All reviews by JS:
Ashley|Story - Standing / Falling
This collaboration starts out warm and calm, like a soundtrack to weightlessness in a pleasant area out of time. And it remains to evoke this kind of mood. The atmosphere can be described as dark, but it would be dark in a sense of mysterious, not in a sense of eerie or frightening. The drones that are the foundations of the tracks are way to thick and sheltering, like sonic blankets, to evoke a mood of fright.
The concept of the album however, seems to create a feeling of distress. Soldier-like figures on cards are standing nearby an anti-aircraft sound locator, they are wearing rubber clothing and wear on other painted cards heavy anti-gas suits. Like a training for the citizen so he knows how to react (or what to buy) when an air raid of an enemy army comes along.
This concept isn’t expressed in the music at all. To illustrate what I mean; a certain Christian broadcasting channel can use this music in a documentary about dolphins or whales without any concern it will distress the pious souls of their viewers. It would fit the images perfectly.
Oophoi is a project that comes to mind when I hear the warm sonic diversities, also of course the ambient that isn’t specifically dark such as Vidna Obmana, Steve Roach and Robert rich, but without the ethnic instruments that these projects tend to use overly on their records.
Personally I miss the threat that certain (dark) ambient can evoke. The album doesn’t affect me emotionally because it’s a kind of ‘safe’ ambient: it is enjoyable, moody, but in no way experimental or adventurous. These ingredients aren’t necessary for good atmospheric music, so my overall judgement of this album is positive. It’s varied, sometimes rhythmic, the melodies are sympathetic and the production is great.
Published on:
2005-12-21 20:04:11
Fredy Studer/ Ami Yoshida - Duos 21-27
The last two records from For 4 Ears Records didn’t really get a positive (short) review by me. Maybe it’s because of my musical taste, but I bet that when I pass this release on to a co-reviewer, the reviews won’t get any more positive. The label’s releases are just to damn inaccessible. I consider myself to be incapable of reviewing this stuff. The reason why I ‘review’ this record is because I think in every effort lies something beautiful for someone, the labels and the musicians are dedicated, and experimental creativity in general should be stimulated.
The cd is professionally released, with extensive liner notes in Japanese, German and English about the background of the collaboration. Fredy Studer is a Swiss drummer and percussionist from Zurich, Ami Yoshida a Japanese vocalist. They planned and meeting and collaborated. Music was their language. The whole release consist of drum and vocal improvisation. Yoshida moans, growls and howls and brings fort the most strange, inhuman vocal noises I ever heard. It’s delicate though, whispery and soft.
Studer plays, as the notes indicate, ‘squeak percussion, far away from the usual grooves.’ Non-rhythmic ticks, scratchings and rumbling is what he creates out of the percussion. No structures are discernable, spontaneity seems to be his guideline. The whole release, no electronics are involved, so the atmosphere is overall acoustic.
I won’t cast my judgement. This is the last release of the label that I review. I’ll close with the pretension of the collaboration, stated in the liner notes: ‘The two[…] always tried to concentrate on the essential. Away from the cultivated, towards the elementary.’
Published on:
2005-12-19 21:04:22
Dead Eye - A lick is good for the soul
A spooky, uncanny openingstrack really fetches my attention immediately, as I play ‘A lick is good for the soul’. The track is called ‘Spook is now’ and it is probably created out of manipulated electric guitar.
This stuff reminds my of Gy!be and especially the album ‘F#A[infinity symbol]’. It’s the sound of unrest, of something evil brooding underneath a calm surface, and therefore quite unsettling. Then, 48 seconds of someone tuning his guitar, which is track two, and track three, 35 seconds of pure strumming. These are strange short intermezzo’s for an album consisting of long droning tracks. ‘Falling sleep’ could be extracted directly from David Lynch’s ‘Eraserhead’ as it is a distorted, nightmarish piece. The very minimal next track ‘Early devil in kind’, is a welcome transition in the record since it it’s not so oppressing and seems evoked in a room with more light. It’s probably an experiment with the sonority of an acoustic guitar ,but I’m not sure. It’s only the last track ‘The end of all’ that has something of rhythm, a throbbing biased beat that is. But it is as abstract as the others.
On the whole, Nick Davidson creates abstract pieces, mainly constructed out of manipulated guitar. They are long, some minimal, and consist out of singular drones that evolve over time. The sounds are (luckily I would say) not bright or smooth but more rough and crackly.
Don’t be misled by Davidson’s background (according to the Evelyn Records website he is ‘drawing from earlier incarnations in the fields of drum n' bass and jungle’) because this is something totally different then stated genres.
Published on:
2005-12-17 20:56:37
Aidan Baker - Traumerei
Records of Aidan Baker are always welcome in my collection. Baker has established a reputation as a very prolific composer of all kinds of soundscapes. He’s not only productive with music under his own name, also Nadja, ARC and Mnemosyne are projects of his. (Check out his website for an extensive overview of his labour.)
‘Traumerei’ is party a lush and ethnic ambient album, partly a ambient-pop album. Each track is performed on a different instrument. Instruments used are flute, acoustic and electric guitar and bass and of course violin. The (post) pop-influences are alike the ‘Figures’ album, only without the vocals this time. The deep-aquatic ambience as on ‘Undercurrents’ is absent. Instead, sensitive sonic experiments. As with most ambient composed on traditional instruments, the result is overly organic and delicate. From the sombre bass-construction ‘Trauma’ to the gentle acoustic guitar piece ‘Reveiller’, it’s a wondrous experience. The title-tracks reminds me of the guitar-only improv. albums by Mick Turner: glowing, calm and mysterious. But unlike Turner, Baker knows how to accommodate tension and climax.
Another splendid piece of work.
