PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[BirdBolt]

Yeah, that new Panicker is a good one. There's a really nice texture under all the ripping on the a-side that's hard to describe. Like a heavily modulated almost robotic howling sound. Really interesting. Fantastic tactile textures all over that release

His other tape from this year is worth a look, too (Deaf Education System Cassette). More great artwork on that one when you unfold it.

One to watch, for sure.

[k.p.g]

Yeah, that new Panicker is a good one. There's a really nice texture under all the ripping on the a-side that's hard to describe. Like a heavily modulated almost robotic howling sound. Really interesting. Fantastic tactile textures all over that release

His other tape from this year is worth a look, too (Deaf Education System Cassette). More great artwork on that one when you unfold it.

One to watch, for sure.

I'm up to date on the discography so far (including that limited-run, Christmas themed tape).  It certainly is promising.

[k.p.g]

Obliquion - Obliquion (I Am Elegant)
Broken, broken, broken, broken, broken, broken, broken SOUND.  Yeah, it sounds like any instrument the artist plugs in is dying on him; synth, radio, mixer, etc.  It is fairly repetitive, as I imagine much of what the artist could muster out of these things is on tape.  As a result, this is a fairly passive/hypnotic listen.  Enjoying it very much as I wait for my coffee to kick in.

[k.p.g]

Crank Sturgeon - Crank Extrapolations in a Sturgeon Plantation (E.F. Tapes)
Made some oatmeal to this tape that my roommate let me borrow.  Solid stuff from this strange fish.  I really like what I have heard of this era of Crank Sturgeon, where it seems like he knows the weirdness factor is essential for him, but the custom build gear is not yet.  As a result, there is plenty of tape creep, guitar noodling and more to be had here.  Newer works still dazzle when I get my hands on them but there is just a darkness to this earlier stuff that resonates more with me.  Of course, it is easy to forget that Crank rips on record when you consider how outrageous of a spectacle he is in the live arena.  That should not be the case though, as tapes like these will slip through the cracks.

Prurient African Division (Hospital Productions)
A quick tape that is good to pop in before a team meeting.  Tops the list of "crap sound" Dom for me.  Also love the packaging of this mid-2000s era of Hospital, between the ripped logo paper across the tape to the stapled packaging.  It makes up for the tape being so short in length.

Government Alpha - Erratic (Xerxes)
Talks of recent Government Alpha seem to suggest that he is actually making the best work of his career nowadays.  I am glad to see the project getting its flowers, as it is deserved.  That being said, I picked up this very old release before tape prices for this stuff jump to unjustifiable amounts with all this recent love.  Upon listening, I wouldn't say people write off these early Government Alpha tapes when talking about his best works.  They are simply a different beast.
On Erratic, you see Yoshida working with a mostly harsh palette, but taking some chances I don't really ever hear on the latest stuff.  For as much as this tape blasts you with the harsh, it also offers plenty of strange moments of field recordings and tape work.  He utilized those sound sources quite well too!  So again, two different but equally great beasts this project has been.

[k.p.g]

Max Julian Eastman - Don't Get Around Much (Not On Label)
One of two new releases that have come out of the Eastman brain trust this summer.  Very nice scrap art to go along with this tape.  What really struck about this release was the overwhelming amount of emotional weight behind this one.  Max is one to reuse and rework and I feel like I have heard most of his most musical ones at this point, including the one that drives a majority of this tape.  The funny thing about reworks though is how placing things into different contexts can alter your view on them.  What I once thought was a "sweet little moment" of a loop has now become the main focus of my attention, and I feel my head welling up with a strong emotion.  Is it love?  Is it nostalgia?  I cannot say.  It feels very good though.  Excellent tape.

[k.p.g]

Robert Fuchs - shutters and anchors (Robert Fuchs)
How lucky are we to receive 2 new releases from the maestro in 2025?  I like the contrast that this one holds to the Usagi release, C.O.T.H.  Whereas that one was a little more sparse and jagged in movement, this one is absolute power all the way through.  The end of the A-Side had my head on a swivel like god. DAMN!  Mixer feedback reaches some punishing highs.  Currently letting the B-Side guide me through a slower but nonetheless mighty current.  I want to take the chance to listen to this one and C.O.T.H. back-to-back some day, as I feel like they will play well off each other.

[k.p.g]

Various Artists - Freak Animal International, Vol. 5 (Freak Animal Records)
This comp was really well-assembled.  Each track flows so well into the other that I had to sit up and check if we were on the same artist.  Not as much harsh noise as it is darker ambient/industrial vibes, although Rautakymi does turn up the volume a bit by the end.  Hard to pick who really delivered the best tracks but I did find myself pretty enamored by the Verikoivu portion a great deal.

Merzbow - Maschinenstil (dualpLOVER)
Gotta note that dualpLOVER made the catalogue number for this one "COQ-ROQ."  Funny little addition from Mr. Abela but it is appropriate.  This one does rock!  First track is just Merzbow in full domination of the mix, collapsing sounds on top of one another and throwing them all over the stereo field.  That Terry Bozzio sample is utilized excellently as well.  It is a joy when Masami makes these more minimal releases where you can pick apart each sound and latch onto them without feeling like you are missing so much in the rest of the track.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Rautakymi debut cd now in pressing. As well as FA int vol 7... and bunch of other stuff. Very last on vol 5 now being sent out and 6 also not huge amount left!

[Cranial Blast]

Rautakymi debut cd now in pressing. As well as FA int vol 7... and bunch of other stuff. Very last on vol 5 now being sent out and 6 also not huge amount left!

