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Though staring in 2014, I’ve only become aware of this Texas-based project in the last year or so. As No123noise sound has seemingly switched from a loser blend of Harsh noise/ dark- to a pronounced walled noise/ bleak drone focus. I’ve been fairly impressed by the splits this project has been involved in- so when I saw they had a full-length out I was eager to check it out.
A Very Dark Place presents the listener with a seventy-eight-minute album that brings together lengthy sways of numbing drone matter, dramatic & troubling film dialogue samples, and a few forays into lo-fi & sometimes beat bound electronica.
Boar’d To Death is the latest selection of pork-bound brutality from this based Florida walled-noise project, who themes all their releases around pigs. And this time around the specific theme is Boar attacks- with the garish cover artwork taking in the attack, aftermath & close-up pictures of Boar tusks!
With 1995's "Worship the Glitch", Coil proved their music could be brilliantly multifaceted and evocative- even when stripped down to simple 1-6 minute sound experiments, devoid of both vocals and conceptualization. It was released under the alias 'Coil vs. ElpH', ElpH being the name Coil used for music that had been created subconsciously or accidentally, revealing hidden voices within the equipment.
Rougge is a moody & mysterious piano-playing french singer/ songwriter. And here with his new album Cordes, he ’s joined by a string quartet, for a selection of sentimentally emotional, bland, and at times truly painful collection of songs- it’s like clichéd & soft post-rock played with piano & strings, with someone wailing pretentiously over the top.
Una Stagione All’inferno (A Season In Hell) is a nine-piece Italain project who conjure up a dark & macabre tinged blend of prog/ atmospheric rock. The band originally formed in 1997, broke up for a few years, then got back together- and Il Mostro Di Firenze (The Monster Of Florence) is the bands' debut release- think a blend of Goblin, Goth-tinged prog, with slight jazz rock flavors.
The Killing Kind is one of the lesser known American psycho- thrillers of the 1970’s. It blends together effective & at times quite unsettling psychosexual action, with Old Hag Horror, and touches of pitch-black humor. Here’s a region 2 DVD of the film released on French horror/cult label Artus Films.
Unser Verhängnis' "Peace Is A Lasting Legacy When The Earth Is A Silent Grave" is the third release from the project and the twenty-fourth release from the label Modern Tapes. The album title reads like something you might find in a post-rock release from the likes of GY!BE - and while the sounds contained within are nothing of the sort, there is a similar attention to atmosphere, minimalism and illuminating ambiguous yet emotionally-wrought sounds with similarly ambiguous yet leading verbosity. Speaking of the use of language in this project, there is a repeated description online of this as an "ambient minimal wall noise project for the contemplation of our undoing". In tow with this, the imagery used by the project is often dystopian and post-apocalyptic in nature.
Here from BGO is another double CD reissue of Ramsey Lewis releases- bringing together four early-to-mid 1970’s albums from this highly versatile & prolific Chicago based pianist & composer. Each album gets a great recent remastering, and each highlights Ramsey flair for both approachable jazz ‘n’ fusion & creative covers.
Sound, video, and performance artist Daniel Alexander Hignell uses his creativity and passion not just for the aural pleasures of music fans worldwide, but also to further his knowledge of sound, form, and function of making art. Completing his doctorate in 2017, Hignell recorded part of the 130 page text-score as this release, Distant Animals' Lines. His sole release under the moniker, Lines is a wonderful sonic environment in which to spend some time in contemplation.
Back in 1976, The Residents changed the idea & possibilities of cover albums forever with the release of their third album Third Reich ‘n’ Roll. This album took a selection of thirty 50’s/ 60’s/ 70’s hit parade songs- put them through their avant-grade sound mangled, and squeezed out a wholly original & deranged work that blended together wonky familiarity with sonic alien-ness & un-balance-ment. For their new release I Am A Resident!- the band carries out a similar process, but instead of songs of others they use their own extensive back catalogue for influence. But to add an extra inventive turn they utilize cover versions of their work by others- all to create a truly unique & at time truly bonkers trip.
