Loren Connors – 9th Avenue [LP]

"For me, this is the blues. Utterly wailing "solos" over a base of thick distorted guitars, Loren Connors' music conjures up scenes of lonely streets, dark nights, but also hopeful and joyful mornings. 9th Avenue is the first vinyl reissue of a CD Loren released on his Black Label in 1995, a view into his mid-90's heavier electric guitar era, back when he was going by his Loren Mazzacane Connors moniker.

9th Avenue fits right alongside releases from that same time period, such as Long Nights (Table of the Elements) and Crucible (Black Label, with his partner Suzanne Langille), as well as his collaborations with Alan Licht, Keiji Haino, and MMMR (group featuring Jean-Marc Montera, Thurston Moore, and Lee Ranaldo).

The LP consists of 11 pieces, ranging from heavy bottom-end distortion with overlaid single-note airiness, to multi-layered dirge, to washed/phased out vignettes, to single note story-telling delicateness, all with a particular sound that makes you feel like you're in the next room. With more than 100 releases, Loren is a singular and unique force in the cannon of American experimental guitar players."

Carbon Records/Feeding Tube, 2021