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Alx sound is about the sleek and rhythmic cutting of instrumental textures and field record elements to make sophisticated, atmospheric and often tuneful electro acoustic IDM. Often Alx feels like a more worldly wise, sleek and grown up version of Aphex Twins early string and instrumental cut-up tracks, but with out the drill ‘n’ bass elements.
Dream Time sees German experimental collective Column One create another very thematically based album that picks distinct musical genre traits to paint and put across its theme. With the albums theme is sex and how it’s used to often sell and promote anything and everything in often very dodgy and sleazy manner.
After David Tibet’s many flirtations with doom metal and 70’s tinged rock guitar over the last few years Aleph at Hallucinatory Mountain sees this element well and truly set into the Current 93 sound- to make a very different and distinct record that sounds quite unlike anything the project has produced so far.
This rather pleasing and mellow reissue of 60’s country pop/easy listening brings together the first two solo albums by country/ Bluegrass legend Charlie Louvin;Less & Less & I don’t Love you any more from 1964 & Lonesome is me from 1966.
Vice Wears Black Hose is harsh noise/wall noise project that brings together two respected US noise mongers in the form of Sam McKinlay of The Rita and Richard Ramirez of Werewolf Jerusalem & Black Leather Jesus. This cd takes in one long 40 minute track of unforgiving harsh static texturing and soinc suffocation.
Die Rote Form make very stern yet grimly atmospheric licked power electronics meets old school industrial sonics. Grass Breaks Concrete is the band second full length cdr release packed in a nice professional manner in a glossy paper oversized sleeve.
Snuff Jazz is another unforgiving, deeply searing and caustic slice of noise/ jazz attack from the inventors and masters of the form Borbetomagus. The disk finds them making some of their most grating, punishing and sonic acid tinged work yet; that’s head boil yet wonderful invigorating too.
Cincinnati finds Wiese & Spencer conjuring up a collection of bizarre, jarring and strange sonic pictures that sit somewhere between improv, noise, freak show junk yard percussiveness & off-centre atmospherics. Quite often the album feels like a soundtrack to a very odd and deranged cartoon or Dali type world were the laws of sanity and logic don’t seem to exist- at times it’s nightmarish and at others sadistically comic .
Man from Deep river is the fourth collaborative album between BJ Nilsen & Stilluppsteypa and it sees the pair making their most consistent, compelling and complete record yet.The album sees the pair stepping away from the trilogy of drink related albums Vikinga Brennivín, Drykkjuvisur Ohljodanna & passing-out to look for new inspiration.
Berlin Backyards finds Swiss sound artists Gilles Aubry building pressing/swirling drones and sound texture sheens from subtle manipulated field recordings sourced from various Berlin backyards over the winter of 2006.
Oxygen Flash is another cinematic and sci-fi tinged slice of sonic exploration from KK Null taking in his usual mixture of electroinca, noise matter & field recordings. This time appearing on of all places on Neurosis's Neurot Recordings.
Broken Arm Trio is a mainly up-beat and very bassy sounding jazz trio featuring Cellist Erik Friedlander(solo & various John Zorn related projects) who also composed all the tracks here, Trevor Dunn( Mr Bungle, solo work & various Zorn related projects, etc) and Michael Sarin on Drums.
Ascanio Borga cut his teeth playing guitar in noise rock bands, evidence of which rears its head fairly early into Xenomorphic, his new disk on the under-recognized Afe label. The (title) track starts off in an ambient neo-Eno vein and then splits off into a thumping one chord metal riff. It's only metal in relation to the guitar tone actually. If the tone was different it could pass for a Krautrock motif because of the stuttering, repetitive rhythm. Borga augments the guitar pattern with other guitar noises, sometimes gratuitous soloing, tasteful percussion and a bevy of granulated background sounds. There also seems to be some bass, which sounds like the real deal, though it's getting increasingly more difficult to tell these days, with the advent of digital music programming. Borga has a musical background, and the painterly quality of the aforementioned title track makes this very evident. He starts the piece with noise, subtly piling on each element, slowly building forward momentum, the caps it off with the same noisy background which began it.
The Temple sees The Skull Defekts refocusing their droning, hypnotic, often weighty and noisy sound into more muscular and tribal rhythmic noise rock form that’s laced with occultic undertones and dense creative flare; with a liberal use of vocals and a high dependence on doomed metallic meets punked riff matter.
Music for installations is not seldomly more experience rather than music. Listened with full attention it might appear a bit dull, but as an ambiance—a mood—it can work quite well.
Eucalypse sees Merzbow weaving in a more atmospheric and at times melodic guitar lines and noise textures into his dense noise sound. All to make an album that feels like mixture of the noise cinematics of 07’s Coma Berenices & the emotionally singed guitar and noise scapeing of 06’s Minazo Vol 1
Brethren of The free Spirit are the duo of guitarist/composer James Blackshaw and lutenist/composer Jozef van Wissem.The Wolf Also Shall Dwell With The Lamb is the projects second album of sublime, earthy and beautiful collection of folk/ classical stringed tracks that are both hypnotic in the repetition and atmospheric and melodic in there flow.
Live in Italy 1999 plus is a highly enjoyable, wonderfully performed and filmed hour long concert recorded at the Tpo in Bologna on the 29th of May 1999. The concert takes in the electronic, sampled and big percussive sound of Death in June, as well as the tight yet melodic neo- folk acoustic side of the project too.
When it comes to 'extreme music', the Japanese seem to have cornered the market for years. The emancipation of noisemaking has made it possible to make noise an international sport, but still there's plenty of intense stuff coming from under the rising sun.
La Vie Electronique 1 is the first of a series of 3 cd sets that bring together a selection of early tape material by electrroinca godfather and Space music /Kosmische Musik legend Klaus Schulze.
Eravamo Così Felici is the first non cdr release on the Italian Division of Turgid Animal noise label that’s run by Italian noise pervert extraordinaire Nicola Vinciguerra(Fecalove,etc).And it finds a rather satisfying and brutal boiling up of Italian vocals, power electronics, analogue and digital discharged,melted harmonic electronics and more than a few hints of lost and dammed roman Catholicism with the mashed-up mass and pray like chants that hover through the albums violent yet creative unfold.
Orcustus self titled début album is a no nonsense slice of mainly speedy ‘n’ spiteful old school Norwegian black metal. The band are a two piece featuring two seasoned Norwegian black metal-lers in the form of Taipan(Amok , Abattoir) on vocals, guitar & bass. And Dirge Rep on Drums who has blackedly pounded for the likes of Gehenna, Gorgoroth, Enslaved, Aura Noir & Nattefrost.
Watermill is one of the most beautiful, enchanting and approachable long form pieces by noted and past New York based Japanese composer and performer Teiji Ito; taking in his usually love of Native American, Chinese, Tibetan, African, and Japanese traditional music to weave a truly spell-binding, often intricate and compelling piece that stays more in melodic and atmospheric end of his work.
Our Earth's Blood IV takes the listener on one hell of a sonic journey that seesaws between violence and blacked atmospherics touching down in: Power electronics, noise, brooding ambience, dark electronica, grim cinematic, doom metallic’s and all manner of compelling experimental matter-spreading it’s impressive and varied sonic wares over a whooping 5 disks.