Quote from: Yrjö-Koskinen on December 20, 2019, 11:17:31 PM
JAAKKO VANHALA - Cuts of Grace, 3" CD
Vanhala's stuff continues to combine harsh inaccessibility with Haloo Helsinki smash hit qualities in a way I find difficult to fathom. This is not something you would ever consider recommending to an "outsider" showing some interest in industrial music; it is relentless, violent, cut to pieces. If you're already in the game, however, it can't really get much better than this. You have the incoherent, aggressive energy of japanoise, yet somehow made more European by a somehow punkish maltreatment of electronics and metal scraps. Almost-but-not-quite digital noise pulses mesh with shitty delay, only to be broken up by feedback and whatever else herra Vanhala deigns to dream up. The production is extremely clear and well mastered, yet the atmosphere retains a clear touch of rural Finnish rape basement. The absence of faux analog fetishism and the high production value coexists uncomfortably but effectively with rough and tumble, improvised noise cacaphony. Absolutely spectacular. I have absolutely no idea why this is still available from the label (Freak Animal).
Maybe foreign people don't get the Haloo Helsinki reference, haha. One could say it's harsh noise with Lana Del Rey production values? Reason why it is still available, like the rest of the 3"s that came same time, was that I pressed all half more copies than I did for first batch of 3"s (Sick Seed, Umpio, Mania). Material of each project felt strong and I know none of projects is releasing material frequently so... Grunt, Vanhala, Worth and Selected Killing might be available a bit longer.
DETRIMENTIAL EFFECT "Your Truth" CDTesco
Good heavy electronics from the contemporary scene. It has it's advantage and disadvantages. Basically it does everything else well, except having its own voice. So getting well done heavy electronics album and liking what I hear. Yet one can't really say that there would be any songs that stood out in a way that it could be concluded to be his own style of doing things.
CONTROL "The Abattoir" CDOld Captain
As opposite of this. CD is collection of old rare works. Pretty much instantly, when Control started, he had his own voice. You put this CD on your player, hit the play, and if you know Control, you will recognize the sound, the atmosphere, the way he composes material. The way he layers things and processes vocals and so on. This has not been imitated by anyone. Nobody else really does it like Control does. While ago listened handful of his Ant-Zen CD's. It is clear man has had vision and skills to put that into reality since very early on.
STRAIGHT ARM SALUTE "Teachings of Traditionalism" CDEuropa Erwache
Right wing extremist industrial, that has this element that it could easily been WarCom label related. Instead it has been published by label mostly known for putting out RAC titles. There is the same clumsiness and oddity that many WarCom label bands had. Martial beats on drum machines. Awkward electronic sounds. Movie samples from famous movies and actors you recognize. In times when all the martial industrial is so well done, they remind of movie soundtracks, SAM seems like fresh blow from deepest corners of underground. From artistic or technical point of view very very clumsy. Certainly not for people who dislike clear politics in music.
BIZARRE UPROAR "Lily the flesh" LPAsrar
Literally ages ago, IOPS was planning for VHS themed compilation tape. It was meant for guys who actually took part of the VHS trading circles and collected stuff. Bizarre Uproar was also invited and he started recordings based on this particular VHS, using it as part of source for sounds. Not only recording became way more than requested 5 minutes, it became so good, that BU decided to put out material as it's own tape. Set was also performed live in Lahti years ago. There is plenty of variation in BU's output. This is one release that stands out with it's eerie droning quality. It's really killer release, and could have been rated as "album" if you ask me.
Bizarre Uproar later recorded track again for VHS themed compilation for IOPS. More than half decade later, it still waits for completion. It includes also track from MANIA. Surely will get finished at some point!
YANNICK DAUBY & HITOSHI KOJO "La vie dans...." 10"Substantia Innominata
Very good material. Somewhere between drone and perhaps even sounds one often associates with ritual music. Hard to decide if the physical sounds have odd percussive quality, or if they are just something one could file under "electro-acoustic composition", hah.. Listened this many many times.
MICHAEL NORTHAN "Suhina" 10"Substantia Innominata
Minimalistic and subtle drone release. Also several times spinning on turntable, but less memorable than title above.
CONTROLLED DEATH "Ritualistic Mutilation in the Bloody Darkness" 2LPUrashima
First time Urashima doing regular full color gatefold cover. Photos of skulls and skeletons all over. At the same time I appreciated that it's not just series of black & silver stuff, but then in other hand it was nearly as if this wasn't even Urashima title, haha.. Nevertheless, I do hope he will use this type of covers for bands who have their own design ideas. Less black & silver and tamplate designs.
Controlled Death - I guess I have said pretty much everything what there is to say. It recycles the same idea since beginning and there is seemingly no progress or change. When you got short clips of improvised synth death industrial and buried vocal patterns, and every "track" is like sketch, with no beginning, no end. Just starts in middle and ends as abruptly as started, like from click of pause button... Well, I could say I have enough of Controlled Death now. Next time probably will skip. Not because it would be shitty, but I can easily re-listen previous works unless he will come up with new ideas.
MO*TE "anti is anti is anti" tapeNew Forces
Technological changes are what has changed MO*TE sound, but not that much. In it's core, we got the same spirit now that there was. Japanese home recording harsh noise. Some more audible rhythm here occasionally. Mostly harsh noise without gimmicks. Just doing good "harsh noise for limited tape" type of stuff!
MERZBOW "De-Soundtrack" CDSlowdown Records
1986-87 recordings mastered from cassette tape in 2018. Noisy experimental collages. Really good stuff. Hit instantly and listened this several times.
MERZBOW "Merzbeat" CD
MERZBOW "Dead Zone" CDas opposed to these two. Merzbeat was lame. Was almost pushing stop in middle, but decided to give it a chance. Well, not going to keep that disc. Pretty useless. Dead Zone is 2011 works focusing on nuclear power. Released by Quasi Pop from Ukraine, recorded while Fukushima incident was happening. Chernobyl / Fukushima connection is there, as well as noise is vastly better than Merzbeat. But is it good by Merzbow standards? If you compare to De-Soundtrack, this ain't too good. It is different. It is software era and despite it is quite good on that, it is like shadow of the best days. It is good enough to keep as reminder of this era of Merzbow. Reminder that I don't need more of that really. Even when approaching material with intent to want to like it, specific qualities of material just reminds it is unlikely to happen. Still looking for bunch of older titles I never had, so there is work to be done in collecting Merz..
