $6
Buchikamashi Seireikai
C26 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Buchikamashi - Afterlife (Part 2).mp3

Hiroshi Mizuhiro of Yamanashi, Japan has a rare dedication to experimental music in his daily life. On time off from stocking the shelves of a niche record shop devoted to the underground, he has steadily released a series of cassettes seamlessly blending a variety of ambient sub-genres under the name Buchikamashi and runs the impeccable Ginjoha Tapes label. Seireikai finds Mizuhiro's skills at synthesizer composition fine-tuned to a new zenith. Two extended arrangements enocourage the listener to embark on an ethereal journey enveloped in glistening swells of intense peace, concluded by a disorienting and dizzying dream.
Limited to 100 with glossy printing. 8 left.

Bridgetown #61 - $6
Former Selves Hope
C46 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Former Selves - Common Years.mp3

Oakland video artist Paul Skomsvold continues the saga inaugurated by his debut DVD album Fait Accompli (still available below) with 5 new pieces intended for continuous, cyclical playback. On Hope, Skomsvold lays a cloudy bed of melodic drone and airy textures while piano keys gracefully whirl overhead. Coming out of the woodwork fully formed, Skomsvold's sudden emergence in the public eye has exhibited a highly realized vision that beckons a new era of contemplation and understanding.
Identical second edition of 100 with glossy printing.
Press: No Fear of Pop / LoFiles / in-depth review at Foxy Digitalis, Foxy Digitalis secret stash, review at Guide Me Little Tape, interview

Bridgetown #60 - $6
Mandarin Dynasty Perpendicular Crosstalk
C41 pro-duplicated cassette tape

Mandarin Dynasty - Toledo Blues.mp3
Mandarin Dynasty - Perpendicular Crosstalk.mp3

Between extended tours of the USA and numerous relocations, pop song maestro Mike Sherk's long-awaited bedroom masterpiece is finally ready after over four years of recording spread across California, Texas, Michigan, Rhode Island and Ohio. Perpendicular Crosstalk displays an extremely wide range of genres and styles that the seasoned road warrior naturally captures the essence of, makes his own, and redefines within the context of each other. While unafraid to toy with tongue-in-cheek pop culture references, Sherk's commanding quality lies in the sincerity of his storytelling. Amplified by his mastery in the nuances of each instrument and marvelous production values, Sherk pulls these eleven songs from a time capsule isolated from passing fads, trends and buzz-genres.
Identical second edition of 100 with glossy printing, includes digital MP3 download or whatever, if you're into that I guess.
Guest musicians include Kevin Ferguson (Friendship Hurricane), Taryn Popplewell, Eleanor Weigert and John McCauley (Deer Tick).

Bridgetown #58 - $5
Kevin Greenspon Waypoint
C10 cassette tape

Kevin Greenspon - Renewal.mp3

A shimmering orchestra of crystallized guitar collage dedicated to the discovery that even the mysterious and resented can be beautiful when memory is slowed down. Intended as a standalone piece, Waypoint freezes the ephemeral moment of realization as it dawns and abruptly divides on itself. This single composition is split in two complementary halves for separate reflections on both the arrival and departure from personal junctures and finally overcoming the questioning of one's trajectory to the present.
Limited to 130 copies for July tour with Ancient Crux. Cream colored cassettes with glossy printing. 3 copies leftover from tour.
Press: Tiny Mix Tapes

Bridgetown #57 - $6
Ancient Crux 2011 Tour EP
C19 cassette tape

Ancient Crux - Terms To Control.mp3

Travis Von Sydow and crew follow up a lengthy Summer tour and recent split 7" vinyl releases with Norse Horse and Weed Diamond with a sophisticated collection of new songs that flirt with an aura of elegance and grace rarely seen in the home-taping underground. Von Sydow's meticulous craftsmanship of densely layered pop-rock/post-punk songs are richly complemented by producer Tyler Haran, lending this EP a sense of patient maturity and development rarely seen in releases hastily prepared before hitting the road.
Limited to 100 copies for July tour with Kevin Greenspon. Glossy printing. Limited quantities leftover from tour. I also have a few distro copies of side projects Dazzle Ships - "Least Resistance" 7" EP and Twin Lion - "Awesome Power" full-length cassette available in the distro section.

