Being a sucker for packaging aesthetics, I have to admit this wee little 3” CD-r is quite an adorable fellow. The cover has nice clean graphics of Greco-Roman heads along with other random pictures on recycled kraft paper. Included inside is a small insert and a live photo. The disc itself is hand-stamped with an owl and project initials. According to the insert, this CD-r is limited to 26 pieces. As expected, his website confirms this release is long out of print. You snooze, you lose!

Live Mutations documents an entire 13 minute set, recorded in 2011. It’s made up of a contact mic’ed springboard that vascilates between harsh noise metal abuse and dronier passages, often fading in and out of volume. The piece starts out with various repetitious and echoing metal bang and clangs. Some of it sounds like industrial machinery chugging and cranking along. The track’s mid-section is straight up harsh noise caucophy with plenty of fits and starts, stuttering, static blasts, and low end rumblings. The last third of the track introduces some chain rattling, fuzzed out static wash, and some high end feedback riding the waves of jagged crackle and crumble. It’s all over and done with pretty quickly. Despite inconsistent peaks and valleys with the volume, the piece flows really well and seems rather focused in it’s execution. Not bad, not bad at all.

While I tend to not be overly enamored by live releases, however Live Mutations manages to effectively capture the spirit of the moment. While I would never base my opinion of a performer solely on the basis of a short live recording, I must say that my interest is piqued.