Published on:
2005-12-17 20:54:40
Rondel Kilgore & Heath Yonaites - Damaged Lethal Harmonies
On this release, Rondel Kilgore and Heath Yonaites are supported by The Melbourne Subterrenean Childrens Choir (on a picture on the back sleeve they are shown temporarily above ground).
The Subterranean Children bring a lot of awe in this release. They sing and moan throughout the drones which are created out of string instruments and electronics. Most of the times one singular drone keeps continuing; static but quite rich, heavy and overthrowing. I wouldn’t call the overall atmosphere on this album dark, it’s more serene and by times beautiful. Also the guitar is brought into play sometimes. It doesn’t continue in the same experimental vein but brings a poppy joy into the songs.
‘Serotonin delay’ is a perfect example of the diversity of this collaboration, since it incorporates electronics, accessible pop, and rich ambient. Also melody is omnipresent, especially in the beautiful track ‘Entirely soon’, which could be written by Sigur Ros or Slowdive.
‘Damaged lethal harmonies’ isn’t quite lethal, but it exerts a strong, irresistible force.
Published on:
2005-12-04 23:03:32
Stelladrine - You’ll never see your world again
I have no objection to a great portion of humour in life, but when it comes to music and art in general, I get the shivers of funny attempts. The music can be enjoyable, but should I, as a listener, take it seriously? Or is it all a big joke?
Stelladrine is a project that chose for a humoristic angle in their release. The entire concept of ‘You’ll never see your world again’ is that of a bad science fiction movie from the fifties. Comic-book-style layout and comic-book-style drawings of space-men, ufo’s and space monsters beaming rays to earth. Deliberately cheesy spoken word samples, like ‘People of earth; we will take over your world, unless the leaders of our worlds can unite in friendship’ dominate the record.
Probably very funny but I’m not laughing. So let’s stick to the music. Spacious ambient- electronics is what you can expect from a project with this concept, and it is exactly what you get. But it isn’t bad at all. It’s wild (‘Astrosurfers of tomorrow’), weird, sometimes fast and sometimes even melodic (‘The future isn’t what it used to be’). Swirling electronic sounds, bleeps and high-low frequency shifts makes this record a strange but interesting experience.
I have to say the track ‘Cycloptic disintegrator’ (picture it) is one of the best tracks. Pretty minimal electronic glitch and cut up structures with a pounding sound throbbing in the background, suddenly accompanied by a slightly moderated guitar loop.
So the concept isn’t my piece o’ cake, but I bet there are some comic-book collectors and sci-fi adepts that will rejoice in the fact that there will be an attack of radioactive freaks. This record is for them.
Published on:
2005-12-04 21:11:39
Kyle Dawkins - Walls became the world
As a music reviewer, sometimes a lack of words to describe the music is a problem. Especially when it concerns experimental music. The additional info can be a help, although most of the times it as linguistically vague as can be, and also pure commercial of course. Words as ‘atmospheric’ and ‘emotional’ are not much of a help because they can be very ambiguous.
For Kyle Dawkins this info was given: ‘The scope and breath of sound is turned inward, every motive and colour probed relentlessly. Tottery layers of space belie gorgeous melodic considerations within heavy skittering beatwork. This is rainy day sunny night music.’
Okay. Let’s start out with saying ‘Walls became the world’ is an elegant album. The intro breathes the same cinematic quality that most post-rock releases breathe, although this isn’t post-rock at all. A terribly sad but beautiful cinematic piece. That it isn’t post-rock is clear from the second track on. Most tracks are up-tempo, and not so sad as the prelude. ‘Heavy skittering beatwork’? Hmm, skittering is: to move rapidly along a surface, usually with frequent light contacts or changes of direction; skip or glide quickly. Yes, this music is skittering, although the rhythms are created out of dry, dusty beats instead of pounding techno-ones. The banjo is helping as well, idem beautiful fast guitar plucking. The melodies are well defined, and, as well as the rhythms, change direction, which makes the song structures varied and interesting.
Most of the times energetic, up-tempo music doesn’t evoke a cinematic feeling, but Dawkins managed to do it, with the banjo and the piano as his companions.
Published on:
2005-11-19 22:45:23
Charlie Beresford - The room is empty
‘The room is empty’ by Charlie Beresford is an unique album. Beresford blends elements of folk and haunting, contemplating pop into a brooding sonic mixture. His vocals are very present and remind me of some tracks by Jeff Buckley, although Beresford’s voice is not so angelic. It’s drenched in emotion however, and has a pleasantly bleak timbre.
Traditional pop-structures are not respected on this album. They make way for a more atmospherical way of playing with room for acoustic guitars, accordion and violin. Drumming is totally absent on this record, so the rhythmic structure depends solely on the usage of mentioned instruments.
The album is quite pure in the sense that it’s not riddled with electronic effects. Instruments are used acoustically and are handled very well. It’s unplugged beauty at it’s best. Beresford must be acquainted with a diversity of styles, since the way he plays can as easily be described as pop/ rock, as classical and folkish. Sometimes even experimental. This counts for the violin parts as well.
Although the album is overall calm, there is a kind of tension or even threat, which sometimes surfaces. I must admit that it took me a couple of spins before I could really enjoy the album, so I guess it’s not totally accessible. The great quality of the album is that it’s dynamic and powerful while being emotional and atmospheric at the same time. Not only Beresford voice, but also the way he sings is truly fascinating and compelling. A great effort.
Published on:
2005-11-19 22:42:37
Conure - 49 minutes (until release)
‘A composition in eleven parts’ with the first track being an exercise in reverberation. Yes, lots of reverb effects and electronic moderation imposed upon a slow pounding beat.
