invisible birds

ingenting kollektiva
fragments of night
available now

ib004 - long play record - 2011/12
edition of 545

fragments of night iboo4 mix

ingenting kollektiva members :
diane granahan, kirston lightowler, tarrl lightowler, matthew swiezynski

edited and constructed by :
diane granahan & matthew swiezynski (side a)
kirston lightowler & tarrl lightowler, (side b)

recorded in the drei gewässer barn, rain storm recording
25.12.2009
& drei gewässer studios
27.12.2009
& oiseaux invisibles studios, california
2011

instruments :
bells, bowed tibetan prayer bowl, cello, field recordings, guitars, harmonium, loops
nightingale devise, portable 78 player (ravel's gaspard de la nuit, walter gieseking)
psaltery, tenor sax, shakuhachi flute (watazumido-shuso)

photography by tarrl lightowler
produced by arthur de eriomém
mastered by taylor deupree
cut by dietrich schoenemann
manufactured by bellwether

thanks to taylor for adding so much to the sound and bringing out many layers of hidden beauty
and teo macero for much inspiration

the ingenting kollektiva is an homage to ingmar bergman and sven nykvist

fragments of night refers back 40 years to numerous recordings gathered around 25.12.2009 at drei wasser

(including)
(recorded and/or released in 1969)

- the allman brothers band - the allman brothers band - atco/capricorn
- amalgam (trevor watts/john stevens/jeff clyne/barry guy) - prayer for peace - transatlantic
- amon düül II - phallus dei - liberty

- the band - the band (brown album) - capitol
- gato barbieri - under fire - flying dutchman
- gato barbieri - the third world - philips
- robbie basho - venus in cancer - blue thumb
- david bowie - space oddity - philips
- tim buckley - happy sad - elektra records
- anthony braxton - for alto - delmark records
- peter brötzmann - nipples - calig
- vashti bunyan - just another diamond day - philips (recorded December 1969)
- dave burrell - echo - byg

- can - monster movie - liberty records
- john carter & bobby bradford - john carter & bobby bradford's new art jazz ensemble - seeking
- john carter & bobby bradford - flight for four - flying dutchman
- johnny cash - at san quentin - columbia
- don cherry - mu (first part/second part) - byg
- don cherry - eternal rhythm - mps records
- leonard cohen - songs from a room - columbia
- ornette coleman - ornette at 12 - impulse!
- ornette coleman - crisis - impulse!
- alice coltrane - huntington ashram monastery - impulse!
- jacques coursil - black suite - byg
- stanley cowell - brilliant circles - arista records
- creedence clearwater revival - bayou country - fantasy records
- creedence clearwater revival - green river - fantasy records
- creedence clearwater revival - willy and the poor boys - fantasy records
- andrew cyrille - what about? - byg
- holger czukay - canaxis

- karen dalton - it's so hard to tell who's going to love you the best - capitol
- miles davis (w/ teo macero) - in a silent way - columbia
- miles davis (w/ teo macero) - bitches brew - columbia
- donovan - barabajagal - epic
- donovan - open road - epic
- nick drake - five leaves left - island records
- bob dylan & johnny cash - nashville skyline - columbia

- fairport convention - what we did on our holidays - island
- fairport convention - unhalfbricking - island
- fairport convention - liege & lief - island
- bill fay - bill fay - deram nova (1969/1970
- roberta flack - first take - atlantic
- the flying burrito brothers - the gilded palace of sin - a&m

- jan garbarek & terje rypdal - esoteric circle - freedom
- stan getz - the song is you - verve
- stan getz - didn't we - verve
- glenn gould - prelude and fugue nos. 12-16 from bach's das wohltemperierte clavier ii
- burton greene - presenting burton greene - columbia
- burton greene - aquariana - byg

