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Cover albums are notoriously difficult propositions- going from highly mixed affairs, onto down right failures, or like this release near complete successes. They seemingly fall into a few camps: Bland & pointless re-treading by a popular name. A selection re-takes by a cult or respected figure. Or just about complete reinventions…Bobuck Plays The Residents mostly fits into the last camp.
Originally released in 1977 Martin’s Cafe is a mellow, tuneful, & memorable blend of country-rock, folk-rock, and light 70’s rock. Here is a 2016 CD reissue of the album on Uk label Talking Elephant.
Here’s a tape on Needle and Knife, the subsidiary of Palinopsia Recordings. Two tracks of noise from Servant Girl Annihilator, both weighing in around the ten minute mark. The project name is beautifully cryptic, and that extends to the artwork and titles too.
Everywhere man Steve Moore is back with another film score. Released by Relapse Records, Steve's soundtrack to Joe Begos' The Mind's Eye is 33 tracks of delightful synth work that is able to evoke feelings even without the benefit of having the visuals to go with it. Starting his musical voyage with Zombi, film scores make a very logical jump for this sonic powerhouse.
Dirt Road offers a collection of 15 untitled tracks for a violin & percussion. Sound wise this is mostly skeletal, stark & minimal fare- bringing to mind either Feldman at his more pared-back, barren & angular, or mournful European string music. This is very much autumnal, or winter music- so the monochrome picture of a empty country road on the front cover seems most apt.
The Magic Mushroom Band created a more accessible take on drug-influenced & tripped-out music blending together elements indie pop-rock, bounding ‘n’ chugging space-rock, and buoyant electronica, with sprinkles of sax, light world/ tribal music, and more pop/rock-bound genre blending. This recent two disc anthology brings together a selection of the bands work from the ten years between 1984- 1994.
Originally released in 1971 Camembert Electrique was the second album from Gong. The respected space rock, jazz rock, space ambient collective, who where centred around the talents of Daevid Allen & Gilli Smyth- who have both sadly passed in the last year or so. Here we have 2015 remastered ‘audiophile’ CD reissue of the album.
Paura- A Collection Of Scary & Thrilling Soundtracks is a recent CD that brings together 72 minutes, and twenty three tracks – dipping into both Morricone’s film & TV soundtrack work. The release also comes in a vinyl version, that only takes in 13 tracks- I’m reviewing the CD version.
Wolfram's "X" is an esoteric minimal soundscape record with symmetrically arranged dots on its otherwise white cover. This artist, previously unfamiliar to me, has sporadic output dating back to 2001. This 5 track, 40 minute album is his first in 4 years.
The Victorian Ideal is a two CDR set from this Danish walled noise project. The set offers up a mix of shorter (16-17 minute) & mid-length( 27- 36 minute) walls. The release appeared in an edition of 15 copies- released by respected Minneapolis based HNW/ ambient label Altar Of Waste.
Atroz is a Mexican serial killer movie that brings together grimy, perverse, and deranged found footage. With police procured ‘n’ corruption, and often jarring-yet-never lagging pace.
Since its inception in 2009, Grant Richardson’s Gnawed has propelled itself into the top tier of heavy electronics and death industrial. Pestilence Beholden is Gnawed’s third full length disc. You are dragged down into a dark space, surrounded by layers of foreboding atmospherics and foggy ambience over the 9 tracks.
Bit-Tuner's "A Bit of Light" represents a currently very 'hip' sound, pairing booming trap 808s and hip hop flavored beats with vintage soundtrack electro synth, bright saw waves and lush pads.
Here’s another tape from the Endless Landscapes of Decay label, this time featuring Condo Horror (though, as before, I am reviewing a digital version). The tape has three tracks: a long 15 minute piece, a short five minute track, and a nine minute remix of the second track (again, as with the previous ELD tape, this is constructed by Endless Landscapes of Decay). The tape cover has a beautiful black and white image of ruined buildings, reflecting in a pond. However, the buildings look as if they’ve been destroyed by bombing, and indeed, the pond might well be a bomb crater filled with water…
Hide severs up four lengthy slices of dense & atmospheric HNW themed around Bigfoot. The release appeared a few years back in 2012 in the form of a four CDR set, and as of writing the label still has copies.
Cold Spring's dense and varied catalog allows them to put out low priced samplers of current and forthcoming releases pretty much every year. 2016's Pyre is no exception, boasting 15 tracks of new noise, industrial, dark ambient, and more. With a well known roster and a great price tag, this compilation is a great add on to any Cold Spring order.
Untitled is a three inch CDR release from this French walled noise/static texturing project. It offers up a selection of tonally & texturally varied pieces, which have running times between just under a minute to over eight minutes.
Sublunary Visions offers up two slices of bleak, bone-chilling, yet persistently fixed walled noise from this French HNW project. The release came in either- a CDR, or a digital download - I’m reviewing the CDR version of the release.
‘Diagrams of A Hidden Order’ is the follow up to 2014’s well received debut cassette ‘A Cryptic Howl of Morbid Truth’. This latest release features three tracks of blackened noise, featuring elements of death and black metal and dark ambient. This is Black Earth’s first CD/digital release. The CD has been released in a limited-edition digipack of only 500 copies on Malignant Records.
The 13th recording from Norweigen avant garde improvisation group Supersilent has arrived, 2 years after its predecessor. Their long sequence of numbered albums began in 1998 with "1-3". Most of their music pairs an occult dark ambient atmosphere with fits of sudden abrasion and unpredictable activity such as one finds in free jazz. Each of the 9 pieces uses a different approach and set of timbres. They vary widely in length, the shortest being 2 minutes, and the longest nearly 13.
Here we have a recent & fairly unusual collaboration between two big experimental names. Strange City brings together the work of cosmic themed & experimental jazz composer/ bandleader Sun Ra, with the sonic world of Japanese noise legend Merzbow. The unusual & fairly unique thing about this release, is that one of the two collaborators (Sun Ra), has been dead since 1993.
Brussel Noord is a field recording album presenting sounds from the North District of Brussels. The area is dominated by a large train station, commuters and office towers. The album captures the soundscape of this place in five movements over 24 minutes.
Here’s another tape from Lurker Bias’ Neon Wall series, and again, I’m reviewing a digital version. The tape has two tracks, both exactly 15:54 minutes long, and an inlay cover of an abstract, pixellated design. The pieces are titled Crumbles and Waves, and The Organ Shrieks; both of which give some clues to the sounds within.
Cadabra Records continues to pummel 2016 with spoken arts, and November 11th saw the release of their greatest to date, H.P. Lovecraft's Pickman's Model. Once again pairing Andrew Leman's impassioned reading with Theologian's grim, sonic soundtrack, Lovecraft's Pickman's Model gets a new audience in the form of this excellent release. Add Alan Brown's gorgeous artwork, and you've got something really special.