‘Manhattan state of mind’ seems like a hallucinogenic journey into the metro-underground, reversed sound samples, fragments of speech and a severely pressing atmosphere which seems choking the living breath out of you in a black clog of smog. The continuation of this track is ‘A Manhattan mindless state,’ which is not so different from the previous.
Then it’s time to dance on ‘Patience’ . A techno groove. Not that original or interesting, but enjoyable. Strange however because it differs a lot from the other tracks. ‘Reflections and recapitulation’ is again oppressive industrial with a subterranean beat structure reminiscent of Vromb. ‘Dreaming in stereo’ is more minimal noise, yet hostile and ferocious. A soundtrack to everything lifeless and electronic in a city of concrete.
‘Scraping the cavity’ releases heavy bass rumblings upon the listener, with attacks of noise bursts like steel brushes scraping over metal surfaces. ‘Recycled lives’ is as dark as the others, albeit more ambient and cinematic, a minimal greeting to Thomas Koner’s ‘Permafrost’.
‘An exercise in reversal’ is the last phase before the final release as the title indicates.
An enjoyable noise ambience album, better than most, with exciting compositions and oppressing atmospheres.
Published on:
2005-11-11 23:00:00
Animal Collective - Feels
‘Feels’ is the seventh album by the Animal collective, but I’ve never heard from them before.
What’s presented by this band can be described as pop, for there is a band, a quite conventional instrument line-up (meaning almost no electronics) and a singer with a good voice and a very broad vocal range. But then again: is it played as pop?
The songs are all dense, energetic and up tempo. ‘Overjoyed’ would be a good description of the neurotic ‘The purple bottle’ for example, which is, judging the others, a typical AC track. Weird breaks, lyrical hollering and experiments on the borders of pop and good taste. A little reminiscent of The Arcade Fire, although even that band is conventional compared to this. I cannot think of similar sounding groups, but it is fast-forward ‘indie-rock’ for sure.
The track ‘Bees’ is a calm song, though still dense with pretty harps and very cool singing. Really atmospheric and pleasantly surprising without getting annoying by overdriven experiments. The glowing calm is preserved in the next track ‘Banshee beat’, a beautifully subtle track which is the best musical painting of the term ‘anticipation’ I ever heard. In ‘Daffy duck’ Animal Collective spins a web of reverbing and swirling guitar melodies, demonstrating a great control over instruments.
The further into the album, the more ambient and cinematic the music gets. And does anyone recognize the piano-sound of Mum there? Well, Kristin Anna Valtysdottir plays along. Somehow I get the feeling this is an important album, because it’s very good, very original and it got a lot of critical acclaims.
An adventurous, original and ambitious project. A definite recommendation for lovers of experimental though emotional and harmonic ‘pop’. File under: progressive indie.
Published on:
2005-11-11 23:00:00
Samartzis - Müller - Voice Crack - Wireless within
An electronic reflection of a visit to the rainforest is presented here. Laptop minimalism by Guhl and Möslang in collaboration with Günter Müller and the Australian sound artist Philip Samartzis.
Cracks, hums, microscopic soundbites from electronic mosquitoes. In three tracks the sound artists present a collection of noises that seem compiled quite randomly. No melody or rhythms whatsoever. Plain texture. Although I like minimalism and acts alike such as the projects of Frans de Waard, this collaboration is pure musical nihilism to me. Can I describe the sound patterns? Impossible. Can I sum up the noises? Well, let’s say it’s glitch. The effect on me? Nada.
Published on:
2005-11-11 23:00:00
Tetuzi Akiyama - Jason Kahn - Till we meet again
Again an effort from the For4ears label. More minimalism and experimentation, but this time created out of acoustic guitar, analogue synthesizer and with percussion.
Heaving resonating gongs and guitar plucks are the ingredients of the soundscapes. The album has a strong ritualistic and oriental feeling to it. The first three tracks are enjoyable, but when you find out every track is almost identical, boredom is not for away. I really wonder how many copies of cd’s like this are pressed. Twenty? Maybe this stuff is only by-friends-for-friends. I cannot imagine a lot of people being fascinated by albums like this. It’s endless repetition.
Published on:
2005-11-11 23:00:00
Dream System - Traveling after Midnight
The additional info states that ‘Dream system is probably the best embodiment of Foreshadow’s [the label’s] slogan: dark, bleak, emotional.’ I would say this isn’t completely true. The music is definitely dark, but when I think of bleak and emotional music I think of acts such as Raison d’Etre, Land, Cold Meat acts for example and slow doom or slow post-rock.
When music is very rhythmic and even danceable, all the bleakness and emotion is gone. When very heavy guitar-riffs and industrialised spoken word vocals come in to play, well, bleakness and emotion is the last I think of. Listen to the track ‘Metropolis’ and you know what I mean. Fierce and energetic it is. It even reminds me of Sielwolf, Bile and early Ministry.
Some tracks are an exception, and are more trip-hop influenced, like the openingstrack ‘3:35 am’, while ‘/…/’ could be written by nu-metal act Linkin Park (including the dramatic, boyish vocals). And track ‘Street’, dark and bleak? No, this is almost a light and happy track. Nice beats, a repetitive feelgood melody and a slightly echoing guitar solo.
No, this record is definitely not my piece of cake. Too much tight guitar-riffs, too much ordinary beat patterns and too little atmosphere and emotion. Technically this album is all right. The production is good, the beats and guitars are thick and oppressive, and I guess Dream System does what it does well and with conviction, but I can’t help feeling deceived.
Published on:
2005-10-05 23:00:00
Baker, Aidan - Figures
I knew Aidan Baker as the composer of high quality ambient structures, such as his split ‘Undercurrents’ with Matt Borghi. His twentieth solo release ‘Figures’ is no exception when speaking of quality, although it’s somewhat different than ‘ordinary’ ambient.
