PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[kettu]

Back in those days, I visited the site where it happened and soiled it with urine... considered taking some photos of this piece of "performance arts", but then thought perhaps it better stay personal tribute rather than exploitative public piece.

Hah, great! N. Penttinen, who sold me this 7", told me he thought about visiting the other cunt and getting her autograph (apparently she lives not too far from him) but unfortunately he didn't. Would be a real nice little addition to this already amazing package.

shes making more succes stories with her dirty cunt. so in a few years maybe youll be able to catch a camshow of mommy+son/daughter, or something along those lines.

great seven but sometimes you have to eat or pay electricity bill.

[eyestrain]

Sewer Election & Frederikke Hoffmeier Aska (iDeal Recordings): An improvement, leaps and bounds (!), upon the debut collaboration. Utterly menacing in the mental psychosis sorta way. The sounds on this LP are a little less in the realm of "obscure" as compared to Den Blege Grå Tone. A little more straight to the gut. Never liked any of the Puce Mary material that I've heard, but after hearing Mikko's praise of Success and the excellence contained herein, I think I'll be investigating that new LP. Any foreigners have a rough idea as to what any of the words, lyrics, ideas, concepts are on this or were on the previous work? Would be curious to know.

Elend Sunwar The Dead (Prophecy Productions): Still. The. Best. Album. Ever.

Dead Can Dance Toward The Within (4AD): Don't usually go for live albums - by any group, any genre - but Dead Can Dance is always an exception to the rule. Love every second of this.

Reverorum Ib Malacht What Do You Think Of The Old God, We Call Him Judas? (Ars Luminis Finis Temporis): Still holding strong after all these years. A group that constantly holds my attention. Funny to hear this now after 9,223,217,684 Circle Of Ouroboros LPs, EPs, splits and demos and realize that this is the best subaquatic black metal.

Looking forward to soon hearing Ata Ebtekar's Dear Iran, Miniature Engines Throb in Time for Your Beating Heart and Bilskirnir's Wotan Redivivus. Wasn't too moved by the Barad Dûr split and the Marblebog (have yet to hear one enjoyable song by this band) split wasn't much to reside over either, but at least a step above some other recent works, so we'll see... Just can't give up on this guy after so many solid albums. With this and the new Der Stürmer immanent, this is looking to be a nice year for NSBM.

[Zeno Marx]

Elend Sunwar The Dead (Prophecy Productions): Still. The. Best. Album. Ever.

I wouldn't argue with that.  I was completely unaware of them until I was gifted that album.  Their other albums are good, but nothing like Sunwar.  I rarely see anyone mention them.  Good reason why I never heard of them.

[Dead Can Dance Toward The Within (4AD): Don't usually go for live albums - by any group, any genre - but Dead Can Dance is always an exception to the rule. Love every second of this.

DCD was two bands; one studio, one live.  It's different now, though.  They were an amazing live band, and it is unfortunate that they didn't open the songs up a little bit and improvise.  Brendan's brother, along with a few others in the crew, were entirely capable of exploring songs.  I think they wanted it as well.  I can remember a couple of instances when they allowed for a little indulgence, and the musicians came alive in those moments.  You could see it in their faces that they would both do well with it and desired to go there.

Napalm Death - Peel Sessions - that first session with Steer always surprises me with how beautiful it is.
Christina Kubisch - Licht Himmel 2006 - one 49-minute track - somewhat reminiscent of Anne Gillis and the new deal like Nehil Grzinich, but only hints of that - didn't care for this album becaust of the digitalness; popping and percussive booms that were more drum n' bass in tone than warm; digital sounds and effects that weren't good.
Oi Polloi - Fuaim Catha 1999 - too varied, but when they're thick, tribal, and aggressive, it works as well as it ever has for them.
Deformed Conscience - Constant Strife 7" 1993 - one of my top-20 HC EPs - brutality that marries crust and HC so incredibly well - one of the best band names of all time.
Slang - Glory Outshines Doom 2012 - something is off about this album - all the elements are there, but as a whole, they still feel 2nd tier - massive production and interesting guitar work.
Exmortes - Lord of Temptation 1990 - I'm not sure what this is - some oddball shit that would have fit perfectly in an Ax/ction//Fudgeworthy mailer flyer - great times.
Hermaphrodit - Surgical Cut by Purulent Womb of Genital 1995 - recommended whackadoo death.

[eyestrain]

Elend Sunwar The Dead (Prophecy Productions): Still. The. Best. Album. Ever.

I wouldn't argue with that.  I was completely unaware of them until I was gifted that album.  Their other albums are good, but nothing like Sunwar.  I rarely see anyone mention them.  Good reason why I never heard of them.

When I listen to this album I feel like John Balistreri - Yes! Yes! YEESSSSS!!!

It's all ferocity and null of cheese. No posturing ala metal, and no genre-specific mythology. A wonderful thing. I recall reading an interview where the main fella basically shrugged the music off as, "Yeah, I could write this in my sleep." If that's the case please come and improve at my house forever. Please.

