BizarreSSMania "II" CD (Freak Animal, 2017)
You already know if you'll like this without me having to tell you, so stop reading now if you're one of those people who gets all uncomfortable about this kind of stuff. Anyway, the real title was not-so-discreetly hidden in advertisements because you can't be too careful these days, I guess – I find the idea of words or symbols being actually illegal pretty hilarious. As if a handful of outsider music releases would actually "bring back the camps."
But if they did, I'd imagine this album would be a better soundtrack for Naziploitation '70s and '80s sleaze as well as heavy-duty BDSM sessions than the sounds of most of us being thrown in the showers and ovens. I have to say, from even the first five minutes of track one or so, I was struck hard by how much different and more atmospheric this was than the "What's Your Pleasure, Sir?" album. Mixing seems to have been left mostly to SS Ofizier and lots of the sounds I can tell were done by Bitewerks (signature reverb and clunking big junk metal) and Ze Offizier (loops, very dark, atmospheric synth tones, strange choices in texture) and frankly it's hard for me to point out what Adolf Christ contributed other than what I assume is the saturation/distortion-heavy parts and possibly some field recordings (but then again, those could be from Mania). Both expansive and claustrophobic, if that's possible. Sound gave an impression of alternating between vivid saturated color S&M videos and grainy, dismal black and white footage of documentaries of you know what.
A long, synth-texture section has an almost M.B. vibe that certainly fits the subject matter, which also reminded me of Ashley C's "Drift," also from/received courtesy of Freak Animal. Not as bleak in sound as I would imagine an album with sleaze Nazi-esque aesthetics to be, but more genuinely engaging and of course perversely sexy in a She-Wolf sort of way as I'm sure it was intended. Funny thing is even after three listens I can't keep track of what happens on which track. Pretty good indicator of careful composition when you forget how long you've been listening to an album and who it's by. Even if you liked the first one more, and I am pretty sure I do, this one's still essential and genuinely experimental despite having all the elments that ward off the jaded been-theres and the PC pussbags. I will admit to either not noticing or noticing an actual lack of Uproar vocals – the only major detractor as they were a huge part of my appreciation for the first one. Still great.
Absurd Cosmos Late Nite "2016-17" "Final Lives"
Red Wine & Sugar "Chattels + The Humor and Confidence of John"
"Dogs, Blood, Storms, Spiders" (Index Clean, 2017)
I can't think about, let alone write about these projects without rambling in some fashion. There's so little to it that your mind can take it in really any direction. The pitch-shifted background ambience of warped smooth jazz and shimmering keyboards along with the most mundane field recordings imaginable make this compatible for ambient listening, but the lyrics/vocals are almost like pulling the rug out from under you to "reward" your active listening. I get the impression some of these are taken from news articles or perhaps online reviews, but then again, they could also just be offhand observations and reflections from the person behind all this (one Mark Groves, more on him later). Some of the lines are like any everyday thought one might have and others are sort of disturbing and hilarious – on one live track, we hear of his rather intense sense of disappointment at the lack of pineapple on his kebab. A lot of this seems to concern food, as the advertisement for this CD mentioned recordings of "stopping for snacks." That's literally what some of this is; "Pull over, I'm gonna get some corn chips." No joke. Later, we hear (yes, hear) the man eating the eponymous chip on the track "Cool Ranch." I guess this is also the kind of thing that you already know if you'll want anything to do with or not – I don't think most people have the patience for something this bizarre but I find it goddamned satisfying. There seems to be a reflective heavy-heartedness that's sad but not pathetic or hateful, which I think most can probably relate to. There's a great line at one point about how American homeless people often consider themselves "temporarily-inconvenienced millionaires." Other than that, it's hard to posit the intentions of this project or if it's entirely serious, but frankly I don't think that matters. A friend was writing to me a while back and complaining about the lack of genuine experimentation in industrial etc., and I think this kind of stuff pretty much proves him wrong. This is recommended to anyone who gets bored with actual music on a regular basis and uses experimental music/audio as something of a substitute.