Bridgetown #55 - $8
Kevin Greenspon Paradise A.D.
CD

Kevin Greenspon - Machine Shop.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Barring Will.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Window Pane.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Paradise A.D..mp3

Video collaboration with Matthieu Séry. Headphones and fullscreen HD in a dark room recommended for best effect.
After 9 tours spanning the Southwestern USA and dozens of cassette, CD and vinyl releases in the past two years, Californian Kevin Greenspon has exhibited an unstoppable work ethic. On Paradise A.D., 65 minutes of music from 5 limited edition cassettes are presented from the original master recordings. The collection ranges from songs such as Rose Window's "Machine Shop," which Pitchfork Media calls "a sonic feast devoured in three all-too-short minutes composed of deliciously delayed guitar pickings and crunchy crescendo-ing soundscapes" to richly detailed tape collage detritus. Tome To The Weather Machine attests to Greenspon as "a master of dynamics on tape" and in the live arena, as dynamic arrangements of "heartaching drones... field recordings, gorgeous volume swells, strummed chords and contact mic squalor lap slowly into each other gracefully and naturally."
15 songs from 5 limited edition cassette EPs and splits with Sky Stadium and Trudgers on Sound Holes, Existential Cloth, Bathetic, Life's Blood and Tired Trails are collected on this limited edition of 200 pro-manufactured CDs in shrinkwrapped jewelcase with full-color artwork.
Press: Boy Attractions, See The Leaves, review by KZSU radio, Stanford, CA, Half Hour Handshake, Remember You Smiling
Interview about the album and much more: LINK

Bridgetown #54 - $7
Sea Oleena Sleeplessness + Sea Oleena
C61 pro-cassette

Sea Oleena - Swimming Story.mp3
Sea Oleena - Southbound.mp3
Sea Oleena - Island Cottage.mp3

Pitchfork Media says "Montréal multi-instrumentalist Charlotte Oline makes hushed folk as Sea Oleena" but to end the description there is a criminal understatement. Her unique style of folk is lovingly draped in a refined blend of shoegaze and ambient melodies that cradle fragile song structures and lyrical interplay. Seemingly simple songs have layers of textures that swirl, vanish and return like clouds in the wind. Oline's first physical release collects her Sleeplessness album on side A and her self-titled EP on side B.
Second identical edition of 85 pro-duplicated cassettes.
Press: Stronabe, Music Liberation review

Bridgetown #53 - $6
Jon Barba If We Say It In Unison...
C20 cassette tape

Jon Barba - I Thought I.mp3
Jon Barba - There's So Many People (On This Planet).mp3

The most beloved and captivating songwriter/performer in the Los Angeles DIY underground returns for his fifth contribution to the Bridgetown catalog with his most developed and mature album yet. After suddenly relocating 400 miles away to Oakland, the artist formerly known as Nicole Kidman realigns the painful and emotional intimacy of his previous project under the dog-eat-dog lens of the East Bay. On Barba's debut under his own name, his signature style of frantic, emotional keyboard anthems shares the stage with rocking pop punk, bridged by softer instrumental piano pieces and the sensibilities of old school new age / ocean sound albums, courtesy of field recordings taken by longtime collaborator Kevin Greenspon on a tour together in 2009 and seamlessly sequenced into the context of this mini-album. Keep an eye out for their collaborative Already Dead 7" EP and a string of new cassingles in future batches. Jon also has a tape out by his new band Chicken Sandwich directly below
Limited to 100, includes lyric sheet. 3 left.

Bridgetown #52 - $5
Chicken Sandwich Complete Discography
C10 cassette tape

Chicken Sandwich - The Rise And Fall of Kevin Greenspon (Part 2).mp3

A history lesson in teen angst presented by three best friends whose paths converged in Oakland, CA: Jon Barba (formerly Nicole Kidman), Baby Conor and Paco. Complete Discography is the band's complete discography of sludgy, tongue-in-cheek grunge punk fueled by Die Hard movie marathons and grindcore 7 inches blasting over MTV commercials. Raw, bleeding, no-nonsense live recordings. Busted instruments, amps cranked and voices cracking beyond the breaking point.
Limited to 65 in cream colored cassette shells, includes lyric sheet. 3 left.