- charlie haden - liberation music orchestra - impulse!
- merle haggard - pride in what i am - capitol
- merle haggard - same train, a different time - capitol
- merle haggard - a portrait of merle haggard - capitol
- herbie hancock - fat albert rotunda - warner
- herbie hancock - prisoner - blue note
- herbie hancock/toudie heath/don cherry/buster williams/jimmy heath/ed blackwell - kawaida - o'be records
- tim hardin - tim hardin 4 - verve
- jimi hendrix - band of gypsys - capitol
- andrew hill - passing ships - blue note
- andrew hill - parts of mosaic (ms-016) unreleased blue note recordings
- noah howard - the black ark - bo'weavil
- bobby hutcherson - medina - blue note - 1969
- bobby hutcherson & harold land - blow up -jazz music yesterday

- bert jansch - birthday blues - transatlantic
- arthur jones - scorpio - byg

- king crimson - in the court of the crimson king: an observation by king crimson - island
- the kinks - arthur (or the decline and fall of the british empire) - pye
- leo kottke - 6 and 12 string guitar - takoma

- steve lacy - steve lacy plays monk - byg

- warne marsh quartet - ne plus ultra - hat art
- les mccann & eddie harris - swiss movement: recorded live at the montreux jazz festival, switzerland - atlantic
- kalaparusha maurice mcintyre - humility in the light of the creator - delmark
- the chris mcgregor septet - up to earth - fledg'ling records
- john mclaughlin & john surman - extrapolation - polydor
- joni mitchell - clouds - reprise
- grachan moncur iii - new africa, one morning i woke up early - byg

- fred neil - everybody's talkin' - capitol
- mickey newbury - looks like rain - mercury
- nico - the marble index - elektra

- pentangle - basket of light - transatlantic records

- tony oxley - baptised traveler - jazz

- john renbourn - sir john alot of merrie englandes musyk thyng & ye grene knyghte - reprise records
- frank ricotti - our point of view - sony
- howard riley trio (barry guy, mike fitzhenry) - angle - cbs - 1969

- pharoah sanders - karma - impulse!
- pharoah sanders - jewels of thought - impulse!
- archie shepp - the way ahead - impulse!
- archie shepp - black gipsy - america records
- archie shepp - blase - byg
- alan shorter - parabolic - verve records
- wayne shorter - super nova - blue note
- alan silva - luna surface - byg
- soft machine - the soft machine: volume 2 - probe
- skip spence - oar - sundazed
- dusty springfield - a brand new me - atlantis
- sun ra - atlantis - saturn
- john surman - way back when - cuneiform records
- john surman - how many clouds can you see? - deram
- john surmam / barre phillips / stu martin - berlin 1969
- john surman - flashpoint: ndr jazz workshop - april '69 - cuneiform records

- horace tapscott - giant is awakened - flying dutchman
- john tchicai - afrodisiaca - mps
- clifford thornton - ketchaoua - byg
- keith tippett - you are here... i am there - akarma records
- charles tolliver - the ringer - freedom

- the velvet underground - the velvet underground - mgm
- miroslav vitous - infinite search - import
- miroslav vitous - mountain in the clouds - atlantic

- scott walker - scott walker 4 - philips records
- marzette watts - marzette watts ensemble - savoy jazz
- mike westbrook - marching song, vols. 1-2 - rightous
- kenny wheeler - windmill tilter - fontana

- larry young - mother ship - blue note
- neil young - everybody knows this is nowhere - reprise