OK, so, Red Wine & Sugar. This project is a duo of Mark Groves and Samaan Fieck, and that's apparent in that it seems as if both contribute lyrics, with Groves doing vocals just a bit more than Feick; and Feick contributing more basic sounds while Groves perhaps does effects. Or any combination, obviously. But the more composed, considered sound collages and loop pieces behind the tracks suggest a good deal more "seriousness," whatever that means in this context, than the above ACLN. Lots of careful tape manipulations and brilliant electronic microtones, amidst jarringly out-of-place sounds like harsh keyboard strikes and indiscernible sounds. There is a darker, more brooding quality here, where some of the Discogs and advertisement descriptions list "therapy" as part of the genre or quality of the (non) music. Considering some of the lyrics, which seem to (not entirely) focus on psychological matters, I would agree. This sort of pertains to some conversations I've been having with various friends and pen-pals lately, as well as the STAB Electronics interview in SI #10 – the notion of power electronics (etc) being a vehicle for admitting to failure and defeat, and so on. I see this as basically realist rather than whiny and narcissistic (in cases like this, at least – in certain others, well, don't quote me). It's hard to say that I consider this project better than ACLN, just that it's much closer to something you can listen to intently, like other music or whatever. Glad to know they're still going and will get whatever comes next.
Alvin Curran "Natural History" reissue CS (Art Into Life, 2017)
Really great C64 tape that crosses the lines between sound collage, pure field recordings, and musique concrete – some parts are raw, some with a (seemingly) added slight reverb effect. Some looped almost in a Steve Reich fashion, some as they are. Some organized to a very tonal effect, others rhythmic. Johann here described it as "arranged like a symphony" and that was pretty spot-on, there's a car horn section that actually sounds like Thelonious Monk. Sections which involve boat horns always sound great, somewhat harsh, almost like the types of noises featured in latter Arv & Miljo stuff – there's an interview where Matthias says something like "harsh noises, not Harsh Noise as in the genre of music," and some of these sections would qualify. That's a great thing to search for by any standard, but Alvin Curran was doing that in the early '80s. Little clusters of actual music for a few bars here and there, mostly if not all piano, I think some voice, too. Some sounds totally unidentifiable without the index on the j-card (and some super obscure even with it), which is always a good thing if you are like me and like pure sound over real music. Super dynamic and attention-grabbing but also good for more relaxed, inattentive listening (if turned down a bit) such as while reading. Fucking goddamned expensive, though. But worth it as this would be hard to let go of, sort of a tape library piece in terms of exemplary sounds. I'm actually surprised this wasn't reissued on Editions Mego/Recollections GRM or something academic, classy and stuffy like that. Easy to imagine as the soundtrack to some experimental film collage, not quite Brakhage stuff but more identifiable.
No Intention "Rabelais" CS (Vitrine, 2016)
Everyone's probably familiar with the phrase "be careful what you wish for." I think it's an adage that's not just superstition, in this case. Allen Mozek sure knows how to aim low, and deliver, when it comes to most of his projects and much of the Vitrine roster, for better or worse. Certainly pointless but enjoyable, not dumb like most of the aforementioned. This stuff is like certain Gero material in that it reflects something a friend said: "if he's not just testing the listener's patience, then I don't know what he's trying to do." When I try to think of why Mozek does things like this, or why I'd even bother with it, the only conclusion I can come to is that people want something to listen to, but they don't want music. Or noise. Somehow, this to me is neither.
This is some of the most irritating non-music you might hear. It's not quite like the Haters low-bitrate insanity or certain noisecore, but it approaches that realm of button-pushing. We get things like an obviously drunken spoken-word recitation in the most cloying voice possible amidst a retarded drum machine that continues into inane field recordings accompanied by admirable sound work that at first seems to be a drill and then ends up being amp feedback. Some effects usage that seems to nod toward '80s PE tape stuff. If you consider the most lo-fi messing around with junk acoustics to reflect The Haters or New Blockaders, well, it has that, I guess. Things do actually become engaging, though, and build a lot of interesting momentum as things get legitimately noisy, but never veer into extreme or harsh noise. The radio-tuning stuff is something a child would do and I'm talking about younger than Philip Best at 13. Shortly thereafter, the combination of oscillating feedback, guitar abuse, and fuck knows what reminds me of some of the earlier SSRI tapes which can't be bad. The final piece is an extended silence eventually interrupted by incidental clunking and shuffling, which can be surprising when you forget you had a tape on.
