PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[acsenger]

Black Leather Jesus / Mo*Te - Shared Rooms (4iB Records)

Are any distros in the EU carrying this CD?

[k.p.g]

Hand & Knee - Oppressive Heat (self-released)
Had a discussion last night about these early tapes from Mr. Detachment served as nice displays of "developmental" periods from artists that you do not see as much in modern cycle for creating noise tapes.  There isn't as much "testing the waters" on sounds as there are realized visions put ahead, and I kind of miss that.  This tape may not be the strongest work of Hand & Knee, but it really touches on some areas of his sound that were developed more steadily over time, so it's nice to see them in their infancy here.

Violent Pleasures - Summer Torture 2026 (Discreet Release)
Grabbed this from the crew after their New Jersey stop.  It makes for a very psychedelic wash of aggressive noise jams until... it just doesn't.  There are these moments later on both sides of the tape that take the time to develop these weirder synth passages that I am quite a fan of!  It would be cool to see more of this in the group's forthcoming material. 

Robert Fuchs - Shutters and Anchors (Robert Fuchs)
Here is a just a great collection of ideas from the artist that I guess did not make it into wider release.  Love this kind of thing!  It's all ripping and searing stuff, with some headspace to trip out to.  Acts as a great companion piece to the Usagi disc that came out during the same year, but is also great as a standalone piece.  Something about this particular set of sounds has a very Kites attitude to it.

[Skin Flick]

Ferro Mortem - Live in Chicago

Have been on an endangered species kick the past couple days and this group has always stood out to me. It's beyond difficult to tell what's being said, what the meaning is, what the art is trying to convey etc...and this isn't a bad thing. everything I've heard from these guys just seems wrong, like I really shouldn't be hearing it or looking at it. Their "studio" output is minimal and it seems like the live appearances sparse as well, which is probably the best way to describe this tape. It's minimal, droning and muddy. I can tell there is vocals but as for what's being said? No clue. The quote on this tape might give some insight to the ethos behind it all. "Vision without Action is a daydream. Action without Vision is a nightmare."

Apparently there is a final release coming this year from a label I greatly admire. Don't cry because it's over, smile because you get a new tape on the shelf.

[HateSermon]

Ferro Mortem - Live in Chicago

Have been on an endangered species kick the past couple days and this group has always stood out to me. It's beyond difficult to tell what's being said, what the meaning is, what the art is trying to convey etc...and this isn't a bad thing. everything I've heard from these guys just seems wrong, like I really shouldn't be hearing it or looking at it. Their "studio" output is minimal and it seems like the live appearances sparse as well, which is probably the best way to describe this tape. It's minimal, droning and muddy. I can tell there is vocals but as for what's being said? No clue. The quote on this tape might give some insight to the ethos behind it all. "Vision without Action is a daydream. Action without Vision is a nightmare."

Apparently there is a final release coming this year from a label I greatly admire. Don't cry because it's over, smile because you get a new tape on the shelf.

Good to know there's one more release. I really enjoyed the Underworld tape and have been hoping for a reissue at some point, rather than relying on youtube rips.

[k.p.g]

Shredded Nerve - Change of Heart (Penlight Publications)
The sound of Shredded Nerve has kind of stayed in its own comfort zone for a couple of years now, as the project has come to favor dark psychedelia and slower moving pieces.  While I tend to enjoy the older, more dynamic releases from the project, this release sinks into more intense crawls that I could sink my teeth into. 

Joseph Aurora - Pessimist (Preventative Measutes)
Beyond limited release from what is essential a private release label in Philly.  Keeping up with this guy's releases isn't always easy, but every check-in I have never disappoints.  This one was particularly fantastic, relying on crude synth abuse and what sounds like tape/turntable abuse.  Absolutely dark as hell and deserves to be given a little more attention beyond the usual lowkey promotion this label presents.

[Stipsi]

Merzbow project frequency.
Not famous as other stuff of 90s merz, but really a great one!

[k.p.g]

Kjostad & Magnetic Coroner - Sanctuary Against Shadow (New Forces)
Put this one on as I took an extended hike in New England solitude yesterday, which felt appropriate.  These two have operated in the excellent Form Hunter duo for some time, so seeing them paired as solo monikers had me curious.  Across 3 tracks, each artist takes their turn controlling the pace of the record until coalescing into a short but sweet finale of a 3rd track.  Track 1 is dominated by Kjostad's plodding nature scrape, strong and forceful until the very end.  Track 2 has more of a floating feel to it, which is the sign of Magnetic Coroner's hand pulling the strings here.  It is probably my favorite of everything here.  When it's time for the two to truly split duties though, they explore sound with ease. 
They don't need the backing of Form Hunter's brutality to work well.  I hope future collaborations with solo monikers take place after this.  Excellently paced record, one of my favorites on the year.

[Zeno Marx]

Thorofon - Guilty 2025

I still try to check out what they're doing, and I can't think of any album that doesn't have some great material on it.  I haven't heard that trilogy (the set of albums with all the titles relating to each other), but I've heard most of the others.  You can't quite come at them like you could at their beginning, but if you're patient and open to a different perspective, you'll find some really powerful, and catchy, heavy electronic tracks.  It makes good sense that they're now on Ant Zen, so put that perspective in mind.  A good example of the rewards is "Knochentanz" on this Guilty.  Though there are clear standout tracks, I consistently listen to all of them.