- townes van zandt - our mother the mountain - tomato
- townes van zandt - townes van zandt - poppy, tomato
- townes van zandt - a gentle evening with townes van zandt live 1969 - dualtone music group

reviews :

vital weekly

i don't think i heard about ingenting kollektiva, which members include diane granahan, kirston lightowler,
tarrl lightowler and matthew swiezynski. diane and matthew play on side a and kirston and tarrl on side b.
"the kollektiva seeks to issue recordings that are meditations on the quality of light, sound and atmosphere
created by ingmar bergman and sven nykvist". you could expect them to release dvds which are promised for
the future. here on LP, they play a variety of instruments, like bells, bowed tibetan prayer bowl, cello,
field recordings, guitars, harmonium, loops, nightingale devise, portable 78 record player, psaltery, tenor
sax and shakuhachi. i am not entirely sure if i would have been able to pick out all of these instruments on
the two lenghty cuts on either side of the record. what it doesn't mention is - perhaps - the amount of
processing that takes place on this record. everything seems melted and molted around some sort of treatment,
acoustically (more on side b than on side a it seems) and electronically (vice versa obviously). obviously
we are dealing here with highly atmospheric music, which fits the mirror tradition quite nice. atmospheric
music but with a sharper edge, and a great sense of experimentalism. from the description one could think
this more like wishy-washy new age type of music, but the darker textures of this record work quite nice.
maybe indeed a great soundtrack to a bergman movie, overlooking some lakes in sweden and lots of silence among
the actors. HAUNTING AND HAUNTED INDEED. i wonder what their own films be like. very nice.

~ frans de waard

**********

the wire - outer limits - march 2012

'ingenting' translates from swedish as 'nothing', and this american collective draw inspiration from the cinematic
master of nihilism, ingmar bergman, on their beautiful debut fragments of night. the two sprawling tracks dislocate
the source material of guitar, bowls, psaltery, saxophone and field recordings through an organic crosshatching of
delay and loop techniques. sombre melodies and sodden textures emerge out of their droning psychedelic improvisations
as a sensible take on variation and repetition, coming to a comparatively violent climax at the end of side B with an
abrasive arpeggio of tremolo-clipping violin scrapes. even with this crashing conclusion, the 'nothingness' which speaks
through the recordings is not an existential hammer declaring the death of god, but RATHER SUBLTE AND POIGNANT
EXPOSITION ON LONELINESS.

~ jim haynes

**********

aquarius records

ingenting is swedish for 'nothing,' and this american collective (half living in california, the other in north carolina) pays
homage to all of the varied meanings that ingmar bergman ascribes to the state of 'nothingness.' this certainly entails all of
the dark and heavy aspects of bergman's nihilism and the long pregnant silences that are sporadically interrupted by dialogue;
but they also dig into bergman's films finding poetry in such banal phrases as "i want nothing to eat." around this conceptual
framework, ingenting kollektiva recorded their first album in "direct response to music recorded or released in 1969" from which
they announce something akin to the nurse with wound list, with entries including holger czukay, amon duul, ornette coleman
pentangle, king crimson, alan silva, etc. none of those artists mentioned seem to offer the construction of ingenting colletiva's
darkly kaleidoscopic abstractions and acoustically driven drones; but the ghosts of those sounds certainly haunt the grooves of
this record.

the two long-form pieces of fragments of night allude to more contemporary practitioners of the avant-drone, especially mirror,
thuja, zoviet*france, and taj mahal travellers (to throw things somewhat near the 1969 year-zero mark). the instruments of the
collective's choosing include harmonium, cello, guitar, flute, old 78s, psaltry, etc; and the collective deftly obscure those
sources through interwoven harmonics, dense layering, and plenty of delay & reverb. the first side opens with gaping, deep thrums
of low frequencies that ripples as if dialed into the reflective black ice from some distant moon around saturn. the plucked notes
from the psaltry gracefully pulls back the gloom of that opening passage and sets off a slow-motion dissolve of foghorn bellows,
come across somewhere between deathprod and caretaker. the flipside is more acoustically sourced, or at least the guitars and horns
can be heard amidst the time-delay effects and tape-decay loops, from which melodies form through rasping tibetan bowls, guitars
amass in dense vibrating chunks of space, and a rather dramatic crescendo of agitated violin scrapes builds to a crashing end of
tense noise and drone. limited pressing in a gatefold sleeve, what else could you want from this fantastic record? oh yeah, there's
a download code, too!