Bridgetown #51 - $6
Grizzel Toe / Hermit Convention split
C15 cassette tape

Grizzel Toe - Wet Cliffs.mp3
Hermit Convention - Kafkaesque.mp3

Fans of the 90s look no further. A perfect pairing of two mainstays of the Santa Cruz house show scene. This 90s-infused split is the debut release for boy + girl duo Grizzel Toe, whose gritty, high energy indie rock has launched them onto shows with nationally known bands such as Wavves and scored the much deserved title of local favorites around town. Hermit Convention backs them with a complementary approach from a different angle. DIY veteran Craig Prentice has mastered the art of paring a song down to the most essential elements: a thoughtful concoction of instantly relatable and memorable lyrics backed by simple bass guitar tunes and loops with no flash and no frills. An authentic document of raw bedroom recordings showcasing the crowd pleasers of packed living rooms on rainy nights.
Limited to 100, includes lyric sheet.

Bridgetown #50 - $8
Former Selves Fait Accompli
DVD

Former Selves - Moment.mp3
Former Selves - Zones.mp3

Bridgetown's 50th release marks the label's first venture into video and the shining star of the label's entire catalog. With the exception of a small handful of private demo cassettes, Northern California's Paul Skomsvold has remained relatively under the radar. With Fait Accompli, Skomsvold jumps ahead of the pack to debut in the public eye with an 8 song full-length visual album on DVD. Fractured skeletons of pop songs sway in the hazy remnants of synth drift, field recordings and tape collage modulation. Interplay between sight and sound is meticulously arranged into an evocative burst of vibrant emotion, with each composition fusing different styles of music, sound, digital video, film and lens manipulation into a powerfully executed whole.
Limited edition of 200 pro-duplicated and shrinkwrapped region-free DVDs (NTSC Region 0 for worldwide compatibility) with full-color artwork. Includes MP3 download.
Press: No Fear of Pop, Tome To The Weather Machine, CYC, Jurgen DDR

Bridgetown #47 - $6
Sky Stadium Plateau
C20 cassette tape

Sky Stadium - Somewhere Else.mp3

Saturated layers of warm synthesizer textures float effortlessly from the ground level and melt into soft drone vignettes akin to the self-help tapes of the 1980s. Blurry songs for dreams of seeing yourself somewhere else. Six new miniature visions recorded by the emerging Jeffrey Roman in the unincorporated township of Colonia, NJ. The current stream of recent Sky Stadium recordings have leaned increasingly towards synth pieces based around contemporary tones and filters, but Plateau stands apart, developing unique atmospheres that are simultaneously sparse and richly engrossing.
Limited to 100 cream colored cassettes with glossy printing. 9 left.

Bridgetown #36 - $6
Whirl (Whirr) Distressor pro-cassette

Whirl - Leave.mp3
Whirl - Blue.mp3
Whirl - Meaningless.mp3

Debut album of dense, swirling shoegaze from this new 6 piece with members strewn about the San Francisco bay area. 7 songs of razor sharp guitar textures backed by soft, pillowy female vocals, anchored by a keen sense of timing and composition. Review. Another review.
Whirl is now known as Whirr. 'Distressor' is Whirl's first release, on pro-duplicated and imprinted cassettes with stamped, single-sided prints.

Bridgetown #32 - $8
Kevin Greenspon + Cloud Nothings split
CD

Kevin Greenspon - Carpool Pepsi.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Growing Up.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Post Life.mp3
Cloud Nothings - You're Not Good At Anything.mp3
Cloud Nothings - I Apologize.mp3

The long-awaited split album between these 2 rising solo artists opens with 5 new songs by Kevin Greenspon: California weirdo heartthrob pop punk about looking back on teenage years and losing it all. Densely packed with Kevin's unique guitar melodies and featuring Travis von Sydow/Ancient Crux on drums and includes a cover of No Paws. Cloud Nothings rounds out the disc with 5 more exclusive new songs: the Cleveland teenager takes his catchy brand of raw and distorted-beyond-the-red bedroom pop in a direction not seen in his "Turning On" album (still available below) or subsequent tape/vinyl releases. Limited edition of 250 CDs packaged in shrinkwrapped jewelcase with full-color inserts and lyric sheet. Press: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, In-depth Review, another review, Interview about the split, review of LA show together

Bridgetown #16 - $6
Cloud Nothings Turning On
CDr

Cloud Nothings - Hey Cool Kid.mp3
Cloud Nothings - Whaddya Wanna Know.mp3
Cloud Nothings - Can't Stay Awake.mp3

The debut of Cleveland, Ohio's Cloud Nothings is an incredibly catchy and nostalgic 8 song full-length album. Solo bedroom pop punk overflowing with infectious guitar riffs harmonizing perfectly with addicting vocal melodies. Original handmade version of album recently "re-issued" on Carpark / Wichita. Fourth edition of 100.

