Wizard's Castle by boycalledcrow

boycalledcrow is the alias of Chester-based sound artist Carl M Knott (Wonderful Beasts, Spacelab). Wizard’s Castle is a bright and glitchy project and inspiration for the artwork from Leeham’s Spellbook was the thought of the sound the giant magical castle that graces the front cover would make whilst it wanders around.

Written and Produced by Carl M Knott
Mastered by Anthony Morrow
Artwork by Leeham’s Spellbook

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"Another remarkable record of our times despite being released digitally and on its polar opposite cassette from the Chester based artist boycalledcrow. Some seventeen compositions occupy the space between intrigue and wonder where you start to think just how did he came up with that idea for creating this piece of music. Inspired by Leeham’s Spellbook, who is also the artist in residence for the label, one of the various reasons I love this in particular is that you have no idea what is going to happen next. An excellent proposition in these days of boring, predictable nostalgia and clockwork timescales. I’m not going to bother you with in depth descriptions of each track because they are hard to pin down, let alone put into coherent words, as each lives a life of its own. Again like music should be. A conversation with yourself donated by the mind of sonic inspiration. Thrilling."

https://www.magazinesixty.com/boycalledcrow-wizards-castle-waxing-crescent-records/

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"I nearly didn’t bother reviewing this because I always spell Wizard wrong, and it really annoys me. But I’m glad I did, and overcame my laziness of fixing my bad grammar, for this album is an enjoyable foray into a land where squelchy synths and atmospheric gentle frenzy collide to supply us with a magical sea of splendour.

This darn rooting touting adventure of an album set me thinking where on earth is my copy of Joe Meeks I Hear A New World album. And in fact did I own a copy, or was the copy my son’s, Dan, who now has left home and taken Joe’s Jewel of 60s sci-fi magic with him. Anyway, I digress: see how an album of total instrumental brilliance can set one’s mind racing and heart a pounding, as boycalledcrow really has managed to succeed in capturing the same magic Joe Meek captured with his masterpiece.

This album is a thought rewarding jewel that glistens and dips and swoons taking in electronica and experimental instrumental pop and ambient, and leading it into a direction that few can as the Wizards Castle is a magical spell-inducing treat."

https://monolithcocktail.com/tag/biycalledcrow/

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"Yet another stunning release via Waxing Crescent Records, this time from Chester-based sound artist Carl M Knott (Wonderful Beasts, Spacelab). Here Knott performs under the alias boycalledcrow, and Wizard’s Castle feels like a fever dream of an album. Glitchy, bright, and moments of sonic mania, it’s somewhere between some ethereal videogame score and avante classical music. It’s a really hard one to put a label on. There’s moments of quiet restraint, while other times it sounds like circuits devouring themselves in a black hole. It’s the kind of album that needs to be experienced."

https://complexdistractions.blog/2022/06/04/long-story-short-teeth-of-glass-polypores-night-sky-pulse-boy-called-crow-cat-temper-sermons-by-the-devil/

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"The best way to describe Wizard's Castle is probably as highly variable. Listening through, I noticed that no two tracks seem to sound like the other except in the aesthetic of glitchy yet bright tones. Some tracks keep a solid yet still glitchy rhythm such as "I Am Forest" while others throw any semblance of rhythm out the window in favor of twinkly and degraded melodic loops like on "Mystic." But one of my absolute favorites on the album is "Shoegazer" as it has a feeling of what I described as anti-rhythm as if it is fighting itself the whole time with an oddly reversed vibe while remaining coherent and filled with ear candy. Overall, the album is incredibly wide-ranging and seems to enjoy both reveling and eschewing its own theme simultaneously. No pre-order is currently available but you can follow Waxing Crescent Records to be notified when it is available on digital and cassette."

https://www.onthefringesofsound.com/post/the-fringes-on-the-radar-april-29

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Released on Waxing Crescent Records, where the album is available on cassette:-

waxingcrescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wizard-s-castle
waxingcrescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wizard-s-castle
waxingcrescentrecords.bandcamp.com/album/wizard-s-castle

boycalledcrow is the alias of Chester-based sound artist Carl M Knott (Wonderful Beasts, Spacelab). Knott, a former folk musician, uses his myriad acoustic influences to create unique, strange and beautiful compositions.

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