PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[Andrew McIntosh]

OWL - Tapes 97-99 CD
I think anyone into noise, but not that HARSH noise, should get this. There's a very pleasing warm and soft, yet textured quality to it. Kinda like a perfectly soft but firm old pillow. Not available in too many distros BUT It's super cheap on discogs!

This is a good little album and to my ears has a certain harshness. Seems to me it's the last track, "CRPS", that lowers the grating down a little and stretches the sounds out a bit more. Previous couple of tracks sound to me like feedback fiddling. It's certainly one of the more interesting Freak Animal releases.

[MHK]

I thought OWL was made with radio noises only but may be wrong. It's been a while since I've listened to it. Last I heard from the guy he played in a reggae band, but that was a few years ago.

Off with the gossip and let's see the playlist:

Will Over Matter - Lust for Knowledge CD
I haven't heard every WOM release out there, but most of them, and this is my favourite. Tracks are generally shorter than on many of his other releases and seem better structured and thought out. Quite unique noisy experimental electronics, usually with rhythms and different vocal styles. Is there anyone else who does same kind of stuff?

[Andrew McIntosh]

Is there anyone else who does same kind of stuff?

That's a very good question and I hope the answer is no. WOM, to me, are one of the more original projects around, and fuck knows this scene needs it.

"Blades Sharpened Again", from that particular release, is a particular personal favourite. I greatly appreciate that kind of "PE-in-conventional-song-structure" sound. The only comparison that comes to mind is Deutsch Nepal's "Alchohology Superior" (another personal favourite little "tune"), and it's probably not much of a comparison, sound-wise.

[Commander15]

HAUDAT - s/t cs (self-released 2022)

One of my personal favorites from the year 2022. Primitive, strange noise. Not obscene in any sense of the word but... peculiar! It has been compared to Capers but Haudat is lot more "physical" in its approach, as there seems to be some contact mic damage thrown in? Not sure, i might be talking outta my ass with this one. Curious sounds of defective electronics and strange, slightly melancholic and still atmospheres. Something very profoundly Finnish in this short but sweet tape.

[Fistfuck Masonanie]

Government Alpha - Snakes and Ladders c46 / CD [Xerxes/Freak Animal/Industrial Recollections]

Man, does this one just fucking kill? If I had to choose one recording from the all-mighty Yoshida Yasutoshi, this just might be it. I was lucky enough to score an original tape copy from Mr. Alpha himself through email correspondence in the early 2000s and it truly changed my world. One of the first noise artists I discovered, and to this day, one of my favorites, and in my opinion, the most consistent throughout the years. I think I got this, the Alphaville LP, and the Ground Fault CD "Sporadic Spectra" around the same time.

I'm actually currently listening to the CD version on the Xerxes box set, reissued by Audio Dissection and Industrial Recollections. It sounds so pristine on the CD and I'm thrilled to have this classic preserved in another format.

The perfect blend of harsh and "psychedelic" sounds. The cover art is one of my favorites as well.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

PRIMITIVE WINGS "Slow Urge" tape
Satatuhatta
New release from Primitive Wings first appeared like transition from CD to more primitive approach? At least that my first impression when listening tape version. Now out of town and playing first time the digital stream https://satatuhatta.bandcamp.com/album/slow-urge
I have feeling that it may still be notch more primitive in overall feel, but maybe the added punch and saturation of good tape dub was main difference in atmosphere.
Like the CD, this is harsh noise. Most likely if not completely, almost completely live sessions. Live in sense that material is not cut & edited on computer, but something actually played without looking the screen. Each track is short. Barely reaching three minutes. Within that duration, it feels like artists is doing his best to never keep sound still. Despite sound spectrum and the sources or equipment is the same throughout the track, the thing is exactly the constant fast modulation. While this sounds nothing like Incapacitants (in relative terms of harsh noise!), that's what I often think. Sure Primitive Wings is one guy, but the restless fast modulation of harsh noise, that usually happens in couple distinctive level, brings me vivid impression about Incapacitants. Another similarity to best works of the Japanese masters is that Primitive Wings is NEVER about crunchy bass or sub-bass frequencies. Both the CD and this tape do not have that "boomy" quality of over-boosted bass frequencies. Neither it has the constant hiss of digitally clipping high frequencies. It is clearly focused on the sound range where the actual noise information is, as opposed to static frequencies that have always the same-y characteristics. Primitive Wings is absolutely master level noise craft where such easy solutions, like "let's turn it all to max" is rejected. Instead you have the "noise information" so to say, happening on frequencies that are best to hear the frenzy of spastic modulation. 

While all noise is great, I'd still think absolutely great Arising in the Absurd Night -track refers that maybe Primitive Wings has further unclaimed territory to conquer in form of this type of rugged yet atmospheric material? Album of that type of thing, would be very welcomed. Same came to my mind when listening couple of the "calmer" track openings on the CD!

