7", appears to be heavily underrated. Although stuff gets released, it never gets such reaction that albums get. People most often complain they don't bother to listen such a short releases. Bored to flip sides every 3-8 minutes etc.
I personally consider 7" one of the absolute best ways for
active listening. To pick up specific item, put it on turntable in moment you want to hear that specific item. I actively listen this short dose of sound, what in best releases is not just random cut of noise blast, but focused compact song. Possibility for quick re-play instantly.
I realize all people don't like flipping stuff, and they want also longer album length pieces, but nevertheless, there seems to be too big lack of appreciation for 7"s. Literally thousands of great 7"s appears to disappear into total void of lack of interest. Cult bands absolute best items remain "collectibles", but otherwise...
So I was thinking, if there is hundreds of 7"s that never get noticed anywhere, not even in form of few short comments, why not start project of active listening. Investigate through pretty much entire collection of 7"s. To start this, I picked up semi-random 20 7"s from my collection, and thought I'll go through them in one day. But no. Ended up listening each 4 7"s (of this first post) 3 or more times. Always just skipping back on beginning of side. But even more this proved myself why I should just go through my entire 7" collection.
I like to connect the dots. I like ability to compare levels of achievements of bands. Not only listen stuff that is good or great, but build larger perspective of things that have happened or are still happening. To limit view (for some time) strictly for overlooked format, may give interesting angle, and perhaps few recommendations will get new homes for hidden jewels that are these days found criminally cheap from online marketplaces...
LIZ GIZZAD "Woodstock Burning / Deep Sea" 7"self financed
1997 UK noise rock of some sort. File together with Ramleh, Cosmonauts Hail Satan, Splintered and such. One side heavy drum beat, even heavier distorted bass riff, lots of guitar noise on top. Other side far more focused on floating free form drones, including synth and painful guitar feedback. Some cymbal crushing. Epic stuff. Both sides great and different!
AUBE "Monochordattune" 7"
Gender-less Kibbutz
1996. Using metal wires as source, Aube does what he used to do. Slow building sonic arts, where abundance of looping and effects malform the original sound source. Layer after layer - generally ending to merely 3 different active sounds being adjusted at once. You can recognize metal wire sound very well, especially on a-side. Both sides start slow, build more tension, but despite distortion used in some elements, it never becomes NOISE.
AFRICAN NOISE CORPORATION "Nelson In Sun City" 7"Robben Island Records
supposedly african label distribute by MDP but it was his own sublabel. Don't know who ANC is, and this ltd 111 copies 7" has remained pretty much mystery what hasn't appeared to interest too many people. It sounds like someone in germany, who isn't that far from methods and style of Irikarah or such. One side quite typical heavy electronics and another side much noisier with buried vocals, fierce feedback/electronics and could be even something what Prurient later did. Not bad, but when label appeared with kind of utmost gimmick only, putting out mostly obscure side projects, it had artificial feel to it. Shortly lived 2001-2002. I'm missing Materialschlacht and Kampfgruppen Der Arbeiterklasse 7"s, but as at least one is A Challenge of Honour side project, not sure wether I need them.. Any comments anyone?
ANEMONE TUBE / TENDER LOVE split 7"Innerspace Records
There was also split tape of these two, what was perhaps 2nd release of AT? Anyways, this also very early in his discography. 1998 recordings. Assuming 4 tracks in use, where feedback drone, waving keyboard tone, distorted noises and some clanging sounds blend together in kind of amateurish way compared to what Anemone Tube does these days, but in other hand, timeless feel. Would be hard to really say what exact decade or moment this material belongs to. Noisy, but not noise. Droning, but not easy drone. Not plagued with computer editing, not limited by ultra primitivism. Pretty nice.
Tender Love appears like the type of bands who didn't interest many, and therefore method was doing splits with people. He fits well to this split as approach is quite similar. Effected vocals, rumbling electronics & noises, but evading all the easy categories. Except that it isn't too good. Just sort of experimental bedroom noise. This was pressed 500 copies back in 1999 which now expectedly put this into category of "grab it from discogs for 2usd"...
MANON ANNE GILLIS / G.X. JUPITTER-LARSEN "Encored Dust" 7"Noisepoly
Two version of track, from 1994, 1995, released in 2000. Very nice, yet of course simple structure what hides inside it a lot of subtle detail. Basically what you hear is nice organic noise. Broken glass, dust, dirt, junk sounds. One track is more static and mid-tone works while other has wide spectrum of sound. Gimmick on this 7" is that both tracks are on both sides. Meaning, "both tracks are featured as two distinct pieces interlaced together as double parallel grooves on both sides of the record." So you drop the needle on different groove, it plays through entire side with one song. Drop it to different groove and it plays though same side, but different track.
This certainly would work for some fans of TNB etc. More complex piece is this, I believe 1995 then....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhODKwGqPmI
