CHAINS OF DEATH COMMAND "Human Waste Music" 7"
F&V / Untergeschoss
If they were harsh before, now even more so. Barbaric noise metal/rock? In what sense? Sonic quality is like contemporary gutter PE, yet music is like non-scene midpaced metal of some sort, with caveman roar vocals. Nothing it tight. Its fierce elements are just ear-sore build on everything being kind of "out of place". Some of the most horrid cymbal sounds drill your ear.
CONCRETE MASCARA "relic of vanity" 7"
F&V / Untergeschoss
Surprisingly stylish artwork for these labels! Looks almost like some modern day American comic books! I listened this like 3 times today, and still have hard time to conclude anything. It follows CM's path further, heavy noise and loosely structured PE. Vocals, electronics, basically the regular elements all here. It doesn't blow my mind instantly, but there is something luring especially in b-side what demands for instant re-play.
(I suspect these above will be out next week)
V/A KOSMOLOKO 2 -LP
Galakt Horro
Huh! Better than #1? Who knows, since it's been so many years since that, but the usual GH set up with: Haus Arafna, Subliminal, Herz Juhning, November Növelet and Hermann Kopp. In usual GH manner, if you wouldn't check out the tracklisting, it could be hard to tell for 100% certainty who is who - except Kopp. Of course NN is sweeter and cleaner than anyone else, of course Subliminal is the hardest and most abstract PE style. Yet still, the style of sounds, vocals, rhythm boxes, effects, the keyboard tones and subtle melodies, and how songs are structured, are like drawing lines into water. Yet its all good. I don't mind. Whole label lives its isolated excellency, crafting side-projects from small nuances, and just when you though the melodic pattern or more aggro distorted vocal assault defines the difference of couple projects - then line is blurred again.
Charming rotten and saturated analogue sounds, yet sharp, clean and tight mixing, so nothing becomes blurry mess. Each sharp drum machine beat and synthesizer oscillation can be heard - including their tasty reverb drenched spices. Style what GH bands are exceptionally good in using. Meaning that effects are not constantly on, but reverb may be applied on selected beats, vocals, or electronics once in a while, with perfect results. There is this melancholic tone and vibration in almost all the sounds. Packaging and presentation, guaranteed work.
KAY LAWRANCE "Gills Cut Into Women" LP
Urashima
Uh... do I dare to say total shit? It is The Rita + Alo Girl and "using water as source".. but it sounds like some of the laziest crackle-studies I've heard. Powerless, emotionless, crackling distortion.
JOSH LAY "Rotted Afterlife" LP
Urashima
4 long tracks of experimental electronics. Deep sounds and slow moving backgrounds combined with variety of other elements. Sometimes damaging high pitched electronics. Sometimes additional layer of electronic pulsations or echoes feedbacks. There is something suffocating in its approach, yet I feel LP is maybe slightly exaggerated for material like this. It's lacking some real compositional skill. Often layers appear to operate with no real aim. Especially audible it is in final track which calms down, but unlike 3 noisier tracks before it, is even more routine job. Not bad album, but certainly not to-be-classic.