[FreakAnimalFinland]

The Day Of The Antler "Love Beyond Love" tape
Satatuhatta
I suppose this is the biggest edition of The Day Of The Antler releases. Even previous CD was merely edition of 100. You may or may not find that from NHFASTORE or Satatuhatta store, but if it is there when you read this, I'd absolutely recommend to grab it! For the private tapes, you need to get hold of artists and not sure if they are available anyways.
I don't know has it been intention, but project certainly seems like it has been only for Finnish audience. Selling hand-made packaged tapes at gigs, or to those who know where to ask. Only interview I know of, has been Finnish language audio (podcast). His sound has been described to be somewhere between industrial-noise and kosmische synth music. Music being used as vague term. This tape is among noisier ones, and despite he has things like buzzing synth tones and looping machine-esque sounds, there is lots of harsh junk noise clatter and such things. If track is titled Scrap Iron Burial Mound, that's pretty much where listened gets buried.    
Contemplating The Brittle Moments Of Happiness with its crackling fire in kiuas and melancholic piano sounds makes you think many recent years Finn piano works included into releases. Palokoro, Nuori Veri, Ahola & Silander, and more...   Then when B-side continues, he hits in more industrial feel, where one could lump this sound closer to Pain Nail or such Finn artists. For me, the B-side is the best side on tape. When he goes into industrial-noise territory and excellent sounds/songs. For fans of "Rural Industrial"!
Tape is already sold out from label, but you can find it from other dealers plus stream is here:
https://satatuhatta.bandcamp.com/album/love-beyond-love

[Commander15]

The Day Of The Antler "Love Beyond Love" tape
Satatuhatta
I suppose this is the biggest edition of The Day Of The Antler releases. Even previous CD was merely edition of 100. You may or may not find that from NHFASTORE or Satatuhatta store, but if it is there when you read this, I'd absolutely recommend to grab it! For the private tapes, you need to get hold of artists and not sure if they are available anyways.
I don't know has it been intention, but project certainly seems like it has been only for Finnish audience. Selling hand-made packaged tapes at gigs, or to those who know where to ask. Only interview I know of, has been Finnish language audio (podcast). His sound has been described to be somewhere between industrial-noise and kosmische synth music. Music being used as vague term. This tape is among noisier ones, and despite he has things like buzzing synth tones and looping machine-esque sounds, there is lots of harsh junk noise clatter and such things. If track is titled Scrap Iron Burial Mound, that's pretty much where listened gets buried.    
Contemplating The Brittle Moments Of Happiness with its crackling fire in kiuas and melancholic piano sounds makes you think many recent years Finn piano works included into releases. Palokoro, Nuori Veri, Ahola & Silander, and more...   Then when B-side continues, he hits in more industrial feel, where one could lump this sound closer to Pain Nail or such Finn artists. For me, the B-side is the best side on tape. When he goes into industrial-noise territory and excellent sounds/songs. For fans of "Rural Industrial"!
Tape is already sold out from label, but you can find it from other dealers plus stream is here:
https://satatuhatta.bandcamp.com/album/love-beyond-love

This tape is really good. I'd recommend to grab it ASAP while it is still possible .

[FreakAnimalFinland]

STAR "Elephant in the snow"
Hospital productions
In the harsh noise scene, all the boys talking about it. Didn't listen anything online before, nor got any of the (small edition?) tapes. Waited to get the CD from Hospital but now being out town and relying on internet streams, I decided to go for it. In deed, this is very much in lines of 90's tape noise and the new weird noise you hear about. Very primitive sessions full of tape saturation and often long tracks that keep on going often way longer than would be necessary. The spirit of 90's "let's fill this tape!" -method. Lots of odd music clips looped and fucked with, nasty feedback, everything blown up like OVMN or KADEF or something like that. Most likely just turning gain all the way max and using low grade tapes to get sound ultra saturated and messy.
Elephant In The Snow Watching The Airplane, 5 minute slowly waving feedback noise track that is almost like if OVMN played Ferial Confine with some rotating simulating effects.

Basically, nothing overly weird in it, but just noise like noise used to be before it was "junk metal noise", "synth noise", "cut up", "hnw" and so on.. Just noise made out of lots of sounds, that often are not just cool but annoying, disturbing and distracting. Always distorted, but never JUST distortion. There is always the sound itself, not shakerbox+pedal type of solutions.
https://hospitalproductions.bandcamp.com/album/elephant-in-the-snow

[FreakAnimalFinland]

WORTH "Penumbral Calypso; Early Garden Walls" tape
Hospital productions
Tape version already sold out, but this can be listened from bandcamp. I also dare to say, the bandcamp may be better to listen as tape had fairly quiet dub. Of course as object tape is nice, both the neat special edition that I got, but also the plastic butterfly pic box kind of thing. Sonically, Worth is already so nicely broken, saturated and crude that it doesn't necessarily need the tape dub. It can benefit from good dub, but the noise itself is already so tasty that it certainly is suitable for CD (or stream/download). There is lots of small things going on, ugly sounds, often also the type of over-blown gain distortion that starts to destroy sound to the point it starts to disappear. Hard to explain, but quality some equipment have. Mixers or tape decks. Not crackling in bad way, not becoming the usual distortion blast, but almost like disintegrating into silence - or kind of staying on the edge of almost doing so. That give material the extra level of brokenness when sounds are never in separate layers, but also multiple layers that there are - are melted into one thing where sounds compete who's on the top, pushing noise into level where things are on fine line of moving forward and disintegrate. There is something very unique in Worth's noise that is hard to articulate. When he was visiting Finland, too bad there was just one gig, 600km away, on thursday night. It would have been nice to see man doing what he does - and check out how it is done! 

