The Troubled Times: Hill Road in Winter

The first physical format release from Masterton trio The Troubled Times is a loud and noisy nocturnal romp – through the hills and onto the gravel back roads of one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s least visited regions.

Whilst earlier digital releases have veered from arty drone pieces to synth pop and heavy space rock the music on ‘Hill Road In Winter’ is more like a psychedelic pub jam band gone BRILLIANTLY ‘wrong’. Woozy blues paeans slip sideways into feedback freakouts and heavy Hawkwind-like stomps attempt to transition into songs by The Fall.
All recorded ‘New Zealand style’ in my garage.

If we weren’t such raving greenies here at Small Town Electron we’d put this tape forward as the PERFECT album for a lengthy nocturnal drive. – Antony Milton

Cassette

Continue reading “The Troubled Times: Hill Road in Winter”

The Troubled Times: A Second Sun

about

Loosely a sequel to The Troubled Times’ debut, Return of the Sun (2021) 

These new recordings were made exactly one year later – again on the first day of daylight savings, Spring 2022 in the southern hemisphere – now joined by David Heath on drums.

The anniversary prompted the title – then possible alternative meanings of which (binary star systems, colonising other planets) led down a science fiction wormhole…

credits

Recorded in Masterton, New Zealand, 25 September 2022

T-shirt – order here!

The Dying Monarch

The album also features a key crossover track, with the Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856) project:

This track links the various spoken word,ย electricย improv, and folk strands of fiffdimension music. While the rest of Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856) is acoustic based, in this case, the electric arrangement seemed to add a โ€˜kinglyโ€™ majesty, and pathos – as the monarch discovers the limits of his worldly power.

โ€œThe monarch ceased. The courtier train shook, muttered, gazed and shook again.

They saw lifeโ€™s dying embers fade, they felt the sting of horrorโ€™s blade.

Before them lay a lifeless form, which once with life had passions warmed.

The hand was stiff which oft had reigned, the warhorse and the prisoner chained.

A lifeless lump of senseless clay, the stern despotic monarch lay.โ€ โ€“ John Collie (1834-1893)

(track also appears onย fiffdimension.bandcamp.com/album/poems-lyrics-in-the-english-dialect-1856ย )

Tracklist

Continue reading “The Troubled Times: A Second Sun”

The Troubled Times: State Highway 2

The first proper ‘band’ recording sessions by The Troubled Times, with the addition of David Heath on drums.

Improvised psychedelic rock – inspired by the Wairarapa rural landscapes, and the main road through them – with touches of country, Brazilian jazz, and electroacoustic experiments.

credits

Antony Milton – electric guitar, banjo (6), drums & keyboard (7)

Dave Edwards – electric guitar (1,3,5), acoustic guitar (2,6,7), bass (4), aluminium ladder (7)

David Heath – drums

released August 13, 2022

——-

Masterton, New Zealand

Recorded in Antony’s garage,
17th July + 7th August 2022

Photo by Sara Rogers

Tracklist

1.Whatever you like (north of Wellington) 06:31
2.Wairarapa bossa nova 03:18
3.Passing the Tararuas 03:26
4.Waiohine river after rain 02:50
5.Driving inland 07:16
6.Sanson & Woodville (acoustic) 06:34
7.Snakes & ladder 02:08
8.Spring nor’wester 06:35
9.Bossanova Wairarapa (mais tempo)

Further listening: The Troubled Times

Antony and Dave also collaborated on fiffdimension.bandcamp.com/album/return-of-the-sun-2021
and
layyourburdensdown.bandcamp.com/album/-

The Troubled Times: […]

The sophomore EP by The Troubled Times duo of Antony Milton and Dave Edwards.

Raw loud Improvised pluck and drone. Recorded on a windy rainy Sunday in Antony’s garage in Masterton, in 2021, between Covid lockdowns.

credits


Guitar/Bass –Dave Edwards
Guitar/Keyboard/Vocs –Antony Milton.

released June 26, 2022

Tracklist

1.Move Alongย 03:54
2.Genes 02:17
3.Super Lucid 13:46
4.Woodness 04:01

Further listening: The Troubled Times

The first full length release from this duo, which pre-dates the name ‘The Troubled Times’, was Return of the Sun (2021)

In 2022, the duo became a trio, joined by David Heath on drums, givng us a full ‘band’ sound.

w/ Antony Milton: Return of the Sun

Antony Milton is a sound artist based in Masterton, New Zealand.

He has been active in the underground and experimental music scenes since the early 1990s.

Continue reading “w/ Antony Milton: Return of the Sun”

The 2021 debut album by The Troubled Times!

This was our first recording session, as an electric guitar improv duo – in collaboration with antonymilton.bandcamp.com

Recorded in Masterton, New Zealand, 26 September 2021 – on the first day of daylight savings, in the southern hemisphere Spring,

Antony Milton is a sound artist based in Masterton, New Zealand.

He has been active in the underground and experimental music scenes since the early 1990s.

Continue reading “w/ Antony Milton: Return of the Sun”