Merciless on Album Covers of the Year list

The insanely detailed macro photo of my wife's hand that graces the cover of Merciless was included in Redefine Magazine's album art of the year list.

While inclusion in musical lists is always appreciated, this nod for the artwork is even more so. Three years of work went into finalizing every last detail of Sufferers and Merciless and I'm honored to see other aspects of the album(s) - they will always be a linked pair in my mind - get some attention.

A Public Thank You

With more and more people are getting their music digitally, I realize liner notes aren't always making the trip with the audio. With that in mind, I'd like share the credits for The Choir, The Army and ensure these gentlemen (myself excluded for these purposes) are recognized for their awesome contributions to the album:

12 For 012

My list of year-end favorites:

12. Richard Skelton – Verse of Birds

Excellent hearing Richard’s guitar palette expanded to two discs worth sprawling howls and moans.

11. Aaron Dilloway & Lescalleet – Grapes and Snakes

Though both released critically acclaimed solo offerings this year, I found their collaborative effort the most rewarding of their output.

10. Joe Colley – The Lonely Microphone

Vintage Colley (2002, not too far removed from the Crawl Unit moniker) with a 30-minute offering split into two excellent side-long tracks.

09. Ruez – Brise Soleil

Surprise of the year. I found myself captivated by an Eric Laska performance this fall and equally impressed with the cassette I picked up afterward.

08.  Killer Mike – R.A.P. Music

Love the hypermodern throwback reconstructions El-P came up with to compliment Mike’s voice and flow. His lyrics are conscious but the delivery is HAM and avoids the petty/preachy trappings that often come when venturing into that territory.

07. Andy Stott – Luxury Problems

I can’t get enough of Stott’s swoon-inducing filter flux. The vocals seemed odd at first, but I’m all about them now. Leaving could be my favorite track of the year.

06. Locrian & Mammifer – Bless Them That Curse You

As beautiful as it is dark, the world created when these two gristled entities joined forces is really something to behold; simultaneously engaging and befuddling, lush and dreadful.

05. Sylvain Chauveau & Stephan Mathieu – Palimpsest

Extended, drone covers of highlights from the Smog catalog? I did not need much convincing to pick this one up.

04. Mika Vainio – Fe3O4 – Magnetite

I previously wrote that this album’s tone could be described as cosmic horror, an audio version of, say, the Alien trilogy. It is the perfect response to the blissfully psychedelic offerings so rampant these days.

03. Swans – The Seer

What a pummeling tour de force! Two hours of onslaught that feels more like a hazing than a beating. You are a different person on the other side.

02. Black to Comm – Earth

This album is so easy to unlike and dances so freely between loathsome and enchanting that I can't help but absolutely love it. It’s one of the rare album that actually challenges those who like ‘challenging’ music.

01. Mt. Eerie – Clear Moon

Phi Elverum took his production and songwriting to new levels with his two full-length offerings this year. I wouldn’t have minded seeing them as a double album, but I appreciate the distinctions between the two. Clear Moon wins out as favorite by a slight margin.

And three others I wish I'd had just a bit more time with to fully analyze:

Scott Walker – Bish Bosch

Jon Mueller – Death Blues

Michael Pisaro – Tombstones

I think time will be very generous to all three.

New Release Bundle

Four new releases. $30 ppd. (US shipping only.)

includes:
The Choir, The Army LP
Forgotten Somewhere CS
Nature Seen CS
Zelphabet Vol. M Compilation CD

Email/paypal to monumental[.]documents[at]gmail[.]com

Thanks much.

Streams

If you listen to music via streaming service, here are a few links where you can find (and listen to, if you are so inclined) The Choir, The Army on such:

TC,TA on Spotify

TC,TA on Rhapsody

TC,TA on Grooveshark

I am not exceptionally familiar with any of these, but figured I'd offer up the links to anyone who does use them. Of the three, I am pretty sure Grooveshark is the only one that doesn't require a subscription of any sort.

And if you like what you hear, please consider picking up the new LP. Copies will be available stateside this week from both myself and the good folks at Experimedia.