On this album Baker combines ambient/guitar drones and mixes it with the kind of pop/ slowcore we know from acts as Barzin, The Red House Painters and Below the Sea. Aspects of these band’s music, such as slow, monotonous vocals, droning slideguitars and occasional violin mourning, are integrated in Baker’s ‘Figures’. Don’t get me wrong: this is not an album of pop songs, the basis is there, but is heavily smeared into ambient textures.
As in ‘Undercurrents’ (although this album has less pop-influences) the result of the combination is beautiful. Although some tracks have- in my opinion- more potential than realised. The last track for example, starts out beautifully with guitar and slow, minimal percussion, but it goes on to long without any apotheosis.
In any case, there is no way you can escape from the sadness evoked by the dreamy, low-key soundscapes. Very enjoyable, especially when you are about to hang yourself from a tree under a bleak, autumn light.
Published on:
2005-10-01 23:00:00
V/A - Another Gizya
‘Eleven artists colonize the liquid sphere’s Gizya.’ What meant is: at the end of 2003 and the beginning of 2004, ten artists were sent a copy of Liquid Sphere's 'Gizya' and/or the sounds and field recordings used in the creation of that album. During the following months, each of these ten artists sent back one or more remixes or new tracks created out of the album ‘Gizya’.
These artist are Planetaldol, Final cut, Goose, Liquid Sphere, Wilt, Gydja, A.k.a_bondage, J. Frede, Cordell Klier, Cdrik Croll & Friends and Aidan baker.
The first thing that struck me was the intensity and harshness of the doomy ambient of most acts. No pleasant or comforting ambience here, but instead: oppressing, unsettling soundscapes of penetrating ambience verging on noise. Luckily there’s some attention for rhythm as in Goose’s ‘Adwar’ or Gydja’s ‘Saa hamsa’. Some tracks are less ambient and deliver interesting noise, sharp and structured as the ‘Gizya live mix excerpt’ by Liquid sphere.
My favourite tracks are by Wilt (who is tree times represented on this compilation) because of the rich and moody soundscapes that corporate noise, minimalism and ambience. Most artists do, by the way. Even Aidan Baker leaves the harmonic ambience for what it is and explores noise. The overall result is very pleasing, but in no way accessible.
Published on:
2005-10-01 23:00:00
Hinsidan - God is in the details
The double album ‘God is in the details/ Music for ghosts’ comes in a nice sleeve packaging with ten inserts. The inserts are single-sided and contain (parts of the) ‘lyrics’ used in Hinsidan’s songs.
Mostly I loathe lyrics in ambient/ industrial music but in Hisidan’s case the lyrics are nicely altered by effects and accompany the whole atmosphere, which is (of course) quite cold and dark. Sometimes they annoy me because of the theatrical way in which they are used (moaning, sighing and whispering). This is the case in the track ‘Niel’ which sounds like Peter Steele having a hard time behind his organ, but overall the vocals are a powerful instrument that enhances the atmosphere well.
All songs are pretty interesting. Indeed a ‘jigsaw puzzle’ of musical influences, as the additional info mentions. They feature electronic sounds, woolly sound walls and beats and rhythm patterns that are quite accessible when acquainted with Throbbing Gristle and even Autechre. Sometimes songs are more ambient and sometimes more IDM (‘In God’s corner’) and even a little gothic-popish, which of course is due to the vocals.
The overload of reverbing and echoing sounds give this album a peculiar feeling which is pretty mystical and sometimes even laid-back as in ‘To where we return’ or ‘Forlat’ (that really has a great, somewhat overlapped pattern of distorted repetitive sounds.)
‘Music for ghosts’ starts out with the long and powerful track ‘We glow’, a pounding beat sculpture. The other tracks are very rhythmic as well. The beats are thick and strong, but they never end in harsh technoise attacks. ‘Music for Ghosts’ is therefore much more danceable than ‘God is in the details’. It also lacks the singing.
I would say the double-album by Hinsidan is a well-crafted piece of work. Enjoyable for a wide audience: moody, danceable and rich in variation.
Published on:
2005-10-01 23:00:00
Sigur Rós - Takk
Waiting for new releases of your favourite bands can be a pleasant hell. A strong longing, a delightful expectation, but will the band live up to its former accomplishments?
After the masterpiece ‘( )’ by the Icelandic geniuses Sigur Rós, and the experimental taster ‘Ba ba ti ki di do,’ I thought the band was at the top of their success; how could they ever manage to release anything better?
With ‘Takk’ (which simply means ‘thanks’) Sigur Rós have created a monument. This is one of these records that makes wading through a pool of hundreds shitty releases worthwhile. This is one of these discoveries that keep lingering in your head all day, a record that you can play over and over and over again and it never looses it’s glance.
The whole record is one long path to glory, to absolution and delivers a profound sense of esthetical satisfaction. Almost every tracks is slowly build up to a climax, as Godspeed You! Black Emperor does, but comparison to this band doesn’t do right to the uniqueness of Sigur Rós.
Man, what a collection of great songs. ‘Glosoli’ for example (Have you seen the clip? MTV airs it in the late hours when all rap-kids are sleeping. A bunch of youngsters laying on a bare rock, marching proudly through a field, valiantly awaiting the climax, staring at the grey Icelandic skies just before jumping of a great cliff, but not to hit the ground…). But also ‘Saeglopur’ and ‘Andvari.’ Well, let’s face it, there are no bad tracks on this record.
