PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[minimal.impact]

Currently waiting for a cyclone to bear down on the QLD coast, so thought I'd go over some recent acquisitions and older tapes. Just a few notes on each, also testing a new player which is surprisingly decent for a cheap unit when paired with headphones.


Dead Door Unit / Infibulation - Dead Door Unit / Infibulation CS (Detachment Programs 2023)

First proper time I've heard either project (on physical media, not just a Youtube upload), the DDU side has a nice variety of stuff going on with all the usual clangs, crumples mixed with that recorded hot sound. There's a good bit of down time here too to help everything flow, these quiet bits are equally as interesting to listen to.

Infibulation follows with some reverby (mic) feedback-as-instrument, accompanied by staccato percussive "stuff" on the first track. Other tracks include carefully phreaked-out electronics, and finally slowing down the vibes once it reaches a more traditional PE palette towards the end of the run time.

SBTDOH - Other Rooms Of The Mind (Shrouded Recordings, 2020)

Got the full colour printed version of this which makes it easier to fully appreciate the signifiers at play in the sounds. The first side is a set from the 2020 NorCal Noise Fest which was stream only that year, and it's subtle but you can almost hear the lower bitrate. On a side note, I've come to have a sort of nostalgia for that bitcrushed sound when used in moderation.

Anyone familiar with this project will know what they're in for. There's plenty of samples collaged throughout, which are presumably live mixed and jump around from subject to subject with the occasional section of lucidity. The two tracks on the B side have a clearer sound, and differ from the live one sonically and (at least tangently) in concept.

Outback - Outback (Breathing Problem Productions, 2022)

Nice bit of Australiana export/pre-Ozsploitation allusion, something which is certainly interesting to me when placed in a global noise context. Definite live sound qualities/exploratory approach with lots of synth work in much of the earlier tracks, at times more engaging than not. The later tracks are worth the long walkabout, you're rewarded with a well earned cold one before leaving town.

[Cranial Blast]

Run For Omniphobia - The Mall Of America Suite by label (Detachment Programs)

Listened to this one today and quite a strange one it is. It's along the lines of dark ambient/experimental/musique concrète. This tape certainly has some very strange, but subtle soundscapes. It sounds a bit dissonant at times and kind of like dreamlike to in some profound ways. Certainly a recommended listen for those looking for something noisy, but yet ambient and with some experimental touches.

[Scream & Writhe]

Flatline Construct – Audible Resolve CD-R (White Tapes, 1999)

From the brief two-piece era of Bloomer/Hodgins. One continuous piece split across five tracks (four exactly 10 minutes in length, with a final clocking in at 2:30). There are similarities to what Bloomer is doing now combining static and "moving" sounds/reverb. Not as pronounced in the mixing, but it's noticeable. Relatively laid back overall, almost cosmic in some ways with the delay level increasing as the piece progresses, but always with a harsher distortion undercurrent which still finds moments to bubble up. The sound isn't overly bright, and I'm curious to hear what the tape version is like, if the not-on-label Discogs entry with one owner is to be believed as legit [edit: it's not], as it may benefit from the format's saturation. Either way, a good early entry into the canon, and, while it breathes and sprawls a little more than latter day works, it's cool to hear the sounds and structures still be identifiable as Bloomer. I do notice in the credits that one of Scott Hodgins' roles was "structuring," but according to Bloomer this was all recorded live in one take, so it's unclear what is meant by that credit.

[Theodore]

Smell & Quim / Macronympha - Granny Bangers CS [Bacteria Field]
S&Q side : Have you ever dreamed that you were slave to a bunch of old vixens and they abuse your body ? They do things on you and force you to make things on them. This is the soundtrack of your nightmare. I felt my cock tired, in pain.
Macro side : I am not much familiar with recent Macro output. For some reason i was expecting wall-ish stuff. Quite the opposite. This is active, playful, free-form noise, without caring much. Dirty enough to pair the subject matter and with S&Q. Runs continuous, nice journey. The enjoyable side of the tape. S&Q is 'difficult' .

Awenydd - Calas CS [Purveyors]
My copy on a single-sided C90. Noise murk, synth soundscapes, vocals almost narrative, subtle noises and material in the mix. Hypnotic. Invited me to close my eyes and sink into. Very good tape !

[k.p.g]

YU//F - Clouds Pass Stone Remains (Robert Fuchs)

I have had this cassette sitting up at my mother's house for a while during packing and moving to a new place.  Now that the stress of that is over (I hope! hah.), I can finally dig into this tape I have been waiting so anxiously to hear.  Beautiful work overall to spend the first sunny evening of the spring listening to.  A-Side plays out  in a very somber manner, with some tape murk working its way along, and some slight mangling added in.  Restraint is great here.  B-Side manages to create some weirder atmospheres to start, but eventually gives way to the beauty that this artist has been known to create throughout the years.  I am wondering when a larger edition YU//F will come out, as I think this is an act that will continue to go criminally underrated until such a release comes along.

Diagram:A - Untitled (Ultra Sound Probe Transducer)

Did not expect a spiritual revival of Sound Probe to be on the tables for 2025!  It is a welcomed one though.  Packaging is as raw and disgusting as ever, which is had me excited to check the actual sound.  I own some older Diagram:A discs, and they are amongst the LOUDEST pieces in my collection.  This one actually ended up sounding closer to the YU//F tape than intended!  Creepier zones of restrained synth make you feel trapped inside the machine they come from.  There are some rats scurrying about, maybe a wasp's nests.  Yet by the time you find a home in this filth, it starts to have some blissful comfort to it.