Editions Shiflet Mixtape 08: Ego Blasphemy

A year and a half since I posted the last mixtape? Three LPs and a dozen other releases later, I guess I should get around to posting some more free tracks. The majority of the mix is material from my 2012 output, the rest is a collection of layered hard drive errata. (Some of those contain elements of larger works recontextualized, others are composed of unreleased odds and ends.) A couple collaborative efforts round everything out. Enjoy.


Tracklist:
01. Omicron Meditation
02. Omicron Serenade
03. [fragments]
04. Baby, It's Cold Outside
05. [fragments]
06. [fragments]
07. Stalemate (collaboration with Daniel Menche)
08. Live Collage
09. [fragments]
10. [fragments]
11. Bedside (Coda)
12. Live Duo with Jeff Chenault
13. Bummer
14. Omicron Meditation


Download HERE.

The previous mixtapes: 07, 06, 05, 04, 03, 02, 01.

The Internet is a Lie

So as is prone to happen these days, my new album recently popped up on some download sites of ill repute. It doesn't make me the happiest person in the world, but no big deal, it's to be expected these days. What I wasn't expecting, however, were the bizarre adlib-esque text files accompanying the links. Their mix of broken english and extreme hyperbole is ridiculous, perplexing, and hilarious at once. Some of my favorite clips:

Mike Shiflet will certainly be leaving the Pitchfork awards with a lot of rewards. Their audio sounds fantastic and many tracks have already become hits on stereo plus in night clubs around the globe.

...you will be one step nearer to listening to the new rhythm of the MP3 songs created by your favorite musician, Mike Shiflet.

As you know, we've all been waiting for ?The Choir, The Army? Digital Download version.

You will certainly take pleasure in listening to the Disc, exactly like countless other fans are already doing. Those tunes are great for any special event plus your mates will frantically party to the groove of the song.

You will find numerous temptations online such as irrelevant leaks which might debase any artist, inclusive Mike Shiflet. However, The Choir, The Army by Mike Shiflet promises to make hysteria among listeners.

Almost all music artists are accustomed to these leaks. Still Mike Shiflet said that is quite exasperating to let pass the introduction of an project due to a simple leak.

And so on and so on. I don't even know what to say. It's a weird world.

Actual copies of the record can be bought here.

See you at the Grammys.

Zelphabet, Nature Seen

Two new releases:



Volume M of the Zelphabet series, in which the mighty G.X. Jupitter-Larsen is compiling noise artists and lumping them together zelphabetically, is out now. It features the fully realized version of Corrugated, which you may recall from this or this or this. It is a completely different beast than the versions presented on the Banned cassette. I'm honored to have it presented alongside a number of great tracks including two by my favorite Japanoise 'M' artists (nope, not those two): Koji Tano aka MSBR, who was a huge influence on and kind soul to me from the very beginning of my interest and involvement in this scene and Mayuko Hino, whose Mne-Mic album I consider to be the most criminally overlooked works in the genre. To share a disc with them is truly an honor.

 Available now on the Zelphabet site.



Nature Seen is a new tape I worked on over the summer focusing on raw and processed field recordings. If you caught any live performances in the past few months, odds are you heard one of these two tracks worked into the set. (A live performance of Waxwing can even be found on the Free Music Archive.) That track is inspired by the song of a favorite new bird, the cedar waxwing, and the other attempts to emulate the bustling insect activity around the popular (with them anyways) milkweed plant.

Available now from 905 Tapes


I'll have a few of each of these available soon, but am waiting until I have all the new releases, including copies of The Choir, The Army, to offer them all up at once.

The Choir, The Army, The Antidote

I have it on good authority that the phyiscal copies of The Choir, The Army are now in hand at Under The Spire headquarters and that preorders are turning into orders are turning into deliveries.

I should have some myself very shortly as should several fine North American distribution outlets.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the globe...



 ...the fine gentlemen of Australia's The Antidote podcast devoted several minutes of their most recent episode to a discussion of myself and the new record. Also discussed are Pete Swanson's new 12" and the new Pelt. A rather fine forty minutes if I do say so myself.

Collab Video

Mr. Jeff Chenault and myself this past Saturday:

MSFMA

The two tracks I recorded on WFMU earlier this month are now available to stream/download from the Free Music Archive. Thanks again to Dan Bodah, WFMU for making the session happen and to FMA for making the recordings widely available.

