Today sees the full digital release of A-Sun Amissa's new record 'Black Rain (I)'. The CD edition is set for release on September 11th and pre-orders are now open.
We have a special label edition available which is limited to 50 copies, alongside a standard version. You can read all about the details below. These will ship in early September.
PRE-ORDER CD >>
Those of you asking about a vinyl release, well, the truth is that this is meant to be a more 'low-key' record. The decision was taken a few months back based on the lack of touring available and being careful of the label budget during the pandemic with record stores closed and the general uncertainty surrounding all parts of life.
Thankfully, you fine people have ensured that we have been able to keep our heads firmly above water these past few months. Sales have been steady and the reception to both the Baker/Goff/Harris and Wren records has been wonderful. So, in short, 'Black Rain (I)' might see a vinyl release at some point!
If you have been following this album process then you will probably be aware of the two tracks already unveiled in May and June. Today sees the release of the third and final piece; 'Plucking Feathers From a Swan Song'.
Once again, it's 'Bandcamp day' today. You can pick up 'Black Rain (I)' digitally from the Gizeh bandcamp or the A-Sun Amissa page as a free / 'pay what you want' download and bandcamp are kindly waiving their 15% cut again.
Pressing notes:
50 - CD label edition. Gizeh Store Exclusive. Silkscreened recycled card sleeve. Metallic silver ink and additional printed layer not found on the standard edition. Includes three mini-print inserts. Hand-numbered. Download code included.
LIMITED TO ONE PER CUSTOMER.
250 - CD standard edition. Silkscreened recycled card sleeve. Hand-numbered. Download code included.
Silkscreened sleeves by Death Rattle Press
"a deep, slow-turning ambient work that possesses a sense of grandeur in its gradual pulls back and forth, tapering down to a muted piano and the softest of washing drones that form a barely-present aural mist." AURAL AGGRAVATION
Black Rain (I) takes the form of three extended pieces of new music from A-Sun Amissa, written and recorded by Richard Knox during the early months of 2020. Focusing on a more ambient and cinematic approach, Black Rain offers another texture to the A-Sun Amissa palette.
Lulling, melancholic atmospheres are the order of the day here as intricate layers of sound weave in and out of each other, forming a bleak and sentimental tone. Never one to repeat himself, Knox has taken the more ambient elements of previous releases and developed them into a more consistent whole. The three pieces of music found here work beautifully in unison as orchestral drones lay the foundations for each movement while heavily processed guitar, synth and piano jostle for the shafts of light that intermittently penetrate the gloom.
The soundscapes drip with warmth and hopeful fragility, yet the signature doom-ridden nervous tension is present throughout, seeping into the subliminal textures and impressionistic, distorted swells of noise. There is a great deal of restraint used here and certainly the minimalistic approach gives the tracks on Black Rain the space to breathe and evolve in a very natural way.
The record was written over a three month period where Knox had a self-imposed deadline of completing one piece of music per month to then be released digitally with immediate effect at the beginning of the following month. A deliberate move to be more impulsive and instinctive during the writing process and, for him, a new way of looking at releasing a record.