PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[k.p.g]

awenydd - nwyfre (Fusty Cunt)
One of those pleasant surprise cassettes I grabbed when it first came out, but had not listened to probably since.  Today's revisit still contains the same massive energy that this tape had the first time I heard it.  Synths dip into an extreme mix of PE and psychedelia.  A couple of moments of beep boop occur but that is the risk you take when you are tracking totally live.  In the capacity that it comes in here, it's endearing more than anything.  Vocals are menacing but you never get the sense of this being another "kill all whores" style yells.  Sounds like the man is angry... so angry.  Anger is good sometimes.

Green Tea - Private Universe (Tribe Tapes)
Finally pulling from the CD section of the "listen to" stack.  As the Green Tea discography continues to expand, I find myself asking the question of "how does an artist evolve?"  I think anyone engaging in the creation of art has to ask this question at some point.  Some will jump from style to style across recordings, while others will gradually introduce new sounds to the formula over time.  In noise, the latter may not come across as immediate, especially when output becomes so frequent.  For Green Tea though, it is the approach he has taken, and it pays off with close listening.
The opening minutes of this recording throw that idea off though, as it opens with the usual pretty synth/digital cut-up sound the project has become so synonymous with.  My first thought was "man, will this project ever do something else?"

My question found an answer as I listened more intently though.  What sounds like vocal cut-ups and heavy looping begin to enter the fray.  Sure, you have plenty of that new age sound still present but things are moving along.  It eventually starts to feel like I am trapped inside a melting VHS cartridge.  I find myself enjoying this quite a bit! 

One day, I would love to see a Green Tea release that deals with almost no pretty sounding stuff and leans completely into the weirdo, nasty harsh he has built up.  It could be pretty cool!  For now though, I find myself thoroughly intrigued with the glacial evolution that Forte is taking with the project.  Visuals for this album are also pretty cool, far more engaging than previous releases.

[k.p.g]

PainJerk - Loud Acoustics for Nude-Mobile (AMP)
Fast-moving, flamethrower style from Mr. Gomi here.  This is the project in its prime, and it is not hard to see why so many people are looking for these old tapes.  It is elite stuff.

MSBR - Fracture of Silence (Sounds for Consciousness Rape)
Tano forever!  Inspired by the sounds of PainJerk, I wanted to revisit this tape with its famously absurd special packaging.  No disappointments to be had here, as it is just pure harsh aggression.  I hear some radio in the background but Koji knows to keep that sound going over his ripping.  It sounds like a town square being set ablaze.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

KYLMÄKOVAMAA "Joel Rifkin Experience" tape
One of those mysterious Finn projects that very few in the scene knows anything. He has been doing tape after tape self published releases, with exception of one CD on Freak Animal. Usually I hear about artists when pile of tapes arrives via post and not much else. Now Kylmäkovamaa hits with more power electronics vibe than on some releases. It is still fairly primitive, but more of the oscillating noise electronics type of thing. Several unnamed songs on one sided tape, all instrumental, at best it is when combining painful high pitched feedback, but also the heavier oscillating tracks work. I know some may be wondering where do we need old school serial killer PE these days - well to satisfy our desire to hear it, of course! Strongly welcomed!

[k.p.g]

OVMN - Optimum Volume Maximum Noise (Industrial Recollections, reissue)
Picked this one up recently from Roemer at a show he played in New Jersey.  I had been wanting to get my hands on this for a while since hearing it back in the winter, and I have fuck all to do today, so why not start things with this blast of harsh noise.  I doubt I need to explain the sound of OVMN much, as it pretty much explains itself in the acronym.  That being said, so many satisfying moments of editing on here, especially whenever the tracks split from a mono blast into two hard-panned stereo nightmares.  Excellent.

[Apes Clog Snag]

Xeroxhead / Moineau Écarlate split tape

Xeroxhead does blunt uneffected tape loop noise. Very chunky, very hearty. Like it a lot. Exactly what I was hoping for too. Moineau Écarlate is more, let's say, sophisticated. Has a bit of a Dilloway in it maybe, precise tape cuts, neat musique concrete vibes, goes down real smooth.

Pinwheel tape

Collaboration between Magnetic Coroner, The Consept Horse and Marie Vermont. I'm not hugely aware of any of the artists but I have heard a bit here and there so the shaky reversed loops with a bunch of tape delay are not surprising. A side is good but nothing mind blowing. B side makes this very much worth owning though. Long collage track of half speed classical music and someone trying to get a reel to reel machine playing more than a few seconds of squelch. Very neat. I guess the tape is untitled but poodle grooming would be a good tape name.

Toanche Dwelling – The Sentient Afterimage tape

This basically just destroys my pleasure centers. Sounds are perfect, artists has amazing ear for momentum and pace and does great job mastering these noisescapes.

