Rangda

Rangda takes its name from the Javanese demon queen of the leyaks. An instrumental power trio that fuses psych rock with no wave-styled noise, the group features guitarists Sir Richard Bishop of Sun City Girls and Ben Chasny of Six Organs of Admittance, Comets on Fire, and Current 93, alongside drummer Chris Corsano, whose résumé includes work with Björk, Dredd Foole, Jandek, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Six Organs of Admittance, Jim O'Rourke, and others. Because the three musicians reside in widely separated regions of the United States, regular rehearsals have always proved impractical; their collaboration therefore began as a conceptual project shaped around each participant’s demanding schedule. Once they began performing together, the musicians road-tested original compositions before committing them to tape. Drag City issued the resulting debut album, False Flag, in May 2010. The record earned near-unanimous praise from critics, prompting an extensive touring campaign in support. In 2012 the trio delivered its second studio album, Formerly Extinct. Two limited-edition live documents followed in 2013: a split LP with the Dead C on Ba Da Bing! and the 10" EP Live in Krefeld on the German imprint Unrock. Rangda returned to Drag City in 2016 for its third full-length studio release, The Heretic's Bargain.