Music: Leslie Keffer & Valerie Martino "Prissywillow" single

Pretty killer 2008 release from Nashville's two ex-leading ladies of out-music. Unfortunately Keffer's fallen into unprecedented obscurity after the release of her sex-pop crossover 12" from late Spring, (play a show!) And Martino's left Music City for Rhode Island, like as in Nashville ain't sophisticated enough.

Anyways, A-side, "Letch Luff", bares LK's bruised and battered visage on the label and begins with a-rhythmic drum machine battery as creepy-but-consonant Industrial-style synths enter. There's a brief pause for electric bongos and gym coach whistle, then a harsher low-note pattern re-introduces the scattered tripping-over-yourself vibe with some unadjusted accoutrements, and repeat.

B-side shows an equally beat-up VM on the label and this one's all stuttering drum-pattern while horn-like drones and crystal-synth lead evaporate over top. You get some random-LFO action and other analog-style noodling whilst the drum machine fills out, all distorted like.

Pretty stoned-jammy vibe on both sides, but the sounds are killer.

Pick it up at Fusetron. Cool silk screen and spray paint art by Gina Denton. Collab-release by Tusco Embassy, I Just Live Here, Tangled Hares and Action Claw.

Music: Leslie Keffer "Finally, Caves" 12" single

So this is very much a dance single meant for deejays, more than for your average basement-dwelling, holyier-than-thou, cassette-fetishist noise-head, but ironically, it's probably the noise-heads that funded this record.

I, like hopefully most of you, feel extremely ambivalently toward Kickstarter. For every Leslie Keffer, there's a whole bunch of Natalie Prasses begging you to hire a studio, hire musicians, pay for the bullshit that doesn't matter when fact is, high-quality recordings can be made for nothing, plus the cost of a laptop, audio-interface and a couple microphones... all items your average Natalie Prass probably already owns.

So why did MTVE-Nashville support Leslie's campaign? (Aside from the fact that we think her music is not bullshit...)

Simply, this music was made for wax, a tangible, spinnable disc that deejays use. It makes, breaks, mends and bends the party. This is social music. Sure, both sides have been floating around Soundcloud for a while, but the internet-music experience is far different from its physical counterpart. This music is for sweating to, dancing and making out and fucking, and it goes without saying that fucking in 192 kbps is just not as good. We need the needle raw in the groove.

Furthermore, this Kickstarter campaign pretty purely embodies the D.I.Y. spirit of Noise music, (which this very much is not, but in a past life would have been.) "Donations" paid for the pressing and materials. Once those things were secured it was LK, herself recording at home (with Hobbledeions' Scott Martin,) pasting on art-work and addressing packages. This is not only a limited-quantity object, but an object that has real human hands all over it.

But nevermind the logistics... how is the music?

Relatively simple and very pretty. A secure synth chord, overwhich the low radio-strains bend consonatly a la "Loveless" guitars. Then the beat drops, a simple boom-chick elecro that nestles against the high synth in a very natural-sounding ecstasy. Pieces drop out to make way for a little modem-bleep-hook, come back in, repeat, etc. All very tantalizing, like neck-hairs pricking up tantalizing. Supple and basically very sexy.

Side 2, "Luna Loblolly" opens with monk-chant vocal samples that quickly fall in line behind a "Liquid Sky" drum machine. From there it's pure minimal bliss as the samples repeat and new textures emerge. Drop all for a whirling synth drone, modulating and recombining until a new beat enters and the party pulses on. Flinging sweat and fingers unto dawn.

Beginning with "Give it Up", the 12" single format is a really good look on LK. This one's definitely worthy of repeated spins from any deejay not puking out endless Garage Rock around Nashville, (though we suspect a lot of Europeans might catch on more quickly.) Recomended!

Music: Leslie Keffer "Whorny 4 U" tape

Heavy distortion-bubbles from tape or table, very graceful, gently ambiguous whirring synths fold in and out of the fuzz, all blissful and alive and horny.

Side 1 gets denser toward the end, few notes on out-of-phase cassette loops loom in and side 2's right off with it, chugging and wheezing along.

All in... Dense... Eventually LK's voice emerges, swathed in phasers and filters, like steam rising from the jungle. It's pure-seeming and guady, like teenage love. It's very becoming.

Pretty affective white-wall-of-sound/stoner-lectronics from LK on Tusco/Embassy, 2008. Still available(?!) from Fusetron.

Music: Leslie Keffer "Give it Up" / "Dormant Torment" 12" single

First, I like side 2 better. Better beat I think, but I don't know if I lean more hip-hop than house?

Second this thing is like pretty expensive. It's on Ecstatic Peace.

I think the live rock-drums on side 1 don't sound that good. Would rather hear LK's cheap drum machines or a taped beat-loop. But the vocal loop is pretty immediately-fetching. Distorted bass synth pierces ocassionally. Add ping ponging samples, etc.

Side 2 is just fucking wonderful. Teched-out stomp. Digital drones over post-tribal synchopation on the drum machine. Unicorn Hard-on provides some addition "squelching". Synths like whales chirping. It's a really great record, and I dig the 12" single format.

Front cover features cool abstract-style acrylic painting of like LK's name and the title getting turned into bones? All other art is cats and LK sex-eyeing the cellphone cam.

Recomended!