cd/lp/tape etc. REVIEWS

[Andrew McIntosh]

THE KALI ENSEMBLE, self titled, cd
Phage Tapes/Turgid Animal, 2011

A collaborative recording between Mike Page and Pentii Dassum and a collaborative release between Phage and Turgid Animal. Featuring two lengthy, 33.33 minute spirals where, I'm guessing, each artist takes sounds from the other and composes them (not sure I like this "versus" thing that some collaborations claim to be, in this case "Page vs Dassum" and "Dassum vs Page"; surely they are collaborating, not conflicting?). Both tracks called "The Seven Tounges", I & II respectively.

The first piece has a great deal of change to it over it's duration, making it more like a compilation of pieces strung out into one. Fortunately, there is a deft hand at composition involved, giving continuity to the diversity. Starting with a slow but raging Noise of metal and electronics it winds it's way through the different passages, invoking electronic storms in the clouds of gas giant planets, flanged drones, metallic rhythms...to describe in any detail the actual sounds would, in a way, take something from the potential listener in that there is something of a narrative that should be experienced more directly.
  The second piece is somewhat slower and more muted in scope and sound, preferring dark rumbles, winding softness, echoed clanging metal and electronic pulses, all eschewing the dynamics of the first piece in favour of a tempered sound that is no less engaging or, in fact, diverse than the first piece. Again, there is a continuity that suggests narrative and certainly allows the mind to move from place to place within the sounds.
  The recording quality is excellent, very crisp and allowing of detail. In the case of the second piece and the more abrupt parts of the first, there is no loss in impact (either abrupt or darkly grimey) with the production. The sound fits the music well. And compliments must also be paid to the packaging; the dark-skinned manifestation of Durga (and appropriate sacrifice) simply and elegantly presented. Everything about this album fits; there are no sparse moments with the sound, no loss of revelry and imagining, and the concept is given a free-er reign in the sound. This is an homage, not a representation, although representation must be a part of the homage, but to my mind there are other ideas coming in that can perhaps touch lightly on the worship of Kali but can also expand elsewhere. The composition and choice of sounds, however, remain supreme above other aspects. A well built and well presented duo of sometimes aggressive, sometimes sinister, always dark, Industrial-inspired modern music.

[Nyodene D]

RU-486 - "Concealed Weaponry 2005-2010" (Disease Foundry)

This is a great retrospective of the RU discography, which is quite scattered but, with minor admitted exceptions, is remarkably consistent (like Dan mentioned, the "Princess Of Rot" material - which isn't actually that bad...).  I'd be way embarrassed if someone compiled my stuff out before "God And Country", but Mortigan's earliest stuff even seems to show some excellent feel for the genre / medium.

Both sides are consistent, but the first side definitely feels stronger to me.  I think Mortigan would agree about the material on the A-side being the foot he wanted to lead with (as well as I think some of the most recent?). The b-side is more mixed (p.e. tracks, comp appearances, the HNW tape that I actually quite enjoy...)  The Atrax Morgue cover is really good, glad to hear it (wasn't around when it was originally released).  "Russian Teen Kate" has mixed feelings for me.  Really solid track, would be a classic in a world without "Ballerina."  Then again, Nyodene D would sound more original in a world without Mikko as well, so I find myself enjoying the track as more of a sister (har har) piece to it rather than finding it derivative...

Disease Foundry maintains a high standard of quality with the sound (really clear) and the packaging (very luxurious, especially for a single cassette). The added bonuses (buttons and embroidered patch) are a great touch. A lot of love went into these. 

Get this and Iron Empire if you're looking to get in to RU-486.  It's literally everything you could get for about 20-25 bucks.  This project is going into some good heavy territory and this boxset is a cool archival thing for people looking to get in to US PE...

[DBL]

Some new stuff. Nothing too harsh this time, though, and thus presented only as links with description.

156 - untitled [experimental / noise / percussion]
Videotrage - Seismology Is a Science (...) [minimalism / electronic / retro]
Walkabeat - untitled [ambient / noise / industrial / musique concrète]
+ Daina Dieva - Leaving the Garden [ethereal dark ambient / minimalism]

[Andrew McIntosh]

