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The Valdez Horses is a mellow ‘n’ moody early 1970’s western that is both bittersweet & thoughtful. It features in its lead Charles Bronson as lonesome rancher- who tries to shift from his solitary life. The film features largely nuanced performances, and low-key gunplay/ action quota- all set to a dramatic and rugged mountain/untamed plains backdrop. From Powerhouse here is a Region B Blu Ray release- bringing together a commentary track from Bronson expect Paul Talbot, and a few other extras.
Buffalo Bill and the Indians, or Sitting Bull’s History Lesson is a comic western directed in 1976 by the legendary Robert Altman (Mash, Nashville) and featuring an all-star cast including Paul Newman as Buffalo Bill, Joel Grey as Nate Salisbury, Kevin McCarthy as Major John Burke, Harvey Keitel as Ed Goodman, Geraldine Chaplin as Annie Oakley, Shelley Duvall as the first lady, Mrs Grove Cleveland and Burt Lancaster as Ned Buntline.
Light Industry is jarring and often brutish improv release that features moments of angular playfulness & awkward mellow lull. The six-track/forty two minute CD release brings together Dirk Serries on acoustic guitar & Colin Webster on Alto Sax.
On Sunday severs up two lengthy examples of shifting & gratingly creative improv for amplified acoustic guitar, alto sax & drums/percussion. The two-track CD nicely moves back and forth between cluttering angularity, wavering-to-soured discord, and manic scuttling- so it’s certainly improv for those who like the more noise-bound & difficult side of the form. The release appears on New Wave Of Jazz- a Belgium lable, who focuses in the less approachable/ seared side of improv/modern composition genre.
Liberté is an example of art-house cinema at it’s mostly grimly perverse & lullingly deranged. The films set one night between dusk & dawn in a murky forest – based just before the French revolution, it focuses in on a group of expelled aristocrats involved in all manner of depravity, though this is far from a titling smut fest- instead, it’s a bleak & at times distrbinding study of human perversity. Here from Second Run is a recent free Blu Ray release of this controversial film- featuring a high definition/ full uncut print of the film, a few extras & a glossy inlay booklet.
Circles and cycles (Tentacles in Sicily– scratching the surface) is an intriguing concept based field recording release ,which depending on your enjoyment of more textured/ noise-based field recordings, is either a rewarding sonic journey, or somewhat of a folly. Here from Germanys, Gruenrekorder is a CD and glossy booklet release, and as we’ve come to expect from the labels it’s another very classy bit of presentation.
Ambient Noise Wall is a new release from one of the more skilled names in the walled noise/ textured noise scene, Russian noise maker Sergey Pakhomov here under his Train Cemetery name. The release is just a digital download, which is available from Sergey’s band camp- and it features a single one hour and thirty-minute track.
Environmental Wall 1 finds respected US noise maker Sean E. Matzus(Thewhitehorse, theNIGHTproduct, Black Leather Jesus, Last Rape) presenting up a nicely seared ‘n’ fierily feasting thirty two minute 'wall' based around field recordings of a creek in rural Pennsylvania. The release appeared October of last year- coming as either a cassette or digital download- I’m reviewing the latter.
Fractal Generator are a three-piece blackened death metal band with science fiction themes and grim, cold atmosphere. They combine the dissonant tremolos and unresolving emotional tensions of black metal with the chunky rhythmic low end of death metal, with agile chugging and palm muting in downtuned registers.
This is an intriguing set-up: ‘robot controlled grand piano’ and drums - a definite rarity. These tools, wielded by Nicholas Bussmann and Martin Brandlmayr respectively, are used to create two long (twenty minute plus) tracks of unorthodox improvisation. Internationale Solidarität comes on smart looking vinyl, but I’m reviewing a digital version here.
The Untold Story stands as one of the more tonally jarring & schizophrenic genre films I’ve seen in a while. One minute it’s playful & quirky, the next it’s gruelling & grim, then we switch to flippantly sleazed & misogynistic comedy, before swinging into extreme taboo-breaking violence & sexualized torture- so by the end one feels like their head is spinning-off. Here from the folks at Unearthed Films/MVD Visual is a much-needed reissue of this 1990’s Hong Kong made film- bringing together three commentary tracks, a feature-length doc, and a few more bits & bobs.
Long running (in one name or another) German blackened death outfit, Omegavortex, release their debut full-length, Black Abomination Spawn. Grim and mighty, the nine tracks on display showcase the band's vile artistry and charred death. A brilliant mix of new and old, Omegavortex use their skills to push the genre forward while wearing their influences heavily on their sleeves
Unwanted sees Eugene, Oregon based Monolithic Torment severing up an hours worth of rewardingly judder ‘n’ crackle bound walled-noise. The release is a digital self-release, and it's the projects first release of 2012- and from the evidence here it looks like this fairly new project is still offering up entrancing & textural rewarding wall matter.