Incapacitants - D.D.D.D cd reissue

Another album that just kinda feels good. I guess the title would reference CCCC but to me this sounds like Incapacitants going americanoise. I've been listening to this a lot this summer. Crunchy and static in the right places, under that something always happening.

[k.p.g]

Evil Moisture - Lucio Full Cheese (Throne Heap)
The best works of Andy Bolus are the ones that deliver that surgical precision, where it sounds like he is dissecting a reel to reel in real time (keepin' it reel... real?).  While it is not always present on more modern releases, Throne Heap got a great cut of it this time.  The pace does not let up, but never overwhelms.  It made locking into the task of meal prep an enjoyable task, like I was on the factory line of Evil Moisture.  I will need to listen back again for next round of chores.

Kjostad - Splitting Wedge (Throne Heap)
One of the few Throne Heap titles I have been hoping would pop up for years secondhand.  That day finally came when Tom was actually selling a few leftover copies he had.  This one is a great addition to the Kjostad discography.  It has some weirder environmental looping that reminds me of Jeph Jerman before giving way to full on harsh chaos on each side.

[k.p.g]

Dead Body Love - Grace (Self Abuse Records)
I have finally heard one of the notorious Murder Series entries, and it is a strong one.  I thought the record player was stuck on a lock groove at first with how intense the looping on Side A was.  Turns out it is just the artist riding a series of loops hard as hell for a minute or two at a time.  Side B has some more synth presence to it without sacrificing any crunch.  Great release.

The Haters - Truncated Formica (Self Abuse Records)
Couldn't pass up 10 minutes with The Haters when I have the record right in front of me.  A- Side just contains some clici-clic barrage that rumbles for the entire side.  Atmospheric.  Same clici-clic pops up on Side B, but is accompanied by what sounds like some drills this time.  It's a little more active, but not by much.

Carousel - Awakened Spirits of Ancient Mischief (Chocolate Monk)
Had it sitting on my nightstand; probably as a reminder to pop it in for a repeat listen.  Well, here's the repeat listen.  Is it still great?  Yes, I think so!  A top release of 2025 still.  Pick it up if you have not yet.

Can't - Final Performance (RRRecords)
I elect to end the night with a little magic via the talented Jessica Rylan.  One has to wonder how many PURE disc jackets RRRon ordered for that label, as this one is housed in one with the art just pasted over.  I have heard of other releases from other artists having the same case.
Moving to the actual content though, the work of Rylan has always possessed a personal touch that invokes some mystique to it for me.  You can hear the click of the pedals in the room.  She introduces pieces as "songs," but it comes across as a joke, as she just begins to click and scream in what seems like a haphazard manner.  This does not sound like the final performance of refined songs, but rather a workshop/hangout session at her parent's house that you were invited to.  It has an unexplainable charm that makes it as endearing as any of the heavy hitter harsh releases you will hear in your usual noise listening habits.  Jessica knew exactly what she was doing, and we were lucky enough to be invited into a brief glimpse of her world to listen.

[urall]

Carousel - Awakened Spirits of Ancient Mischief (Chocolate Monk)
Had it sitting on my nightstand; probably as a reminder to pop it in for a repeat listen.  Well, here's the repeat listen.  Is it still great?  Yes, I think so!  A top release of 2025 still.  Pick it up if you have not yet.

I just checked it out on Youtube and it's not something what i associated usually with Chocolate Monk anymore - more harsh than i was expecting. But really good stuff, thanks for the recommendation!

[k.p.g]

Halflings - Self-Esteem (RRR)
The Cathode Terror Secretion - The Cathode Terror Secretion (Accretion Disk)
The Cathode Terror Secretion - Spectre of Historys Design (RRR)
Emil Beaulieau - Emil Beaulieau Has a Relapse (RRR)

The last few days of listening that I have not accounted for have left me with much to think about.  Like noise has its eras that people favor, power electronics too is the subject of debate for "best era."  I find myself being unable to decide between 80s or 90s as my favorite, but 2000's is almost certainly out of the question... to a degree.  What these Red Light District groups managed to accomplish with their own approach to the genre is something special honestly.  Speaking on Halflings greatness feels like a moot point, but I never have seen The Cathode Terror Secretion brought up in any discussion of PE or noise in my time of browsing public forums.  Why is that?  Is the discography too short?  Was it the laptop bias of the time that made people reject this work so quickly?  It is really great stuff.  I am not sure.  Maybe I don't have the answer to my favorite PE era, but I would count these records among my favorite in PE after a few listens of each.

