{"title":"C\/Site Recordings","description":"Selections from the C\/Site catalog.","products":[{"product_id":"stefan-christensen-the-upcoming-flame-lp","title":"Stefan Christensen - The Upcoming Flame LP","description":"\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eStefan Christensen swamps delicate threads of melody in a muted squall of distortion. Waves of agitated noise, tamped down but still fractious, roll over the structures of his songs, so that it’s hard to tell whether the song or the dissonant scree of sound is the main thing. A current member of Headroom and frequent collaborator with members of Mountain Movers, Alexander and Nagual, Christensen layers haunted sung imagery over slow looped constructions of guitar and percussion.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHere on The Upcoming Flame, the melodic fire flickers amid smoke, haze and hum. The pretty folk strumming of “Arrows” provides a sharp contrast to the blistering roar of “Unkempt Power (This City’s Hold),” whose wild guitar distortion edges close to Dinosaur Jr. territory. The stark, minimal power of “G. Roberts,” where a single electric guitar line carves through echo-shrouded hiss and hum is quite unlike the dystopian hypnotics of “Like Factories” a wavery chant weaving through mechanical assembly-line stomp.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eChristensen draws inspiration from a wide array of musicians, particularly artists on the Siltbreeze, Xpressway and Twisted Village labels. Loren Connors, who got started in New Haven, was a key influence for The Upcoming Flame. Both “Ode to Roberts of Daggett” and “G. Roberts” pay tribute to Connors, who founded and ran Daggett Records in the 1970s and who sometimes recorded as Guitar Roberts. “Ode to Roberts of Daggett” also commemorates the Daggett Street Lofts, where Connors lived and made music and supported an emerging experimental New Haven music scene. In addition to Connors, Christensen was influenced by Alastair Galbraith’s writing and guitar playing and by Jim Shepard’s collaging of styles and tape manipulation techniques.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\n\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBefore he began recording as a solo artist, Christensen spent nearly a decade heading the lo-fi garage band, Estrogen Highs, channeling a fuzzy, New Zealand pop vibe reminiscent of the Clean and the Bats. Then starting in 2015, he headed off into a more experimental, guitar-centered direction in the vein of Bill Orcutt, Scott Tuma and the Dead C. Over the last several years, he has recorded a stream of cassettes, solo albums and collaborations with New Haven-area artists. For The Upcoming Flame, he worked alone, writing, arranging and playing all the instruments himself. He recorded them primarily on an eight-track cassette recorder with a few tracks laid down on a mono reel-to-reel recorder he has been using lately for both recording and live presentation.\u003c\/span\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"C\/Site","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39338131226832,"sku":"","price":19.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/4201\/4416\/products\/stefanupcoming.jpg?v=1616552588"},{"product_id":"kath-bloom-long-way-to-go-home-7","title":"Kath Bloom - Long Way To Go Home 7\"","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"UTF-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKath Bloom is a quietly legendary artist. From her early work with Loren Connors, to her appearance in Richard Linklater’s 1995 film Before Sunrise, to international tours, and accolades from some of music’s biggest names, Bloom has truly had a stellar career. Yet she somehow still alludes widespread notoriety, culling instead a cult following of dedicated fans.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eBloom started releasing music in the late 70s through New Haven, CT based micro-label Daggett Records, and later St. Joan Records. While these records did not attract much attention in their day they are now hailed as forgotten masterpieces of fragile, introspective folk. Bloom would then take a long pause from performing or releasing music publicly, though she never stopped writing. In the late 90s Bloom reemerged with occasional releases and performances.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eIn 2017 she began collaborating with guitarist David Shapiro, who is known for his work under solo moniker Alexander, as well as performing with psych wanderers Headroom and experimentalists Center. This collaboration has led to a resurgence in Bloom’s career. She is performing and touring more than ever and is recording more new material than she has for some time. In 2020 Dear Life Records released the album Bye Bye These Are The Days, and those sessions also birthed the three tracks of this brand new Long Way To Go Home 7”.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe tracks here feature a stripped back sound akin to Bloom’s earliest work with Loren Connors. While Bloom and Shapiro perform as a duo, Shapiro’s playing is noticeably different from Bloom’s previous collaborators and breathe new life into her songs. The title track’s penetrating melody and stunning harmonica work truly showcase Bloom at her best, with Shapiro’s guitar weaving the perfect counterbalance to it all. On side B Bloom picks up the recorder to add a contemplative lead line to Shapiro’s wonderful fingerpicked composition. And finally, “Baby I’m The Dream“ features another textbook Bloom melody with near-perfect interplay between the two guitarists.