[death.appeal]

I caught up on a bunch of Malignant releases missing from my collection recently, and so can say the following about these two, at least:

URSCHMERZ - Death Hypnosis CS
Immensely oppressive, barren, ominous dark ambient/death industrial. I don't play tapes much these days, but this has got about 10 goes around in the last month or six weeks. I can't think of any direct comparisons, but a near-enough reference point could be early '90s Lustmord filtered through the same era of Brighter Death Now, but with a clearer, slightly more hi-fi production (not a complaint in this instance). Deep, distorted drones; distant rhythmic pulses; wailing, creeping synth.

SEKTOR 304 - Soul Cleansing CD
Likely no stranger to many here - old-school industrial clearly and proudly influenced by Kollaps-era Einstürzende Neubauten, early Swans, SPK etc. - just really well done, and somewhat of a rarity to find an industrial "band" ending up with such a focused effort that doesn't go down the more conventional rock-rooted arrangement path. Buzzsaws, clanging metal, distorted yells, pulsing bass, tastefully textured noise.

[ConcreteMascara]

SEKTOR 304 - Soul Cleansing CD
Likely no stranger to many here - old-school industrial clearly and proudly influenced by Kollaps-era Einstürzende Neubauten, early Swans, SPK etc. - just really well done, and somewhat of a rarity to find an industrial "band" ending up with such a focused effort that doesn't go down the more conventional rock-rooted arrangement path. Buzzsaws, clanging metal, distorted yells, pulsing bass, tastefully textured noise.

An album that never gets old for me.

[Mattias G]

Isn't it different recordings on the vinyl and CD versions of the Wolf Eyes/Prurient - The Warriors release? Or maybe I mixed them up with some other recordings?

[k.p.g]

Isn't it different recordings on the vinyl and CD versions of the Wolf Eyes/Prurient - The Warriors release? Or maybe I mixed them up with some other recordings?

The CD version contains a second Wolf Eyes track.  Prurient side remains the same throughout both.

[k.p.g]

Smegma & Wolf Eyes - Smegma & Wolf Eyes (American Tapes)

They should've named the sides "Smegma & Wolf Eyes" at that point.  Good collaboration to hear for a morning commute.  I have always thought of Smegma as "city music;" something about the mixture of sounds they got cooking around.  This one was going as the sun was starting to emerge for the day. 

[Phenol]

An ultra classic and possibly my favourite album of all time: SPK - Information Overload Unit. Original LP with the black cover. Not a bad moment on this one!

After that the new GO will be on again, this time on CD.

[Cranial Blast]

Dead Body Collection - I Am In Hell tape by Trapdoor Tapes.

Received this tape in the mail today from an online order from Overuse distro in Tasmania. I was attracted to cover of cenobite sadist "pinhead" and I was curious to hear what this tape would sound like, especially after having picked up some other tapes by this HWN entity and I got to say I quite enjoyed this one and perhaps my favorite Dead Body Collection tape. From sides A to sides B, is a wall of torture and pain, it's almost like what I was coming to expect in a way, but I wasn't expecting some of the great Hellrasier samples from the both Hellraiser and Hellbound to be present on the recording, in which some samples were present just adding further to this ominous wall of being tortured for all eternity. Tapes like this one, definitely rekindle some HWN interest for me. This tape definitely delivered some hellish moments under a wall monolithic static, under sadistic punishment! ALL HAIL LEVIATHAN...LORD OF THE LABYRINTH!

[FreakAnimalFinland]

SNUFF "VI" CD
F&V
I was given advance recording of this to check out and comment. Of course I gave honest feedback, with main message being "you can do better!", haha.. It wasn't meant too critical or malicious, but simply notion that Snuff has probably their best album since 2nd full length -almost-, but just that little notch of saturation of last punch was missing from some of the tracks. Little adjustments later, even if they were really small, they now make me conclude: Best Snuff album since the early days!  If you had hard time without endurance test of previous album, this one is disturbing and fierce, but with its 9 songs and plenty of variation, it is not merely endurance test, but actually power electronics to be listened to - frequently!

[k.p.g]

Various Artists - Horrifying Benign Existence (Easy Listening)

A compilation of some old  & new lo-fi jammers from what I assume is all Michigan-area stuff.  While some of it falls more firmly into "electronic" music realm than noise, it is very good!  B-Side has much more hazy passages of deep synth; perfect for sitting down midday to.

Evil Moisture - All Bone Shockers (Chocolate Monk)

Andy Bolus in fine form here.  Some tracks were recorded on a field trip to a "supposedly haunted castle?"  I am sure there are some stories to tell surrounding that one.  Anyways, this one so far has a lot more oscillator work than I may have anticipated initially.  Let's see how the rest of it turns out.

[Theodore]

Fermenta - Our Gift To You CS [Chemical Independence] : When you see an unknown name / release in a distro list, do you search, do you ask ? Not that often, eh ? Me neither, but some things just 'smell' good. So I did the work. And got my reward. What is Fermenta ? The swedish answer to BLJ. Supergroup. Here we have their first session. ~ 60min. And the title is a good description. Only con is the poor packaging but when I am receiving good gifts I don't care about their wrap around. Noise is the gift. Satatuhatta still has it, or try at the source https://chemical-independence.blogspot.com/ . Not convinced ? OK. Johansson and Nystrand are members of the group with 3 more guys. Now ?

Heppakirjat - Free Wheelin CS : Rural industrial noise from Finland, 'physical' , what's not to like ?! Above I told about packaging. The hand-made J-Card here is noteworthy beautiful. That's how I like my tapes. I contradict myself in just a few sentences, but I am both right.