On the other end of things, we have today's listening with Mr. Bealieau.  A disc that was originally supposed to be on Release before that sublabel folded now is a CDr on RRR.  My earliest days of metal discovery involved Relapse a ton, whether it was finding the likes of Dillinger Escape Plan or Mastodon in middle school to eventually having so much of my perception on music be changed by Neurosis with Through Silver in Blood.  So this disc already gets a pass for just mangling the hell out of so many great metal titles.  "Oh yeah, I recognize that riff" was uttered a lot throughout listening.
What got me thinking though - would we look at this as another timeless noise classic like other Release titles have gone on to garner if it got put out through them as intended?  For me, this material is fun but does not stack up to any of the other classic Beaulieau we hold in such high regard.  However, part of Release's strength was that it had wider distribution than most record labels putting out noise.  So for many at the time, this would have more than likely been their first exposure to RRRon.  Not sure if it would have stuck for many the same ways The Haters or Merzbow titles had.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

INCAPACITANTS + PUCE MARY "live at wall&wall" CD
I was slightly cautious what this combination could be. I like them both, but thinking how do they collaborate? Would there be some sort of synth tones from PM or structures.. beats? But no. This is basically like most of Incapacitants featuring someone: More Incapacitants than the others. So Puce Mary here is more like third noise maker who blends in so perfectly, you wouldn't necessarily think more than finally again good Incapacitants CD!! Two pieces of live noise of hectic and fast paced modulation, Inca-vocal howls and I could assume there is the crunch element or some fast paced synth noises that could be Puce, and most likely the 2nd track beginning more "droning" noise? It is pretty neat CD and glad I bought it.

[k.p.g]

Mistletoe - Morgenstern (Chondritic Sound)
Received last night from John as a gift after his performance as Mistletoe.  Had been looking forward to hearing this one but honestly forgot that it had even come out in 2025.  It is another very good release to add to the top spots of this year!  It is a very weird and medieval strand of industrial.  Much of the content on this disc is actually material he played live last night.  It is very nice to hear these in a permanent and recorded context, for who knows how long the guy will keep playing this stuff for.  I would recommend picking it up if early 80s industrial and walking in the woods alone are your kinda things.

[k.p.g]

Anal Sadist - American Refuse (Tribe Tapes)
Harsh noise from a name unknown to me previously.  I guess there was some Hates/California scene association.  Very good stuff!  Fits right into the Tribe Tapes lineup of things, despite being so harsh.  Beneath the piercing highs and industrial crushing is a hypnotic power to it.  Despite being a compilation, there is an apparent flow that was put into the tracklisting, and it plays out well for a one sitting listening experience.  I am not seeing too much love for it online, so I would recommend on this post that you check it out if you have not yet done so.

Illusion of Safety - RVE (Tribe Tapes, reissue)
Now this is a name I know but have not explored too deeply into.  This lineup of Illusion of Safety features Jim O'Rourke on it, whose noisier output I have been finding myself enjoying more of in recent years.  Similar to Anal Sadist, there is a hypnotic power to this one.  Simple looping and sampling trudges on and on until another part seamlessly blends in.  It gets harsh, it gets quiet, it gets weird.  Despite sounding like it has a diverse array of sounds, they are all spaced out to make the final product remain minimal in presentation.  Good move, I think this works in the album's favor.  And the way it ends especially... ugh... magical!!!!

[Krigsverk]

DN.AIDEATH – SNAKE PIT (CD, Tesco)

The second release from this Indonesian project. Quite a special sound on this one, not the classic "Heavy electronics" even though it probably falls into that category. Lots of distorted synths, muffled voices and sounds buried in the mix. Some tracks might be a bit anonymous and forgettable, but the good ones are in the majority. Strong album. Also be sure to check out the debut tape on de/tainment, all good stuff.

[Krigsverk]

Merzbow - Sporangium (CD, OEC)

2025 recording in three lengthy tracks that starts off with some drone-synth kind of vibe, after a while Masami starts his trademark noisemaking and layers it on top. Second track is nothing out of the ordinary, but the third track is awful. Digital processed "cute melodies" in the background over some digital FX-processed noise. I can´t shake the feeling that some parts of this is not made by Merzbow, but rather made by AI. It just might be that the dreadful AI doodle that makes up the artwork makes me think this, but there is something about the digital processing of the sounds that sounds "not Merzbow" or human. All in all, disappointed.


So back to the classics; spent the week revisiting two of the best albums ever made in great re-issues:

SPK - Information overload unit (CD, OEC)

Total classic. Released in 1981 this is almost a perfect album, however I always thought that the first three tracks are a bit boring. But all is forgiven when Berufsverbot kicks in. Great reissue with booklet containing some info about how it was recorded. Mandatory.

SPK - Leichenschrei (CD, OEC)

And here it is - the defining moment of industrial music IMHO. All the ingredients are here for what later became a genre. Flawless album that still today sends shivers down my spine. It has aged like a fine wine. Even more mandatory.