Also, not sure if it'll ever be published anywhere, but I remember there bring a track on their soundcloud - http://soundcloud.com/apoisontree - that was very Portishead-like based on the W.B. Yeats (win!) poem "Men Improve With The Years". Very different from their norm.

[Dead Can Dance Toward The Within (4AD): Don't usually go for live albums - by any group, any genre - but Dead Can Dance is always an exception to the rule. Love every second of this.

DCD was two bands; one studio, one live.  It's different now, though.  They were an amazing live band, and it is unfortunate that they didn't open the songs up a little bit and improvise.  Brendan's brother, along with a few others in the crew, were entirely capable of exploring songs.  I think they wanted it as well.  I can remember a couple of instances when they allowed for a little indulgence, and the musicians came alive in those moments.  You could see it in their faces that they would both do well with it and desired to go there.

This I could believe and it's a shame to consider. Of course the album is mere repetition, and if I weren't a fanboy I'd be much less interested. But alas...

I felt the same when seeing Wovenhand earlier in the year. After attending several jawdropping shows by them, this was obviously play-by-the-record-and-feed-the-family touring. I can just turn the volume on high at home and save $100 by not driving to Philly. Thanks.

Gotta renege a hair on what I said about recent Bilskirnir recording. Der Wolkenwanderer was a solid EP and had the title track from this new full length. Of course the inclusion of the "Mourning Soul" cover - definitely my favorite Absurd song - made the conclusion easy. Indulging in Pyhä Kuolema at the moment as I impatiently anticipate their new guy. Even though 90% of the album's worth is lost on my American ears, I still adore this thing.

[Zeno Marx]

There's growing dissonance in the DCD fanbase that they've been basically playing the exact same set for a couple years now.  It's by the numbers, so you could compare one performance to any number of others and only find maybe :30 second differential between performances.  Like Rush.  Like a machine.  That isn't what people want out of a DCD experience, and it certainly wasn't what they were used to seeing.  Makes it easy to not bother going to see them.  That, and the ticket prices are out of hand.

[eyestrain]

There's growing dissonance in the DCD fanbase that they've been basically playing the exact same set for a couple years now.  It's by the numbers, so you could compare one performance to any number of others and only find maybe :30 second differential between performances.  Like Rush.  Like a machine.  That isn't what people want out of a DCD experience, and it certainly wasn't what they were used to seeing.  Makes it easy to not bother going to see them.  That, and the ticket prices are out of hand.

Crawling out of inactivity to get a more fruitful retirement perhaps? Never saw the prices, but some of the European venues they were playing seemed way over the top. I might be wrong, but pretty sure they played the Theatre Of Australia. Christ...

[Zeno Marx]

I wouldn't think money is a problem for Lisa, but maybe for Brendan.  Her discography is plentiful since working on soundtracks and becoming a desirable player in Hollywood.  She has to be getting some decent residuals now and for a long time to come.  She has to be a multi-millionaire, and if not, she needs a new agent.

Touring has become such an ugly, expensive business.  Their band used to be almost ten deep.  I cannot remember now exactly.  It was a lot of people just on stage.  And they were trucking timpanis, dulcimers, countless other instruments, etc.  All those players were multi-instrumentalists, and they took full advantage of it.  It was quite a sight to see all those people on various percussion instruments, playing the tiniest of roles to bigger parts.  No room for ego when they go from playing stringed instruments to picking up a triangle.  Robert Perry was a force.

If you haven't check out the full video for Toward the Within (on youtube), you're cheating yourself.  It's amazing on yet another level to the album.  In particular, "Oman" is a thing of utter beauty and spiritual fury.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nsPNSG8M7HM&feature=share&list=PL1A9588B398C73DC7

and "Cantara"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVjmSfUEnJI&feature=share&list=PL1A9588B398C73DC7

[eyestrain]

Holy moly, thank you! That's some breathtaking footage.

With the way Lisa Gerrard says "dahling" like she's drinking Pinot Grigio at a polo tournament, I think she's alright financially.

[Andrew McIntosh]

That's her form. She's diva from tip to toe. I read an interview with Lustmord were it was suggested he work with Gerrard - his reply was that she was too snobbish. Interestingly, I though "The Silver Tree" very Lustmord-ian, although clearly influenced by her soundtrack work.

I don't know how often Dead Can Dance perform in countries overseas, but here in their homeland it's hardly ever, and it's something I've always held against them. I know there are many good and practical reasons, but it still grates.

[Zeno Marx]

I've known a few people who get really irritated with the interview parts of Toward the Within.  I'm fine with the elitism and perceived pretentiousness.  Anyone who knows their career and talents knows they aren't pretentious.  They're simply that good, and they've proven it over and over.  I don't care if those interviews were scripted and edited forty times; of performance as well.  They not only understand what they're doing at a mature degree, but they also deeply feel what they're doing.  If it comes off a lot high-society as articulated, so be it.

