Loading
Don’t Look In The Basement was one of the bleaker, well acted, and at times unsettling exploitation films of the 1970’s. Here, along with its surprisingly good sequel, we get the first ever Blu Ray release of the film.
Serbian based project Dosis Letalis is most known for its walled noise/ HNW releases, but from time-to-time, they put out softer or more ambient type releases. And that’s exactly what we have here with The Other Side Of The Void- it’s a digital only release that offers up six thirty minute examples of lowercase noise wall.
Here’s a C20 from last year- and it offers up two fairly formal & straight examples of walled noise from this often progressive UK wall-maker. Neuro walls is one of the more recently labels from respected French wall-maker Julien Skrobek- and sadly this tape is now completely sold out, with no download option…so if you're interested in this you’ll have to go down the discogs route.
Following last years' evocative Extinction, San Francisco's Common Eider, King Eider are back with their latest ritualistic offering, Shrines for the Unwanted, Respite for the Cast Aside. Like a dark ambient travelogue through a bleak and uninhabited landscape, Common Eider, King Eider quickly build up an engaging atmosphere, and use their massive talents to expand it to an impressive scope. With only four tracks on display, Shrines makes the most of its run time and enthralls with each intriguing turn.
Fish Out of Water are a folk rock group from Bournemouth, fronted by vocalist Marie Green. They play a style of music largely influenced by the likes of Fairport Convention, or Steeleye Span in that they take traditional material and update it for the times. The Hares on A Mountain E.P. is the band’s second release following their debut album Carp Diem, the E.P. is released on Talking Elephant Records.
Here’s a real treat for fans of bad movies from Vinegar Syndrome- this DVD takes in two great examples of so-bad-they're-great filmmaking. We have The Executioner, Part II a decidedly wonky & haphazard action film from 1980’s. And from the 1970’s - Frozen Scream a puzzling, often jarringly cut, and at times surreal arty mad doctor/ zombie film.
Smiling Men With Bad Reputations is an attempt to be a give a balanced & even- handed listeners guide to the work of one of the most creative bands of the 1960 ’s, and their two main songwriters. I’ve been a fan of The Incredible String Band, for around ten plus years now, and heard all of their output, but never really ventured very far into either Williamson's or Heron’s work- so when I saw this book was out it seemed a very appealing proposition.
Industrial metal pioneers Godflesh end 2017 with their new album Post Self . Over two years in the making, Post Self explores a different side of Godflesh, taking in their formative influences to conjure something informed by late 70’s/early 80’s post-punk and industrial music.
Ichiro Tsuji's seminal industrial project, Dissecting Table, should need no introduction to readers of Musique [Machine]. One of Japan's longest running industrial acts, Dissecting Table has a mile long discography, all of which is worth checking out. 1992's Zigoku, his much heralded third release, has been remastered by Tsuji, and re-released on vinyl by Andy Ortmann's Nihilist label.
Helloween have become something of an institution over the years and with their current Pumpkins Unite world tour in full swing it feels a most appropriate time for this reissue. Unarmed was originally released in 2010, to coincide with the band’s 25 anniversary, the album features re-recordings of several Helloween classics in quirky and interesting styles.
This self-titled album was the one & only release from this seven-piece Boston band who blended together early prog, Jazz rock, and psychedelic rock/pop into a fairly unpredictable brew. Originally released in 1970 on RCA, and not reissued until now by Esoteric Records- which is, of course, one of the Cherry Red family of labels.
New Facts Emerge is the 32nd release from English post-punk legends The Fall. It’s their first full length since 2015’s Sub-Lingual Tablet, and it’s very much of a mixed bag- with inspired wonk-ness & sonic un-balancement, sitting alongside the rather pedestrian & at times bland.
Spa Moans is Chicago's Jenny Pulse. Obedient Vibrations is her new mixtape produced & arranged by Spa Moans, bringing together minimalism and an obsession with early 90's RnB and house music acts.
