It's good to know that the little guy can still be as audacious as the bigs. High Wolf, the French improv/drone/free-form artist, has shown us that you don't have to be The Beatles or David Bowie to have your own Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band or Thin White Duke. On a forthcoming 12" LP for Group Tightener, High Wolf is splitting the release with an alter ego of his who responds to the name "Annapurna Illusion" at parties. There's a noticeable shift in mood between High Wolf's side to the Annapurna Illusion's. High Wolf's 23-minute contribution, "Amazonian Love Call" recalls the sounds we have enjoyed from him to date-- a humid combination of tribal beats, expansive guitars, and whispy synths. Annapurna shares in a similar jungle trance, but is harsher in tone. In "Blackdrop," the riffing is more urgent and forceful, the guitar abrasive, instead of lulling. --Daniel Gottlieb, Altered Zones

MP3: Annapurna Illusion: "Blackdrop"

High Wolf/Annapurna Illusion split LP is available for pre-order via Group Tightener (limited to 500). High Wolf's A Guide To Healing 7" also just dropped from from Bathetic Records, and you can still grab last year's Ascension LP from Not Not Fun