~ jim haynes

**********

scrapyard forecast

invisible birds arise

victoria, seaside
i watch float planes cross paths
a hummingbird hovers above a bush
its wings in figure eight motion
so i'm told and have been told
camera will not focus
microphone out of reach
a gift for mind
i surmise
otherwise invisible

one of two new releases this evening by the ever impressive invisible birds label. the one in question tonight is courtesy
of ingenting kollektiva, a quartet made up of diane granahan and matthew swiezynski (proprietors of the label) and the
mysterious kirston and tarrl lightowler pair, who've chosen to keep nearly nonexistent profiles. before one even feasts their
ears on the music of fragments of night, it can be rather enrapturing reading the album notes, which include a passage
explaining that the band's name is an homage to ingmar bergman and sven nykvist, and that the music was partially recorded in
a barn, while also being a direct response to music recorded and released in 1969; not the 1960's, we're talking one year here.

the specificity of it all shows an attention to detail that translates into the music. upon visiting the invisible birds website,
one will notice a nearly indispensable reference guide to pertinent works of drone, field recording, classical, and jazz music.
while it's clear the members of ingenting kollektiva have an appreciation for many musical styles, they choose to work more in the
drone territory, bringing to mind a few names that appear regularly on those reference lists. don't get me wrong, as it's obvious
that the band brought much of their own to this, i just can't help but hear a work that's in one way or another overly tangled up
in reference. it could just be my incessant perusing of the lists, or perhaps that so much about this project seems to be about
reference and/or homage. fortunately, it's not a feeling that's unshakable, and hasn't really affected my appreciation for the album.

"fragments .. A" sets the tone with a low-end wavering drone, prepping the listener for two expansive, slow-shifting sides of vinyl.
while the music is made up of a myriad of instruments and sound devices, it sounds almost as if it could have been composed entirely
with loops, and not just "loops" as its featured here among a list of 15 or so instruments. the rising and falling path of the music
induces a meditative state on the listener, broken only by the end of the run-off groove, which is true for the work as a whole. field
recordings, like that of birds are introduced and allotted enough time to mingle and run their course. i particularly like the midway
point of side A that features some rustling and a repeated spring-loaded sound, which plays forward and then reverse in a cycle. i
imagine some nifty analog tape work was needed to pull this portion off. there's much to like here and one needn't think twice before
acquiring fragments of night for their late night drone fix.

~ adrian dziewanski

**********

other music

extremely lovely and beguiling release from the ingenting kollektiva, a quartet of apparently like-minded souls based in california
and north carolina who have, for their debut long-player, crafted two slowly enveloping fog-drenched and lichen-covered aural
landscapes. the liner notes to the album state that the collective's name is taken as an homage to director ingmar bergman and his
longtime cinematographer, sven nykvist, and indeed the music here is evocative of one of bergman's beloved magic lanterns -- FULL
OF SHADOWS AND FLICKERING AMBER HUES, GENTLY CYCLICAL REFRAINS REDOLENT OF HALF-FORGOTTEN MEMORIES.
there's a long list of instruments and sounds that went into making this tapestry (bells, harmonium, old 78rpm classical records, etc.),
but used and processed in a way that seems to completely de-familiarize them -- IMAGES ERASED TO FADED OUTLINES. it's possible that
i'm the ideal listener for this album, as two of the collective's members (diane granahan and matthew swiezynski) have for several years
run one of my favorite blogs on the internet, the art of memory, an impressively rich catalog of film stills and music recommendations
whose tastes and interests nearly mirror that of my own, and which any of our customers should check out if they haven't. their unerring
taste on the aforementioned blog is reflected here in the packaging for this album, a gorgeous gatefold LP featuring the photography of
collective member tarrl lightowler. one of the best looking and sounding albums of the year so far for me, very highly recommended.
*digital download coupon comes with record* [mk] (released 2012)

