Special DVD from the quartet of Scott Faust, Karla Borecky, Jessi Leigh Swenson (Duck/Believers et al) and Meara O'Reilly (Feathers) to coincide with IFCO's recent European dates. Footage from two live dates, with the group line-up behind their equipment like a better looking Kraftwerk. Includes blistering versions of tracks from the recent Stranded album and a bonus preview of Foust's magnum opus, his long-time coming full-length film, Here's To Love.

Excellent new video work from Scott Foust of IFCO et al, documenting some hilarious, awkwardly beautiful and uniquely-provoking live actions. “The Four Accomplishments is a solo performance piece that I have been working on over the last few years. This version is from The Lucky Cat in Brooklyn in August 2005. The Four Accomplishments is a total entertainment package. Something for everyone. A lecture (Lecture Tour), a dance piece (Lessons), sound poetry (Sorry To Hear About Your Collapse) and a theatre piece (Der Saufer ). Just me, my wits, a microphone, and a backing tape. Also features my trademark temporal distortion, which is why I like to call it 'The Longest Half Hour In Show Business'.” – Scott Foust.

CD from Scott Foust's always-interrogating IFCO ensemble bundles a bunch of synth/radio/tape works recorded live in Europe during their recent tour, where the duo of Foust and Borecky were joined by Frans de Waard. The set runs from clunky, oddly-mechanised instrumental mantras through warping tunnels of time/space shriftyness.

Solo album from Matt Krefting, a member of Duck, Idea Fire Company, Face/Ass, Son Of Earth, The Believers et al. All cover versions, with tracks by Richard Thompson, Jerry Garcia, Rick Danko and more cut with the help of J. Masics and members of Sunburned Hand Of The Man and The Believers. "My "career" in music is about to enter its 13th year. Lucky 13! I've performed in at least 15 groups (probably more on the order of 20 if you count guest spots) over the years, the most prominent being the long-running "quiet music" combo Son of Earth and the short-lived-but-much hyped Believers. Historically more of an experimental man, the Believers project showcased my always right-below-the-surface interest and passion for all things rock, and so, a couple of years after the demise of that group, I was approached by Ecstatic Peace, who asked me to produce a solo record. For the better part of a year I conceptualized, recruited, and eventually came up with I Couldn't Love You More. An early attempt to marry electronics, field recordings, and song was scrapped in favor of the personal and perhaps obvious choice of producing a covers record. It was the perfect idea, the realization of a dream. Years of singing in the shower and on long car trips had given way to the stuff of fantasy. Why stick to what you know when you can reach for what you've always desired? I asked friends to help with the realization. John Moloney, Phil Franklin, Ron Schneiderman, and Rob Thomas (all of Sunburned Hand of the Man), I've known for years. Same with J Mascis. Old friends John Shaw (who I've done more music with than anyone) and Lynn Myers provide some vocals here and there, as does my wife, Jamie Jo Oltmans. The Wild Card here is John Townsend. Andrew Kesin of Ecstatic Peace introduced me to him, and he was a jack-of-all-trades. He plays on most of the tracks, sometimes exclusively, and co-produced. I chose songs from all over the map, from Rick Danko to John Martyn to the great Bill Fay. Not exactly lightweights, and quite intimidating when their full historical weight is taken into account. However, I attacked each piece with the intensity of one who truly loves these songs. I didn't concern myself with being overly arty or inventive in my interpretations (there are no truly radical re-workings of anything here), instead allowing my own emotional investment in the material to guide me and inform the other players. These are songs of love and longing. The themes are eternal. It's an honor to have had the chance to play them. Enjoy the music." - Matt Krefting, December 2008

Beautifully presented LP/CD set, the debut release from the duo of Scott Foust (Idea Fire Company/Anti-Naturals/Tart et al) and Frans de Waard (Kapotte Muziek/Beequeen et al): Smoking Is Green was recorded in The Netherlands in 2009 and it’s the perfect synthesis of austere European electronics and tape-work (think Mirror/Asmus Tietchens et al) and the kind of rigorously executed experiments in hallucinatory environments of IFCO et al. The set unwinds with an implacable logic, moving from nagging, repeat-cells of keyboard work that recycle melodies from children’s songs, simple folk motifs and macabre fairground/exotica elements through dark drone works that feel populated with all sorts of night-time activity, combining field recordings and instrumental work in a way that feels intimate and personal while still confoundingly distant and untouchable. Indeed, the set touches on aspects of exotica at points, with dense jungle sounds and slow-motion drones rising like mirages throughout. Closest comparison would perhaps be a more lush mid-period Organum, though even that does little justice as there’s more of a sense of humour at work here, even in the face of the liner-notes heartfelt plea to quit hating on smokers. Presented in an edition of 365 copies on green vinyl, the set also comes with a CD, Smoking Is Green: The Radiophonic Opera, a piece commissioned by WORM/VPRO for Dutch radio in 2011. Recommended!