I admire the audacity of things like this but sort of hate that they exist in the first place, considering all the things Mozek could have been doing instead or I could be doing instead of listening to it. And I like the idea of using field recordings that nobody in their right mind would give two fucks about. On his website, Scott Foust says something about how Vitrine is doing most of the anti-music or non-music stuff today that is not that noisy. I think that's a fair objective, even if most of this kind of crap ends up being exactly that. Somehow, I think it's worth the dig. Kind of like life. Takes a lot of work to enjoy it.
Matthew P. Hopkins "Calls" CS (Thalamos, 2017)
On first listen, this brought to mind SSD's "How Much Art Can You Take?" because, well, sometimes you wonder where the line between avant-garde and bullshit is, kind of like the above work of dumbass genius that is No Intention. The sparkly, bright-sounding synth electronics early on as well as later just weren't working for me. After another, I think I understand the role of contrast they play, 'cause everything else here is pretty fucking bleak. Otherwise, most synth textures here are pretty tasty and very austere. There's snippets of vocal work and little fragments of field recordings underneath and on top of the somewhat downer tones. Apparently this was all improvised in a relatively short period on reel-to-reel – I admire the ability of the artist to conjure a specific atmosphere (or lack thereof) and realize that vision effectively. Also the buzzing yet deep, clear sound of the recording itself. Great editing and stop-start moments with some very unexpected routes taken on the B-side especially. This is sort of lonely, strained-sounding stuff that I think could really appeal to fans of stuff that's come out on Strange Rules or Posh Isolation, as well as the Mark Groves projects like Absurd Cosmos Late Nite and Red Wine & Sugar. In that sense, I've got to wonder if there's something in the water down there in Australia that's making all these mopey Pikers commit their voice and weirdo electronics to tape. I'll certainly look into more of what this guy is doing as I bought it on a random pick and am rarely this happy with my choices when I do so. Very futuristic and stylish stuff recommended for those who enjoyed the Still Image tape on Throne Heap as well as the elegant simplicity of Greedy Ventilator.
Dog Lady Island "Dolor Aria" CS (Alien Passengers, 2015)
I have a love-hate relationship with Mike Collino's projects as his real name stuff tends to always be ace while every other Dog Lady or Dog Lady Island tape is either totally essential or I wonder why he recorded let alone released a practice session. On the other hand, I think Alien Passengers is meant to be more of an audio document series than a label in the truest sense, so there's not much whining I can do about that. While I got nothing from "Malone," "Dolor Aria" continues the wonky, decayed take on simplistic modern classical music and nails it. There is a really decrepit atmosphere here that rivals all of the Swedish and Danish projects while being very beautiful and relaxing in the sense that I would imagine Collino intends. While more recent releases seem to be zither-oriented, I would guess this was during the violin period, but who knows? I also hear some wind instrument and harp-like tones alongside brilliant static and hiss work, some of which I can only assume is incidental rather than totally intentional. Need to get his recent stuff as the references to classical music only seem to be increasing, and I really enjoy Collino's take on it.
Murder Cult "The Bridge" CS (Strange Rules, 2015)
So, here, I was hoping for field recordings of a hanging bridge as Discogs lists this tape as "field recording" and "non-music." I'd strongly dispute that – this is more like outdoor tape recordings of something like a wood-mallet instrument or a kalimba being fed through a small practice amp. I was really hoping that it'd just be sounds of a swinging bridge as I remember a really perilous one on a hiking route from the town I grew up in. Lots of people either jumped off or fell off while drunk or on mushrooms or whatever. So that just goes to show, don't place too much personal expectations on anything. There is even a photgraph of an unrelated bridge on the J-card! Nevertheless, I like this, it reminds me of acoustic versions of Grim's melodic interludes but even simpler. B-side is basically the same with a different melody, a hand-drum rhythm, and some nice background hum (singing bowl?). This might be recorded in open space but it's certainly not a field recording and certainly is music. Not bad, but there is nothing here I can recommend to anyone, really – this is more like something to record for personal listening than a release, but it's relaxing, feminine-sounding, and very subdued, even for Strange Rules. If this were a little more thought-out, I could see this coming out on No Rent or even Vitrine, but I suppose it's basically the way it should be already.