 

Advance Reviews

Speaking of the The Choir, The Army, a few write-ups have already trickled in:

Brendon Moore from Fluid Radio:
"Is this an ambient record for some post-industrial, post-human age? It certainly seems the sound of a thousand electronic devices turning in on themselves to create digital chaos. What’s scary is how calming it can all be. But that seems to be part of Shiflet’s point."

Read the full review here.

 And,  Ian Maleney on Thumped:
"It is a testament to Shiflet's immense skill with sound that such a strong emotional arc presents itself over the course of the album, reeling in the listener and opening up a series of terrain to explore."

 Read the full review here.

Omicron Serenade Video

Video for the track Omicron Serenade from the forthcoming The Choir, The Army LP on Under The Spire Records.

Preorder info can be found here.

WGXC Hudson Recording

A nice - if slighly blown out - room recording of my set in Hudson, NY is available here thanks to the fine folks at WGXC. It isn't the highest fidelity, but it gives a good idea of what the sets were like on the recent tour if you weren't able to make it out.

A few other recordings might find their way here or onto a release in the near future. I need a little more time to unwind, listen back and reevaluate everything.

Albany Multi-Exposures

A great series of photos by Mr. Widarto Adi.

WFMU Performance and Interview

I performed two numbers and got grilled by DJ Dan Bodah his WFMU show Airborne Event last night. If you weren't able to tune in or are hearing about it for the first time right now, you can catch the archived program right here.

Ego Blasphemy Stills

A few stills from the Ego Blasphemy projections.

Flyers

A couple flyers for this weekend's performances:






I'll post more of the tour posters as they are brought to my attention.

Bandcamp Tour Sale

In an attempt to keep the needle closer to F than E on the road, all releases on my Bandcamp page are now available for half off. Just enter the code unleaded when purchasing. Check said page to see all of the titles available. At half price, you can get more than one for the price of a gallon. Thanks for the support.

EGO BLASPHEMY

Mike Shiflet

Ego Blasphemy Tour 2012

Thursday, 9.27

Fairchild Chapel at Oberlin College

50 West Lorain Street
Oberlin, OH

with Joe Panzner

Facebook event

Friday, 9.28

Albany Sonic Arts Collective at the Upstate Artists Guild

247 Lark Street

Albany, NY

with Rambutan and more

Saturday, 9.29

La Sala (at Cantina Royal)

58 North 3rd Street, Williamsburg

Brooklyn, NY

with Work/Death, OMEI, and  Alberich

Facebook event

Sunday, 9.30

Spectral Rehab at O’Brien’s Pub

3 Harvard Avenue, Allston

Boston, MA

with Work/Death, A Snake in the Garden, DJs Lawrence and Twells

Facebook event

Monday, 10.1

Airborne Event on WFMU

Radio performance
AE is on the air from 9:00-12:00

91.1 in NYC/NJ area
Streaming online at wfmu.org

Tuesday, 10.2

Diamond Terrifier presents PRACTICE! at Zebulon

258 Wythe Ave, Williamsburg

Brooklyn, NY

other acts TBA

Wednesday, 10.3

Flying Object

42 West Ave,

Hadley, MA

with Cruise Whisp, Jacob Otting and more
Facebook event

Thursday, 10.4

The Spotty Dog

440 Warren Street,

Hudson, NY

with C Lavender and Jeremy Kelly

Friday, 10.5

Redscroll Records
24 North Colony Road, Wallingford
New Haven, CT
with California X, Potty Mouth and Mope
Facebook event

Saturday, 10.6

AUX performance space at Vox Populi Gallery

319 N 11th Street,

Philadelphia, PA

solo and duo with Ian Fraser, other acts TBA
Facebook event

[edit: date switched for Philly show]
[edit: added info for 10.1 and 10.5, added facebook events for several shows.]

Local Autonomy Interview and Shows This Week

I recently sat down with James Davis of the blog Local Autonomy and he fired some questions my way. How do I feel about Columbus, noise, and historical context? To take a quote entirely out of context, "dissatisfaction is a deeply embedded character trait." What? You'll have to read the full interview to find out. Please do so here.


I also have a couple of performances this week for those of you in Central and Northeast Ohio. Both will be pretty unique.

Thursday, 9.13
solo 12-string guitar performance
It Looks Like It's Open
13 East Tulane, Columbus
with Joey Molinaro, Dead Turquoise, Mosses and more
Facebook Event

Friday, 9.14
Scenic Railroads
Wandering Cave at Ingenuity Fest
Dock 32, Cleveland
(behind the Brown's Stadium, on the 2nd floor of the foreman's office area.)
with Skin Graft, Plague Mother, Spirits and more

Facebook Event

Recent Release Roundup

When it rains, it pours. A few months of quiet and now a slew of releases are all dropping at once. This seems to be a semi-annual occurrence. Three new ones in three different formats came out this week and a pre-order was announced for a fourth. Here are the details for how to get a hold of each:

Forgotten Somewhere
Cassette on Obsolete Units
Available at obsoleteunits.com

Required Wreckers Split with Pete Swanson
Split LP on Amish Records
Available at amishrecords.com

Blurred & Scorched
CDR on Wachsender Prozess
Wachsender Prozess has a limited web presence. Email wp666 -at- gmx.de for ordering info.

And the pre-order...


The Choir, The Army
LP on Under the Spire
Pre-order info at underthespire.co.uk

Next Tuesday

My first record with an official release date (as opposed to "It's back from the presses. It's out.") drops next Tuesday, September 4th, on the stellar Amish Records. It's a split with the long-haired fellow from Yellow Swans. You'll like it.

Forgotten Somewhere Out Now on Obsolete Units

Mike Shiflet – Forgotten Somewhere: It’s a daunting task to think of where to begin when it comes to offering up a succinct summation of Mike Shiflet’s copious and exquisite body of work. Over the past eleven years or so, the Columbus-based musician has investigated a breadth of approaches to sustained sound, from slow-burning microcosmic tones that gradually shift into distinctly unfamiliar forms to more carefully coordinated layers of melodious treatments of guitar, synth, and field recordings that actively extract unorthodox inflections from such familiar sources. Forgotten Somewhere has Shiflet mastering both of these attitudes, the title piece constructing a nebulous, dusky fuzz of subtly gorgeous vibration while “Omicron Meditation” is a textural excursion into crackling, jittering snaps, recalling a piece of warped blank vinyl spinning from damaged speakers. This cassette is a transcendent testimonial from one of the underground’s most celebrated talents, hinting both at territory investigated on 2010′s acclaimed Llanos CD and earlier works such as 2004′s Xenakis Youth CDR. Pro-dubbed/pro-printed edition of 100.

Ordering instructions over here: http://obsoleteunits.com/available/

  Mike Shiflet - "Forgotten Somewhere" (excerpt) by Obsolete Units

August Performances

Hey all,

Apologies for the lack of posts lately. Between taking on a new job last month and holing up for some recording, I've been swamped lately. Fortunately the darkest of days are in the past and I'll be reemerging in the coming days and weeks. Here are a few upcoming performances, collaborations in town and solo sets on the road.


8.14
Skylab
57 East Gay St., Columbus, OH
as a member of Central Ohio War Coaliton
with Dream Team Ensemble, Jocyln Hatch, and more
Facebook event page

8.16
Double Happiness
82 South Front St., Columbus, OH
duo w/ Jeff Chenault
with Bryan Eubanks, Cat Lamb, Joe Panzner

8.23
Milwaukee Noise Fest
Borg Ward
823 W National Ave, Milwaukee, WI
with Jon Mueller, Jim Schoemaker, Developer, and more
Facebook event

8.25
Studio Z
275 East Fourth Street, Suite 200, St. Paul, MN
A crow with no mouth concert
with Jusin Meyers and Joe Panzner
Studio Z site

Full tour coming up at the end of September.

Amish Swanson

Earlier this week Amish Records posted the release date for my split 12" with Pete Swanson. (9/4, stay tuned!) Click the link above to read more about it. Click the play button below to hear a bit.

MIKE SHIFLET - Bedside (excerpt) by amishrecords

MIKE SHIFLET - Bedside (excerpt)

Blurred & Scorched

  Blurred & Scorched by mshiflet

Bit of a blogging frenzy tonight. Catching up for lost time. Here's a track from a forthcoming release. That should do it for the evening.