The songs are clothed in the experimental, kind and light glockenspiel tingles of ‘Ba ba …..’, there is still the playing of the electric guitar with a bow, but there is more room for great violins and varied vocals, that are definitely more present than on ‘( )’or ‘Aegetis Byrjun’. Add some trumpets, tuba and trombones supplied by a load of skilled guest musicians, and heaven is complete. The songs are more poppy and accessible than those on ‘( )’, but in no way they lack atmosphere or depth. Every song is a song on itself, but also a logical result of the songs all together. The melodies creep deep under your skin. Can anyone listen to ‘Milano’ without getting overwhelmed by euphoria? Without wanting to throw open your doors and windows and sing along loud with open arms, without feeling the kind of hope and consolation beauty can bring…
What can I say. Oh, buy the beautiful limited edition cardboard cd-book. This record is in my top-ten of best records ever. Do I sound manic? Sure. Am I subjective? Hell, yes. Blame it on ‘Takk’, blame it on Sigur Rós…
Published on:
2005-09-19 23:00:00
V/A - Monosyllabic 002
Most bands on this cd are local to Arcata, California, so it’s probably no wonder I’ve never heard from them. The bands presented from that area are Level Anchorage, A is for Algorithm, Zach Meints, Swimming, Stereoprimer and Xandicus. The other bands are total alien to me as well, probably because this records is based solely on ‘undiscovered talent’.
I have terrible difficulties judging this cd. It’s electronic music, but mostly not the kind of stuff we are used to here at Funprox, at least I am not. Some tracks sound like coming out of arcade computer games in the early 90’s, other tracks remind me of the mainstream act Air, and have quite some potential, like Zach Meints. Mr. Brown Shoes has definite Aphex Twin influences and sounds really chilling. Experimental laptopism is never far away, as in Hydra the Sea Serpent’s ‘Laptopism’.
There are just too many projects present on this compilation. Most bands definitely deserve an introduction with just one or two other bands, so that the focus is more on a certain project or sound. A lot of projects sound alike too, that makes it more confusing. Many artists make multi-multi-layered songs with heavily textured layers. (White Sunglasses, for example). All is very energetic and joyful, as Full Lip Strike’s ‘Seed and bloom’, which would fit perfectly on some LSD-fuelled party. Although quite weird, most tracks have a strange accessibility to them. It is a pleasant journey through ‘Monosyllabic 002’, although it leaves the listener somewhat disoriented and lost.
Published on:
2005-09-10 23:00:00
Freiband / Boca Raton - Product
Freiband is the digital-electronic ‘remix’ project of Frans de Waard (of Bequeen and Kapotte Muziek fame). Boca Raton is an unknown project to me. Presented here is a pair of live recordings from a performance as part of the Earational 2004 festival for electronic music and audio art. It might as well have been a studio-recording since the production quality is superb.
I knew Freiband through the ‘Martin - Seven [new] aspects’ 3”cd ep which I gave a very positive review earlier.
The eleven tracks presented by Freiband are quite dark and oppressive. Collages of ongoing micro-sounds that brood dynamically into other shapes of sound. De Waard himself describes Freiband as a pop-project, since it is music made of popping sounds. The ‘tracks’ flow into each other perfectly, nervously trembling, clicking and evoking images of dense piles of microscopic electronic bits and pieces. The manipulations are quite abstract and devoid of melody; no echo’s of nature or recognisable ambient influences are present. It’s a project that makes me listen in full astonishment over what can be achieved in production/ reworking of sound. Highly mature and highly recommended.
Boca Raton is Martijn Tellinga and is a kind of reflection on ‘the everyday soundtrack that surrounds us’, according to the additional info. Because of the absence of build-up tension, rhythms, harmony and melody it all sounds quite random and accidental, indeed as the everyday sounds that surround us. However, this is not an environmental record. The everyday sounds are manipulated and rearranged to a level beyond recognition. Boca Raton is a good partner for a split with Freiband, since the material sounds intriguing, mature and thoroughly deformed. Playing ‘Product’ is like travelling in a mirror-world of staged sonic reflection, as abstract as it is enjoyable. Only for autistic sound fetishists though.
Published on:
2005-09-08 23:00:00
Build Buildings - There is a problem with my tape recorder
Ben Tweel is the man behind Build Buildings. ‘There is a problem with my tape recorder’ is his third release under this moniker. As far as I can see, this record is very professionally self-released.
Although not totally hearable, all electronic sounds are derived from computers, instruments and household noises. What’s presented is a very neutral and mellow cuts ‘n clicks /ambient-glitch release. Very delicate and uncommon beat patterns are scattered over the songs, accompanied by pleasant and glistering, sometimes watery, sometimes spacey melodic fragments. Present like shiny objects in clear blue water. In most cases, the melody is repetitive, looped and simple, but created out of such a strangely beautiful sound that it becomes highly effective.
Influences from the Raster Noton family are there, some passages also remind me of the Mexican Murcof and Aoki Takamasa. More melodic than Alva Noto for example, and just as melodic (although more abstract) than Murcof.
A very enjoyable, clean and bright release, with surprising variations and lots of tracks great enough to play over and over again. A gem.
Published on:
2005-09-08 23:00:00
Aoki Takamasa + Tujiko Noriko - 28
Friendly and gentle clicks, cuts, shimmers, glitches and the very warm, feminine voice of Tujiki Noriko. In no way this sums up the accomplishment of the two artists, both of Japanese origin, but these are just some of the ingredients: the whole is much, much more than the sum of the parts The mood Noriko evokes with her dreamy singing, reminds me of a Sigur Ros-alike atmosphere. The singing really has a connection with the vocals by Yonsi. Her voice breeds calmness and sounds very natural and pure, since it is not affected by theatrical or misplaced arty attempts. It’s also the kind of voice you would expect belonging to a very beautiful woman, and it does.