NICOLE 12, Black Line, cd
Freak Animal, 2011

Nicole 12 has not been a project I've followed, mainly due to my distaste of the subject matter. Having gotten this album in a trade, though, the polite thing to do was at least listen. Sound-wise, as perhaps to be expected of this project, this is Aspa at his most sinister - dark, stress-filled tones and sullen drones with smooth sheets of sound moving over them. It's satisfying, although for mine nothing to impressive. I'm reminded of what I've heard of Pain Nail, to a degree, and there's always been elements of this kind of smoother, laid-back kind of sound in parts of Grunt. One can appreciate the limited sound palette applied to each piece and to the album overall. The slighter, higher-end electronic tones that sometimes preface or finish a track appealed to me the most. I also enjoy the slow feedback manipulation of "Forever Model", and the vocals work well on this piece in tandem with the sounds. "Mother Talks" brings up the volume and aggression a tad, a nicely echo-ed piece of heavy screech and grunt (no pun intended). Despite the more "noise" quality it still fits in well with the album, in fact the entire album is well contrived. 
But it's the ideas that matter here and the music is pretty much a bed for the vocals and the concept. Aspa croaks, whispers, sneers and hisses his lines as he takes on different characterisations and narratives. Some of the use of questions and conversation reminds me a great deal of Whitehouse, in fact it seems like an influence well-worn on the sleeve with this project. As mentioned, I find the thought of children being sexually abused and molested disturbing, but art has a duty to disturb as much as uplift. It's just that there seems to be a lack of conviction coming across. It's a tad too clinical, and that seems to detract from the feelings that I think Aspa is trying to get across. Not that I'd suggest an all-out, aggressiveness is preferred, that clearly wouldn't work. Is this kind of emotional distance from the subject matter intended? There also seems to me to be some problems with the flow of the lyrics, and leaving language barriers aside I found the lyrics to the title track clumsy and to "Centaur Forlags: LL" too clichéd (I can just hear Philip Best shouting these). "Glow Of Ionesco" could have had potential in regards to the concept of a young girl being forced to slut up by her mother but I think the effects on the voice cut that potential. It's the vocals on "Wrinkly Bills", which aren't credited to anyone but could be listed in the acknowledgements, that things get sinister, as it's first-person account of a victim, whispered by a woman, raises the stakes. Combined with the nicely dark electronic pulse, crackling, almost fire-like static and fluting feedback tone, this is probably the most effective piece on the album (along with the instrumental introduction. "Mirror World Reflections").
All up, it's a good album, well made, and musically works well, but strikes me as a bit underwhelming. It leaves little impression or memories, even after a few listens, apart from a couple of exceptions.

[Andrew McIntosh]

SHIFT/SICK SEED, split, cd
Freak Animal, 2011

So, this is Shift - a project I've been meaning to listen to for a while. Have to say I'm impressed. Solid, heavy, good tones, perhaps a little too slick production-wise for the kind of heavy Noise this is, for mine anyway (I understand Shift takes pride in his production work) but certainly brings out every element, particularly when things get layered towards the middle of the, uh, first half of his piece "Everything You Are Will Be Destroyed" - things crunch and crumble sickly and nicely with each other, with the odd bit of high pitched feedback for good measure. My only misgiving are the vocals, which didn't seem to gel well with the sounds and came across a bit unconvincing, particularly towards the end when Shift is screaming "DESTROY! DESTROY!". Maybe they're mixed a little too low? The lyrics don't seem too focussed, either, but that can be given or taken. In any case, once the vocals finish the piece sounds like it's being dragged through a tunnel of rusty metal, a very effective sound, before the sound drops back and a nice, big droning power builds up slowly and effectively, taking its time and growing with ease, layering distant sounding feedback like meteors in the distant sky above the prehistoric Earth, ignored by witless dinosaurs until the sound becomes more than life can bare. It's a great development and makes me want to seek out more Shift for sure.
  Sick Seed brings the sicker sound that is welcome to my ears but the first two pieces of his contribution, "Carnography" and "Teeth" where a tad going-through-the-motions for me. "Carnography" sounds like it utilises guitars to get the feedback and other screetchy effects over a very nice, dirty layer of rumbling electronics, which sounded a little too corny to my ears, in some parts sounding just like a bad guitar solo. Took away from the track's impact. "Teeth" didn't seem like much more than a bit of rusty, screetchy feedback filler but I did appreciate the muffled sound of the production. Food seemed to be much on their mind for both these pieces. But when the longer "Deathmask" kicks in, Sick Seed redeems itself. Starting with a sample of a rather over-done sermon-sounding speech crapping on about some confused misanthropy over a slow drone with a soft, ritualistic drumming, the bullshit is finally wiped away with some great sounding grating distortion that is nicely manipulated and layered throughout, giving a very pleasurable, minimalist Noise experience, very well recorded and produced, a slight hint of mechanical rhythm underneath. The luscious layers of filthy Noise are fortunately stretched out well for this piece and the vocals break any potential monotony nicely. In this case I would have preferred the vocals mixed a little lower, as a bit of distance would have brought out more of the desperation - Sick Seed invokes a post-apocalyptic scenario that requires both fear and contempt to survive. The sound strips some layers towards the end to leave some gurgling electronics with feedback scraping over them, still with a nice musty sound.
  It is impressive how this cd gives two distinct kinds of sound, the sharper fidelity of Shift and the lower fidelity of Sick Seed without compromising either and complimenting both. This is a good pairing and a fine album.