Liminal 3" Mix

The gents at the The Liminal asked me to throw together a mix and I used it as an excuse to break out my not-listened-to-nearly-enough 3"s.

As  state in my introductory text on their site, the 3" format is/was absolutely perfect for experimental music and a couple of my favorite recordings ever were released in the format.  I am exceptionally proud of this set. Please head over to The Liminal Mix 17 page to stream or download it.

Thanks, Noise Park.

Songs About Leaving

I've put a couple old releases up on the Bandcamp site: Last of the American Sessions, the final recordings made in the US before leaving for Japan in 2005, and Shiso Epilogues, the final recordings made in Japan before returning to the US in 2007.

Stream them below and if you are so inclined follow the links to purchase/download.

Merciless Pitchfork Review

 

Someone at Pitchfork fucked up twice. First, he or she let Marc Masters review my latest Type LP. Second, they forgot to edit out all the nice things he said about it. Go read it for yourself.

Kidding aside, I am sincerely honored. I know how hard it is to get works like this onto the site and appreciate Marc's effort to do so in addition to his kind words.

Secret Thirteen Mix

I recently did a mix for the website Secret Thirteen entitled Thirteen Years. You can stream and read a bit about it here.

The mix highlights one track per year of each year I've been active in the noise/experimental music community (discounting a couple prior alone in hometown and our current spin around the sun), trying to keep the emphasis on tracks that were a.) influential to my work and b.) made an impact on me immediately upon release. (This was especially important  for the earlier years with numerous highly influential releases  discovered well after the fact.) I  am exceptionally proud of it.

Stream/download away.

Last Night on East Tulane

ExTx Finale

The last few minutes of my Ende Times set, utilizing bowed contact mic through four instances of a new feedback chain I'm toying with.

Ende Tymes 2012

I'm returning to NYC this weekend to play the Ende Tymes Festival for the second year in a row. I'll be performing Friday night at Secret Robot Project. Hope to see some of you there.

Ryan Jewell & Mike Shiflet, Live at Used Kids Records

Live collaboration between Ryan Jewell & myself. Recorded bright and early on Record Store Day 2012. Soundcloud clip (I have a new Soundcloud account, btw) features a nice chunk from the middle of the set and the entire performance is downloadable underneath that.



Download  (23:50, 192 kbs, 34.3MB)

Ben Bennett's WIPERWILL

I previously wrote a little bit about Ben Bennett here and was pretty excited when he recently passed me a copy of his new CD. You can stream/download the whole thing below and/or head over the Bandcamp page and buy yourself a physical copy. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Merciless LPs Now Available

I now have copies of the Merciless LP in hand. If you'd like one, all you have to do is paypal $16 to monumental.documents[at]gmail[dot]com.

I also have some bundle offers with my other in-stock releases if those interest you:

Merciless LP + Shiflet/Panzner CS or Llanos CD : $21
Merciless LP + Omnivores LP : $25

(I unfortunately do note have any more copies of Sufferers to bundle with the new LP.)

All prices include shipping in the US. Please email if you'd like a price for international shipping.

Merciless Stream

Mike Shiflet - Merciless by _type

A Busy Month in Ohio

Lots of live dates coming up, including the first Scenic Railroads shows in a while. This is definitely the most active I've been on the local/regional level in some time:

4/10
It Looks Like It's Open, Columbus
Shiflet/Kahns Duo (see here)
Time and Temperature
Ember Schrag
Facebook Invite

4/14
RCN Cave, Akron
Scenic Railroads
Karl Vorndran
Interstates (Etc.)
Facebook Invite

4/18
It Looks Like It's Open, Columbus
Scenic Railroads
Chris Corsano
Ben Bennett

4/21
Used Kids Records, Columbus
Ryan Jewell/Mike Shiflet duo
+ many others
Part of the Used Kids Record Store Day festivities.
I believe we are playing around 12:00 noon.

4/30
Fairchild Chapel, Oberlin
solo performance
+ openers TBA
(more info as it becomes available.)