Damn, this record is chilling! I have no idea what Tujiko Noriko sings about, since most tracks are sung in Japanese. Maybe it’s about floating weightless around on some warm, sunny day; or about laying in a pleasant dreamstate in a very protected and comforting area. All this is encompassed by slow, low beat structures and high-pitched noises of all kinds. This reminds me of the Mille Plateaux clicks-and cuts artists, but ‘28’is not as minimal as most of them. Alongside it there are moody repetitive melodies present, full and warm tones, that create a nice equilibrium between (in essence) cold technical noises, and warming ambience. Sometimes the minimal techno-style is abandoned and replaced by a more trip-hop kind of groove. I would say the first half of ‘28’ is more trip-hoppish than the second.
I’m terribly impressed by this release of very high quality. For me; I’ll check out their earlier works and let you know about it.
Published on:
2005-09-03 23:00:00
Atrabilis Sunrise - Altered alternative (boredom level)
I like gritty ambience. When ambience is too smooth and produced like a pop record, in many cases the mood is destroyed. I would not consider Atrabilis Sunrise (continuation of dark-industrial act Catharsis) to be ambient. It definitely has ambient and dark-industrial influences, but it’s more varied, harsh and complex in structure. It’s affected by too many musical styles to call it just that.
It’s a little psychotic, a little edgy and pretty disturbing. Ranging from decent ambient, to hammering industrial, to weird sonic experimentation Atrabilis Sunrise knows how to retain the attention of the listener. Filthy distorted noises, a lot of breaks, broken percussion and sizzling electronics. A soundtrack to a fever dream.
I cannot pinpoint the exact influences of this project. Brighter Death Now an Atrax Morgue? Scorn and Mental Destruction? It’s quite clear that ‘Padre P.C.’ is followings his own somewhat strange musical route, maniacal and dark. Enjoyable insanity in 17 tracks without reaching the boredom level.
Published on:
2005-09-03 23:00:00
Oophoi & Louisa John-Krol - I hear the water dreaming
I Hear The Water Dreaming is a very psychedelic title. The music is equally psychedelic, even shamanistic. The electronic textures of the songs are accompanied with subtle sounds effects, nature sounds and samples. This album thus creates a dreamlike setting through the intimate sound of the songs. It also has a very organic feeling due to the peaceful singing and relaxing nature sounds.
Possibly this could be called new age music, but it is not as cheap, synthetic and kitsch as most new age music. Oophoi and Louisa John Krol have created a wonderful daydream record for guaranteed pleasant dreams.
MvG
Italian ambient-artist Oophoi, a highly prolific soundscape-composer, teams up for ‘I hear the water dreaming’ with the Australian singer Louisa-John Krol. We can speak here of a perfect match, since the delicate, angelic voice of Krol suits the delicate and tender ambient of Oophoi perfectly. Krol is also active as an solo-artist on Prikosnovenie, composing dreamy folksongs. Her voice reminds me of Kate Bush as well as of 3rd and the Mortal’s Kari Rueslatten.
Oophoi creates traditional ambient, dreamy and not per se dark, in the vein of Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana, two titans in this genre. This genre has some typical instruments involved such as bamboo flutes, rainsticks, windchimes and long analogue drones. My greatest objection to this kind of ambient is that in most cases it seems a matter of quantity and not quality (just count the records of Steve Roach and Vidna Obmana and you know what I mean). These artist do not bother to renew themselves musically, but their collaborations are almost always very interesting.
This is absolutely the case here. ‘I hear the water dreaming’ is one long womb-like experience. The music has a thick aquatic and feminine atmosphere. It’s not only the beautiful voice of Krol that makes the listener drift into watery dimensions. Oophoi’s creations are dense, glimmering and very varied in texture. Every song is a new watery pool to dive into. The vocalist adds a fairy-like feeling to Oophoi’s music with her voice, lyrics and song-titles such as ’Conversations between a wolf and a firefly’ and ‘The hour of fauns’.
‘I hear the water dreaming’ is definitely worth exploring. Especially recommended for all moody ambient-adepts longing for some variation. No mean, cold darkness here, but feminine warmth.
JS
Published on:
2005-08-29 23:00:00
Retail Sectors, The - Untitled
When I first saw the promo CDR of this Japanese band I didn’t even bother to put it in my record player. A band with so little concern for the outlook of their release couldn’t be worth listening. A simple paper cover with an ugly print and some contact information. There was no track information, I had to derive the band name from their hotmail-address and even the title of the release is absent.
I played it anyway and the surprise was immense. Delicate post-rock pur sang. Very reminiscent of Explosions in the sky and Mogwai. Of course the Godspeed You! Black Emperor influences are there, but The Retail Sectors are more to the point, a little faster and more concrete than GY!BE. Simple melody lines are a delicacy for the listener’s ears. A very moody and promising cd-r.
Just look out for their debut album ‘The starlight silent night’, out on Distraction Records sometime in November.
Published on:
2005-08-23 23:00:00
As All Die / FDH - North American Underground Alliance
Both bands are present with three tracks on this ‘North American Underground Alliance’. As All Die kicks of with a martial-industrial track of pretty poor sound quality, not really originally called ‘Power through will.’ It’s very reminiscent of Archon Satani and the likes: low pitched drumming, dark noises and spoken word passages on death and destruction. ‘Where falcons soar’ is another track probably inspired by a CMI act, namely Ordo Rosarius Equilibrio. Nice and bleak guitar picking, some synthesizers and again the spoken words. I’m not really impressed: the production is quite bad and the vocals really annoy me: pathetically breathing ‘We all die’ and such. When the guys behind As All Die in the track ‘Kali Yuga’ talk about righteous discrimination of the weak (probably implying they themselves are strong and intelligent) I’m not really interested anymore.
