A Little Lost (Arthur Russell Cover)

R. Stevie Moore - Pink Litmus Paper Shirt

the spiritual world is a thing to behold when it works for the good - found in the playlist "Numbers".

2025

7:06

tortoise's massive, show-ending "swung from the gutters"

5.10.2016 @ metro, chicago 

Swung From The Gutters

SKY GIRL 2LP/CD/DIG OUT NOW

Sky Girl is a mysteriously unshakeable companion, a deeply melancholic and sentimental journey through folk-pop, new wave and art music micro presses that span 1961-1991. A seemingly disparate suite of selections of forgotten fables by more or less neverknowns, Sky Girl forms a beautifully coherent and utterly sublime whole deftly compiled by French collectors DJ Sundae and Julien Dechery.

From Scott Seskind's adolescent musical road movie to Karen Marks' icy Oz-wave, the charming DIY storytelling of Italian-American go-getter Joe Tossini and the ethereal slow dance themes of Parisian artists Nini Raviolette and Hugo Weris, Sky Girl resonates on a wide spectrum historically, geographically and stylistically. It unites in a singular, longing, almost intangible ambience.

If the names sound wholly unfamiliar that doesn't matter, the nature of the compositions swiftly nurtures an intimacy with these lonely, poignant, openhearted wanderers. Most were available in a very limited capacity at the time of their release, some were never really released at all - Gary Davenport declined to release Sarra after he split with the girl for whom the track is named - years later a friend convinced Davenport to allow him to put 100 copies online to sell and DJ Sundae was quick enough to snare one. Beyond their scarcity, these tracks are bound together by a certain raw beauty that's achievable when music is made and no one is listening.

Sky Girl comprises of fifteen officially licensed songs, a two year international scavenger hunt through long-folded home label operations, the depths of internet forums and traceless acetates. Both compilers are well trained record sleuths - DJ Sundae's labels Hollie and Idle Press have reissued Arthur Russell affiliate Nirosta Steel and DIY relic Pitch, while Julien Dechery previously compiled 'Fire Star', a retrospective on Tamil film composer Ilaiyaraaja, for Bombay Connection.

Released by Noise In My Head offshoot Efficient Space, Sky Girl is enriched with artwork from Perks and Mini mutant Misha Hollenbach and appropriately elegant sleeve notes courtesy of Ivan Smagghe.

07 The Rising Storm - Frozen Laughter 3:12 (ES002)

Recorded by Marc Broer for VPRO Vrije Geluiden (vpro.nl/vrije-geluiden) at Le Guess Who?, 13 November 2016 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. 
Photography by Jan Rijk.

Le Guess Who? 2017 takes place November 9-12 in Utrecht, The Netherlands. For more info, see www.leguesswho.com.

Tortoise - In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, And Beethoven There Were Women And Men

Basement Seance

Pulp

Sun Kil Moon - Ben's My Friend (Javian's Sun Chill Moon Remix)

Hippo Lite

Blue From the Dark

Smog - I Feel Like The Mother Of The World

A Celebration of Sound in Utrecht, Netherlands.

"Le Guess Who? proves: music & art can bring us together into a more hopeful future" – The Line of Best Fit

www.leguesswho.com