Slaves is another slice of Jess Franco sleaze from the 1970’s. And here we have a recent region free DVD reissue of the film on Full Moon Productions, which is part of their series of Franco reissues. I believe the film is both fairly rare and is offered here uncut for the first time.
'Your Loss Was Never My Gain' is a self-released C60 HNW release from the project We Also Let Blood, a US-based noise project predominantly working within HNW - the tape takes in two half-hour walls on either side, 'Solemnity' on side A and 'Futility' on side B. This project is from a relatively young noise artist, Harrison Phillis, and has released previously on such labels as Lurker Bias, Big Pharma, Personal Archives and Altar of Waste.
Four years since his last release, and eight years since his last for Cyclic Law, Norway's Svartsinn is back with another lush slab of wonderful dark ambient. His latest, Mørkets Variabler (which translates to "Variables of Darkness"), makes use of varying levels of darkness and gloom to bring across a deep, dark, sprawling record. Although very bleak at times, Mørkets Variabler has brighter, more inspiring moments as well, and really helps reinforce Svartsinn's album take on more breadth.
John Frum is not a person but a four piece technical death metal band featuring current and former members of The Faceless, Dillinger Escape Plan and John Zorn. Their debut album "A Stirring In The Noos" came out this year on Relapse Records.
Vangelis’ score for the original Blade Runner is not only one of the most iconic film scores of all time but also a landmark in the history of electronic music. There had been many sci-fi scores which made use of electronics before – notably Louis and Bebe Baron’s work for The Forbidden Planet – but never such a rich and coherent body of work that complemented so perfectly a film’s world creating look. It forever altered how we think sci-fi should sound, just as Ridley Scott’s film opened up new territory in visual effects. It influenced popular music and virtually every form of industrial, EBM and synthesiser music which followed. Bearing all this in mind it was no surprise that anticipation for Denis Villeneuve’s sequel Blade Runner 2049 included the hope for an equally worthy musical companion.
Black Bag Chapter II is the third release by this French walled noise legend for Signor Ward Records- an Italian (mostly) HNW label, that focuses in on nylon/ leg fetish wall-craft. The release came in three editions- a basic digital download, a standard tape version (which I’m reviewing), and an ltd VHS edition, featuring a tape, CDR( of Black Chapter I) & extras. Sadly all but the download is the only thing that is available on the label now.
Here’s a self-titled C30 split from early summer this year- and it brings together more shifting & unsettling textured noise-scaping of Michelle, with the weighty & bothersome wall grind of Rien. Michelle is the Denton Texas-based project of Mitchell Rotunno( The Ebony Tower, Morality Declined, Tjere). And Rien is the project of Stockholm Sweden based Johan Strömvalll Hammarstedt (Gamiani & J S H).
Raskolnikov is a two C50 set from Russian walled noise project Bitum, and it’s themed around the infamously bleak-yet- Philosophical novel Crime & Punishment by respected 19th-century Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky.
Death Trip are an experimental side project with links to seminal Finnish hardcore punks Terveet Kädet. They have been around the Finnish metal scene for almost three decades and Madhouse represents their first full length release. They have quite a reputation, described as one of the most frightening bands in Finland, they number an interesting and diverse range of influences, from The Stooges and Hawkwind, to Swans, The Cramps and Spacemen 3 all channelled through their love of horror and gore films. Madhouse takes up where the band left off with a succession of early 7” singles (Death Trip, Chainsaw Goddess, Please! Skin Me Alive), all of which were an influence on current underground Finnish legends Circle.
Released on the excellent Zoharum label, this limited edition eleven track compilation was produced for the CKiS Wie¿a Ciœnieñ , A centre of culture and art based in Konin. Its the second of such compilations, and follows the 2010 release of the same name.
F.Guyana is a collection of soothing, detailed, often layered, and lush field recordings from forests and the costal regions of French Guiana. The CD appears on the always dependable & quality bound German label Gruenrekorder- either as a CD( which I’m reviewing), or as a digital release that features a bonus batch of tracks.