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Here’s a two-track slice of bleak ‘n' bothersome old-school walled noise from this prolific California project. Each track is self-titled and runs at dead on the thirty-four-minute mark- with each being as punishing as the other.
'A part of me / But it can't be me.' This is the opening line to Uniform's latest offering, American Standard, and the pathos behind Michael Berdan's message is one that animates the four long tracks that make up this release. At the risk of reading too much into the lines, I am tempted to say that this disconnect between appendage and self – belonging to a larger body and yet stubbornly foreign to it – also describes the aesthetic of Uniform's unique blend of electronics and guttural screamo, thanks in large part to the twin minds behind the project: Berdan and instrumentalist Ben Greenberg. For the former, the album is a confession of sorts, meant to exhume years of living with bulimia and its endless cycle of binge and purge, actualized over American Standard in each of Berdan's vocal deliveries, which leave little room for filtered nuance or resolution.
Between Scylla And Charybdis is the fifth studio album from British experimental noise rock collective Splintered, and it’s also their first release of new material in thirty or so years. I’d best describe what we have here as a blend of the lo-fi and the expansive- bringing together elements of jam rock, moody-punk-edged psych, and droned-out/ murky art rock/ post-punk. Imagine if Pink Floyd appeared in the early 80’s, and had more sinister/ murky intentions.
I Give You Everything is a recent six-track album from the rather mysterious Worship- the walled noise project that themes all of its work in praising the female form, in a non-smutty/ sleazed manner. This album, as with a few other recent releases from the project, pushes Worship’s sounds into genres such as thick drone, churning industry, and dark ambience.
What could be worse than finally plucking up the courage to face your most intense personal fears than your efforts being hijacked by a gun-wielding stranger hellbent on revenge? That’s the premise for writer-director William Higo’s new film, The Group which uses the familiar setting of group therapy to tell the story of what at first appears to be a laudable push for redemption, but which descends into a nightmare of recrimination, torture and death.
Death Game is a fairly simply plotted 1970’s thriller/ horror film- but boy does it feature effective moments of building tension, derangement, and unsettling/ wonky sensor overloads. The plot regards two young women turning up at a wealthy middle-aged man's house on a rainy night. They seduce then start to torment him. Here from Radiance Films/ Grindhouse Releasing is a double Blu-ray disc release- taking in a wonderful garish coloured 4k scan of the picture, two commentary tracks, a bonus film, and a good selection of interviews- including an in-depth one from one of the film's key actresses.
Tattooed Life is another of Radiance Film’s restored Blu-ray releases of a yakuza film from a master of the genre, this time a 1965 colour entry by Seijun Suzuki. In his fourteen-year tenure (1954 – 1968) at Nikkatsu studios he won the approval of cineastes but the disdain of studio executives who thought his films made “no sense” and “no money” and this eventually led to his dismissal.
My Love Affair With Marriage is an animated 2022 comedy-drama charting the life and loves of an Eastern European woman. The film attempts to balance bitter/ sweet human experience, quirky biological descriptions, and more than a few soulful Greek chorus set songs. Here from MVD Visual is a recent Blu-Ray release of the film- featuring a lengthy interview with the film's director and a trailer.
From March this year, Future Dust is a C60 severing up two sides of terminal bleak & unrelenting walled noise from one of the masters of the form Vomir. The release appears on North Texas-based Handmade Birds, been part of their Critical Fabric - Yellow Series- each release in the series comes with a O-card with a sticker ( with text the ‘Physical Media Fetish’), piece of yellow cloth, rolled up piece of yellow tissue paper, clothing style tag, and a circular tag on a string.
Inner Self (შინაგანი თავისუფლება) takes in three twenty-five-minute tracks of dense & mysterious soundscaping from Mtskheta, Georgia‘s Owners of knowledge. Each track creates its wall-like sonic environments from overlaid ambience, field recordings and amassed talking- for an entrancing, at points rewardingly puzzling ride.
Vista is nearing thirty-one minute example of bleakly seared-yet-urgent walled noise from Uk’s Death To Dynamics. The release is digital self-release.
Starting his work on the HYBR:ID series in 2021, Alva Noto has released the third installment, appropriately titled HYBR:ID III. The interlinking soundscapes build excellent atmospheres and textures in their tribute to Japanese Noh plays. The famously styled and subtle plays provide the inspiration for this third installment, and the ambient compositions work well to evoke the artistic subject matter. Allowing the listener to tune in and drift off with the material, HYBR:ID III is a fantastic piece of meditative ambient whose open endedness creates many paths for the listener to travel down.