[Andrew McIntosh]

ERNIE ALTOFF, Heliosonics, cd
Australian Arts Council, 1999 (available from Shame File)

The pieces on this album where made with mainly kinetic (and one electronic) home made machines of wood and metal that are all powered by solar energy that are as aesthetically pleasing to look at ("I didn't want a hi-tech industrial look") as they are to listen to. Recorded in the outdoors, with whatever ambient noise happened to be in the background (although certainly not intrusive), the pieces are, in fact, meant to be composed rather than "just an aural report card".
 The pieces are delightful. Soft, delicate, very natural sounding, very much like common wind chimes at first listen but deep listening reveals a sense of rhythm, pacing and timing. The delicacy of the sounds allows a space for both silence and background noise to lie below, giving a backdrop to the tinkle and knock of the materials. The recording is not high level, mainly I suspect due to the site specific nature of the pieces and, perhaps, limited equipment, so it's necessary to turn the volume up a bit both to hear and to get a sense of the space between the sounds and how those sounds appear in the space. The mood is light, slightly playful but not entirely so. Different machines (named a to z, respectively) are used in different combinations for each piece before all machines are put together for the album's twenty-plus minute climax, "Sun Music 26", which is dense but far from heavy in sound. There is a nice collaboration between joyful and meditative with this album and it's reliance on solar energy does call to mind bright, sunny days, allowing some of that light to the listener.
 It has to be said that there is also a furniture music feel to the album, as the distant sound and nature of the music can easily escape attention. That, in itself, is no problem - nothing wrong with a bit of light background sound. But deeper listening is rewarded, and in any case, this is music that purposely treads lightly yet deliberately, a hallmark of the composer.

[Andrew McIntosh]

VA, Penus Rectus 1997 (cd) 2010 (7")
Dead Mind Records, 2010

Prurient, Odal, Aube, Macronympha, Masonna, MSBR, Streicher, Deathpile, Skin Crime etc. etc. - the gang's all here. A 7" of, presumably, more recent material and cd collation of material taken from a three tape compilation released last decade. It seems that the 7" is the main release with the cd being an accompaniment. For mine, it's the other way around, the cd being the better release  and the 7" seems to have been assembled only to feature the names involved. Prurient's "Notice That Beggar Passing By (Great Being)" centres itself on a manic synth sequence with glaring harshness laced around and solemn vocals in between. It's not bad, but for Prurient, not the best. Odal's shouting and feedback is so-so on this, too, sounding a lot like filler. Smell & Quim lift the standard a bit on side two but "Cuntsocket", although energetic and snappy has a somewhat pedestrian feel to it. Only Streicher's "Wrecktus Barricadus" is able to maintain a standard with its gritty bass tone and muddy yet energetic electronics around it, although because of the format and the time limits, isn't given much room to expand upon the theme. In fact the big problem here is that the artists didn't seem to really know what to do with the limited time allowed (although Prurient's piece does sound the most structured).
 The cd is a much better affair and well worth getting. Aube is in fine form – his harsher work seems to fit well with compilations – a pulsing tone that is recognisably his. So too K2's nicely, gritty distorted and cut up harsh noise, occasionally betraying the purer metallic clang of his sources, also develops into a kind of musique concrete collage with the introduction of voice samples. All within the space of just over seven minutes. A technically impressive track. Masonna also instantly comes across as his his own with his trademark shouts and harshness. Skin Crime's "Jeff Stryker" is a wonderful semi-minimal rumble with jagged sharpness poking through the filth. Kapotte Muziek's contribution is a short, simple, starkly minimal manipulation of feedback that contrasts nicely with Deathpile's gutty rumble and manic screams in the next track. For some reason I found Macronympha's "Pulsating Meat Monster" less than convincing, perhaps because of the muted electronics in the last half of it which, on their own, could have been okay but didn't seem to gel with the rest of the track. This album has a sense of energy and enthusiasm, is well mastered with each track given good presence and power, and each track well represents the contributors. The cd, then, is a worthy compilation – the 7", a bit of a let-down. One other little complaint - my copy of the cd, at least, did not have a track listing and I was required to go to Discogs to get a list of the track titles. It was interesting to hear, though, how some artists where identifiable from their contribution more than others.

