Laica who this week released his Environs album on Alrealon Musique reveals some of the sounds that are filling his ears with joy right now.

Ex-Easter Island Head – Mallet Guitars Three [Low Point]
This has been on heavy rotation for a couple of weeks now; the opening chords of movement one hold you in suspense and lead you into an alien sound world. The Mallet Guitars Three album is made up of 4 movements all played on guitar but not played in the conventional manner. The held chords are hammered and dragged from these guitars in a way that reminds me at some points of Global Communication remixing Mogwai and at others of Steve Reich after having moved in with Sonic Youth. This is the sort of invention that keeps music so alive. Movement four opens up like the sound of an orchestra tuning up and had such a widescreen atmosphere that its 10 minutes seem to pass by in seconds.

This is Ex-Easter Island Heads’ 3rd album (hence the title) and it’s best enjoyed loud.

Isobel Ccircle – Eyes In The Ground EP [Chapel Yard]
Isobel Ccircle is a collaborative project made up of April Larson and Matt Bower. Their Eyes In The Ground EP is the perfect soundtrack to a David Lynch short although that is selling it short. More material is on the way.

Also new from Matt Bower is another collaborative effort, this time in the shape of Roadside Picnic & The Revenant Sea – Their Words Are Lost In the Din of Jets released on Jehu and Chinaman. Across 5 tracks these 2 sparing partners bring you noise and decay in equal measure on an album mastered by the afore mentioned April Larson.

Francisco Meirino – An Extended Meaning For Something Meaningless [Auditory Field Theory]
The third in my triptych of noise is from Francisco Meirino, Through the use of field recordings and electronics Meirino creates an unsettling sound world that is rich in detail.

Brad Rose has finished a new Charlatan album – Local Agent – and I’m lucky enough to be one of a handful of people to have it at the moment. He isn’t sure of his plans for how, where or if he’ll even release it but it’s a great album so I do hope it gets a full release soon, also check out his 1st book, Isolatarium that comes with a great compilation.

Jonathan Lee has released the 1st cassette on his new label Disco Insolence. – it’s a split release between Solvognen and Chaz Dolo both of whom turn in sides of space aged electronic dub disco.

In the last couple of weeks I have had 4 EPs arrive from the brilliantly dark and heavy Semantica label –
Stanislav Tolkachev – Simple As A Miracle – a four track EP of stripped down melodic off kilter techno.
Abdulla Rashim & Axel Hallqvist – Sorunda – a two track EP of deep and heavy warehouse vibes.
Christian Wunsch who moves in similar circles with his Spectral Lines EP and then my favourite, Skirt’s Wish In The Maze which contains her own spacious and moody original mix and is backed by mixes from Inigo Kennedy and Ancient Methods both of whom turn up the crunch and turn in total destroyers.