Run For Omniphobia "unreleased untitled 30 min. piece" 2016 Apparently the trio of Eddie Giles (Defective/Final Solution), John Grimaldi (Hand & Knee/Defective), and Jay Howard (Circuit Wound); what I thought might be some kind of harsh noise or power electronics turns out to be some pretty bold "experimental" sound collage-type stuff. Pretty damn good, too, with a strange fidelity that's neither clear nor lo-fi, but is "wide" and well-mixed. Starts off on the more bedroom-y guitar and tapes side of things, but I hear everything from unidentifiable mystery sounds to tape-processed feedback, to synthesizer tone snippets, to field recordings, to stringed/bowed instruments that seem to morph into stretched cymbal percussion sounds. Shit, considering all that, this isn't far from what I've heard of John Cale or Angus MacLise's experiments pre- and post-Velvet Underground. At one point, some unintelligible vocals chatter about something drenched in reverb right before a section I can only compare to H.N.A.S. or at the moment, Umgreifende. There are lot of skillful edits leading to busier if quieter sections that also draw the comparison. In thirty minutes, it meanders a bit, but still immersive and you forget what you're listening to. I really enjoy that. Hard to tell what sort of equipment is being used re: analog vs. digital, samplers vs. tapes, and so on. That's a good thing. Hard to tell the origin/source of a lot of the sounds, that's always a good thing. For fans of: If, Bwana, Urdwygg The Goldrr, Ultra.
Run For Ominphobia "Assembly Bill 109" Cdr (Submersive Productions) First piece goes back-and-forth between sections of synthesier melody ala Suicide to synthesizer noise for long sections ala very early Whitehouse. Normally anything that'd draw those comparisons at once would get my attention pretty well, but there's not a lot going on. This isn't bad, but really needs some vocals or just other accompaniment. I guess on the other hand I somewhat admire the "bold minimalism," to borrow a phrase from a pal.
Odd pulsing and beeping paired with a mumbled background voice opens the second track prior to a sort of Krautrock-type noisy synthesizer loop. I guess I might "get" what's being done here, now, and I like the minimalist and no wave/krautrock approach. Again, this is like if Whitehouse in their earlier days were doing something other than what could be called Power Electronics. Pretty repetetive for it's minimalism by today's standards, but fans of Will Over Matter might have something to find here. When things kick into some odd "squiggly" electronics against a somewhat unexpected quicker rhythm, only to disintegrate into arcs of descending tones, the inevitable Maurizio Bianchi comparison occurs, but that's not a bad thing when handled correctly. In this case, it also has that in common with "Milles Collines" by
Cryptofascisme.It's really hard to tell how this was recorded, which again, adds to the appeal/mystery. Certainly some of the weirdest bare-bones industrial-type stuff I've heard recently. Hard to recommend this, but it's worth hearing because it's that weird and idiosyncratic.
Run For Omniphobia "Executive Order 13603" Cdr (Submersive Productions) Apparently recorded and assembled over a 15-year period between 2002 and now? I guess it sounds like it, because this stuff resembles more closely weird experimental Japanese stuff than anything familiar to me or going on right now in terms of vogue underground whatever. This is some pretty surreal, drugged-sounding cut-up and long-form sound collage type stuff with more emphasis on the musical side than the non-musical experimental. Edits are slower, sections are longer, many parts have rhythms, actual beats, or progressions that approach melody but don't quite arrive there. This is stuff with an almost cinematic, soundtrack sort of feeling that gets a bit David Lynch at times but would work better as a backdrop for Only God Forgives, but if Gaspar Noe had directed it instead Windig-Refn. The only part which took me out of the trance this had me in was a sample of a somebody reading from the Dr. Seuss book Green Eggs and Ham, which seems intentionally out-of-place, but still. Come on. Definitely weird and challenging stuff, but not quite with a lasting impact. I'll still listen to this a few more times.
Hand & Knee "Orphaned Road" and "Scorched" CS (Submersive Productions) Pretty weird combination of abstract/musique concrete, droning industrial, and almost-PE-type electronics and vocals. Everything moving at a noticeable but still slow pace, drenched in distortion, with a grainy, familiar texture reminding me of certain mid-period Prurient and some other Hospital Productions projects. Both releases seem to have a tendency to lapse from one piece into the next, making transitions hard to distinguish, but in a more fluid sense on the latter release, with a more meandering pace on the former. The former, "Orphaned Road" seems to incorporate more acoustic clatter while "Scorched" emphasizes the PE elements that at some points remind me just a little bit of, say, Control. Both have the same static-laden, lo-fi quality that sometimes gets a little monotonous but fits the character pretty well. I seem to like the latter collection more, that said. Good stuff from John Grimaldi, one half of Defective and Run For Omniphobia. I think this might appeal to fans of the Annihilus roster (NTT etc).
Defective "Piecemeal Social Engineering" CS (Submersive Productions) Sharp and abrasive PE/noise duo of Eddie Giles (also known as E.J. from Final Solution) and John Grimaldi, of Hand & Knee (mentioned above). Pretty good, if "typically American" sounding stuff that eschews usual sexual or degenerate subject matter in favor of a sort of outsider social analysis/commentary. If I'm not mistaken, the spoken vocals are done by Eddie while John does the shouts/commands. I like this duo approach, in that the sound covers territory like say Deathpile or Control, but also weirder, lo-fi experimental and industrial noise that almost reminds me of Macronmypha or Stimbox in their crudest moments. Lots of distortion that again for me recalls very old Prurient, maybe stuff like History of A.I.D.S.-era. More diverse sounds than the first couple tracks seem to let on. Psychologically maladaptive sound wherein the vocals seem to take on a lot of moods, from confident Grunt-type shouting to desperate pleading like old Ramleh. I haven't heard too much Hydra, but something tells me this could very well appeal to fans of Greg Scott's stuff. Check this out if you're into anything Wonderland Club has come out with recently, in terms of "actual band" PE, this isn't bad at all. On the B-side, this ends up closer to say, Con-Dom than the other material either artist is known for. Overall both very traditional and surprising/experimental. Stuff like this is why low-key stuff can sometimes be more intriguing that names you already know and love. I ask to you: what is meant by "guttertronics" and "kipple?!"
Walter Khan "From Nothing To Nothing" CS (Vanity Recordings, 2017) Artist describes this as "austere and isolated electronics," which conjures very different things in my mind than what this ended up sounding like, but his description is definitely still accurate. FOR FANS OF OLD RAMLEH!! Minimal as hell and everything drenched in echo and reverb rather than distortion/fuzz, with shouted/pleaded vocals that both rise above and bleed into the surrounding drones and feedback. All electronic devices used sound very simple and as if they're not functioning properly. Sound completely emphasizes dread and severity rather than aggression and violence, although the vocals do verge on vicious, Strict-type screaming at some moments, eventually degrading into this sort of pathetic, squawking/groaning sound, and I mean that in the best way possible. This sounds as troubled and unstable as early Sutcliffe Jugend sounds vicious and energetic. I very much enjoy this kind of thing, as it's really obviously only suitable for certain types of dispositions and attention spans. This isn't for normal or undisturbed individuals. If prescribed medication doesn't work for you, perhaps this will...RECOMMENDED!