The Outcasts is a 1982 movie from Ireland, (it was the first major film to be funded in Ireland for 50 years) written and directed by Robert Wynne-Simmons, best known as the writer of both the screenplay and the recent novelization of Blood on Satan’s Claw. The film stars Mary Ryan (Rawhead Rex, The Writing on the Wall and In Loving Memory), Mick Lally (Alexander, Secret of the Kells and Glenroe), Tom Jordan (Remington Steele, Strumpet City and Lost Belongings) and Cyril Cusack (Fahrenheit 451, 1984 and The Day of the Jackal). Here from BFI's Flipside series is a Blu-Ray release of this lesser-known folk horror classic- featuring a new HD scan, an excellent/ informative commentary, and a few other new/ archive extras
EPRC are an experimental Italian duo who seem to have derived their four letter moniker from the initials of the two musicians, Elisabetta Porcinai and Roberto Crippa. Their music is a kind of digital post-industrial that touches on influences from techno and power electronics. The only other release on their Bandcamp is a two-track EP from earlier this year, so it seems to be a recent project.... this seven-track LP is their full-length debut.
People Funny Boy is a double CD/ fifty-three track compilation of the early work of creative, inventive, and influential reggae producer Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry. The release focuses on a period of just two years 1968 and 1969- really giving a great snapshot of the development of this truly one-off talent. And though it’s not all quite as creatively off-kilter/ mad geniuses wonderful as some of his classic 1970s albums, there are some real gems on display here, and you can also chart his growth as an artists- taking more risks, and doing more & more things in his distinctive/ unique was.
Destination Hong Kong: Dim Sum Rock 'n' Roll Collection is a twenty-six-track compilation focusing on Chinese/Asian-influenced American rock ‘n’ roll, vocal groups, R ‘n’ B collectives, garage, and related from the 1950s and 1960s. As you might expect with this type of collection- there are a fair few racial stereotypes( both musically & lyrically), as well as moments of dated/ now offensive humour within the songs presented here. But if you can/ are able to put those aside, and take this as a sonic time capsule- it’s another worthy and varied collection from our friends at Bear Family Records, who are one of the key labels putting out 50’s and 60’s compilations.
From Dark Force Entertainment Drive-In Double Feature #21 takes in two 70’s grindhouse films that promise lots of flesh & sleaze, and sadly don’t really deliver. We have All The Young Wives- a rural-based drama with fleeting nudity, and My Pleasure Is My Business- a raunchy farce, which is neither funny nor sexy.
Hillybillys In A Haunted Mansion is a wacky mash-up of comedy horror, low-grade spy caper, and country ‘n’ western musical from the late '60s. It’s a decidedly corny 'n' kooky ride—high in camp/silliness, and low in sense/logic—but if you’re are after turn-off-your-mind fun, with some light sonic yeeha and lots of cheese, this is a perfect fit. Here from VCI Entertainment is a dual DVD & Blu-Ray release of the film- taking in a bright ‘n’ bold scan and a commentary track.
The Crazy Family (aka Gyakufunsha Kazoku) is an early 80’s Japanese domestic drama/ satire- which gets slowly but surely more deranged/ at points demented. The film balances dark humour & more wacky slapstick- with time-to-time things slipping towards the ridiculous and provocative. Here from Third Window Films as part of their Director's Company Collection, which focuses on the legendary 1980s Japanese production company is a recent Blu-Ray of the film, taking in a new scan of the film, a commentary track, a director interview, and visual essay
The Demoniacs is a wacky ‘n’ weird early 70’s take on the rape-revenge genre. The 18th century-period set film focuses on a group of pirates, flits of sex & violence, a ghost clown, and dives into puzzling fantasy- all edged with a decidedly comic book/ pulp tone. The film was directed by Euro cult director Jean Rollin, and here as either a UHD or Blu Ray is a recent release of the film. It takes in a new 4k scan of the picture, a commentary track, and a good selection of new and archive extras.
Grieghallen 20180528 is a ten-track live album from muiscal shapeshifters Ulver. It features a professionally multitracked recording of the bands set at Bergen's 2018 International Festival- which highlights the bands firming up/ jamming with songs from the 2017- 2018 touring cycle.
Impromptus Und Interationen collects together fifteen pieces for solo piano composed by German Composer/ jazz musician Gebhard Ullmann. It’s a surprisingly varied and often unpredictable release with the tracks switching between darting and abstract, repetitive and moody, harmonic to pattern-based, and beyond.
To Byzantium And Beyond brings together works for both solo recorders and electronics. Brian Andrew Inglis is a German-born composer of Scottish-Irish heritage- his work here moves between darting and swirl, onto the playful and warbling, though to the moody and slightly uneasy.
Here’s another CD of intriguing classical pieces from Kairos, with three works from Jean-Luc Hervé. The in depth booklet tells us that Hervé was influenced here by the designs of Japanese gardens, and Déserts by Varèse, a piece that combined an orchestra with tape; in that light, electronics perform a large role here, with all the pieces on display utilising electronics or electronic sounds in some form.