~ michael klausman

**********

boomkat

**amazing album from this mysterious collective - an absolute must if you're into the haxan cloak, kreng, or indeed anything on the
miasmah label. limited edition of 545 copies housed in gatefold jacket, includes a download code redeemable from the label** inspired
and long-in-the-making side of dark, brooding neo-classical meditations housed in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve. ingenting kollktiva is
comprised of diane granahan, kirston lightowler, tarrl lightowler, and matthew swiezynski, and was made as a homage to the films of
ingmar bergman and sven nykvist - particularly their quality of light, sound, and atmosphere. 'fragments of night' is also a direct
response to a number of recordings from 1969 - miles davis & teo macero's 'in a silent way' & 'bitches brew', and vashti bunyan's 'just
another diamond day', to name just a few - and was recorded at the lightowler's barn during a christmas rainstorm in 2009. the result
is a rich tapestry of sounds played out with bells, bowed tibetan prayer bowl, cello, field recordings, guitars, harmonium, nightingale
device, portable 78 record player, psaltery, tenor sax and shakuhachi flute, later edited at studio oiseaux invisibles to create a
stunning, haunting arrangement of sounds you never quite get the measure of. the recordings' sense of space is just astonishing and
meticulously crafted, bringing to mind the darkened visions of the haxan cloak, INFUSED WITH AN UNSTABLE QUALITY which means
you never quite know where the recordings will take you next...

~ shlom sviri

**********

long player of the day by self-titledmag.com

there's no denying the deep listening that's on display here, rather than present a series of sketches or loose experimental recordings,
each side of this limited LP (available here) is essentially 'directed' by two of the collective's members, bringing rain-chased field
recordings, a portable 78 player, queasy brass and string arrangements, and a bowed tibetan prayer bowl together under the premise of
20-minute pieces that sound like they're veering between various weather patterns. adding to the prevailing atmosphere of dread and damaged
beauty is a strong visual aesthetic that extends to the group's photography and videos.

~ self-titledmag.com

**********

playgroundmag

the feeling that everything has already been said when it comes to drones, dark ambient and isolationism is often inevitable - so it's
hard to keep a fresh look on things when new material comes out. which makes it all the more pleasant and surprising when we hear a release
that manages to draw our attention; to know it's still possible to bring something new and exciting to the genre is a priceless feeling.
"fragments of night" by ingenting kollektiva is one of those releases.

the sound is part of the mystery surrounding ingenting kollektiva, a group formed by four broadminded musicians (for instance, the quartet
claims their music is a homage to the films of ingmar bergman, among other things). on this record - released by the demanding invisible
birds label - they're especially elusive and enigmatic, as evasive as the biographies of the individual band members. they divide the album
into two pieces of twenty minutes each. they explore numerous emotions on both tracks, in a way that seems natural and logical, with an
interesting control of space and a sense of exploration that is simply thrilling.

"fragments of night a", the opening track, is divided into three phases, of which the middle piece - a gliding, melancholic ambient mantra - is
the winner. it's reminiscent of the miasmah catalogue and the darker releases on type records, albeit with a very personal and unique touch.
"fragments of night b", on the other hand, is more linear, though their use of odd instruments and heterodox sounds makes things all the more
interesting. as is the case with most of the releases coming from this scene, "fragments of night" is meant for slow digestion, especially when
the melody disappears. however, there's a hidden world in there somewhere, both creatively and emotionally, and ingenting kollektiva skillfully
and elegantly avoid all the stereotypes.

~ matt birchmeier

**********

drone records

american collective performing subtle, dusky handplayed drones on bells, tibetan bowls, cello, harmonium, guitars, etc... using also field recordings
and record player, as an homage to ingmar bergman & sven nykvist - "a direct response to music recorded or released in 1969"; very nice & with
energetic climax on side b; lim. ed. gatefold-cover

~ stefan knappe