Swans, Lycia, Jandek, Low, Angels of Light, Hefner, Neil Young, Aarktica, The Cure, The Cranes, burMonter, Wire, The Germs, Sonic Youth, Jessica Bailiff, Rivulets, Flying Saucer Attack, Spahn Ranch
Sounds Like
Flying Saucer Attack, Roy Montgomery, Jandek, Mogwai?
Remora's guitar terrorism
relies on the more drone-based school of thought, where the most interesting
sounds come from minimalist structure and repetition. Unlike some of the
more well-known ambient/noise guitarists, who rely on obtrusive noise and
piercing tones, Remora makes effective use of tonality which is surprisingly
soothing despite the noisy overtones. When vocals are used, they haunt
each song beneath the mix, overrun by a million guitar strings.
~ Jon DeRosa (Aarktica)
a brief introduction to Remora
Remora began in 1996 with a
web of cassette releases (Anaaron, Acroyer,
Amerse,
Eneded,
Cemented
in Stone,
Anadia,
Ambient Drones for One Guitar)
that utilized the guitar to create ambient walls of sound, rather than
melodic passages. These releases were recorded at home during time off
from work & other responsibilities. In recent years, Remora has
shifted from pure guitar noise into songs incorporating the sounds discovered
over the time spent exploiting the use of effects.
2000 marked Remora's first
works done in standard recording sessions resulting in the more cohesive
releases of the album Some
Past's Future & the EP Some Future's Past
recorded in bed room studios in New Jersey & Minneapolis as well as
Raleigh, NC.
2002 was the year Remora
took an excursion from effect pedals for a twelve-string acoustic guitar
to record The
Alcohol EPs.
In 2003 Remora toured northern
Europe with Kobi & a
recording of a live show in Oslo was eventually released by Morc.
2005 marked the release of
Enamored,
Remora's first full length in four years. It’s post-apocalyptic pop music.
Love songs from a revolutionary ready to abandon his war grasping for hope.
Lyrically inspired by pulp sci-fi from the 1970’s, songs like “Volcana,”
“Champion,” “Kill My Way Out of Here,” & “Out of Air” paint portraits
of love being the same after the crash of society while struggling to stay
alive as it is now & as it was 3,000 years ago. Also in 2005
Remora recorded Reversion, an EP reflecting back to the earlier
guitar experiments in support of a Pacific Northwest tour with Rollerball
& Six Foot Sloth.
2007 showed Remora taking
an excursion from guitar altogether with the release of songs i sing,
a collection of acapella songs.
In 2008 Remora recorded the
collaborative album Clear Field with northern
valentine & slicnaton
& returned to the pure drone roots with Ensoulment a
70 minute long solo guitar piece.
In 2009 Remora released the
album Derivative that collects songs based on hit songs by Hefner,
Warrior Soul, Journey, Pere Ubu, Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson, Blue Oyster Cult,
& Joy Division.
Remora has a project called
“Remora Prime” where people perform songs from the Remora live set locally.
Download the word document songbook here.
Remora is currently working
on two top secret themed EPs as well as another full length album.
Remora
Discography
derivative CD 2009 | Gears of Sand
049
8 tracks, 42 minutes
$12
Remora does derivative works
on some personal favorites including hits by Hefner, Warrior Soul, Journey,
Pere Ubu, Bob Dylan, Joe Jackson, & Joy Division. Doomy drone
with pop hooks.
The clear field
recordings are a unique combination of elements of all three projects.
You hear the loops & aggression of Remora’s guitar work, Northern Valentine’s
ambient shimmering glacial guitars, & slicnaton’s orchestrated glitch
& deep bass tones. While hearing all three individual musicians, it
still is clearly a collaboration of the three rather than one of the projects
with two special guests; it is a unique sound of its own.
songs i sing CD EP 2007 | North
Pole 005
13 tracks, 16 minutes, plus
1 video
$9
Remora goes a cappella.
Sometimes comedic, sometimes spiritual, & occasionally poignant.
