Sunday, January 6, 2013

Daniel Crommie's "Chrysanthemum" reissued

Daniel Crommie's seminal 1993 album "Chrysanthemum" is re-issued at iTunes, Amazon, Band Camp, et al on Tuesday, January 8th worldwide. Originally released on cassette, this instrumental offering has new cover artwork, improved sound and a bonus track to boot! Here's a review from the Oregonian's Marty Hughley in 1993:


  Between his eclectic electro-folk band Group Du Jour, his duo with keyboardist Jamie Haggerty and his solo projects, Crommie must rank as one of Portland’s most prolific artists. It sometimes seems that he puts out more work than he should, stranding occasional gems on albums with too many failed exercises. But this shimmering collection of instrumental pieces is a potent faith-restorer for the flagging fan.

  Crommie plays a variety of synthesizers, flutes, drum machines, etc., layering them into lush tone poems and sketches or idealised aural scenery, like Cocteau poems or Maxfield Parrish paintings translated into music. His stylistic debt to Bill Nelson’s art-pop experiments, Ian Anderson’s hard-breathing flute technique and Ryuichi Sakamoto’s highly textural soundtrack work are as admirable as they are obvious; they are the right tools for Crommie’s own fertile muse.

  Perhaps a line from the cassette’s accompanying poem sums up “Chrysanthemum” best: “A serviceable burst of grace.”

Friday, January 4, 2013

Rare 1987 Daniel Crommie album released on Band Camp

In 1987 Daniel Crommie recorded "Raised by Piranha" and released around 25 copies to an unsuspecting public where it promptly sunk without a trace. Until now, that is. Dusted off and complete with new cover artwork and a bonus track, "Raised by Piranha" is now available for download at Band Camp - the only place you'll find this rare gem. Part of the New Weave "Archive Series", this is: Archive Series #8 NWCD-120. Guests include Jamie Haggerty, Thomas Dougherty and Kristi Mergenthaler. 



"Raised By Piranha is certainly not going to be for everyone, and is pretty dated sounding by today's standards, but if you have a soft spot for '80s new wave and electro/synth pop, you'll be able to have a lot of fun with this one." -
Pete Pardo / Sea of Tranquility


Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Rare Saturnalia Trio EP released on Band Camp

In 2003 New Weave released a Saturnalia Trio sampler that showcased When Your World Comes Tumbling Down prior to its inclusion on Of Mosaic & Muse - in addition to some rare and alternate versions of material from their previous albums. This EP was originally released in 2003 and features the explosive title song plus a few other tracks that well represent the Saturnalia Trio breadth of sound, instrumentation and material. Ranging from original songs to medieval & Renaissance dance tunes, Saturnalia Trio presents a colorful and vibrant sound sure to intrigue the discerning listener. Two tracks are from "Of Mosaic & Muse" (2004), two tracks are from "Mercury Rising" (2002) and one track is from a 2000 video. The wonderful cover art was created by Saturnalia's stand-in violinist Lauren McKenzie. This EP has been released on Band Camp and can be downloaded in almost any digital form desired for a mere $3.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Daniel Crommie's Video Resume

Here's Daniel Crommie's video resume detailing his services & talents in the musical realm.

Sunday, October 28, 2012

Selective Amnesia Vol. 2 - The Early Years 1976-1984 released

The late 70's and early 80's were a time of artist growth for Daniel Crommie - the journey from folk troubadour to electronic experimentalist is documented on this new limited release of early studio recordings from 1976-1984. From majestic dulcimer instrumentals and folky strummings to ambient aural paintings and New Wave-ish pop/dance songs, this collection traces the path to discovery and technical innovation: studio recordings starting with 2-track stereo to 4-track one man band and 8-track production.You can find this download-only album at Reverb Nation and Band Camp for a mere $7. The Band Camp version includes a PDF with all of the track info and lyrics and here you have the option of WAV, FLAC, MP3, etc as well as some leeway as to the price (haggling allowed!). The cover art was created by Fredrika Spillman, who illustrated many of Walt Morey's books in the 70's and 80's.

Friday, July 20, 2012

The first review for "Aquarius In Retrograde" has just surfaced: "Just about every track on Aquarius in Retrograde bursts with color and inventiveness, and if nothing else, Crommie and crew should be regarded as mad musical scientists who draw upon a vast amount of influences to create wild auditory puzzles." Read the full review here.

Sunday, July 15, 2012

Selective Amnesia reviewed

"With so much material to his credit, Selective Amnesia-The Best of 1984-2009 only really scratches the surface of what Daniel Crommie is all about, but if you've never checked out any of his many releases, this little collection will give you an idea of what he's been all about for the last 25 years." Here is the full review. You can pre-order "Selective Amnesia - The Best of 1984-2009 at Amazon.