Thursday, June 7, 2012

The future (+ a word about vinyl)

Since I started this label in 2005, I've been getting a lot of shit for focusing on CD and not doing any vinyl editions.
The truth is, I don't really care for vinyl. It takes a lot of space, it's expensive to ship and manufacture, and I fail to hear the supposedly great sound quality beneath the surface noise and parasite sounds.
I know I'm in the minority here, but I'd rather listen to music on CD. First of all, what you get when you buy a CD is a perfect clone of the audio master, which means you can hear the music exactly as the artist intended it to sound. Unless you're Steve Albini and you can supervise the whole recording + mastering chain, it's definitely not the case when it comes to vinyl (especially in 2012).
That in itself is the biggest selling point, but it's not all. CD is small, easy to navigate, can contain up to 80 minutes of uninterrupted music (without having to flip sides three times!), and can play on pretty much any modern (thus easily replaceable) equipment.
If you're in it for the music, I honestly can't see any reason to go for the vinyl instead. Sure, I like the bigger cover arts too, but it sure is not enough to justify the hassle.

So yeah, basically, we will never ever do vinyl!
Some artists who have been involved with the label seem to really be into it right now, and we will keep on supporting them and carry their records. The only sure thing is that there will never be another vinyl release with the Savage Land logo on it.

This said, a CD-only label is clearly not viable at this point, so we're currently exploring ways to evolve and keep supporting musicians in this awful age.
RIght now, we're mostly looking into video production and digital distribution of live recordings. It's not perfect and it's not our first choice, but at least we won't resort to the "limited edition colored vinyl and silkscreened packaging with gold embossed letters" scheme that seems to be so prevalent today.
Fuck you, Rock Is Hell Records! (although I bought some of your stuff to put on my wall.)

Ahem, so... no new release on the horizon, but the label is definitely alive. We're just plotting in the shadows and preparing for the next phase.
You can still buy our wonderfully mastered CD releases at savageland.bigcartel.com in the meantime.

Also, here's a list of records you should check out:

Normal Love - Survival Tricks
Weasel Walter - Ominous Telepathic Mayhem
Profanatica - Sickened by Holy Host
I Don't Hear Nothin But The Blues - Appalachian Haze
David Buddin - Canticles

+ upcoming MndlsBlstng and Behold... the Arctopus records later this year.

Expect more.

Friday, September 23, 2011

Nuage de sons etc...

The CD version of Coiled Malescence is now available for order here.

If you live in the U.S. and don't want to order from overseas, you should be able to get it from Crucial Blast very soon. They have a lot of other Mick Barr-related stuff in stock too, so feel free to browse.

In other news, you can download and/or listen to the entirety of the old Savage Land 2008 sampler CD on our brand new SoundCloud. I'll try to update it as soon as possible with rare and unreleased tracks, hopefully starting next week with the mysterious Wasted compilation CDR.

Finally, the Savage Land "complete discography" is available for order from the webstore too. It includes every proper audio release from the label up to early 2011, and it's the perfect way to catch up if you don't already own them all. No average releases here, only essentials.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Mick Barr - Coiled Malescence

The CD version of Mick Barr's new album Coiled Malescence will be available for mail order from the Savage Land store on September 19th. Here's the cover art:





















We've been begging Mick for years to let us put out some of his music, and we are thrilled he finally gave in and agreed to this particular release.
The LP version is already available for pre-order from Safety Meeting, and it's been garnering a lot of positive reviews.
As a matter of fact, you can listen to the whole thing here. Make sure not too scroll down too much though, or you'll risk being exposed to the dreaded "comment section".

About the release:
Coiled Malescence is a long non-repetitive piece for solo guitar, comprised of seven distinct parts (movements). This is Mick Barr's first solo release under his own name, and probably one of his most intricate and challenging pieces of music.
In addition to the epic 35 + min title track, the CD includes 2 bonus multi-layered guitar pieces from the unreleased Intrinsic Striations EP. Total time = 60 minutes.

The CD should be available upon release from Crucial Blast in the U.S. and from a variety of european and american stores a few weeks after that.


In other news, the Savage Land "complete discography" pack, along with a a few extremely rare items, will be added to the webstore in a week or so.
Also, audio files from all SL releases should be uploaded on Soundcloud very soon. We'll probably throw a few exclusive tracks in the mix too. Beware Hott Lixx and Weasel Walter's rendition of Live and Let Die...


