In the very dying moments of the Twentieth Century, Ms Buttress O'Kneel
(reknowned for her politcoplunderphonic pop-glitchery) teamed up with Ms
Panthera Leo (well known for her all-encompassing love of nature in all
its guises), and formed The Fruiting Body.
This duet was dedicated
to reconfiguring the 'sounds of nature' into more organised musical
forms, in the great tradition of the Musique Concrete practitioners before them. And, of course, this forward-thinking pair of youthful riotgrrls were
not about to ignore the sounds of 'human nature', so as well as
utilising the sounds of traditionally 'natural' sounds such as birds and whales
and insects and rain, The Fruiting Body also used the sounds of microwave ovens,
windchimes, talkback radio, doors, pool tables, coffee machines, the chatting of the neighbours down the road, passing cars, squeaky handles, coughing, laughing, and yawning (and all manner of other humyn environments) as fodder
for their detourned aural works.
The dynamic duo created two albums in
quick succession: the first was called 'The Field', and the second was
called 'Nudibranch and the Moondew'. Other than a handful of friends and
colleagues, both albums have sadly remained largely unheard and
unreleased - until now, more than a decade and a half later.
These hystoric albums, unremixed and unremastered, are now presented exactly as they were in the Year Two Thousand. The sharehouse/studio that Ms O'Kneel shared with Ms Leo (and Mr A Demon Sheen, Ms Aynat Sool, and Mr Mantis Sage) became an instrument, with door handles, microwave ovens, the renovations next door, passing cars (recorded directly through the open bedroom window), even the old couple up the road (again, recorded through the open window) being swept up into the collages. Less structured than the follow-up album 'Nudibranch and the Moondew', this seminal recording still provides a strange arch-shaped window into life at this pivotal moment in hystory, and the behind-the-scenes-becoming-the-actual-scenes style of this under-appreciated Australian band.
These hystoric albums, unremixed and unremastered, are now presented exactly as they were in the Year Two Thousand. The sharehouse/studio that Ms O'Kneel shared with Ms Leo (and Mr A Demon Sheen, Ms Aynat Sool, and Mr Mantis Sage) became an instrument, with door handles, microwave ovens, the renovations next door, passing cars (recorded directly through the open bedroom window), even the old couple up the road (again, recorded through the open window) being swept up into the collages. Less structured than the follow-up album 'Nudibranch and the Moondew', this seminal recording still provides a strange arch-shaped window into life at this pivotal moment in hystory, and the behind-the-scenes-becoming-the-actual-scenes style of this under-appreciated Australian band.
All downloads come with scans of the original
scissors-and-glue artwork. Please note that, as the ingredients of
the songs were just as important as the finished results themseves, each
song's ingredients are easily accessible by clicking on the 'lyrics'
section of the Bandcamp portal mechanism link for each song.
The Field is kind of dark and sombre, and seems to heavily feature the elderly. Nudibranch and the Moondew is more upbeat, but still chock-full of atmos. The IWML is deeply honoured to be able to reissue these releases, and is more than stoked that Buttress is willing to host them on her persynal Bandcamp. We sincerely hope you enjoy them.
THE FIELD
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