[Andrew McIntosh]

GX JUPITTER-LARSEN & MUEHNNICH, Die Arbeiter Von Wien, 7"
Fragment Factory, 2011

Another bouquet from Jupitter-Larsen of flowers for the rebels who failed. A melange of stark tones, squiggling electronics and screaming feedback (generated from GX's celebrated "Noise Belt" and amplified suitcases) pushed tightly together as a base for the shouting, impassioned vocals of Muehnnich (who runs the label that produced this album). Both sides pretty much feature the same music but the vocals are in German on side one and in solidarity with international workers in English on side two. The lyrics come from the hymn "The Workers Of Vienna", which is connected here to the July Revolt (also called Black Friday), basically a riot during 1927 in the city of Vienna resulting in deaths that led to arrests, trials and a general strike, resulting in more deaths (the inside graphic probably that of the burning Palace Of Justice). Although the tracks themselves are not lengthy they are punchy and to the point and despite having the same music work well as independent pieces. The vocals are almost classic PE sounding and are hard and convincing. This is a good, to-the-point Power Electronics album and a nice continuation of the concept GX is working on. On either black or workers' blood red (anarcho-syndicalists can get both at a discounted price) - there was a limited signed edition but that's gone, ho hum.

[Andrew McIntosh]

ORANGE PUNJABI, Empty Land, cassette
Tristes Tropiques, 2011

Although Fjorn Butler has been performing and recording in a duo with Mitchell Brennan lately her solo project, Orange Punjabi has been going for a few years now, but this is the first recording that I've heard. Live, Butler utilises old tape decks for cassette manipulation, but the sounds on this album seem to indicate a more digital use of editing at the least. It's difficult to know what's what as there's no indication of sides on the tape and minimal information included in the rather ornate packaging. Starting off with the lengthy "Lungs", it introduces a slow, echoing drone derived from voices that raises in tone, then in pitch, while subtle manipulations of sound are over-laid. It's an impressive and effective, almost majestic in its scope. The awkwardly titled "Orphans, Lullaby, Lounge Music" seems to be feedback manipulation, sparsely done, lots of space around the sounds but with a continuation of tone to bring the sounds together, although with a cut-up structure. This piece, at least, sounds laptop with its quick come-and-go sounds tightly reverbed and squiggling electronic under-tones. I'm presuming next is "Deep Forest Throat" which is more harsh but not overtly blazing hissing and, again, tightly reverbed tones, probably derived from brief samples being pulled and stretched out of context. The first part of this piece does come across as a bit aimless and arbitrary, more a playing with sounds than using them or putting them into a context, but then the possibilities with the more obvious voice samples that remind a touch of Nocturnal Emissions are explored more fully when they are organised into a more coherent pacing (with a lot of tape hiss filming over it) - it's here that Orange Punjabi shows purpose and character. Even more interesting is how the piece mutates into something darker and more guttural with the introduction of bursts of harsher but again not louder sounds, changing the spiral almost completely from its beginning yet retaining the same distant, foggy feeling throughout. After this, the next two tracks seem a bit under-whelming, short pieces of sound manipulation that don't really strike the listener as anything much. Orange Punjabi is at its strongest when bringing sounds together in a cohesive whole and at its weakest when it just meanders with them. Fortunately this album highlights the former much more than the latter and is worth getting at least for the two strong lengthier tracks.
 Nice packaging - a cardboard box liberally coated with brightly coloured paint and including a strip of cardboard printout of abstract collage. But, as mentioned, very little information. It should also be pointed out that the tracks listed feature on both sides of the tape.

[DBL]

Grindstroke - Puristimessa
self-released
CD-R

Direct link to the review
Release info & samples

According to the band "Puristimessa" is something of a return to using band instruments, so the noisers have decided to take the traditional instruments and pulverize them as they go along?

But the claim isn't completely uncalled for. in the beginning of part 1 you can actually hear a quick cymbal ride and they have also decided to add a spacey synth melody to the end of said part. Believe me I almost shit myself when I heard something resembling music on this release. Otherwise we are treated to the same bubbling resonances and distortions we have grown to love, served in minimal fashion.