Naughty Angel Raptures is a two-piece wall-noise project that brings together husband & wife team Charlotte(Naughty & Exquise Esquisse) and Nemanja Nikoliæ(Dosis Letalis). Ultimate Freedom is the projects first full-length release- it appeared in late 2019 as either a double C30(unfortunately out of print) or a digital download on French label Static Dreams. The release features four fifteen minutes walls, with the last one being a collaboration with Canadian noise/ wall legend The Rita.
Purposely Spreading is a C60/digital download that finds this Flanders based noisemaker severing up two side long examples of slowly shifting textured noise, which have a decidedly grim weathered quality to them. The release has just come out and is available at presently direct from the artists, with a download version appearing in a week or two.
Elettronica Ultras is one of the more recent projects from Swish based noisemaker Anto S, who is most known for his creatively layered & kinky wall noise project Anonymous Masturbaudioum. Untitled takes in two tracks, and the sound here is raw/analogue focused walled noise- that’s both battering & coldly intense. The release appeared late last year, coming as either a CDR (sadly sold out) or a digital download.
La Breiche (The Witch) are a rather unique experience, loosely described as ambient folk this term does not really help given the diverse influences involved here. One can hear elements of the aforementioned musical genre sitting alongside elements of black metal, shoegaze, post-rock and pretty much anything you care to shake a stick at, it’s all here somewhere. The whole album is a fascinating immersion into the musical psyche of those individuals involved, taking a thoroughly modern path through ancient territory by mixing traditional folk instrumentation with modern technology to great effect, but more about that in a moment.
Aenigma was the second to last film that Lucio Fulci helmed in the 1980s, and while it’s certainly not top draw Fulci. It’s an entertaining enough slice of euro-horror pie, with gory enough-to-bizarre killings, camp characters, and cheesy dialogue. From Severin here is a recent Blu Ray release of the film- bringing together a new 4k scan, a new commentary track , and a few other extras. And on the version we got the film's soundtrack comes on a second CD- though this version is limited.
I is a c60/ digital download that appeared on New York-based Modern Tapes last summer. It offers up two side long examples of deeply oppressive & greyly enveloping drone work, that features nicely shifting 'n' building sound detail, and decidedly uneasy atmosphere.
Returning to 12k for his latest, sound artist Giuseppe Ielasi resurrects his guitar based artistry for Five Wooden Frames. Using the instrument both traditionally and as a sound source, the minimal, electro-acoustic result is both contemplative and haunting. By shifting and layering guitar artifacts, Ielasi manages to release the soul and ghosts trapped withing his six string.
Light Sleeper is a decidedly moody & compelling 1990’s film that blends elements of noir, drama, and later fairly tense thriller. The New York city set film moves between the shadowy, rain-soaked & rubbish piled streets of the city, and it’s glitzy-yet vapid up-market clubs & apartments. It focuses in on world-weary & troubled high-end drug courier John LeTour (Willem Dafoe), as his risky-if-becoming predictable life gets slowly-but-surely shaken up. From Powerhouse here is a most welcome reissue of the film- featuring a high definition re-mastered print, and a good selection of new & archive extras.
He Came From The Swamp is a recent blu-ray boxset from the folks over at Arrow Video- both in the UK & US. It features seven films from Florida based writer/ director William Grefé, who stands as one of the versatile & consistent names from the US exploitation circuit of the 60’s & 70’s- sure his output was cheap & trashy, but the films were largely entertaining & relatively competently made. His worked featured here moves between silly creature features, crime drama, hippy road movie, light thriller/ horror hag soapiness, sharksploitation, and backwoods thriller.
Directed by Alfred Sole (Alice Sweet Alice) in 1982, Pandemonium is a comedy slasher movie with an all-star cast that features Tom Smothers, Carol Kane, Judge Reinhold, Phil Hartman, Paul “PeeWee Herman” Reubens and Tab Hunter to name but a few. This is quite exciting for fans of the movie as this is the first time it found its way to disc anywhere in the world. The print is taken from a brand new 2k restoration that ensures the film looks better than ever almost 40 years on from its original release.
In late 2017, after they had just completed two albums- I Am A Resident! & Intruders- The Residents, instead of resting on their considerable laurels, decided to undertake a forty-plus date world tour. It was fittingly entitled In Between Dreams- and it saw the infamous avant-pop collective reimagining a selection of songs from their near 50 years back catalogue. Here from Cherry Red, MVD Audio, and the Cryptic Corp is a double-disc taking in both audio & visual recordings one of the tour's date- and it certainly shows the four-piece firing on all cylinders- with both energy & sonic oddness.