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Well, this a tome. Two audio CDs, one DVD, and a booklet, all gathered together in an amazing reissue of Killing Technology by the Canadian band, Voivod. As part of my older brother’s attempts to convert me to good music, I inherited from him a TDK C90 with Killing Technology on one side, and Burn My Eyes by Machine Head on the other. Truth be told, the latter did much more to win me over, and it wasn’t until some years later, when I heard Nothingface (and then traced back to Dimension Hatröss) that I could understand my brother’s zeal. However, to be honest Killing Technology, though good, was always the lesser of the three (in my opinion), and the one I listened to least. So it’s been a pleasure to reacquaint myself with the album, through this reissue.
Originally released in 1978 Blake's New Jerusalem was the second album from British keyboardist Tim Blake, Who is most known for his work with Gong & Hawkwind. Here from Esoteric Records we have a recent CD reissue of the album- featuring three bonus tracks- two of which are fairly epic in length, pushing the original albums just under forty minute runtime to near double its length.
Presence are a progressive rock band from Naples in Italy. Formed in the late 1980s, the group are a three piece, featuring vocalist/pianist Sophya Baccini, keyboardist/ percussionist Enrico Iglio, and guitarist Sergio Casamassima. They are augmented on this album by drummer Sergio Quagliarella, and bass player Mino Berlano. “Masters and Following” is their latest studio release, and comes with a bonus disc of live material from the band’s back catalogue.
Machinefabriek’s latest album Assemblage is just that, an assemblage of rare material originally recorded for compilations, collaborations, unreleased film and installation soundtracks, and the Nerf EP that received a limited release as a 3” CD. The brain child of Rutger Zuyderveldt, Machinefabriek have been around the block and have released a number of proclamations of their intent since their inception in 2004.
Night Eyes is the tenth full length album by the reclusive mudboy, and his first in seven years. A key member of the early 2000's free-folk and experimental music scene coming out of Providence, Rhode Island, mudboy is largely identified with modified analog electronic keyboards and a live shows featuring shamanistic performances and DIY pyrotechnics.
The Greasy Strangler is a recent shot of bad taste/ quirky cinema that falls somewhere between awkward comedy & campy horror movie. Bringing together John Waters like shock traits, a selection of odd characters, lo-if eye-popping horror effects, and synth soundtrack that sounds like a meeting between The Residents & 8bit electro-core.
Here we have the 30th Anniversary reissue of the soundtrack for Dario Argento’s arty & Gothic 80’s Giallo based in an opera house. The release blends together the dramatic & often sleek synthetic score from Claudio Simonetti, a few slices of 1980’s metal, and a selection of eight bonus tracks.
Transits is the fourth full length releases from this UK two piece, who have been creating drone/doom matter since 2006. I’ve been following the project since their debut, The Creep which saw them brew-up an extremely rewarding blend of folk horror themed bass tones and sinister ambience. For this new release, they are very much departing from the murky & earthbound themes of their past releases, for a distinctly more space & star bound drone trip split into three twenty-to- twenty five minute tracks.
Back At Hole offers up four slices of bass seared & intense walled-noise nastiness from this French project. The release comes in the form of four CDR, and appeared on Minneapolis-based label Altar Of Waste.
Here’s a sombrely presented CD (pro-pressed and printed) on Crónica. The imagery, and explanatory notes on the back cover, suggested to me that Juryo: Durée de la Vie de L'ainsi​-​venu koxx might be an album dominated by field recording, and whilst it very much is, in one sense, sonically it’s really quite different. The album is largely constructed from field recordings from across Asia, sometimes processed, sometimes raw. The second, third, and fourth tracks are inspired by a chapter of the Lotus Sûtra - a famous text of Mahâyâna Buddhism - whilst the first, Tanit Astarté, ‘is a quotation from Antonin Artaud’s book Héliogabale, and refers to the moon goddess, as described in Phoenician myths.’
Crónica Recordings presents Urban Dialog by Tamtam. Tamtam is the Berlin based duo of Sam Auinger and Hannes Strobl who, in their own words, refer to their music as a “practice where the environment becomes the instrument and instrument becomes the sound environment.” While artist blurbs can often mislead, in the case of Tamtam, it’s a description that’s fittingly accurate.
