Birchville Cat Motel | Artist

Birchville Cat Motel was a one-man experimental music project formed in the late 1990's by Campbell Kneale from Wellington, New Zealand. Although largely unrecognised by the mainstream press and public in his home country, Kneale has a cult following among drone fans and has toured throughout Japan, America, Europe, and Australia. The artist employs an array of guitars, effects pedals, assorted electronic gadgets, and sometimes drums to create truly inspired dark-ambient drone music. Kneale's 2004 album release Beautiful Speck Triumph was the first to generate widespread critical acclaim, with one reviewer describing it as "superb drone, somewhere between the crackle-and-buzz sounds of electo-acoustic improvisation and the treated instruments of Stars of the Lid". Another reviewer noted: "Campbell Kneale operates at a level of sophistication that's several leagues above the majority of his scuzzy underground-dwelling peers, fashioning music that has more in common with 20th century composition's elite". Kneale has used Birchville Cat Motel as a vehicle for many collaborations with other musicians, including Lee Ranaldo, Neil Campbell and Bruce Russell. He also records under the names Black Boned Angel, Brilliant Swords, and Ming and compiled the Prince tribute album Shut Up Already Damn!. The artist has a vast recording output including over 46 albums under the name Birchville Cat Motel. Standouts include Beautiful Speck Triumph (2004), Chi Vampires (2004), Came a Great Stallion Whose First Leap Sparked the Celestial Star (2011) and the live album Curved Surface Destroyer (2006). Kneale also operates the labels Celebrate Psi Phenomenon and Battlecruiser which have issued CDs by artists from New Zealand and overseas.

Artist Website: wikipedia/Birchville_Cat_Motel

Featured Albums: Birchville Cat Motel

Related Artists: Campbell Kneale, Black Boned Angel

Video Clips: Auckland 2008, Live & Interview in Belgium, Our Love Will Destroy The World