Knaekkede Stemmer "Forste Portraet (Et Hult Menneske)" LP (Jartecknet, 2013)
Knaekkede Stemmer "Andet Portraet" CS (Lust Vessel, 2015)
Knaekkede Stemmer "Marts (Musik For Dod Akustik)" CS (Total Black, 2015)
Knaekkede Stemmer "Usagt" CS (Alien Passengers, 2015)
This project, to me, is Alleypisser following a name-change rather than something entirely on its own, although I'm almost sure Mikkel Rorbo would disagree. Anyway, I expected I'd like this at least as much as Alleypisser, and on a good day, I probably like it more. The project seems to have a reputation as more minimal than the former name, but most tracks feel like they have the same amount of content and level of movement to me. I'd say that this is a "matured" Alleypisser, as far as atmosphere, technique, and composition are concerned, although I fucking hate using that goddamned word.
Yep, most tracks center around the tried-and-true formula of clanking metal, oscillating synth drones, and occasional surprise elements, all treated via Rorbo's signature tape echo and with a charming decay/degradation that folks like me eat up with a spoon. While I couldn't listen to more than a few Alleypisser releases in one day (after a while they'd all bleed together and I'd get distracted/bored), Knaekkede Stemmer has a noticeably more "musical" quality that emphasizes space and timing in a more deft and exact way than the previous moniker. The thing is, it's not the sound that's different, it's the feeling. I know, that's a dumb and lazy avoidance of an explanation, but it's my honest reaction. Alleypisser had something a bit melancholic and even dark to it, while the current incarnation is only incidentally so. Here, things feel more serene, dare I say peaceful? Hmm, more like "at rest." Alleypisser was troubled and troubling while Knaekkede Stemmer is resigned and detached.
Regarding actual sound specifics, though, I've read more than a few instances wherein folks simply weren't that impressed with the minimalism of the project, which I can't blame them for. Unless you enjoy paying active attention to sometimes very quiet and calm sounds, very little happens for long spans within each track. The details are what seem to impress me the most; the way you can tell when a pitch speed knob was tweaked slightly, or when the tape echo gets a bit awkward and off-kilter. I also like that you can always hear the gaps in Rorbo's loops, it's hard to tell exactly how they're executed, but you know he's got his own crude but somehow sophisticated method. What is really special, though, is the weird details that come in almost as Easter eggs for the listener: late on the B-side of Andet Portraet, there are some unidentifiable, brassy wind-instrument type sounds that are mixed just loud enough to be rather disturbing, like on Aaron Dilloway's "The Beauty Bath." The latter half of "Forste Portraet" is the kind of thing that's almost incidental cinematic music, very evocative and desolate-sounding, reminds me of certain pieces by Richard A. Bosse (questionably labeled as "funeral folk" but basically doing what Rorbo does with acoustic guitar instead of electronics). "Usagt" has some downright weird popping noises that comprise large portions of both tracks, only to give way to manipulated baby cooing and crying (genuinely disturbing!) one one track, with some unintelligible whispering on the other.
Sure, I realize this is way too arty for a lot of people's tastes or even endurance ability, hah, but this is pretty far from the pretension and failed attempts at quirkiness/cuteness you see/hear from certain current popular acts and labels. It's hard to recommend this type of thing to anyone in particular, but all releases so far have been rewarding for someone who wants meditative listening but isn't won over by gimmicks and total monotony. If there's one word I can attribute to the overall effect of listening to the project, it's "stillness." There's nothing here if that doesn't appeal to you. Best (but still distant) comparisons: Alchemy of the 21st Century "Beauty of Aesthetic Imperfection," Massimo Toniutti "Il Museo Selvatico," Richard Bosse "Echoes of the Forgotten" and "III."