Part 2 showcases the band mimicking, or competing with, a washing machine on full spin. The other option is drawing a parallel to the "stuck needle" syndrome for an accurate description on how part 2 sounds. However they manage to create an aggressive environment through their minimal repetitive patterns.

Sure as hell this IS noise, but this time Grindstroke take the minimalism and repeats too far as you find yourself in danger of slipping out of reach of the audible irritations.

Either it's the musicians pulverizing their instruments or the music taking perverse advantage of the player, but one thing is for sure: Grindstroke will be bringing quality noise to your bleeding ears.

7½ / 10

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Kenji Siratori - Tokyo Killer
Label: Love Torture Records
CD-R
Ltd. 35 pcs.

Direct link to the review
Release info

Kenji Siratori is a Japanese cyberpunk-writer, who's also released tens and tens of noise-records under his name. This is the first album I've yet come to hear from his vast catalogue, and it presents 40 minutes of simple but effective noise that's surely not listener-friendly.

The opening "Part 1" consists of a mis-tuned electric guitar delivering improvised discords that merge together with some bursts and whirls of harsh lo-fi distortion. The guitar notes make no sense, as one would expect, but they give the song its backbone and "logic," and together with the unpredictable burst of noise it creates a highly pleasing mass of experimental noise and distortion. It might help you if you're a fan of noisecore as well, as otherwise the guitar notes might get to annoy you.

"Part 2" opens up with some programmed beats and metallic beat-like effects that quickly merge with the guitar discords and noise-distortion. The end result is an uncontrollable and deformed tangle of noise that rolls forward unpredictably. The song's basic formula doesn't really change, similarly to "Part 1", but the constant twitches and morphs keep the track interesting. It's slower and to some extent more ominous tune than its predecessor, but also the more intriguing one due to the beats giving it a strong irregular pulse.

The spray-painted disc comes packed inside a plastic slip with one-sided front and back covers. This simple but (especially when noting the price tag) stylish DIY-release is limited to mere 35 copies, so I'd recommend you to get yours now if you want the album. "Tokyo Killer" doesn't present anything too innovative, and these facts along with the simplistic and repetitive song structures (if one wants to call them that) and not using the guitars to a greater effect keep me from giving the album a higher grade. Still, it delivers its brand of hostile, detailed and (in a good way) slightly annoying underground noise in such a capable and stress-free manner and with a pleasingly plump soundscape that it's well worth the 6$ cost.

7½ / 10

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Cahier - Passé
Label: Rypistellyt Levyt
CD-R
Ltd. 40 pcs.

Direct link to the review
Release info

Cahier is one of the most prolific projects of Marko Neuman, as it has either created or taken part on nearly twenty releases since its debut from 2005. This particular album is a compilation of both previously released and unreleased tunes that date between '05 and '08.

The songs vary from beautiful piano- and ambient-pieces (Avion, Moite, Sin Fe VII) to songs based on electronic guitar riffs and noises (Cerrar la Cremallera, Congreso) to full-out harsh noise and noise-drone (Työntötanko, Rincón Oscuro, Otrafni) throughout the compilation, with the atmospheres changing similarly from violent and noisy offense to mellow and ethereal ambience. It might sound like a mess on paper, but somehow the atmosphere and the plot carries through the whole album and makes it surprisingly unified.

All the songs have been recorded using a four-tracker, which gives them a somewhat descanted sound that further ties the different approaches together. Alongside the recording equipment, one more unifier is the songs' minimalistic approach and the small amount of instruments used per song. All the songs wear a thin coating of gleaming noise, so even the softest moments have a slight twist which makes them fit in better amidst the more avantgardey noise and experimentation - and similarly, the harshest noise-parts have a slight ethereal vibe.

The very affordable CD-R comes packed in a soft plastic case, which is coated with some kind of fabric. The home-printed j-card holds all the necessary infos about the release, so there's nothing to really complain about. The musical side speaks for itself, even if some additional visuals would've been welcome.

When regarded as a compilation, this release is pretty much as well made as possible, when noting both the universal lack of effort bands tend to give their compilations as well as Cahier's experimental nature making it hard to create a descriptive collage of its expression's variety. It's a pleasing album when examined as just something one'd like to listen to as well, as it has a lot of variety, a good flow and it's rather unified despite being a compilation. The four-tracker-soundscape gets a bit dull when the album gets closer to its end and the minimalistic approach wears out a bit as well, so I'm glad the artist didn't make the compilation any longer. I'm not sure how good an image this compilation gives from Cahier's actual albums and their structure as I haven't heard any of them, but it's a good place to start getting acquaintanted with the project in any case.