Finnish, one-man synth act, Anvil Strykez (nope, that's not a typo...unfortunately) brings its 80's inspired, retro synth attack to Wolf Force Corporation. The eponymous debut sees seven tracks of propulsive, synthwave fury. Put on your louvered shades, tighten your wristbands, and hit the floor with Anvil Strykez.
Trevor Shelley de Brauw's 20 year musical career has manifested as an exploration of the vast sonic possibilities of the guitar. Best known for his work with post-rock mainstays Pelican and other projects of varying frequency and notoriety, Uptown is his debut as a solo artist.
Synth ambient pioneer Steve Roach has continued with a relentlessly prolific stream of releases since the early 80's.
Burial Ground was one of the more silly, sleazy, yet atmospheric films of the 1980’s Italian zombie cycle. It blended together gut munching, haphazard latex zombie masks, soft-core moments, corny/ stilted dialogue, and a distinctly gothic atmosphere. Here we have, what I believe to be, the first ever Blu-ray transfer of the film. And I must say it’s one of the best transfers I’ve seen it sometime…literally blowing away past versions I’d seen.
Cathy’s Curse is head-scratching, bizarre, and at times nonsensical example of late 1970’s horror exploitation. It's a film that will have even the most seasoned connoisseur of so-bad-it’s-good movies, rolling their eyes in disbelief and chuckling. It truly is a film that has to be seen to be believed!
Here’s a cassette on Altar of Waste, released in a very limited edition of 10 copies. The inlay is dominated by a murky shot of a snowy forest (I think…), which is very evocative, and reflective of the sounds within. The tape has three tracks - two long, one considerably shorter - and amounts to just over an hour’s material.
This self titled C30/ digital download brings together two examples of worthy, subtle shifting & creative walled noise. The split features French female wall-noise maker Naughty, and Californian based She walks Crooked.
Blue Vocem offers up two thirty minute slices of walled noise from these two euro projects. As the releases title suggest the theme here is the colour blue and in particular blue noise- this is a high-frequency of white noise, which with each successive octave increases by three decibels.
Rakshas is an early 2017 tape release from Richard Ramirez’s Bigfoot themed walled-noise project. If you’ve been reading M[m] HNW reviews for a little time now, you’ll know that Fouke stands of one my favourite Ramirez projects- so when I saw this was out, I just had to hear it.
North Ireland native, Cathal Cully (Girls Names), presents his first solo album under the name Group Zero. Out on Touch Sensitive Records, Structures and Light is a fun piece of synth and drum machine electronica, that deftly switches between playful and brooding, light and dark. Riding on the current, synth heavy trend, Group Zero mixes odes to the past with hints at the future.
“Dendritic”, a collaboration between Gridfailure and Magalophobe which was released on Arbor Day (a day to encourage and celebrate the planting of trees) and has both of these two acts physically planting a tree for reach pre order of the album, has almost come about by accident. It was not intended to be recorded the way it was. Initially the two projects came together to record source material for an upcoming Gridfailure album, however it quickly became the album we are reviewing instead.
For anyone who doesn’t know The Great Annihilator was the ninth studio album of Swans career. Released shortly before Gira and co. elected to go their separate ways, at least until 2010 when Swans would reform once again. Anyway, this new deluxe edition comes packaged with Michael Gira’s solo album Drainland, a worthwhile purchase on its own.
Here’s a pro-CD and package from Hubro, containing works by the composer Laurence Crane, played by the asamisimasa ensemble. The group, six-strong, line up thusly: Kristine Tjøgersen - clarinets, Tanja Orning - cello, Anders Førisdal - guitars, Ellen Ugelvik - piano and electric organ, Håkon Mørch Stene - percussion, and Ditte Marie Bræin - soprano. There’s five works, over 13 tracks, amounting to nearly an hour’s worth of music. The CD comes with a booklet of extensive notes, which perhaps make virtues of the very things I found frustrating with these recordings…