Dallas Music Blog

​Since 2006, Denton-based artist Bryce Isbell's been steadily self-releasing experimental recordings--51 full-length albums and EPs worth of self-released material to date (according to this Facebook page). His first release, Downstairs Room, consisted of a single 45-minute-long freak-folk track that Isbell describes as "experimental electro-acoustic."

Sounds like fun, right? Well, even Isbell admitted by phone yesterday that he "had a hard time getting people to listen to that one."

So Isbell's been reinventing himself with every consecutive handmade CD-R, cassette or digital release he's offered since Downstairs Room, and, after adopting the FUR moniker in 2008, Isbell left behind his freak-folk gobbledygook for a more stream-lined, conceptualized, electronic sound.   

And, guess what? Isbell's not self-releasing his recordings anymore: FUR's Black Castles EP and Colorful People full-length were both released on October 31 on Secret Station Records. We're thinking Isbell probably won't have as hard of a time finding an audience with this release. And it probably doesn't hurt too much that the album features some choice collaborations including one with Neon Indian's Alan Palomo ("Black Castles") and another with ex-Ghosthustler member in Gray St. Germain Gideon ("Andante Grazioso").

Isbell was kind enough to send us along two tracks to offer our readers this afternoon, including the original version of the down-tempo ambient cut "Black Castles." (A few other remixes are available on the Black Castles EP, which Secret Station is offering as a free for download.)

Check them out after the jump.

Bonus mp3: FUR -- "Black Castles"


Bonus mp3: FUR -- "UB313"


The synth work on the "Black Castles" sounds pretty much unmistakably Palomo's, right? Well, that's fitting: As Isbell explains, "the idea behind Colorful People was to have different representations of musical personalities, to have a each track represent a person that I know."  

Good luck guessing which other Dentonites were captured on the album...