https://hospitalproductions.bandcamp.com/album/penumbral-calypso-early-garden-walls

[piisti]

"Slow Urge" from Primitive Wings. I have listened both versions;bc and tape many times now. Other releases also lately, but reason to write it here is high appreciation of this one. After PW cd it is hard to expect this is recorded in same sessions.  This feels much more found diamond from past! This goes to same category with Cuts of Grase and Here be Lions releases from Vanhala.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

When talking with friends about the STAR release, I had to say Max Julian Eastman "Zabriskie/Manor" 3"CD on Satatuhatta feels very much in same category.. but better? Basically better may be merely result of duration of c. 20 minutes means I listened this a lot when it came out and now listened more. I mentioned to label its like Love Boat noise. Not sure if it makes sense to anyone, but when finally actually reading the description that mentions mr. Eastmans music has  dream-like atmosphere that it holds in. It's like a mixture of old beaten copy of action movie VHS and a hazy setting of 80's Playboy photoshoot, rumble and comfort combined.
Indeed, half of the short tracks are like rugged and distorted ... what I described to some friends as love boat moments, and then rest is the rumble of loud input level noise. Never aggressive, always low-tech and primitive. Similar to the STAR CD, they do not clean up any pause button clicks and pops, stop button snaps and hiss and crackles of "silence" of low grade tape. All tracks have the sound artifacts in beginning and in the end. Some of "loops" appears more like pause button & rewind rather than loop? Very crude, very hands-on, but not aggressive or even sense of loudness. Just primitive overdrive in everything.
https://satatuhatta.bandcamp.com/album/zabriskie-manor

Knowing the artists runs the Tribe Tapes, listened from labels bandcamp MOT "Callous" tape. Expecting it will fall into close enough range from Star and Max Julian Eastman. MOT is noise made out of tape loops and amplified objects. I could think of some early works of Altar Of Flies and the handmade feel, broken loops, lo-fi sounds, contact mic'ed crackling distorted sounds of objects. Again, never BLAST of noise. Never aggro. Never impression of shirtless dude kicking table of pedals into ground. Compared to Star, Eastman, Worth.. this particular MOT is not always as solid ear candy as they are, despite use of tape as method of doing sounds, I would not be surprised if final result would not be recorded ON tape. At least many of the sounds are missing that same red-zone magic. It may be also the frequently heard tinny piezzo type of sound. Very good tape nevertheless!
https://tribetapes.bandcamp.com/album/callous

[FallOfNature]

new tape from No Guard on rotation all week

https://divineseverancerecords.bandcamp.com/album/d-p-b

also
Craniophagus - Terrace
Coma Detox - Volatile Debasement

[HateSermon]

new tape from No Guard on rotation all week

https://divineseverancerecords.bandcamp.com/album/d-p-b

Not bad. Last track a highlight for me.

[Fistfuck Masonanie]

Scathing – Flesh Wreckage c20 (Cruel Symphonies)

Scathing is a very consistent artist. No nonsense harsh noise out of Texas. A lot of fast movement and cut-up sensibilities melded with good crunch and texture. The liner notes state, "walkways, hair spray, bad makeup, whisky, chlamydia, and sick guitar riffs looped." Summarizes it nicely. There is definitely some guitar at the start of side A before it ventures into an outright ripper of feedback and distortion. Very much in the vein of "head-banging noise" if such a thing exists, which to me, it does.

Side B is more thrashing, much more cut-up on this side, and lots of vocals sputtered in and out. Has a live set energy feel even though great editing and splicing of sounds, and again, head-banging energy. Beer drinking noise if that makes sense.

Really solid ripper of a tape and never let down by the artist. Grab Flesh Wreckage!

Scathing – Scathing CD (Rural Isolation Project)

c40 tape originally released on Idiopathic Records back in 2019, now reissued on CD by Rural Isolation Project. Man, I loved Idiopathic, wish it was still going. I always found the cover art on this especially gripping. Idiopathic did such a great job with their art. Always felt like such a unique look and feel.

Really nice and faithful reproduction of sounds on CD. More fast-moving and harsh noise from Kenny, which he really does so well. The original tape was my first introduction to Scathing and it's fun revisiting on CD. I loved it since the first time I heard it and like it even more than I remember! The hit you over the head and to-the-point tracks on side A and then the long-form twenty-minute track on side B. That track develops more and uses the time to spread and grow, utilizing a wider array of sounds and much more dynamics.

Anyway, all of this to say, support Kenny and Scathing! Still have the new Fever Land Phantasmagoria on Rural Isolation Project to check out as well.