Awesome! Definitely looking forward to Raurakymi Debut CD.

[k.p.g]

Good 24 hours of noise being slotted in for jams...

Work/Death - No Workers Paradise (Chthonic Streams)
Was sent a rip of this portion of a larger, 8-tape set to listen to.  Each artist is given their own C60, and I was told that this Work/Death material stands out among his best work.  "What could have been?" is a question that many find themselves asking when this man is brought into discussion.  I think this tape shows what could have been; more environmental sounds that pulsate like cold machinery driving industry.  There are moments of beautiful synth work to be had but you must earn the right to hear it.  With that in mind, I consider the A-Side to be some of his best work across the board.  B-Side did not hold my interest as much but it is still quality stuff.  Wish this could have been a standalone release solely for the fact that I think it is the last Work/Death we will ever hear.  No slight to the rest of the comp, but knowing that makes me wish he got the chance to give this as a definitive "goodbye."

PainJerk - Alchemistry (A.M.P.)
So I had ordered a copy of The Artificial Nerve compilation on Xerxes a few weeks back, and only decided last night that I would put it on.  Now imagine my shock when it turns out this tape is not as long and sounds like only one artist.  What the hell?  Well, it turns out it was PainJerk all along!  I resolve this issue quickly, and will give the tape back to its owner... after another listen.
This is the kind of material that lives up to the hype of 90s PainJerk.  Flashes of harsh synth work mingle with pulsating industrial rhythms that have been churned through the meatgrinder of whatever filter this man uses on this material.  Despite containing rhythm, there is no melody to be found here.  I don't need it though.  This is hellfire on tape and I am here for it.

Aube/Smell & Quim - G-Radiation/The Transubstantiation of the Shit of Christ (Fever Pitch Music)
You think 500 copies actually got made?  Probably not.  Funny to think that is the case though.  Anyways, great split.  Is it just me, or does Aube really pair the best with more humorous acts?  I find his work to be so serious and composed that you need a jab of humor in there to make it feel like you aren't being lectured.  That is where Smell & Quim enter the picture.  There side is such a goofy sideshow of samples and guitar shredding that it makes the Aube side function as this monolith gateway to the carnival.  They play off each other very well here; highly recommend seeking this one out if you can!  It isn't too expensive on the resale market. 
Another good example of Aube playing well with humor is the collab with Cock E.S.P. if you need more beyond this.

[k.p.g]

John Olson & Leo Sabatto - Artista Frustrado (American Tapes)
Today's sounds are totally crude and destroyed (outside of one moment of extreme volume jump).  Sounds stay mostly sparse and repetitive, with some mixer feedback and turntable abuse at play to start.  Slowly but surely, drones and some percussion are introduced.  It's an interesting mix to see these two at it.  I usually associate Leo with harsher works as Armenia but he is sort of working more to the Olson flavor of noise here.  Solid release!  The rip on YouTube has this incorrectly listed as a D.L. Savings T.X. & Armenia collab though. 

[HC]

Violent Shogun - Peace [SATATUHATTA]

I really like this work; I'm listening to this artist for the first time. A very cool composer's approach to noise music with simple but effective techniques. The aesthetics and production are also stunning. I really like this. I'll definitely be getting to know SATATUHATTA further.

[k.p.g]

D.L. Savings T.X. - Live Frying: Composition #25 & 26 = 11/6-7/95 (American Tapes)
Recorded a year before I was born!  Lovely!  This one flips all around the stereo field, ranging from quietly playing out of one speaker to being a full on stereo crush.  Good mix of what sounds like vinyl looping, cannibalized mixers and maybe some horn?  It is always hard to tell when Olson exactly started to incorporate that regularly into his sound.

[k.p.g]

Fricker - Clean Me (Tribe Tapes)
I have played this tape a number of times since receiving my copy last week, highlighted by a recent listen this morning on the way to work.  What Fricker is doing here exists entirely in its own lane; not much I can really compare it to. It's like the sound of man being eaten by a computer.  Is that such a bad visual though? When I think the sound is taking a darker turn, it ends up reaching to beauty.  When I think it is starting to verge on digital/glitch, it brings in some nasty dirge of found sound.  Some parts move at a gradual pace while others are so quick that you may miss them before the impact has landed.  I think repeated listens continue to give shine towards new parts I previously thought nothing of.  Great records tend to do that.
Listening in full is necessary, as this moves like one large piece.  Cannot recommend more.

[k.p.g]

The Gerogerigegege - 45rpm Performance (Dark Vinyl Records)
Taking a plunge into the hijinks of this project is not something I often do.  I know there is plenty good to be had when you filter through the prank releases and everything, but the band's sound varies so widely that I often find myself thinking "eh, I don't even know where I'd start."  Decided to go with this one after it was recommended from listening to a Nihilist Surfin' Group track and I have to say that I am thoroughly impressed.  Sounds like Juntaro is just pressing down on the needles of these two turntables as hard as he can, allowing only explosive spurts of sound to escape.  I was in New York City over the weekend and heard the sound of fireworks coming from the distance of a friend's apartment.  At the time, I had a few drinks in me and muttered "keep 'em comin."  It was a lovely sound!  I didn't get my wish then, but this record is kind of fulfilling it now. 
So yeah! Recommend this record if you like the sound of fireworks/general explosions in the distance.  If there are any other Gero records in a vein similar to this, please let me know.  I would love to check them out.