FDH, which stands for Frank den Haan, is more interesting. ‘New year zero zero’ really has a typical and compelling atmosphere, with a kind of choral samples and electric piano repetition. In the remaining two tracks FDH knows to create an interesting blend of organic sounds and noisy electronic effects. FDH definitely has more attention for melody than As All Die. Too bad the sound quality is not optimal. I really wonder what FDH will sound like with a good production. Especially the last track of the split is really interesting, nice, calming and melancholic. This is the kind of melancholy I like: that which is induced by melody and structure, not just consisting of some low-pitched synthesizer and some standard ritualistic drumming.
Published on:
2005-08-23 23:00:00
Terminal 11 - Illegal nervous habits
Imagine listening to Aphex Twin’s IDM (‘Intelligent’ Dance Music). Remember that funny clip ‘Windowlicker’ in which Richard D. James does this little umbrella-dance to erotically arouse two ghetto-whores, that, enchanted by his lunacy, get his deformed head on their marvellous bodies? Well, take that song, that clip and image it playing on high speed. Imagine Aphex Twin being an even more annoying ADHD-kid on amphetamines making music much faster than he already does, with even more cut-ups, breaks, switches and swatches and you get a little idea of what Terminal 11 ‘Illegal nervous habits’ sounds like. That would be: total fucking madness. The additional info describes Terminal 11 differently:
‘Imagine a million bits of information flying through the air, and watch these bits weave and dive like a ballet on PCP. Then, as you’re just getting bored, these bits make pictures of your friends laughing and having the best fun they ever had. Yeah, that’s trippy isn’t it? Well this album is just like that, and MORE.’
It sure as hell is trippy, very tight and lucid also, but just as I get bored, I don’t see pictures of friends laughing and having fun. I feel itchy and annoyed, irritated and nervous, kranky and fucked up and I think: stopthisrecordstopthisrecordstopthisrecord.
Published on:
2005-08-14 23:00:00
V/A - Comrades in lost
‘Comrades in lost’ is a multimedia (!) compilation aiming to introduce people to the Latvian industrial community. A community I’d never heard from before, but definitely worth checking out more thoroughly after this splendid introduction.
The CD part consists of music engineers such as Traur Zot (three tracks), Devnoise (three tracks), Claustrum (three tracks) 20t (two tracks) and Barodarho and Knauzers; both present with a single track.
Traur Zot opens the compilation with a very dark and heavy track titled ‘Kas tu esi?’ I’m immediately warped into the time in which underground industrial was still interesting. Very powerful rumblings, distorted spoken-word samples, beatings and overall brooding menace are posed upon the listeners sad ears. Unsettling and rich in noise and structure. Akin to Folkstorm, Death Squad and Brighter Death Now, but with much more variation.
Also Devnoise isn’t suitable to play during a picknick in the sun. Again, sounding like tearing all the illusory veils of happiness and light from the world, uncovering a brutal demon engine called civilisation. More influences from Haus Arafna and November Novelet are present in this angst-pop. Noisescapes are the foundation on which rhythmic, danceable tracks are build.
Claustrum: damn, what is Claustrum? Again I’m stunned by the high quality of the noises, more nervous and sizzling, beating and evolving. For every track and every artist counts that they do not make noise, or dark-industrial or ambient exclusively. It’s all blended into a complex and exciting mixture.
2Ot is like a visitation to the mental ward where the listener is lobotomised with high pitched shrieks and penetrating electronic noises. It reminds me of the less harsh stuff made by the Italian Atrax Morgue. Still, it is just as unsettling and disturbing. This is also the case with Borodarho, although this project has a more varied and complex structure. With Knauzers we return to the genre of angst-pop. Very enjoyable and pleasantly frightening.
Since I’m not a reviewer of graphic multimedia design, I’ll just give you the artists description of what is to be found on your pc when ‘Comrades in lost’ is inserted (if compatible of course, but most pc’s are):
‘The multimedia cd is an artist’s subjective perception of the industrial topic. The cd is developed as 3D acoustically visual space with gates and rooms, which can be navigated, creating impression of real space.’
One can enter these rooms and to do so is to trigger different noise sculptures. With an internet connection, updates are available.
I hope I’m clear on this one: these guys from Latvia are creative, inspired and enthusiastic sound-artists, not to be ignored.
Published on:
2005-08-14 23:00:00
Compest - Kryptozoologie
Cryptozoology was a new term to me, and a few Google-hits later, I found out that it is the study of unknown animals that are not (yet) accepted by science, such as Big Foot, Yeti and The Loch-Ness monster. A quite unusual theme for a release, but what is to be expected by labelmates of Aalfang mit Pferdekopf?
Listening to the Compest release -which is Martin Steinebach- I do not get the impression of weird sound engineers riddling their compositions with (overall pleasant) absurdity, alike AMP. Instead, ‘Kryptozoologie’ is highly accessible and enjoyable Ant-Zen-ish techno ambience.
Compest’s tracks build up slowly, from sizzling ambience towards almost danceable rhythm structures. No technoise here, but rather a calm beat to dance to in slow motion. Ingredient after ingredient is piled up towards a climax, leaving the listener eventually in a bed of dark and quite cold electronics. The structure is very clear and transparent. In none of the five untitled tracks the structured gets imbalanced or overruled by noises.
Ritual and ethnic elements (the music has sometimes an oriental feeling) put their mark on ‘Kryptozoologie’, contrasting lifeless electronics that remind me of the Canadian act Vromb, or L’Ombre, with ethno. An intriguing blend of creativity is the result, well worth looking out for in the future.
Published on:
2005-08-11 23:00:00
Aidan Baker & Matt Borghi - Undercurrents
In the liner notes of Brian Eno’s ‘Music for airports’, Eno comes to a description of ambient music. He states: ‘Ambient Music must be able to accommodate many levels of listening attention without enforcing one in particular. (…) Ambient Music is intended to induce calm and a space to think.’ This was in 1978, but still, a lot of composers of ambience hold up to this advice. Eno is regarded as one of the godfathers of the genre.
