Giancarlo Toniutti & Maurizio Bianchi – CD 1 from V/A Broken Flag - A Retrospective 1982-85 5CD (Vinyl-On-Demand)
Didn't care much for the Toniutti tracks. They have a peculiar atmosphere but overall they just sound like experiments that didn't work out well to me. The two M.B. tracks are not the most focused but they still have his unique sound that I love.
Snuff – Snuff CD (Filth & Violence)
Nasty and in-your-face PE. Nothing arty, that's for sure. A bit painful after a while, but that's the way it's intended, obviously.
SPK – Auto-Da-Fe, Information Overload Unit & Leichenschrei CDs (Mute/The Grey Area)
Haven't listened to these in years. I remembered them sounding much more dated. I was surprised how much I enjoyed Auto-Da-Fe: both the industrial tracks as well as the more synth-pop stuff (some of which sound a bit clumsy to me but that's part of their charm). I.O.U. is a classic. I still don't like Leichenschrei as much as the other two CDs. It's a bit unfocused for me.
I also like the pictures on the artwork for all 3 CDs: nice medical and strange cultural pics.
M.B. – Nervo/Hydra CD (Kubitsuri Tapes)
Reissue of a cassette from 1981. As is the case with M.B. cassettes, it's not exactly spectacular in terms of composition, but this one isn't the worst either, and I liked it very much for that typical M.B. atmosphere.
Teneleven – Teneleven CD (Doubtmusic)
A project of Mitsuru Nasuno, bassist in Korekyojinn, Altered States; he also plays with Keiji Haino and lots of other bands. The label describes this CD as dark prog rock influenced by Ash Ra and Heldon, among others. This is true to some extent, but overall it's hard to categorize the album. There are synths and electronic noises but not a lot of rock in quite a few songs. An interesting album with some really good tracks but overall probably not worth the $30 I paid for it.
