The New Boyfriends - Universal Noise CD
Highly waited and anticipated new TNB album came out without a warning. Packed in oversized case and comes with a very nice booklet. Visuals set the tone for what is about to come, showing sites of recording sessions. "Universal Noise" is amalgamation of raw field recordings and distorted noise that crackles and ripples, grinds and churns yet retain it's presence. And the album starts with rain recording that ends with an enormos strike of thunder, it's almost as if the lightning strikes the listener itself, sharpening senses like a frightened animal. The overall feel during the album is this feel of fresh and brisk, like being under a chilling waterfall in a Nordic forest. Field recordings have tons of variety; rain fall, wood being torn in many ways, stones rustling, fire (?), various metal objects which are played in a masterful way. There's a music sample I don't recognize at the start of track 4, maybe it would add more to the experience if I knew? Anyway... what hit me hardest on the whole album is the last part where out of a rain of glass shards emerge a harmonica playing Finlandia accompanoed by beautifully screeching metal. It may not have the same effect for people outside of Finland but holy hell, it stroke a chord inside of me! Definately one of the all time greatest noise moments. The metal screeching grows up to sounding like a industrial symphony, truly a great way to finish a great album.
After the sheer joyride of NOISE of the previous album "The Fourth Season", TNB tunes their approach a notch calmer, exposing the raw undergrowth of the sound. It feels like that, exploring the roots from the ground, getting your hands dirty from sweet earthy soil. A diffent kind of album? Yes. A TNB album? Most definately! Takes a couple of spins to get into, and then it just keeps on giving.
