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In the last hour is organic come electronic shifting ambient soudworld with mystique concrete elements- inspired by Iain Banks novel The Bridge . Primary commissioned for the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival in 2005, recorded in the local Town Hall- with the audience lying down in the dark with the sound coming from above and all around.
In The Grip Of official treason is Jello Biafra eighth spoken word album, spread across three cd’s, each running 70 minutes plus. Taking material from 2004 and up to summer 2006. As expected it’s rebel rousing, political acidity and often funny rant and rave, dealing for the most part with the George W. Bush administration- but it does touch down in other topics, though more often it does feels tied to Bush battering.
Thighpaulsandra's latest release following on from Chamber Music is the soundtrack to an art installation by visual artist Daniel McKernan which featured "The world's number one transsexual, Amanda Lepore". The piece is divided into three parts but is mixed together as one long uninterrupted piece.
Xasthur firth album Subliminal Genocide is rich with Burzum black metal grimness mixed with post rock and more traditional metal elements. Experimental touches, winter grim licked clear guitar work, and almost a grimy horror movie soundtrack vibe in places. Most of the time the pace is slow and soupy like dragging ones self through grey snow, often the pace wondered towards mid pace, but never really anything too speedy.
You know when you’ve read a review or heard something yourself and compared to having a womb like quality? .Well Not’s Music for womb is just that pure and simply,really what might sound like to be inside adult size womb.
Wererat seems to be concept album related to the nuclear testing and bombing on the Engebi Island in the 1950’s. They experimental for four years on the deserted island- it destroyed vegetation buildings ect, but bizarrely the only thing that survived were rats, been there no food of any form and having to endure great temperatures- it’s mystery quite how and why the Rats existed. Where offer up is dark ambient, droning creep scapes to investigate the story in sound form.
Eternal Hunger is the smaller no less grim brother of this year's Bliss & Void Inseprable, running at just over 20 min mark.More a mini trip into all things droney and doom fired, instead of an all out hellish holiday.
At its base Karma Bloody Karma is a prime dripping death metal/ Grind album, but what make it stand out from the decaying crowd are the other elements that the band adds in. All manner of metal genre pick & mix, grimy melodic moments over slow dieing riffing, electronic twist and curls of sound, off kilter riffing that Meshuggah would be proud and the experimental touches weaved into there slaughter house death mix.
Mudsuckers Self titled album is a droning mix of improvised Rock ,swamp folk, noise , what every you fancy. It’s collaboration between Yellow Swans Pete Swanson and Gabe Saloman, the Charalambide's Tom Carter and Robert Horton.Which in-between the dense layers sound some offers really eerily, beautiful, intricate sound moments. You just have to dig deep, Like the best music this takes time to reveal it’s self.
Resuscitation is a stop start, gut gargling, noise grating 45 minute journey into sound and disorientation.This celebrates and brings together a collaboration that started in 1998 between R.H.Y. Yau (Auscultare & 23Five Inc.) and Kazumoto Endo (Killer Bug) and was finished in 2006.
The first release by this duo from Norway struck me like lightning. List Of Lights And Buoys was a fascinating play between a distant coolness and an intimate warmth, as vague as that may sound. It’s still an amazing record that continues to move me and fascinate me.
Altar is the first eagerly anticipated sour black fruits of the Southern Lord'ss tow big doom drone hitters Sunn 0))) & Boris. Sitting very much in the feeling of small town American dread, Like a middle ground between Lovecaft and lynch. Both surreal and potent in its execution. It also brings into focus a more emotional quality, not really seen much in either artist's work.
Woven hand comes off with an interesting mix of influence and sounds. Part Goth, part earthy American folk and to a lesser extent rock touches. Also there feels quite a retro feel in the way the songs are interposed and sung, almost an 80’s darker pop vibe I guess. Almost at bizarrely at times like a Goth Sprinteen, which is somewhat freaky.
LushRush is full of wide eye emotional wonder, made by a mix of piano, cello, violin, environmental sounds and beats- meet in a heart felt and often awkward union. Having a child like charm though out- that sometimes works other times comes off a little wonky and out of focus.
After the surprising move of releasing jazzrock in the form of the Anthony Curtis album, this all acoustic endeavor is a new turn to prove that the Jester label will not let itself be pushed in a corner of a specific genre. Jørgensen presents on On The Great Alkali Plains friendly and dreamy guitarmusic, with a generous amount of atmosphere.
Herr’s second album Vondel’s Lucifer has a wonderful audio story book feel, much like the old prog concept albums, but the musically pallet here is Neo Folk & neoclassical. All dramatic string work, forceful drumming, plucked acoustics harps and guitars etc. Really giving the material such a grand, powerful enchanted feel- much like adult story time really.
Letter of sounds is a mellow colour wash of sound.Mixing soothed glicthy electronics, micro beat complexities, restful electronic pulse, and organic instrumental hues. Really giving the whole album such a dreamy yet focused feel. Been gentle and restful, yet very disciplined and thought out in its execution.
Sick animal Eyes is a world of a sickly gloom ridden drone and sinister harmonics, mixed with slight noise shudders. Often coming off like a grimy and distributed version of Nurse With Wounds Soliloquy for Lilth. Really you feel like you’ve dropped into some pitch black subterranean world, stumbling the way along try to feel and sense where you are.
If you take sinister and doomy classical string work, lichen-covered guitar loops ,glichty electronics with a clearly organic feel, creepy siren and darkly operatic females vocals, plus big potions of dread and more dread - put it in a big black cauldron covered with demon effigy’s and bubble up for a bit- you’ll come up with the shudder inducing , creaking gate haunted house, and misty wood soundtrack that is Knive.
Globe Clone finds for the most part finds The Yellow swans more drony, aggravated grimy ambient sate, than their usual denser and more noisy tactics, striped nearly of all the electronic beat work and noisy walls of sound- this is a more ominous, sinister meditative, creepy and clearly unpleasant proposition.
Get A Room is much like settling into a nice comfy bed, or submerging oneself in warm bubbling water and just letting everything easy away. This is a mix of a DJ record & environmental soundscapes. All focused of chilling you out, hell you be so relaxed by the end of this- you’ll almost slip off your chair!.
Year of the rabbit is real ear wax dislodging, filling juddering harsh noise; even at low volumes I’m sure it’s dangerous to not just your ears but your whole body. Though this is not just a wall of noise, there are defined changes in tone and structure bubbling and rip and tear apart bellow the searing noise cocktail.
Forest Jackson is Hanno Leichtmann’s new project. Leichtmann released Nuit Du Plomb, A rather nice retro- beat ambient album recently under his own name. Cymbalism is a much darker, denser & urbanised beast, than Nuit Du Plomb. Rippled with dark alleyway muscular beats and tigth edgey snthy scapes. Leichtmann proves he has the ability to shapeshift with the best of them.
You cant always judge a album by it’s cover or title- case in point the new Grails album- from the cover you’d be mistaken for this been very much in doom type territory and while some of this does wonder that way- it’s only a small brush stroke in the bigger, genre shifting picture on offer here. We dip down in post rock, folk, country, metal riffing, blues laid back vista, jazzy flourishes, dubby bass lines, smoky dark lounge vibe. This seems to go all over the place.