8- / 10

[Andrew McIntosh]

BARRIKAD We Make Nihilists Smile Again
CD, Phage Tapes, 2011

On this album Barrikad collaborates with three other entities; respectively, Kriminaaliset Metsanhaltijat, Fear Konstruktor and Government Alpha. I was unfamiliar with Barrikad until now and given that this is a collaborative effort it's difficult to know how indicative these pieces are of the project's usual work.
 Having greatly enjoyed Kriminaaliset Metsanhaltijat's cd on Bloodlust and the "NATO" cassette on Triangle I was particularly interested in this collaboration and I'm pleased to report it is not disappointing. Nor is it as over-whelming as those albums, but that's mainly due to the rather dark, more restrained use of sound. Soft filthy hissing, gritty droning, throbbing and grumbling, the sounds of stressed junk being squeaked and rasped, some occasional sounds like bells giving an almost site-recording feel - the piece "Black Hammers" is a collage of dirty electronics and acoustics forced to stew in a pit of dirty fog. Industrial Ambient. Not without intensity but more suffocating than explosive, the visceral grind of collective daily living and existing.
 Fear Konstruktor I haven't followed with any great detail, apart from some material from the RONF label, and don't remember as anything out-standing one way or the other. The piece "Governmentality" seems to consist of a crackling, minimal tone with a nice, gutty depth that is manipulated on intervals, sounding indifferently non-human. There's more going on in the actual tone than any static WN bullshit, fortunately, and the drama is increased when some backwards-masked vocals are introduced. It took me a couple of listens to get the focus of this piece, but when I did I found the covert threatening nature of it appealing. Like "Black Hammers" it is the under-stated, darker, stressed nature of the spiral that works for me. More minimal but with a demand for concentration.
 After the under-statement of the two longer spirals, the harsher burst of "Destroy, Destroy, Destroy" is a contrast. Shrieking, spluttering feedback heralds a crashing, bashing kind of sound that could well be metal through effects, to be joined by additional electronics and so forth. Just good, wholesome Harsh Noise with all the usual elements. Just how much of this is Barrikad? It's very hard to judge as this piece sounds almost entirely like Government Alpha's usual output. In fact, perhaps it doesn't so much contrast as clash with the two earlier works? This piece, using mostly single source, doesn't quite grip the listener as much as the previous pieces, having a suspiciously going-through-the-motions feel to it.
 The liner notes are interesting - lengthy extracts from a book called "The Coming Community" by one Giorgio Agamben. Under titles like "Whatever", "From Limbo" and "Demonic", the writing is part academic, part poetic. More food for thought than can be outlined in a simple music review, although I'm certainly pleased to be pointed to the author Robert Wasler of whom I was previously unaware.
 Phage Tapes have, as usual, released another quality album. Perhaps a little uneven in it's impact, but worth the purchase for the two longer spirals at the least.
 

[Andrew McIntosh]

BACULUM, Ink Fetish
cassette, Phage Tapes, 2011

The already heavily decorated Mr Stoxen tattooed the letters "H" and "N" on both feet, recorded the sound of the event and released that sound on this little ten minute tape. Why not? Well, as a kind of concrete music documentation it could work, but since it's pretty much the same buzz with the occasional extraneous bumping or clacking sound throughout, it would only work as such a documentation. Minimalist, methodical Noise for lovers of tattoo-ing, perhaps, but have to confess it does nothing for me.

[Andrew McIntosh]

REGOSPHERE/CONTENT NULLITY, Claws Of The Witch
cassette, Dumpsterscore Home Recordings, 2011

