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Crunching noisily onward, Belgium's NDE return for a third time to Cold Spring with this year's United (Through Iron and Blood). Utilizing rhythmic noise loops, feedback, and varied vocal styles, NDE put together a grim and punishing power electronics release. Bringing a semi-danceable style to the gruff cacophony, NDE challenge convention and do a pretty good job of it.
Esoteric Russian traditional music group Nytt Land released "Oðal", their 4th album, this year on Cold Spring.In their promo pics, Nytt Land wear something like a cross between black metal attire and that of 'freak folk' artists who aim to look like relics from the 1800's. They look completely ridiculous to me, hamming it up with mirror contacts, 'mysterious' and intimidating facial expressions, necklaces made of teeth, heavy tattoos and disheveled white dress shirts, presented in heavily color treated images made to look dim and desolate. Perhaps I'm getting older, but this sort of thing doesn't convince me in the slightest. All that's missing is the blood spatters on their clothes.
Heal is the project of French experimental musician Laurent Perrier. He has sporadic releases using the alias dating back to 2000. This 2018 LP "Espace d'incertitude" is the 4th album as Heal. Its nine pieces run a mere thirty seven minutes; it is the rare soundscape album for the impatient. It features two boldly contrasting sides:
"Finnish synth pop" may sound like a made up genre to many, but the folks at Svart have compiled a wonderful collection of this underheard movement. Satan In Love showcases 22 tracks from 1979-1992 and brings this interesting period to the world stage. While the synthesizer may have been a late addition to the Finnish music scene, these pioneering Finns embraced it and turned out some fun and well done pop.
Here we have another release of archival material from Justin Wright’s Expo 70 project via Zoharum. This two disc collection gathers together two albums of rare material that was previously released in limited numbers on CD and cassette in 2008 and 2010, and has been unavailable ever since. I have a great deal of affection for this project, Wright’s music transports me to Germany circa the early 1970s and leaves me feeling relaxed and calm. It possesses a beautiful cosmic quality that reminds me of Ash Ra Tempel and Amon Düül II.
The French Tape offers up two just shy of thirty-minute examples of pared-back & intricate static noise studies from Swedish walled noise project Rien. It appeared in May of this year as either a C60 cassette or a digital download- sadly the physical version of the tape our now all sold out, so digital is your only option.
Rats Clinging To A Ship is the debut release from Unwashed- the more Power electronics focused project of Southampton based Clive Henry, who in recent years has been known/respected for he’s often more progressive take on HNW/ static noise making. The release appeared in November of last year, and came in the form of either a C30 tape or a digital download- and as of this review the label still has copies.
With Sidereal Decomposition Activity the two masters of the Italian electronic scene joined together for the second time here. Their first collab happened back in 2007 with the album Erimos. Maurizio Bianchi, acting here under the initials of MB, is a veteran of the Italian industrial / electronic scene, who started his career in the far 80s. Matteo Uggeri (Barnacles) is also widely known as a visual designer and composer since the 90s, whose also made many collaborations with famous experimental artists over the years
This is the fifth album by Philippe Petit and Friends, and their first since 2012s Cordophony. Philippe is the co-founder of Strings of Consciousness and a long time collaborator of Lydia Lunch, he has worked with the likes of Jarboe, Cosey Fanni Tutti, Edward Ka-Spel and a host of others within the electronic music scene. The songs on this album were originally intended for the third in a trilogy of albums by String of Consciousness, however their subsequent split means that they have found their way out on this particular album.
Something of an event release this for Gruenrekorder; The Secret Life of the Inaudible is a double CD collaboration between the New Zealand born American composer Annea Lockwood (She of A Sound Map of the Hudson River and numerous brutalised pianos in the 1970s) and Christina Kubisch who's most recent release on Gruenrekorder was Unter Grund a record which made use of material collected appropriately enough beneath the earth's surface at various locations in the area of the Ruhr in Germany.
Cold Spring Recordings presents Midori, the third release by She Spread Sorrow. For those unfamiliar, She Spread Sorrow hails from Italy and is the moniker of one Alice Kudalini, previously known for her work in Deviated Sister TV. I reviewed her debut album Rumspringa a few years ago and was really floored by her deft melding of cold industrial and ritualistic power electronics. On Midori, Kudalini takes the template from the debut release (I sadly overlooked her sophomore effort Mine), but takes it in a dark ambient direction.
