Housecraft label-founder Jeffry Astin has been releasing consistently mind-blowing releases under the name Xiphiidae for quite some time; from his many self-released recordings on Housecraft to the Waning In Archaic Color Sequence LP on Vanishing Hour Revival. Every release contains beautiful soundscapes and warm drones, and every release after continues to astound. Astin's latest opus, Sewn Within A Circle is no exception. With such a limited amount of copies (125) it's a shame this is something that everybody won't hear.
Sewn Within A Circle is a collection of Astin's past recordings, dating back to 2002. However, it comes off sounding like its own release because each track blends with its predecessor perfectly. Sewn Within A Circle is a much more calm release than Astin's other works like Star Dive or Perfuming the Foot of the Door. The recordings range from mellow guitar ambiance to field recordings to melodic acoustic guitar experiments. The music is beautifully layered, without a moment of emptiness due to backgrounds delicately touched by Astin's field recording. Despite a runtime of two hours, Sewn Within a Circle never reaches a point of monotony. Not only that, the tape hiss complements the sound of the recordings much in the way that the crackles and pops of vinyl add to the sound of a record.
The packaging is also a nice touch. Astin's art may come off to some as gobbledygook, but here it is stunning. It's a huge fold-out for a cassette with a mirrored effect towards the end of the fold-out. It also comes with a black and white art sticker that's just as indiscernible as the field recordings--not to mention, it all comes in an oversized Norelco cassette case.
Sewn Within A Circle is a fantastic compilation that showcases prime moments of past Xiphiidae releases, allowing new listeners to have earlier recordings available to them.
Sewn Within A Circle is a collection of Astin's past recordings, dating back to 2002. However, it comes off sounding like its own release because each track blends with its predecessor perfectly. Sewn Within A Circle is a much more calm release than Astin's other works like Star Dive or Perfuming the Foot of the Door. The recordings range from mellow guitar ambiance to field recordings to melodic acoustic guitar experiments. The music is beautifully layered, without a moment of emptiness due to backgrounds delicately touched by Astin's field recording. Despite a runtime of two hours, Sewn Within a Circle never reaches a point of monotony. Not only that, the tape hiss complements the sound of the recordings much in the way that the crackles and pops of vinyl add to the sound of a record.
The packaging is also a nice touch. Astin's art may come off to some as gobbledygook, but here it is stunning. It's a huge fold-out for a cassette with a mirrored effect towards the end of the fold-out. It also comes with a black and white art sticker that's just as indiscernible as the field recordings--not to mention, it all comes in an oversized Norelco cassette case.
Sewn Within A Circle is a fantastic compilation that showcases prime moments of past Xiphiidae releases, allowing new listeners to have earlier recordings available to them.
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