House of Low Culture is the long-running solo project of Aaron Turner (Isis, Mamiffer, Lotus Eaters, etc.) and Poisoned Soil is the first proper album to be released in nearly a decade. HOLC's first release, Submarine Immersion Techniques Vol. 1, would set the tone for all that would follow. Recorded from 1997-1999, released in 2000, the album explored lonely, lysergic drone territories and the construction of textural weavings. Over the course of the next several years, Turner broadened HOLC's sonic palette considerably incorporating voices, keyboard textures, and other non-guitar instrumentation while engaging in collaborative efforts with the likes of Merzbow/Masami Akita, James Plotkin, Z'ev, Stephen O'Malley and others. As of late, Faith Coloccia, Turner's wife (and bandmate in Mamiffer), has become a regular contributor. Her presence can be heard and felt on HOLC's new full-length recording, Poisoned Soil, as can that of percussionist B.R.A.D (Asva, Master Musicians of Bukkake, Burning Witch, etc). The three lengthy compositions within conjure a wide variety of spatial effects and spectral imagery when experienced under headphones: distant rumblings, ominous premonitions and strange equilibrium disturbances, all underscored by the hiss of naked electrical current. Mastered by James Plotkin, cut by John Golden and pressed on 200g virgin vinyl, Poisoned Soil is presented as a grand LP+12' set with spot colors, printed innersleeves and flooded pockets in an edition of 500. 'Poisoned Soil is another cryptic, desolate voyage into Turner's ambient-industrial headspace.' A/V Club. 'Poisoned Soil bears the bleak, yet innovative and experimental touch Aaron Turner brings to all of his work, but here it is given free reign to expand out and engulf all that is around it. While each of the three tracks bear that overarching sense of darkness, the variations and drastic evolutions of each piece keep it from being simplistic or predictable.' Brainwashed. 'Without a doubt, House Of Low Culture has crafted a labyrinth. Listen after listen after listen, and I'm still hopelessly lost.' - Foxy Digitalis