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eKath Bloom remains an enigmatic figure in the world of music. Her chilling tunes and haunting vocals can break the most hardened of hearts and have won her fans the world over. Even after four decades of work she remains a passionate artist and this little slice of recordings proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that she remains as a dynamic and mystifying voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eEdition of 300 copies.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"C\/Site","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":40548055548112,"sku":"","price":9.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/4201\/4416\/products\/kath.jpg?v=1638901336"},{"product_id":"shirese-hardly-cricket-lp-pre-order","title":"Shirese - Hardly Cricket LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease date September 13th.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eA Grapefruit Records and C\/Site Recordings co-release. Our seventh release in our fourteenth year of releasing albums, hence catalog number: GY14-7.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShirese return! Hot off of 2023’s Rose Of Smiling Faces album the East Haven crew have assembled a fresh batch of hook-laden rock anthems. Hardly Cricket sees the band truly lean into their rock tendencies. Those who have enjoyed their past forays into 70s style dual guitar leads will find much to latch onto here. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eExplosive, high energy tunes like “New Music” and “Sacred Heart” are instantly infectious and truly set the tone with high flying guitar action from all the players. However, as always, Shirese keeps it varied. With songwriting duties being more evenly spread throughout the group this time around, listeners will find 60s garage, country, and even doo-wop inflected songs as well. Matt Paolilo’s ever present vocals and tongue-and-cheek lyrics keep listeners on their toes. While the occasional descent into tape spliced experimental madness still finds its place in the grooves.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eShirese continues to evolve as their lineup solidifies. Gone are the days of a\u003cbr\u003erevolving cast of characters, and in its place we find a group of friends who mesh tightly, pushing beyond their perceived limits to true rock’n’roll glory!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Grapefruit Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44153901744336,"sku":"","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/4201\/4416\/files\/hardlycricket.jpg?v=1723813735"},{"product_id":"stefan-christensen-in-time-lp-pre-order","title":"Stefan Christensen - In Time LP","description":"\u003cp\u003eRelease date September 13th, 2024.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eNew LP from the C\/Site Recordings founder, Stefan Christensen. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eStefan Christensen returns with his first album in three years. In Time sees Christensen enlist the support of the New Haven crew, with contributions from all members of Headroom and Mountain Movers. The album delves back into full band style psych rock akin to his 2019 Unknown Fortune album, albeit in a more deliberate and meditative manner that close listeners will find deeply rewarding. Although In Time was recorded in just a couple of weekend sessions in late 2023, the songs featured were being crafted as far back as 2021. The album nods to a number of different strains of international psychedelia. At different times listeners will catch hints of influence from Sweden’s Pärson Sound \/ Träd Gräs Och Stenar family tree, UK psych-folk heavyweights like Trees, New Zealand freaks like The Garbage And The Flowers and Space Dust, Kraut-y passages ala Faust, as well as the obvious homage to the Ditch-era in the album’s title track. There is also the notable “Foreign Outlaw,” which is the first to feature Christensen playing jouhikko, an instrument he began playing recently when delving deeper into his own Finnish heritage, the countries traditional songs, and modern experimenters like Pekko Käppi and Lau Nau. All of this is filtered through Christensen’s typical somber and muted delivery, as he contemplates time, the inevitability of its passage, and the horrors along the way. Unlike the dirge of Christensen’s home recorded work In Time was beautifully recorded to tape by John Miller, the New Haven crew’s in-house producer\/engineer. Drummer Ross Menze dubbed the album “Hi-Fi Steve” in the process. This shift in fidelity is wonderfully paired with the mesmerizing artwork of Ryan Kalentowski, who created the full jacket and insert layout. Limited to 300 copies.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c!----\u003e","brand":"Grapefruit Records","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44165512134864,"sku":null,"price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/4201\/4416\/files\/christensenintime.jpg?v=1725042631"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0554\/4201\/4416\/collections\/cs.png?v=1617902066","url":"https:\/\/www.grapefruitrecordclub.com\/collections\/c-site-recordings\/kath-bloom.oembed","provider":"Grapefruit Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}