Say what you will about Facebook, it was certainly effective in getting me interested in this release by following the to-and-fro between Mr Quitter and Mr Reynolds regarding the release, without even trying to make a hype of it. A lot of work has gone into this release and knowing that, I find, does assist with listening.
  Side one is Regosphere's. Beginning with "Like Maggots We Squirm", dark, swirling synth-drones and dark, waving synth hiss elegantly put together to form a kind of dark Industrial sounding spiral that acts almost as an introduction but also works as it's own piece. It leans closely to Death Industrial but with that special kind of doomy psychedelica that Regosphere can manage so well. Very simple, but it's composition pulls it all together and manages to ooze forth the intended mood. It is well complemented by "My Sins Are My Own" - like the previous, having an almost traditional Death Industrial sound, particularly with the use of southern-US-accented fundy Xtian declaiming whatever it is those types like to bang on about as a sample on the first half, followed by incredibly effected vocals (almost not sounding like a voice at all) that rasp "You don't understand, fuck it!/Throw it in the trash/Watch the strength of your mind disappear/Crushed by your ignorance". The music here is sparser, more minimal and background, soft clashes of synth and winding, wiry sounding tone put in a slowly rhythmic manner. Echoes of Brighter Death Now and Attrax Morgue, perhaps even (good era) SPK in a solemn mood.
  Side two is Content Nullity's. "In The Throne Of Her Abhorrence" begins with a very precise sounding drone/tone, mechanical and sharp, with a slowly pulsing single-note sequence. Reynolds' voice is shouting and harsh, somewhat monotonal, though, as he lets the world know of his mix of emotions regarding, it would seem, a prior relationship? "To think I once/Tasted unfathomable pleasures/Had body warmth lavish my skin/Kill me/Kill me/Kill me/Killed by the claws of the witch". A slow, almost-melody comes in when he demands to be killed, adding a sinister, near-Dark Wave-esque feel to the tone as the piece increases the backing distortion and a more Industrial sounding noise-rhythm comes in, yet still very clean and precise. The sounds are built-up, increasing the feeling of frustration and dissolution, before dying down to the opening tones over which "I have found my pink exit" is shouted. It's clear that a lot of attention is placed on the mixing and production, a preference for a clean, tight sound to match the tight composition of the spiral itself. The second piece, "Grief", is a simple, four chord sequence on the keyboard, rather heavily distorted and repeated, aided eventually by a keening wail of effected vocals. The sound of a passing funeral, struck with grief. The manipulation of the delay on the vocals is what keeps it interesting, pulsing echoes rising and dispersing, but I tend to think this particular spiral is dragged out a little longer than it should have been.
  This is a dark album, for those dark moods when you crave darkness. Well composed, perhaps a little too flat in the overall production for mine, but will appeal to those who want something dark yet aggressive.

[Andrew McIntosh]

REGOSPHERE/EXTRAORDINARY PIGEONS, split
cassette and download, Pigeon Coup International, 2011

Starting with the rather lamely titled Extraordinary Pigeons' (seriously, what is that meant to mean?) "Spirits Of The Ice Age", the band incorporate acoustic sounds that are heavily effected and treated. Heavy breathing voice, strident horns and deeply bellowing, plucked strings, lesser identifiable sounds are sparsely and cleverly composed to produce a dark, bleak sounding piece of modern orchestral music. Nicely paced, each sound has its own room to make it's own mark and interact with the others. It's grim and evocative - one can, at least, understand the choice of the title. The sounds move like pictures against a blackened background, like cave paintings in a cavernous space barely lit by fire. It moves through phases, bringing out and introducing the various elements in a controlled yet naturally flowing composition. The "folk-drone" sound of the final third of the piece is almost triumphant, after the bleakness of the darker moments, summoning the sun to break the ice and let life breath again. This is a successful and enjoyable piece.
  Putting the pressure on Regosphere, Mr Quitter acquits himself well, beginning with "Nervous Reaction", a burbling and growling synth track brings a full and satisfying crumble upon which, scooped like sludge, higher pitched synth sounds dive and rise, breaking into white sound hissing and confused buzzing. After the mass of confusion sounds are then stripped down to their barest, allowing the less sludgy but no less filthy buzzing and creaking to succeed the one after the other. The sound is full and direct and nicely messy. Following with "Analog Swamp (Born In The Slime)", Regosphere gives us a higher-pitched, nastier sounding squall of squealing and pulsing synths trying to induce headaches in the listener. Rhythmic and attacking, it's a singularly aggressive piece of Industrial inspired Noise.
  Good, well made and highly listenable pieces and a decent contrast between artists makes this a desirable album, and if you get the tape you get the download for free.
 

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Gorgonized Dorks / Paregorik - Noize Combat Split
Label: Jerkoff Records
Format: MC
Year: 2011

Direct link to the review
Release info

Gorgonized Dorks is a noisecore-duo that isn't afraid of experimentation, as was already proven on their split with xAOAx. This time their two tracks could be described as spacey noise, which explains why they're teamed with two songs from the Czech experimental noise-artist Paregorik (interviewed here).

GxDx's opener mixes long loops of spacey synths together with digital-sounding and more intrusive high-pitched signals to create a feeling of witnessing a massive gadget from some old sci-fi-movie slowly being destroyed. The signals and bleeps are backed with irregular bursts of harsh and grainy noisiness, which makes the song sound more underground. "Telemetry..." is a well over ten minutes long song which doesn't really evolve, it just mutates and pulsates forward without really going anywhere. The switching balances of lower-pitch white noise and the cleaner (although muffled) high-pitch sounds create the variation for the track. I'm not too sure what to think of it; it's not too noisy or invasive, but it's surely noisy, experimental and even bizarre, and the overall soundscape is enjoyable. I would've expected more violence from it, but then again the song might be more interesting this way; not an attack, but a description of something mysterious and intimidating.

