Where Is This "Narcissus At The Gym" CS (Bored Bear Recordings)
Good title for gay-themed power electronics, and maybe a little cliched, but less so in this niche underground audience than something like "Brown Mass" or whatever. Unfortunately this isn't quite what I'd expected initially; there are some excellent lyrics included in a little booklet, but I'm on the third track and I have yet to hear vocals. Maybe they were accidentally mixed out? This is the sort of heavily-layered, reverb-drenched wall-of-noise you can expect off 1980s tapes, but a little more clearly-defined with some obvious experimental music elements. I couldn't really tell where the first A-side track ended, second one began, etc.
B-side begins where A-side seemingly left off. Again, lots of reverb overtop more mid-range noise and an eerie synth drone in the outer areas of the mix. Some of the floating delayed sine waves against harsh tones give a Nostalghia-era Gelsomina vibe. Things suddenly cut to some more industrial and metallic tones nicely – just wish there was someone speaking or shouting these words in the booklet alongside the noise. I only recall one Teeny Bopper track that had vocals in it, and as far as the ones that don't, I could certainly compare this to a badly-mixed Teeny Bopper. This sounds incomplete, unfinished. And it's not fully-formed power electronics. Ah well. Maybe I should check out that one Posh Isolation project.
Droit Divin "Litanies" CS (self-released)
Side A track 1 is sort of like 1-2 fist-in-the-air hardcore in the form of industrial/power electronics. Relatively bass-y and grinding but restrained electronics with a literal chant going for the durationy. Interesting take on things. Track 2 surprises the hell out of me with a sort of cheap industrial beat "similar" to Suicide/early Swans complete with piano loop and grating feedback/guitar noise tone. Godflesh-type vocals (on track 1 as well). I would like this a lot more if the vocals weren't so repetitive, but the way the abrasive tones sit in the mix reminds me of Sektor 304. Then some Nintendo sounds happen prior to a ringout and flat end to the drum-machine beat. Left me feeling kind of empty.
OK, I'm told Side B is live – well, that becomes obvious soon enough with echoed bass and some sort of falsetto alongside the heavy synth drones that also were present on the previous side. Then effected menacing vocals, was that a soundcheck? This track has a vaguely Tesco vibe to it – but it's hard for me to imagine this being very gripping live without some kind of visual accompaniment/presence. Thinking of it as a live-in-studio recording, it's pretty good, though, and interesting – sounds or maybe feels more like the G.I.S.M. tracks that are just Sakevi vocals and noise than anything I can really reference from today. That's a compliment and I hope these guys do and would take it that way.
Exotic-sounding off-kilter beats and flute-like tones open Side B, track 2, with a sample in a language I'll assume is French but can't much discern whatever the case. I forgot whom I was listening to, and that this is live, so that's a good thing. Eventually some science fiction movie sound-effect electronics come in in place of what was the drumbeat as the sample, which I'm now certain is in French, fades out. This is basically like nothing else today, at least that I'm aware of. I can't say I was all that impressed, but I'm certainly going to see what they do next and develop into.