When you think of Serbian Harsh Noise Wall, then, really there are only two names that come to mind. The first is the legendary Dead Body Collection, which some time ago ended and from its ruins arose post-HNW project Kosmodrom. The second project is Dosis Letalis, which is currently the only well-known representative of the Serbian HNW underground. The project was founded in 2015 by Nemanja Nikolic, who also has couple of side projects, as well taking part in more than a few collaborations.
Through this little folk band from Glasgow we can chart the rise of two of Britain’s most successful artists, Gerry Rafferty of Stealer’s Wheel and Baker Street fame and one of the world’s most successful comedians, Billy Connolly. The band were originally formed in 1965 by Connolly and Tam Harvey as a folk duo, playing around the club circuit in Glasgow throughout the mid-1960s until Rafferty joined them in time for the release of their debut album “First Collection of Merry Melodies”. Harvey left the band shortly after the release of their debut album, whilst Connolly and Rafferty went on to record two further albums as a duo. This set brings together all 3 albums across two discs, with the addition of a 1969 single release of “Saturday Round About Sunday” and “Bed of Mossy Green”, and a series of outtakes from the sessions for third album “Open Up The Door”.
Tim Hecker’s 2nd full-length, Radio Amor, gets the reissue treatment on Chicago’s Kranky Records. Originally released back in 2003 on Mille Plateaux (and again in 2007 on Alien8), it is available once again (with a new remaster by Matt Colton) on CD, 2xLP, and digital formats.
From late last year here we have a five CDR Wall-noise box set- bringing together both classic/ older projects, alongside slightly newer denizens of the HNW/ static noise scene. Each artists offers up a disc a piece, and really the quality is high through-out- with each artists offering up their own distinct take on this most extreme of genres.
Originally appearing in the late 1980’s Zombie 3 is a classic slice of ‘bad-euro horror’. Blending together stilted acting, campy 80’s fashion, dumb-yet amusing dialog, & cheesy sound-tracking- with moments of often ridiculous gore & bad action scenes. Here on Severin we have a double disc Blu Ray & CD reissue of the film & its soundtrack.
It must be a good few years since I’ve heard anything from this Michigan based project; who creates lengthy trips into balky-yet-often fairly active walled noise. Here on Stockholm based Ominous Recordings- we have a C64/ digital releases of Vols 3 & 4 in the projects Earth’s Hum Series.
Coming three years after their debut EP, Carnation unleashes their first LP, Chapel of Abhorrence. Released by the juggernaut Seasons of Mist label, this slab of tasty, old school death pummels and pounds its way through 11 heavy tracks. Classic style with fresh production, Chapel of Abhorrence is an excellent way to thrash through an afternoon
Günter Schlienz is a German experimental musician, a member of the ambient/experimental post-rock band Navel, he also works under the alter ego Cosmic Winnetou, recording and releasing some of the finest cosmic sounds around. He is also noted for building his own modular synthesizers, which he uses in the creation of his music.
Electroplasmic Veiling serves up two hours worth of distinctively moody & creepy walled-noise from this Seattle Washington project. It comes in the form of either a double C90 box set, or as a digital download.
Sans Valeur is an extremely lengthy & totally unrelenting submersion in ultra stark, wholly empty, and abyss-like drone matter- which sits somewhere between husk-like ambience & drone based wall noise. Here on Altar of Waste, we have a CDR release- taking in 75 minutes of terminal sonic stark-ness- it extends an original two-track forty minute digital release to new heights of crushing oppressive-ness.
Albums based on just percussion instruments tend to be rather rare. Especially if the album is not ethnic music, but an experiment played by several drummers.
Norweigen accordionist and bandleader Frode Haltli, who has sporadic recordings dating back to 2002, has assembled a diverse ten person ensemble for his latest project "Avant Folk". Common string and wind instruments like saxophone and violin are paired with exotic fare such as the harmonium and goat horn, for a colorful, vibrant sound.
Death by Metal is a recent documentary about genre-defining & shaping Florida band Death, and their founding member/ mastermind Chuck Schuldiner. Here on MVD Visual is a region free DVD of the film and a good selection of juicy extras.