Similarly to the opener, "Of Silverfish and Jazz" sounds like it's an old and lost recording that's been dug up from it's grave under rocks and dirt, where its soundscape has received a coating of muffled and grainy hiss. The song is more structured and less massive than the opener, and its balancing between the sci-fi-effects and harsh noise is used more creatively to create a switching and evolving balance of the two opposites. The song is a bit minimalistic, but the sounds have such an amount of character that it doesn't matter. I wish "Of Silverfish..." would've been longer, as now it has been enslaved to primarily work as GxDx's outro-song for their massive piece of droning harsh noise and retro-electronics. If the songs were more equal in length, they would've made a nice stand-alone tape EP.

"Feel the Pyramid" by Paregorik sounds suspiciously musical after the GxDx-side, but only for a fading moment. The opening song consists of layers of harsh electronic noise that's backed by some fleshy bass guitar-notes, which explains why the song sounds so "musical" at first - even though the bass is pretty well buried under the noise. The electronic wall of distortion receives some additional character and violent qualities by some microphone-feedback, and it truly gives an ear-shredding counterbalance to the bassiness, and also makes the track more varying due to its unpredictability. There might be some bits of really distorted vocals here and there, too, but I'm not too sure if that specific sound is human or not. Nonetheless, it fits. I think the bass sounds too soft and fleshy in comparison to the cold and shredding electronics and it doesn't please my ears the way it should, but on the other hand it makes the track more personal, bold and even perverse.

The song "Out of Oil" uses the same elements, but clearly aims for fiercer results. The bass is so buried under all the rhythmic electronic pulse that it mostly serves as a flash of a living mass between all the grain, and it truly works better this way. It's a simple song, a harsh noise wall, but the source sounds make it interesting and worth a few spins, for sure. Nothing new, but something usual done with style and a personal touch. This song convinced me that I need to find out more about Paregorik, as it seems to have an interesting approach towards harsh noise.

This one's for the fans of experimental lo-fi noise. Love it or hate it, but the release is justified either way, even if it's not a "future classic" or anything shiny or spectacular - it's "merely" experimental underground filth, as you can see right from the dull DIY cover arts.

7+ / 10

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Mucophiliac Narcolepsy - 98 Tracks Demo
Label: Bizarre Fetus Organization
Format: MC
Year: 2011

Direct link to the review
Release info & samples

Mucophiliac Narcolepsy is a parallel solo-project of Hippycrack. This is the project's second demo, and I'm glad to say it takes the debut demo's mixture of noisecore-bursts, more traditional noise and lunatic nonsense even further - and does it in a shorter time, too.

The tracks on side A are two to four seconds long bursts of noisecore. The used instruments include a cymbal, a snare, a guitar and a bass guitar, a toy synth and some really muffled vocals. The fleshy bass seems to make some actual bits of riff, but otherwise the songs are a full-on mess. The synths give the songs quite a bit of character and a lightweight feel which balances out the chaos, making the songs form something deeper and more bizarre. A pleasing and surprisingly original-sounding listen, for sure.

The B-side is more bare, with only a guitar, muffled howls and growls, a cymbal and a snare. The songs are overall more traditional than on side A: simply, they're all two-second long bursts of hasty guitar abuse a'la Deche-Charge with blurry nonsense vocals, and they follow each other in a rather steady pace provided by the sole cymbal. It's not a too interesting bunch to listen to due to the steadiness and predictability, but doesn't get to annoy the listener either. More lunacy would've been needed to create an effect, be it either a positive or a negative one. The closing sixth minute presents something different entirely; it consists of cheesy and cheap synth-beats and -notes backing a sped-up sample of someone talking. It's louder than the actual noisecore-part, but otherwise is serves as a bold and fittingly bizarre outro-like, and gives the B-side more meaning and originality.

The tape makes no sense, but it's not meant to either. If the project keeps on producing as quality lunacy as the A-side presents, humouristic or not, I'll surely be obtaining its future releases for my listening pleasure as well. "98 Tracks Demo" is a good purchase due to its compact lenght and bold attitude, but it would've needed to be even more outrageous to leave a permanent scar on its listener.

7+ / 10