Shiflet/Panzner Look/Listen

A video sample and full audio stream of the split with Mr. Panzner:

Panzner Split Preview

The split cassette will be released 4/14 on Rubber City Noise. Stay tuned.

Merciless

The first copies of the new Type LP are available at Boomkat.

Copies should wash up on American shores in a week or so and arrive here shortly thereafter. If you're a fan from outside the US, Boomkat is probably your best option. I'll update when I have my copies and as they become available elsewhere.

Chicago, Saturday

Sword Pile

In February 2005, the (then) five ladies of 16 Bitch Pile-Up and the (then) four gentlemen of Sword Heaven came together to form a massive nine-piece behemoth. Figuring audio documentation alone would not do this justice, we then decided to put together a book/zine to accompany the recording.

Seven years on, with both groups in whittled down and in vague states of existence, here is evidence (in the form of two audio tracks and 32-page PDF) of the day we compounded our efforts in true nonet fashion.

GB71_Sword_Pile.zip (71.0 MB)

(Exile)

New Type LP is just around the corner.

Once More, The Ende...

I'm headed back to NYC in May.

Meditation, Feedback

I very much look forward to participating in and providing a soundtrack to the March installment of the Open Mediation Series at It Looks Like It's Open here in Columbus. I will meditate with the group during the first session and perform some resonant pieces during the second, feeding off of (and back into) the energy in the room. If you are interested, please stop by.

Open Mediation
Sunday, March 11
1:00 - 3:00
It Looks Like It's Open
13 East Tulane, 43202

We will begin with one 25min silent session, a short walking, and a second 25min sit with live sonic accompaniment. The intention is to create an atmosphere unlike a typical musical performance. Here, the emphasis will be on the somatic and cognitive experience of the participants. It will also not be a typical group meditation session. New and practiced meditators can explore the spaces their attention uncovers as waves of full spectrum sound textures roll over their consciousness.

Click here for the Facebook Event.

SEQUENCE3

I appear on a new free download compilation from the fine folks at futuresequence called SEQUENCE3. I pasted my track below, but recommend heading to the Bandcamp page and downloading the whole thing.




And apologies for not posting in a month. Lots going on behind the scenes while the blog was closet. Wheels are indeed turning.

GMBY (ist (still) DEAD)

Or possibly deader?



If for any reason you punched gmby.net into your browser in the past few years the above message is what you saw, along with a note redirecting you to the archived site, now hosted at monumentaldocuments.com. Soon you won't even see that banner. I've opted not to renew the domain and it will expire in March. The archive will remain and both monumentaldocuments.com and michaelshiflet.com will stay up.

I wanted to give advance notice as there are still a few people who use my old ms@gmby.net email to contact me. That will obviously be disappearing along with the domain, so Gmail, Facebook, Twitter or this very blog will be the best ways to get in touch if you are one of those folks.

That is all. Dry your eyes and carry on.

Zahlentheorie

Just a brief note that Under the Spire has posted a preview track from the forthcoming The Choir, The Army LP:



Happy Monday.

Before the world ends

In the next few weeks/months...

Merciless LP (Type)
The Choir, The Army LP (Under the Spire)
Forgotten Somewhere CS (Obsolete Units)
Split 12” with Pete Swanson (finalizing label details now)
Split CS with Joe Panzner (Rubber City Noise)

I also have a couple collaborations in the works that aren’t quite ready to be discussed publicly (but I am very excited about, one in particularly is in some very new terrain) and will begin working on my next full length shortly.

More soon.

RRRighteous Typecast

Type has posted a mix I made with some of my favorite titles from RRRecords It's available to stream or download. Check it:

"I'm not a hunter, but I'm told..."

First Shows of 2012

Both in Columbus...

Friday, 1.6.12
Wild Goose Creative
Fuse Factory Frequency Fridays
with David Morneau (NYC), Tone Elevator (CMH), Liminal People (Cincy)
2491 Summit Street, 8:00
thefusefactory.org
wildgoosecreative.com

Sunday, 1.15.12
It Looks Like It's Open
Live collaboration with Envenomist
with Keroaän (Phi/NYC), Joe Panzner (CMH)
13 East Tulane, 8:00-10:00
itlookslikeitsopen.blogspot.com