ARTICLE
2006 10 Favourite Labels

ALBUMS
aMute
Art Ensemble of Chicago
Asphalt Jungle
Joseph Auer
Avia Gardner
Tommi Bass
Caural
Cdatakill
Christ.
Conjoint
Contriva
Cursor Minor
DJ Soul Slinger
DJ Wally/DJ Willie Ross
DoF
Electric Penguins
Encre
Flashbulb
Fuckpony
Funckarma
Cedric Gervais
Eglantine Gouzy
Greater Than One
Greg Haines
François Houle
Housemeister
Jan Jelinek
Eleni Karaindrou
Kode9 + Spaceape
Takagi Masakatsu
Mini
Move D
The New Law
Nuuro
Qwel & Meaty Ogre
Rant
Max Richter
Janek Schaefer
Svarte Greiner
Thighpaulsandra
Unwed Sailor
Geoff White
Wilt
Yellow6
Jesse Zubot

COMPILATIONS/MIXES
4 Women No Cry Vol. 2
Analog for Architecture
Assemblage Sessions
Jimmy Van M
King Unique/Nubreed
Monza Club Ibiza
Pop Ambient 2007
Rub-N-Tug
Thankful
The Rorschach Suite

3"/7"/10"/12"/EPs
Baseheadz
Big Toe
Franco Cangelli
Richard Chartier
Deadbeat/Monolake
Depth Affect
Diebombshelters
DJ Koze
Eltron
Johan Fotmeijer
Hellothisisalex
Mitsuaki Komamura
Múm
Ozka
Seekers Who Are Lovers
Strategy
Tandem 5
Andi Teichmann
The Twilight Sad
Ray Valioso

Yellow6: Loops, Notes and Sketches [Solo Guitar]
October Man

The personal history of Leicestershire, UK-based guitarist Jon Attwood—punk band tenures, live trio playing—might not be that different from any number of musicians whose musical excursions began in the 1980s, but Attwood's current solo work under the name Yellow6 is certainly highly personalized as well as distinguished. The title, Loops, Notes and Sketches [Solo Guitar], is as direct as the eleven pieces comprising its thirty-seven minutes, all of which were laid down as single takes in July 2006. At the same time, the ‘solo' character of the title is belied by the multi-layered sound Attwood's able to generate using a looper pedal and a heavy dose of reverb and tremolo, all of which enables him to resemble a mini-guitar army. There's something irresistible about such heavily reverbed playing, especially when it's allowed to delicately unfurl as it is does on “Quarters,” where melodies rest comfortably atop extended strummed waves of vibrant shimmer solely, and “Untitled 1,” where crystalline layers exude a church-like ambiance. At times, a hint of rawness emerges (e.g., “Tuesday Bow”) that tangentially evokes the aggressive spirit of the punk era but Attwood opts primarily for elegance and restraint. Listeners on the prowl for six-string cacophony should look elsewhere; those, on the other hand, with an appetite for graceful contemplation will find much to admire.

December 2006