Open The Crown [KLP244]

Open the Crown conveys tendrils of raw energy emanating from the head – dream visions translated directly to audio outrage. Heavy. And sexy. To be expected from Arrington de Dionyso and his molten collection of Malaikat dan Singa who manipulate the “form’d and the formless” to create from within this broken system. You may have experienced Arrington de Dionyso’s Malaikat dan Singa as an unexpected live force, pushing up through the earth like daffodils in late winter; or maybe you’re familiar with their previous exploits in the studio, Malaikat dan Singa [KLP215] and Suara Naga [KLP226], which burn clean with fragrant traumas. Open the Crown is similarly passion-filled, with new vistas (channeled hallucinations) exploring English (previously only the Indonesian language was employed) as their stomping ground to expand parallel themes anew. The players involved have all been Arrington cohorts in past lives with Malaikat dan Singa and other Dub Narcotic Studio exploits: Ben Kapp (drums), Angelo Spencer (guitar), Mark Morrison (keyboards) and Nehemiah St. Danger (electric bass guitar); tape echo over all. The joy of Open the Crown was captured by Dub Narcotic Studio engineers Ben Hargett (the mix) and Ephriam Nagler (the mastering). It’s cosmically pleasing to both ear and dance floor. Arrington de Dionyso (b. January 4,1975) makes trans-utopian world music for a world that may or may not exist. He traverses the nameless territories between surrealist automatism, shamanic seance, and the folk imagery of rock’n’roll using performance and visual art. He clarified his eccentric brew of ecstatic lunacy and prophetic madness during his 15 year tour-of-duty with Olympia’s Old Time Relijun. Malaikat dan Singa is a trance-punk outfit featuring bass clarinet, guitars, multiple drummers and his trademark wild vocals (multi-spectral harmonic throat singing combined with grunts, yelps, and barks). “Malaikat dan Singa” translates as “Angels and Lions,” and de Dionyso’s lyrics (both Indonesian and any other language he chooses to ply) fiercely combine mythology and fantasy. As a band Malaikat dan Singa ultimately defies a clean translation gaining power by crossing boundaries — both linguistic and psychic. The digital version of this album is available from Bandcamp. I Feel the Quickening I Create in the Face of Destruction There Will Be No Survivors Tak Terbatas (versi Iblis) Open The Crown Jiwa dari Jiwaku (Soul of My Soul) The Akedah (The Moon is Full) Halilintar (versi Jatilan) [BONUS TRACK] I Manipulate the Form'd and the Formless