Xylophile — Cedar & Apple
With a title like “Cedar & Apple” one might expect possibly a lulling folk release, but instead this debut from new Minnesota US based project is a head-grinding & ear flaying slice of active HNW/ dense harsh noise. The project utilizes just the sound of wood for it’s sound source- hence the releases title.
Apparently the project takes its name from the Greek word for wood loving. The project uses original recordings of abrasions and collisions with wood, then amplifies and overdrives them. Also all of the projects work is recorded on tape first, regardless of format, which I guess gives this an extra less clean edge.
This first release comes in the form of a 3inch cdr, which features two tracks with a joint playing time of just over 19 minutes. The disc comes in a mini sized cd case that features a woodprint cover, which takes in grey print on a black thick-ish crape paper.
Up first we have “Cedar Blocks 01”, and this comes in at the 9.44 mark. The tracks built around a rapid ‘n ‘ dense mixture of descending hacking crustiness, billowing static whirlwinds, and juddering rumbles. To me it brings to mind some huge demonic beast ripping ‘n’ tearing it’s way through a seemingly endless forest in the middle of a storm. There's a nice range of tone on display here, and the track nicely batters & rages at you for it’s full run-time. This track is fairly fixed for most of its length, though around the seven minute mark it shifts into a more thin churning ‘n’ ripping tunnel of maelstrom like sound..through fairly soon it returns to its originally brutal yet rapid mix of lower-end textures.
Lastly we have “Apple Chips 01”, and this comes in at the 10.11. This track ups the urgency & rapidity from the first track. It opens with a mixture of churning ‘n’ galloping under rumble & mid-ranged spiralling sears. As the track progresses the under rumble moves towards an panicked on/ off judder, or rotating rumble, with the mid-range tones seeming drilling deeper & deeper into your ear carnal with it’s sap splattered urgency- at times it almost feels like a rapid water spray jet. By the 8th minute there’s quite a more divined drilling ‘n’ grating feel to the mid-ranged tone, but just when you think it’s going to notch up more intensity the track fades
Both tracks here are effective in their own right, and both show the brutal potential of wood as a source sound for HNW. My only real criticism here is it would have been nice to hear longer tracks, as some of the most effective textures here seem over way too quickly. All told this is a satisfying enough opening shot from this new project, and I look forward to seeing how the project sounds progresses.