Moldy Cushions by Eloine

 

Bryan Day who is a founder of Eh? and Public Eyesore labels, an instrument builder and a collaborator in the plethora of different projects has had a busy year of 2025. As my readers have noticed - I have reviewed quite a lot of his albums and albums from his label. I also have done an interview with him.

I would like to remind the solo album that he has published with a Flag Day Recordings label called "Moldy Cushions" - his alias Eloine. 

The recordings here have been mainly done in his studio Clamorworks in San Pablo, California but certain parts have been recorded in Brasília, Brazil while working on the SESILab science museum and in Hyderabad, India while on tour with Seeded Plain. 

It is an interesting set of nine improvised tracks. Improvisation is the key to explore the possibilities of the constructions, set ups and instruments he creates himself. But as a listener you may notice that he drives the whole ship with steadfast self-awareness and confidence that could put many musicians in shame. 

His compositions are improvised but I really can't get rid of the feeling how accurate, how nuanced they are - look up Wagon Station for instance - his third track here - the mastery and the skill of how he puts different elements together without even one odd or unnecessary sound is just impossible. 

Bryan works beyond the labels of music - when I think of improvised music - the strength and size of what he does is just too big for that, cinematic drone ambient....maybe? What is more important here is how he builds a nest of ideas and compositional techniques to be able to create a certain energy and climax of it. It is a unique skill. Hopefully the coming 2026 will bring more of his records and projects.

 

Moldy Cushions was recorded from the summer of 2022 until spring 2023 at my new Clamorworks studio in San Pablo, California. Additional parts were recorded in Brasília, Brazil while working on the SESILab science museum and in Hyderabad, India while on tour with Seeded Plain. This is my first solo album since 2016's Bizarre Flight on Gertrude Tapes, with most of the time in-between focused on other collaborative projects.

The pieces on Moldy Cushions started as improvised sketches, with many of the structural elements developing during editing. A few of the instruments on this album were commissioned pieces that are now in the hands of artists whom I collaborated with. The buzzing drones on Neoprene Concourse are from an instrument that I was given by João Fernando Arrais Serodio out of Leme, Brazil.

Thanks a bunch to Billy Pizarro for putting this out, Norman from Ypsmael for helping with editing these pieces, Eufrasio Prates for organizing the sessions and events in Brazil that resulted in parts of these recordings and Jay Kreimer for organizing and collaborating in India.

credits

released April 30, 2024

Bryan Day - invented instruments, broken electronics, vintage computer synthesizers and field recordings.

Recorded and mixed in San Pablo, Brasilia, and Hyderabad in 2022 - 2023

Photos by Holly Wilson

Layout by Rutger Zuydervelt

Mastered by A. F. Jones

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