Return of Django & Eastwood Rides Again are the first & sixth albums from Lee "Scratch" Perry house band The Upsetters. Originally put in the late 60’s/ early 70’s they show the first shoots of sonic flair & invention from this respected reggae producer- who pioneer both creative production in the genre, and of course was one of the key minds behind the development of Dub. Here on Doctor Bird- a sub-label of Cherry Red we get a recent CD reissue of the two albums.
Here we have a CD box set reissue of three of the most important releases from with-in the euro ambient music scene. Originally released between 1991 & 1993 Passage In Beauty, Shadow In Sorrow, and Ending Mirage stand as not just important moments in development of this projects sound , but a huge influences on the wider experimental euro scene.
For Lisa is a recent-ish full-length CDR release from Swiss wall-noise project Labbra Di Lurido Blu. The disc presents us with five examples of traditional-yet-fairly creative & often active HNW.
Kyrylo Shablevsky is a Ukraine project walled/ static noise project, and this is the projects first physical release. I came in the form of a CDR on Russian Reason Art recordings, and it presents the listener with four fairly creative & varied examples of static noise texturing.
Synthwave terror GosT returns with Possessor, his third release on Blood Music. Mixing metal pacing and flourishes into his synthy composition, GosT brings some much needed grimness to an album dealing with Satanism and possession. Sometimes dancey, sometimes headbanging, Possessor is a synth fueled trip to the darker side of human nature.
The Soultangler is a shot of deranged 80's low-budget horror fare. It blends together elements of the mad scientist's genre, hooded killers, Zombies, & crazed/ bizarre gore, with moments of surreal dreaminess, and Lovecraft dread. This is the first ever DVD release of the film, and it's a joint release between those resurrectors of lost cult films AGFA, and Bleeding Skull- a website that charts obscure trash- fed-horror film fare.
Static noise - an interesting and varied style of sound art. Some may say the form is too monotonous and boring, but to my ears, it’s not. As in any genre of sound, there are several styles, which are often disputed by artists and fans. Let's not talk about classification. We will limit ourselves only to the fact that the noise project called Å is one of the most famous in the style of Ambient Noise Wall. A characteristic feature of this style of static noise is the almost complete absence of abrasiveness as well as a deeper, atmospheric sound.
Formed in 2005, the extremely prolific My Silent Wake have released 10 albums of gothic doom/death metal, as well as a bunch singles and EPs. Hailing from that bastion of metal greatness Weston Supermare, the band fronted by Ian Arkley have been steadily making a name for themselves during those years. Arkley himself has been around the metal scene for around thirty years making his debut with Christian thrashers Seventh Angel with their first album Torment in 1990, as well as number of other bands in the intervening years.
This Untitled 3inch CDR severs up a twenty minute slab of constricting ‘n’ crude HNW from Tampa, Florida based Sloth. The release appeared last year on Florida's Inner Demons label, it comes in a edition of 42 copies, and as far as I can see it’s still available
Serbian based Raven has been active since 2013 releasing a fairly large body of work that’s moved from harsh noise to all-out walled noise. According to Discogs the projects released nearing 40 full lengths, plus around the same number of shorter releases/ etc. Life In Ruins is a 3inc CDR from April of this year, and it presents us with a minute sixteen mintue example of ear-searing & seesawing harsh noise.
'Church of Still' is a digital HNW release from the Ohio-based project Valvan. The release takes in a single wall clocking in at 42'25.
After Cannibal Holocaust, and Cannibal Ferox 1980’s Eaten Alive stands as one of the classic examples of the Italian cannibal genre that flourished in the late 70’s to early 80’s. Here we have a much deserved first ever Blu Ray/ HD release of the film- it offers up a new, great & vibrate uncut print of the film, as well as a good selection of juicy extras.
Chamber And Field Works (2015-2017) is a two-disc CD set bringing together selection of four works from this French composer- who creates sourly droning-to-stripped back modern composition.