Distro Titles:

(Family Time Records #22) - $12
Kevin Greenspon
Common Objects 12" vinyl LP + download card

Kevin Greenspon - Threshold.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Spark.mp3

Press sheet description: "On his 12” vinyl debut, Greenspon has written and arranged seven songs blending elements and techniques from ambient, drone, field recording, and harsh noise sub-genres into a concise album that seamlessly covers a wide variety of musical ground. Taking a refined approach to actual songwriting in lieu of the unplanned improvisation or loose experimentation of his contemporaries, Greenspon has woven Common Objects into a personal and emotionally moving narrative chacterized by his trademark guitar tones, reminiscent of classical string instruments, lush synthesizers and AM radio interference." Edition of 530 vinyl records packaged in glossy, full-color jackets with inserts and download cards.
Press: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, in-depth review

(Family Time Records #16) - $6
Kevin Greenspon
Bracing CDr

Kevin Greenspon - Ache.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Bracing.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Petty Dream.mp3

"One of the most unabashedly gushed about records of last year. Full of warm and inviting guitar tones with a dangerous streak of harsh noise running beneath... 9 songs of gorgeous, hazy guitar drones that have nary an equal. ...a strong contender for album of the year."
- Ryan Hall, Tome To The Weather Machine review of Bracing

(Hi Shadow #8) - $6
Kevin Greenspon
Ad Seg C25 cassette

Kevin Greenspon - Coincide by Hi Shadow Records

Label description: "Ad Seg is Kevin Greenspon’s first offering on Hi Shadow, it follows up his last set of complementary releases (Common Objects LP, Unveiling cassette, Rose Window cassette, and splits with Cloud Nothings and Trudgers). On Ad Seg, Greenspon offers up 3 tracks of ambient guitar work which may be some of his most devastatingly bare pieces to date, they cascade into one another building upon the last shimmering, gut-wrenching opus leaving the listener admiring Greenspon’s sense of timing and ability to craft genuine emotion through melody."

(Monorail Trespassing #83)
Kevin Greenspon
Unveiling C25 cassette

Kevin Greenspon - Exhibit.mp3
Kevin Greenspon - Exposé [excerpt].mp3

Label description: "Los Angeles' hardest working man at the moment. What may appear to be all bright light soon gets covered by dark clouds. Greenspon combines elements of ambient music, drone, collage and harsh noise, all condensed into song form. Six pieces of dynamic compositions for guitar, keyboard, and tapes." SOLD OUT - Please order from Monorail Trespassing

(Folktale Records #28) - $6
Clark 8
Snooze 7" vinyl EP + download

Clark 8 - Snooze.mp3

The newest Clark 8 release since a sold-out CDr on Bridgetown from February 2008. 4 songs of 90's inspired powerpop featuring the new lineup in full band formation. Black vinyl limited to 300 copies, housed in full color sleeves with lyric insert and download card. 1 left

(Family Time Records #20) - $6
Dazzle Ships
Least Resistance 7" vinyl EP + download

4 song EP of Tyler from Ancient Crux/Infinity Dots/Twin Lion's previous duo with Hatii Rose. Shimmering post-punk pop songs with driving rhythms. Limited to 100 on clear purple vinyl and 400 on black with combination silkscreened/full-color printed sleeves. I have a few copies of both. 5 left

(Family Time Records #6) - $6
Twin Lion
Awesome Power cassette

Dug up some copies of Tyler from Ancient Crux/Dazzle Ships/Infinity Dots' old band Twin Lion. 11 songs of wiry garage/punk/weird drum machine pop. Edition of 200 copies with full-color, doublesided inserts. 3 left