Hard AF to do an comprehensive list of the top releases of 2024 as i haven't even had the time to check all the interesting ones that has been released during this year but here it comes:
Bizarre Uproar / Grunt - Toinen Iho (Freak Animal)
For me this was a real stunner after i "got" it. Sources mangled into zapping and buzzing starved shape, wonderfully arranged from the beginning to the end. It has this interesting ominous overall feel instead of pure aggression or being overtly sleazy. Real grower of an album.
Hingst - Absolut Hingst (Ominous Recordings)
Hard hitting caveman harsh noise. Double trouble of JSH and Edvin mangling shaker boxes and DOD distortions live to tape. Who needs innovation when regression sounds like this? More loose and "lighthearted" than the JSH cd but equally crushing affair. This album with the Hingst compilation and JSH cd really restored my faith in this certain kind of boneheaded harsh noise!
JSH - Rev 13:6 (Oxen)
High octane harsh noise! Nothing special here but action packed, back-to-basics harsh noise done masterfully. This album really shows that "shakerbox through DOD high gain into overdriven tape deck" kinda approach can work wonders if the artist have the skills and dedication to the cause. And JSH really do have the those skills and dedication! Immaculate sense of microdynamics and soundsculpting with minimal tools are in display here. No chirpy japanoise sounds, no overdubs, no trends, no fun. Like getting pounded by steel fists of doom.
Mogao - Tri-Kaya CS (SATATUHATTA)
Popol Vuh of Finnish Weird Noise. Really bold and evocative tape that really succeeds in combining the rusty, rotten concrete soundscape with the ethereal and divine feel.
Nostoväki - Raudalla ja Verellä CS (Freak Animal)
I'm a sucker for industrial and noise that tackles with the subject of war and it's effects on people and the nations involved, especially the Finnish Winter and Continuation War. Nostoväki takes the Finnish angle on the subject and really conjures the suffocating atmosphere of being in civil protection shelter packed to its rafters during the Russian bombing raid or those eerie silent moments in trenches before the major offensive starts. Peculiar sounding synths whirr, buzz and bubble within the frame created by the room ambience, clattering junk metal and gruff but audible vocals. Not aggressive but immediate and "deep". Super moody industrial music that really resonates within me.
Will update this post during holidays.