Tuesday, May 24, 2011

SG DVD + CD bundles

We at SLHQ are proud to announce that The Scissor Girls DVD has been added to the SL webstore and is available for worldwide mail order right now!
Once again, this DVD is not region-coded and will play anywhere in the world.

BTW we DO ship to anywhere in world, and the shipping costs are the same wherever you live.
Some people have been asking about the shipping costs calculator on the Big Cartel store, and wondering why there was no difference between domestic and overseas shipping. Well... it's NOT a mistake. That's just the way we do things here.

Also, I finally added the first CD bundles I've been threatening you with for the past 6 months.
Therefore you can now order the complete recorded works of 16-17 and/or the sacrilegous To Live and Shave in L.A. 1 + 2 set at reduced price here and here.
More special offers will follow soon, including the monstrous Savage Land complete discography megapack.

In other news, Tom Smith and Kevin Drumm are touring Europe right now.
Here's the schedule. Catch them if you can.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

SG Research bulletin

It is with immense joy that we are announcing this particular release (and our first foray into the music video market):

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Savage Land is proud to present... 
The Scissor Girls DVD
Directed by Kelly Kuvo.
More than two hours of live footage and television appearances, all shot between 1993 and 1996, including the entirety of the SG Research videos.
The original homemade version of this DVD was released in 2004 in a ridiculously limited edition of 30 copies, which sold out in about 10 seconds.
This reissue is a straight repress of the original, including all bonus content and hidden stuff. The artwork has also been corrected to match the intended design more closely, which makes it the definitive edition.

More than a mandatory purchase for fans of the band, this collection is also a really good starting point for the uninitiated. Not only does it cover every crucial moment of the band's too short career, but it also documents the visual aspect that was an essential component of their oeuvre.

This is a region-free video DVD that will play on any standalone DVD player or computer.
It will be available for pre-order on May 5th, and officially out on the 17th. Don't miss it this time around.
SL webstore: http://savageland.bigcartel.com

In the meantime, you can watch some footage that didn't make the final cut (along with a few other curiosities) on the brand new Savage Land Youtube page:  http://www.youtube.com/user/marilek

As promised, I'll add some CD bundles to the webstore later this week. We have to clear some space.

Later this year... Ocrilim

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Deux Mille Onze

Ok, so...
It's been a while since the last update.
Here is the latest news:

The Tom Smith/Kevin Drumm collaboration CD Reconquer Sleep or Disappear has been available for a few months now.
The first (and possibly only) pressing of 350 copies is going fast, so you'd better act quick if you want a physical copy.

The pair will tour Europe in may to promote the album.
more details here: http://www.toliveandshaveinla.com/kdts2011_home.htm

Also, we recently added some vinyl to the store.
http://www.savageland.bigcartel.com/

First is the debut LP by the Sheik Anorak/Mario Rechtern/Weasel Walter trio.
info here: http://www.savageland.bigcartel.com/product/sheik-anorak-mario-rechtern-weasel-walter-lp
This is a co-production with Sheik Anorak's own Gaffer Records.

We also have copies of the debut album by french prog-jazz trio [:(').
I usually don't give a shit about the local scene, but this band really impressed me when I saw them open for the Laundry Room Squelchers last year in Lyon.
They probably wouldn't agree with me here, but they sound a bit like a heavier blend of Rock in Oppostion, Mahavishnu Orchestra, and the Muffins' 185.

To be fair, there hasn't been that much good music in France since Magma, so I'm glad to hear a band that perpetuates some of that euro classical/jazz tradition that is usually mocked by the "rock scene" here.

In other news,
I'm going to add some special CD bundles to the webstore in a few days.
This will be your chance to get some of the Savage Land back catalogue for cheap, and the chance for us to raise money to finance the next bunch releases.

Speaking of...
We have two releases in the works right now, both of which should be available before the summer.
First is a brand new solo guitar album by Mick Barr.

The rough mixes totally blew our minds, and we are really excited about this one. More info soon...

Then there is the mystery DVD retropective by a band from the '90s Chicago scene. Can you guess who?

I will try to set up the Savage Land Youtube channel and post a few videos (some rare 16-17 and TLASILA footage, among other things) sometimes next week,  so keep your eyes open.
In the meantime, please buy some stuff from one or more of the following:

http://www.savageland.bigcartel.com/
http://www.nowave.pair.com/luttenbachers/merch.html
http://nondornevai.com/merch.html
http://ocrilim.blogspot.com/p/order.html
http://www.crucialblastshop.net/

internet relocation

Welcome to the Savage Land Records blog.
From now on, all label news will be published here and only here,
starting in a few minutes...