[eyestrain]

Certainly couldn't dog them for having an elitist attitude. It certainly is justified on dozens of levels. Plenty of other folks out there are getting their knobs slobbed for nothing other than having the "right" personality and/or looks. I'm thinking not of popular music at all in this respect. Having lived in the sticks my whole life, I never did see these things through subculture, but now with online "music journalism" it's frightening to see just what will be spread like fire.

[Foyer Second]

JAAKKO VANHALA "Here be lions" (freak animal, 2013) - Everyone on this board may have listen to it now and it got lot of praises. Yet, the album could deserve a dedicated thread because it could be the first piece of harshnoise of importance of the decade. I gave it a lot of time until now and it becomes more and more impressive each time I care for its sound world. It is one album that the geek part in me would love to see seriously studied and discuss in magazine. To say the least, it has a sense of spatialization that I'd never encountered before in harsh noise work and that is almost new; and on a textural matter, an amazing resilience that is unheard (especially on the original violence). It is extremely detailled, carefully edited and feels totally free and unpredictable. Just amazing. That shows how harsh noise can evolve and that there still is a lot to do.

Xome "fur" is another piece I am listening to, these days. Released on CDR in 2002 on Negatron Heavy Industry. It is very good pedal noise. Dynamic, playful and one of the more relentless work from Xome. You can hear that crisp digital mastering that was becoming the norm but it still works perfectly on that one. It makes me remember when flanger, chorus, unlimited digital delay effects were common on pedal noise and are now more or less banned. That particular release doesn't abuse it that much, though. I was looking for some news from the project and found that it has a bandcamp page where you can listen to the album as well as others released on his own label.

K2 "schizophereniak signal transduction" (solipsism, 1998 ?). It must have be one of the first album I have owned from the project and it really blew my mind at that time. Listening to it now, the digital textures mixed don't feel as cheap as I was afraid of (I quite dislike his recent outputs). I suppose it could be on the list of Jaakko Vanhala's influences for the editing performance. Still, the feeling is a world of differences.

[eyestrain]

Tommi Keränen/Lettera 22 Quicksilver Logic/Ekati (Second Sleep): Another noggin' fogger from Second Sleep. I am overly unfamiliar with Tommi's work aside from the Moon Over Torrelorca disc, which obviously bears no resemblance to his usual output. Testicle Hazard would be a better reference maybe. What a force there! Anyway, this is just fierce, shrill, quick and relentless noise in the form of what, 4 minutes? Lettera's side treads on similar tracks, but the fact of it being a duo, a skilled one at that, allows it to breathe a bit more. Opens up with subtleness, but quickly devolves into a blast of high end and white noise. Definitely loved Keränen's side though, and must begin to dig deeper. Any recommendations?

Dave Phillips Abgrund (Second Sleep): Is this the most erotic thing I've ever heard? Yes. I think I need to make tapes of gagging and just listen to it all day. Lovely. Glad I finally dug in after the extensive interview in SI #7.

Ødelegger The Titan's Tomb (Purity Through Fire / Neue Aesthetik / Hass Weg Productions): Pure plagiarist black metal. 48 minutes of perfect shit that Ildjarn forgot to record. Can't go for this kinda thing normally, but this is one band I'll accept being imitated till the ends of the earth.

[STREETMEAT]

Tommi Keränen/Lettera 22 Quicksilver Logic/Ekati (Second Sleep): Another noggin' fogger from Second Sleep. I am overly unfamiliar with Tommi's work aside from the Moon Over Torrelorca disc, which obviously bears no resemblance to his usual output. Testicle Hazard would be a better reference maybe. What a force there! Anyway, this is just fierce, shrill, quick and relentless noise in the form of what, 4 minutes? Lettera's side treads on similar tracks, but the fact of it being a duo, a skilled one at that, allows it to breathe a bit more. Opens up with subtleness, but quickly devolves into a blast of high end and white noise. Definitely loved Keränen's side though, and must begin to dig deeper. Any recommendations?

Bats In The Attic
‎Vanhala / Umpio / Keränen(live)
As Below So Above(live)
KKTK ‎– Tegami (collab 7" with Kazuma Kubota)
‎

[eyestrain]

Tommi Keränen/Lettera 22 Quicksilver Logic/Ekati (Second Sleep): Another noggin' fogger from Second Sleep. I am overly unfamiliar with Tommi's work aside from the Moon Over Torrelorca disc, which obviously bears no resemblance to his usual output. Testicle Hazard would be a better reference maybe. What a force there! Anyway, this is just fierce, shrill, quick and relentless noise in the form of what, 4 minutes? Lettera's side treads on similar tracks, but the fact of it being a duo, a skilled one at that, allows it to breathe a bit more. Opens up with subtleness, but quickly devolves into a blast of high end and white noise. Definitely loved Keränen's side though, and must begin to dig deeper. Any recommendations?

Bats In The Attic
‎Vanhala / Umpio / Keränen(live)
As Below So Above(live)
KKTK ‎– Tegami (collab 7" with Kazuma Kubota)
‎

Thanks!!!