This was predominantly recorded by Jessica Bailiff during Remora’s 2006
spring tour & includes covers of “We Will Fall” (The Stooges), “Heartworms”
(Coil), “Sores” (Rollerball), & a passage from Job. Beautiful
hand letter-pressed artwork by Shane Sauers & a video for “Sores” also
by Mister Sauers.
:
Listen to the track Job 39 :
More info :
Reviews
A triple split EP from Remora,
Pale
Horse and Rider, and
Rivulets of songs about or inspired by
alcohol. A collection of acoustic guitar songs in the vein of Bruce Springsteen's
Nebraska.
:
More info
Some Past's Future CD Album 2001 | Silber 018
21 tracks, 62 minutes
$12
Some Past's Future combines
all the elements of Remora from apocalyptic post-punk to beautiful noise
to minimalist atmospheric. Songs about the future, the past, love, and
working class dreams. Aggression tempered with guilt. The tonal chaos within
each piece is hopeful and revealing. This is the soundtrack for apocryphal
dreams & late night car rides.
:
Listen to the track 10,004 :
More info :
Reviews
Some Future's Past CD-R EP 2001 | BestKeptSecret
044
15 tracks, 29 minutes
$6
An EP of outtakes & alternate
mixes form Remora’s
Some Past’s Future album from the Italian label
Best Kept Secret. A lot of these pieces are more minimal than those on
Some Past’s Future. Includes versions of “rail” & “warrenton” with
guest musicians Nathan Amundson &
J Seckel of Rivulets
& finally the release of the hit single “drinking about you.”
Ambient Drones for One
Guitar 2CDR 2000 | Silber
009
20 tracks, 144 minutes
Remora blazes away to the
"beat" of the loops, guitar wandering & exploring the corridors of
the universe & the possibilities of pure sound. In fact, it's the choice
& use of sound rather than any sense of musical development that makes
this an enjoyable listen. Remora does a good job of keeping my attentention
& even at the most ear shattering, brain piercing moments manage to
retain a sense of cosmic drift - Jerry Kranitz, Aural Innovation
Anadia CDR 1999 | Silber 008
21 tracks, 40 minutes
out of print
Anadia is full of powerful,
edgy instrumentals and sparse, fragile ballads that hold their own with
a lot of the better known space rock/experimental artists out there. -
Vendetta
Soft-noise drones mingled
with songs made of static guitar chords & vocals. I like the spirit
of this discreet work, floating by just leaving the overall melancholic
atmosphere. - Origami Republika e-zine
Eneded Cassette 1998 | Public Demand
21 tracks, 60 minutes
A collection of tracks recorded
from 1996-1998 constituting a greatest hits of sorts.
track listing: Angel
Stalk (Anaaron), Escape, To Tell, Her Divinity is a Lie, Strange Design,
Peace of a Slave, Return to the City, Hallow, Pneumena, Pteradactyl, Crave
Coating, We've Only Just Begun (traditional), Free Before, A Newer World,
C3GL, For This, A Perfect View, Slip Sky, MB2, Condone (live), Horizon
(excerpt)
Acroyer Cassette 1997 | Silber 003
8 tracks, 30 minutes
out of print
Eight droning trips into
the psyche... ~ Outburn
Anaaron Cassette 1996 | Silber 002
9 tracks, 30 minutes
out of print
Meandering lo-tech noise-song
works. Tinny guitar strumming sometimes accompanied by cutting veils of
feedback shrieks and gnarling lower rumbles. ~ AUTOreverse
We would make the saddest happiest split album ever, man. I love your compositions, especially "The one I've been waiting for". Really touching, thank you!
a surprising CD by a German musician living in Utrecht, containing 35 minutes of very minimal, hissy and adventurous popsongs. Her influences range from experimental analogue electronics to mid-nineties lo-fi, with melodic sound-sketches put together as an audio-notebook. For fans of f.i. Colleen, Lau Nau, Mt. Eerie, Vollmar, Iditarod, Machinefabriek, Tara Jane O'Neil, or anything on Morc Records really.
hey, thanks for my birthday song on our answering machine. i was happy to hear the song, but more happy to hear evidence that you are still alive & kickin. it's been a loooong time, mr. mitchell!
