I've had time now to sit with the box set. A few thoughts...
* The two 12" records are more worked on than the other material. There seems to be more active involvement in the post-recorded sound than on Deathwish Tapes 1-3. The Tapes... are prominently labeled, "no overdub," on each of the three physical media. The LPs are not. There is not a dramatic difference in the primitiveness between them, yet the added post-production and composed assembly of the track structure is noticeable to my ears.
* The artwork is exquisite. And I do not believe these are historical images. They look to be modern photographs in a specific, archival style. Intentionally, meticulously staged. They add greatly to the overtone of the music.
* There is a question of media. Why a 12", a CD and two cassettes? On the CD, why no track markers; it is a single, hour long track. This makes the CD, Deathwish Tapes 1, onerous to complete. All other media is distributed in 15 minute increments: a side of a record, each side of a tape. This is very much preferred. Too much and I lose interest as the elements used are so constrained and similar. My attention is lost on an hour long marathon. I would not say the CD has lesser tracks, but it is my least favorite of the set.
* The real strength in this moniker / project is still Maso's voice. This, coming from someone that appreciates the originality and quality of Masonna but only owns the RRR / Pure release. There is no enthusiasm for acquiring others. Masonna doesn't grab me for whatever reason. For the LPs, the intermission pieces of only synth serve a worthy, compositional aspect to each side as a whole. Similarly for the tapes. On Deathwish Tapes 1, there are long sections of sequential synth-only tracks that become off-putting. Remove the voice entirely from a Controlled Death release and it loses me.
* Caveat to above: Sometimes I question what I am hearing. Are the superficially voiceless tracks really such? Some of the sounds could conceivably be Maso with his heavy vocal echo / effect blending into the MS-20 sounds until they are indistinguishable from each other. I have questioned this a lot and not reached a firm conclusion.
* As to the limitations of the project parameters, I have an analogy to offer. It informs how I perceive Maso's artistic direction:
At one time I was a meticulous, medium format film photographer. My finalized work was few and painstakingly captured. Immense time and thought went into their production. Eventually, this was feeling more of a constraint than a benefit to my art. Too much was seemingly lost in the details.
I discovered one day that an utterly cheap, plastic (and plastic lens) disposable film camera could be modified to be reused. There was no exposure control, a fixed focal distance and set depth of field. Everything was out of my control other than framing the image and pressing the shutter. I never exposed so many rolls of film in my life. It was liberating! The most odd, unexpected images resulted from the experiment. Everything then was about editing and cumulative selection of images.
This is how I understand Controlled Death. Masonna's usual sound is thrown on its head, elements constrained, and habits short circuited. Lengthy sessions of explorations with only voice and MS-20 synth were made without any formulating principle but subject: death. Afterwards, editing was essential. It is as much the project as the instruments. Editing arguably makes or fails the final result as well. This would account for the strange, unplanned stop / starts to the individual selections (which I rather like). The recordings are, without a doubt, a compiled and arranged selection. Not of songs. Snippets. "All tracks are untitled," states the cover of Symphony for the Black Murder. Makes sense given this line of reasoning. Finally, the end result is carefully presented with conscious, directed artwork indicating the seriousness of the recorded statement within.
Now all I need is an accurate, thorough translation of that insert essay!
