Flare
Deceptive, bittersweet love songs pervade the Flare sound -- a mixture of L.D. Beghtol's classically trained voice, his ukulele, and a collection of musical toys, as well as a small army of musicians including Jon DeRosa of Dead Leaves Rising and Aarktica, Mother West studio's owner Charles Newman, and Mark Gunderman on violin. The group is constantly in rotation with members of Iida, Magnetic Fields, and various others lending their musical eccentricities to the project.
Flare was started by painter Damian Costilla and Beghtol in 1996 as an outlet for their refined tastes in both art and music. They played intimate clubs across New York City where they attracted the attention of Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt and Claudia Gonson. In 1997, the group had grown with Ernest Adzentoivich (Plexus) on contrabass, Vin Scialla (Sunflower) on drums, and Holly Mcworter on violin. These five released Bottom in 1998. Here the band still concentrated on Beghtol's voice and Costilla's scattered guitar with background lilts of piano, strings, and machine noise. After Beghtol appeared as guest vocalist on the Fields' 69 Love Songs, Merritt remixed "Celebrate the Misery," a track from Bottom, for a single with a B-side cover of Everything But the Girl's "Another Bridge."
Costilla left the band in 1998 and there was a succession of instrumentalists until DeRosa joined on guitar, banjo, and vocals in 2000. The band, with a new lineup and direction, recorded Circa later that year. This mini-album draws on influences as diverse as the Incredible String Band and the Carter Family, and concentrates on subtle orchestration and clever, often dark lyrics. Live, the band presents a finicky yet intimate show with occasional crescendos of emotion that betray their distanced-observer stance as that of a supremely enraged ex-lover, friend, or still-burning foe.
© Daphne Carr /TiVo
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Rocket Jump Waltz (Lo-Fi)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 2586900 Records DK2 on 12 May 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Hold on (feat. Rich Hard Beats) [Cover Version]
Pop - Released by Rich Hard Beats production on 12 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Taswell (Piano Improv)
Jazz - Released by 2586900 Records DK2 on 3 Oct 2020
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Slide Away (feat. Rich Hard Beats) [Cover Version]
Pop - Released by Rich Hard Beats production on 11 Apr 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Yume Nikki: Between the Lines
Dance - Released by 2586900 Records DK2 on 12 May 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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Hung
Alternative & Indie - Released by Mother West LLC on 6 May 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Can't Stand Myself
Alternative & Indie - Released by 2361045 Records DK on 30 Aug 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
No Escape LP
Drum & Bass - Released by Paperfunk Recordings on 27 May 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Target Zone / Colony
Drum & Bass - Released by Future Funk Music on 26 Nov 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Bottom
Alternative & Indie - Released by Mother West LLC on 8 Jan 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Eastside Freestyle
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Goat Gang Recordings on 10 Mar 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
They Doubt Me (Original Version from 2018)
Pop - Released by Eternal Invasion on 23 Feb 2024
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
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