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This is a reissue of a near on 30 minute ep that originally came with the now out of print 2006 stone box edition of The world that summer & unlike a lot extra’s/ bonus material collections this is rewarding, varied and works as a stand alone collection in it’s right.
With it’s mixture of grim and dark ambience, bleak drone expanses, doom /slowed blacked metal tone & funeral industrial rhythms Pyrrhula builds a highly effective soundtrack for a dead, barren and grim world of endless darkness.
Glancing over the list of artists interviewed on this dvd I thought to myself: who are these people? If this is a documentary on noise why limit yourself to the scene of Portland, Oregon (USA) to have Daniel Menche stand out as the most famous artist?
When cd's entered the scene many lp's were released on the new medium rather carelessly, if at all. Years after that launch, even on the brink of the demise of it (as some claim), many recordings are given a proper treatment of remastering and repackaging.
It comes in a rather minimal and black sleeve, the debut of New Orleans-based band Good Guys. The Social Engagement is far from dark or black, their energetic rock is almost the opposite, actually.
Ascension No.999 is a highly creative, shifting and psychedelic trip into noise matter from Hiroshi Hasegawa ( C.C.C.C, Astro, Mortal Vision, ect). Split over 2 long and devastating 20 plus minute tracks this really is nirvana for those who enjoy long form shifting Japanese noise.
Yer Su is a very densely layered and shifting album that attempts to bring together treads of Germanic and Bavarian folk, metal, industrial elements, cinematic/ classic tone and stew of other sonic flavours. And through it often succeeds in its blending of sounds-it sometimes gets a little too crowded for its own.
After been very impressed with Fixture for Toxins The Night Hoovers over Us Again from early this year (review here) I was eager to hear this new disk, but sadly it’s rather underwhelming, inconsistent and in places down right amateurish and lame.
Over the last few years German avant/noise chamber orchestra Zeitkratzer have released a huge amount of sonically varied material going from noisy tributes to Iannis Xenakis, to retakes on Lou Reed's Metal Machine music, to acoustic renditions of Terre Thaemlitz work. And Volksmusik is another exciting, different & creative step for this project
Beta Cloud a.k.a. Carl T. Pace isn't new to this website. He's circulated some fine, abstract music over the past couple of years. And this collaboration with Lull ranks right up there with his best work. Lull, a.k.a. Mick Harris is known primarily for his work as/with Scorn, Painkiller & Napalm Death. Harris is no stranger to working with other artists either, as he has been a part of countless co-releases and collaborations
Carl T. Pace's Beta Cloud project has up until now, released two full lengths on his own. Since his last album, the excellent Nephology, his Laughing Bride Media imprint issued a tension filled collaboration with Aidan Baker (Nadja), and two more collaborative efforts, one with Lull (review to follow) and this EP. Plug is a 3" CD-R billed as Beta Cloud vs. Kenji Siratori, and it was actually released last year. It's still very much worthy of mention.
Landmass finds Roach building a compelling and varied ambient travel log for internal landscapes & alien worlds. Dropping down along it’s nearly 70 minute ark in beat bound, hypnotic and deep ambient sound worlds.
Dog Holocaust is a boiling and sleazy noise soaked collaboration between Nolan T (Kakerlak) and Dan Johansson (Sewer Election). This cd brings together material from several out of print cassettes.
The Impossible Flower is the solo project Glasgow based Andrew David Daly & Anthophobia his third album is an enjoyable if not that original mix of Idm, Drill ‘n’ bass and electro sound tracking.
After the rather disappointing radio play like last album The voice of Midnight, The Resident’s return in fine bizarre, surreal and distintict yet memorable song form with Bunny Boy;their 25th album in a career that’s spanned over 35 years of experimental music.
Heave to is a entrancing & highly atmospheric journey into a mixture of impov, field recordings, boarding on noise & above all a keen sonic atmosphere which as the albums title suggest focus in on very sea bound subject matter.
Zerkalo brings together US Ambient legend Robert Rich and Russian Ambient artists Faryus for a dark and organic lined trip into a strange gloomy & ritual tinged sonic universe.
Small Vessels is a quirky mix of ; hip-beats, indie rock, punk, folk, pop, turntablism and splats of other genres. Imagine a more conventional take on early Fog, or a very English take Beck at his more playful & quirky- but very much with it’s own distinct yet enjoyable flavour.
Alan Courtis is an experimental musician perhaps most widely known for his involvement in the now defunct band Reynols. Yet he has has collaborated with a litany of others including such heavyweights as Lee Renaldo (Sonic Youth), Eddie Prevost (AMM), Pauline Oliveros, Yoshimi and Yamamoto (Boredoms), Damo Suzuki (Can), and seemingly countless others. Both alone, with bands and collaborations, he has issued over two hundred recordings in just over a decade, a massive body of work by anyone's standards.
Beaks Plinth is the new project from the highly productive turntable-list/ musician Jared Blum(Blanketship, Vulcanus 68,ect). With this project he homes in on a sort of doomy, nightmarish and woozy take on exotica & easy listening.
This is my first exposure to the Mass, and I must say, this EP was not what I expected. The cover art, and the fact that their last album was on Crucial Blast gives you some hints that you might be in store for some thrashy metal. And that is the case, sort of. The fact is, the four tracks presented here include some old school thrash elements, but they're also somewhat hardcore punk, and most oddly, jazzy. There's some free-form sax blowin' here, which you might think would sound out of place in this context. But it works so well, you be left wondering why Slayer never tried it. The jazz element makes them original, but the fact of the matter is, pretty much every base covered here is done well.
Uw Hypotheekadvies are a Dutch threesome, whose name translates to "your mortgage advice", consisting of a drummer, bass player and a guitar player. They all have the last name Deckerman, so either two or more are related, or it's just a Ramones ploy. Their music is a weird combo of experimental improv and spiky post-rock. A few of these songs sound like they are improvs wrapped around pre-figured riffs, but most of the album sounds off-the cuff. With a few exceptions, this is noisy, trebly music, and it's plenty tough on the eardrums.
Yoshio Machida's Hypernatural series is, in his own words, "a sound collage of sound parts used as meanings and symbols, and an endeavor to express the whole theme of 'nature' through correlations between image and title, between pieces. The self-released first volume in the series had to do with "memory in Eastern Asia", while the second volume was meant to relate to "transparent existence". This third volume in the series is about "oblivian". Machida believes that oblivion has a postive aspect in nature. This is because it is a part of the natural world, which over time creates changes in the world. Having said all of that, the artist certainly must feel a deep spiritual connection to the pieces archived on Hypernatural #3. Yet without the liner notes to guide one down the path, it would be in the least very difficult for one to surmise the theme. These pieces include multiltudes of interesting sounds, and on their own are entertaining, lively, and seamlessly assembled. Yet it's not always easy to detect the naturalist aspect.
Anarchy & Alchemy is the new album from well respected Dub reggae/ electroncia producer and musician Dub Gabriel, Which features an impressive list of guest including Michael Stipe, Yo Majesty, Dr Israel , Juakall, & Jah Dan.