The Rita — Anna Kogler Found In The River
The CD comes presented in 6-panel digipak- this features a black colour scheme and selection of images relating to the track's themes. So the front cover takes in a picture of The Rita recreating the aftermath of infamous 1959 shark attack, which saw eighteen-year-old Albert Kogler lying on San Francisco Barker Beach. And on the inside panels, we get a still from 1930 pre-Code tragedy Anna Christie, the news report about Kogler's death, and a still from a sea-based horror comic. The release came in an edition of 300 copies, and knowing the cult following respected The Rita has- these will disappear fast.
In all the release features three separate release & four tracks- with each track hit around the fifteen-minute mark, with a total CD runtime of fifty-nine minutes. Kicking the whole release off we have “Anna Christie”- this originally appeared back in 2005, as a three-inch CDR on Pitchpase- and it certainly stands as one of the highlights on this compilation. The track is built around a thick pile driving billowing & battering noise drone- this shifted 'n' bayed by a blend of rattling static grit, lo-key fork ‘n’ buzzes, and taut jittering grind. The whole thing clutches you in it’s thick & meat grip- with the expertly controlled topping textures battering & baying the structure of the whole thing wonderfully. It all becomes more violently jarring & ripping as it goes on along, yet as we’d expect from The Rita the whole thing is masterfully controlled & balanced in its attack.
Next, we have “Albert Kogler”- this originally appeared as a single side vinyl release on Troniks in 2006. Here we find a more tonally similar blend of sustain & rapidly drone low-end, which is topped by buffeting & rapidly skittering static play. It doesn’t quite grab you as much as the opening track, but it’s a well-controlled and brutally jittering example of wall-matter, which possessors a great feeling of taunt & tense urgency.
Lastly, we have the two tracks from Trash Rituals vinyl release The Tortured Ghosts Of Creeks And Rivers- which appeared in 2006. First up we have “El Charro De Las Calaveras”- which a great blend of the crushing weighty-ness & moody uneasy. It brings together a extra dense buzzing ‘n’ slowly grinding low end, with shifting sways of wiry static grain texturing that shifts between tight descending hacks, cascading clutters, and swirling bays. Within the latter part of the 'wall'- some very neat rip bound judders appear- all very much conjuring up images of been stalked though dark weed clogged waterways by a sinister merman.
Next, we have “Screaming Skull From The Creek” here we find a mix of constantly flowing-yet-slightly choppy lows, cascading static focused jitters, and murky knock ‘n’ spin subtones. If the first track brought to mind sinister Fishman stalking, this feels akin to be dragged behind a rickety speed boat at full speed through the everglades. A nice rapid & nasty end to the compilation.
It’s great to see Phage Tapes giving a reissue to these three early 2000’s releases- all of the tracks work well as a flowing release, and if you’re a fan of highly controlled and master walled/ harsh noise you’ll be needing to invest in this CD compilation, before they all disappear!- head here to hook your self up.