Infektionsabteilung "Luzifer's Traum" CS (Narcolepsia, 2015)
I've always wanted to like more ambient, krautrock, and komische stuff, but a lot of it, particuarly the stuff people recommend, ends up being too New Agey and hippie-ish, not to mention compositionally meandering and patchy in terms of enjoyable sections. With this project, I have something I'd consider ambient that fulfills what I want to like about the aforementioned genres. This is mostly very serene but sometimes majestic synthesizer-driven ambient with little concrete loop details and some more "industrial" rhythmic synth parts, but overall with a very film-soundtrack sort of feel rather than something for it's own sake. Things almost start to get noisy toward the latter of side B which is ironically one of the more hypnotic and "soothing" sections. Very obscure delay clatter in the background which reminds me of a certain project whose name begins with "M." But much better than that. There's been talk of "black metal intro music" (or "dungeon synth," gimme a fuckin' break, more like Dungeons & Dragons synth) on this forum and in that sense, I think this is like film interlude or Goblin-type cinematic rock band interlude music, but without the film or the progressive rock.
But this is good, detailed, and varied, whereas pseudo-medeival-sounding simplistic key synth tones with black metal fonts on logos is the sum of its parts in the bad sense. This definitely has a retro-futuristic vibe which some might dismiss but honestly there is no immediate comparison I can make with this project as far as within industrial music. There's something to be said for that. Come to think of it, there is some material by Graustisch that I think accomplishes a similar atmosphere despite sounding pretty different – both bleak and very moving at the same time. So check one out if you like the other. I definitely wouldn't mind having the complete discography of Infektionsabteilung, also.
Pleasure Island "Drina Wolves" CS (Beyond The Ruins, 2018)
I was compelled to check this project out after having read some reviews that basically said well, this stuff is so minimal that I don't see what the point is. When you hear that repeatedly, you have to wonder if there is something to it. Here, I think the point seems to be a "death industrial" or Tesco-type power electronics/industrial but as minimal as possible – one synth line, another with delay occuring intermittenly, and a vocal track that is intelligible and enunciated but garbled a bit by reverb. Basically the same forumla each track. Very atmospheric, stylish stuff that somehow works for me despite there being hardly anything to it. Side B track 2 is probably my favorite piece being unclassifiable as noise, industrial, etc but still nice synth and loop work. Also oddly quiet in the vocal-driven tracks, kind of like another very, very minimal US project called Alba Cell which was pretty good, and Hospital Productions-ish but did not totally thrill me. I somewhat admire the odd choice of envelope filter for certain synth parts but on a bad day might consider this somewhat, well, lazy. I think this is the kind of project where multiple releases need to be heard before you totally know where you stand. For both, seems you need some background information on content etc. There seems to be a current "thing" in US PE right now where being immediately engaging is not a big concern, and I have a love-hate relationship with the idea of that much austerity in PE. You have to wonder if it is actual power electronics or something very close to it, and I lean toward the latter, meaning nothing negative by that. Just that this is a specific, limited style I am somewhat unsure of. Check back later. For now, I recommend Walter Khan's "From Nothing To Nothing" or "001" by NIT instead for simplistic but effective, genuine PE.
Knurl/Ames Sanglantes split CS (Phanta Phei, 2017)
Grabbed this because both are projects that tend to be hit-or-miss for me; really forgettable when they miss and absolutely great when they hit. Knurl has a massive discography and knows his art/craft quite well, but like The Rita, tends to either really thrill or disappoint me. On this occasion, I like it a lot as it's his less monolithic, more dynamic stuff that is more bassy and crude, with a tape fidelity, as opposed to the sharper nonstop blasts I've heard previously. AS side I've listened to a few times already, as it's a really unique style that straddles the line between harsh noise and PE, with a simplicity that reminds me of certain Mauthausen Orchestra recordings, especially in the squealed vocals. Certain sections are almost like MB's noisier parts. Maybe my favorite Ames Sanglantes material yet?