Undoubtedly his advices have inspired Baker and Borghi as well. ‘Undercurrents’ is an ambient work, very deep and dense, reminding me of Vidna Obmana’s ‘Shadowing in sorrow’ and especially Robert Rich’s ‘Trances/ drones’. Classic ambient so to speak.
‘Undercurrents’ is especially good in my opinion since both artists really have attention for melody, besides an artistic eye for the creation of deep, multifaceted drones. Track six ‘Precipitate’ for instance, is an astoundingly sorrowful, deep-layered sound construction.
The great thing about artists with expensive equipment is that you can hear it in their music. So it is on ‘uUndercurrents’. This is not just a collection of fragments, of piled up noises… it is a harmonic blend of utterly fine-tuned sounds, a lot of them coming from ordinary instruments. The record sounds as a whole of intertwined tracks, undercurrents strong enough to pull you down to sunken cathedrals.
Published on:
2005-08-11 23:00:00
Aalfang mit Pferdekopf - Ich habe nur noch 12 Seepferdchen in meinem Tempel
When I heard the first tones of this release and saw the track titles, I was quite sceptical: could a band/ project naming itself ‘Aalfang mit pferdekopf’ be interesting? Wasn’t this just a ‘fun-project’? (It means something as ‘fishing on eels with a horsehead.’)
Listening to the first track (the titletrack) didn’t make anything better. I heard almost nothing except some guy impersonating a chicken, and some other strange vocal sounds.
But then came track two ‘Jaja ungarinyin und nun zur leiche am ufer’ which is divided into three parts. Again the vocal experiments were present, but also some nice drones and electric sounds and quite surprisingly, folkish guitarplay, almost undisturbed by any effects. After a while, the sonic experimentation went over into a catchy song…
It disappears as easily as it appeared. Electronic sounds and field recordings (children laughing, objects moving) take over and the song is gone. Absurd sound samples are to be heard, sometimes annoying because it is like you are listening to a bullshit record of people talking nonsense into a microphone with helium in their lungs. Luckily, the overall atmosphere is serious and mysterical.
This is the main procedure that is followed on this record. Poppy guitarlines return, accompanied by a strange rhythm-sequences, just to disappear a little later into mysterical sound sculptures.
‘Aalfang mit Pferdekopf’ might be a little mad, but the music is pretty fascinating, I’m positively surprised.
Published on:
2005-08-10 23:00:00
Tore Honoré Bøe - Suave siesta
‘(…) so I started letting the minidisk [and the dat] roll (…). I left them recording when going for a coffee, when finding a good soundspot outdoors or stumbling across those low and gentle electrical hums and hisses. None of the sounds were played.’
‘Suave Siesta’ is a release with environmental recordings from Agadir (Morocco) and Arguineguin and San Fernando (Spain). Although these locations are specifically mentioned in the cd-booklet, the record might as well have been recorded in Almere, The Netherlands or in Tsjernobyl, Ukraine. The sound-collage has no specific ethnic sounds involved.
I am open-minded, I really am. I listen to stuff that 99% of the world-population will describe as meaningless noise or just as garbage, and I love it. I probably listen to much of the same music you listen to. But not every compilation of click, hiss and strange sounds is appealing to me.
In this case, we have environmental recordings that are quite dull, pretty minimal and overall unattractive. There is some structure in the songs, but very often this structure is abandoned after a while. The artist himself calls his music ‘audiopolaroids’, or ‘neutral sound paintings’. That is exactly what in my eyes is wrong with this record: these are unplayed recordings of ordinary, everyday life. It is cut-up though, and put in a different order, but I’m not really interested in the artists vacation, nor do I like neutralness, without emotion or atmosphere. I’m sure Tore Honoré Bøe knows how to create fascinating electronic soundscapes, but this effort is too minimal and too microscopical.
Published on:
2005-07-14 23:00:00
Horologium - A Handful of dust
‘A handful of dust’ is the last part of Cynfeirdds E4E series. The closure of the label’s limited (all releases on E4E are limited to 141 copies) series is the Polish act Horologium. A fairly new project, with lots of upcoming material such as the release ‘The Fire Sermon’ on the French Divine Comedy records, scheduled for a release in September, and a mini-cd ‘Opium’ on Void records.
Horologium is hard to place in a corner and put a name-tag on. It is influenced clearly by martial industrial. In almost each track there are whipping and pounding rhythms present. No techno(ise) rhythms, but more industrial ones. Most percussion tends to last quite long in the same direction. The repetition has a nice effect because of the mantra, trance-like feeling it evokes. Repetitive piano melodies and dreamy organs take the listener along this landscape. Horologium presents clear melody structures and tight rhythms. Dark brooding atmospheres are lurking in the background.
One gets the feeling of participating in a long walk trough a pre-christian, desert like area. Passing along nomad-clans, Romans and leper-tribes. The soundscapes are ridden with countless spoken-word samples and environmental sounds that really fit into this very same atmosphere.
‘A handful of dust’ is in no way ‘dark-ambient’ or standard ‘dark-industrial’. Horologium’s Grzegorz Siedlecki has managed to create a very personal style. Inspired by T.S. Eliot’s poem ‘The Wasteland’ (1922) we can hear voices singing out of empty cisterns and exhausted wells….
Published on:
2005-07-12 23:00:00
Ionosphere & Land:Fire - Of mind and of abyss
A rather obvious theme for dark cinematic music would be the void above us, the cosmic, the deep, the unknown. Music fitting the journey of stars travelling in a liveless darkness thousands light-years from here. Tangerine Dream did this for instance, also Lustmord. I recall ‘The place where the black stars hang’ or ‘Strange attractor’. Another project that followed this direction is Inade, who just recently had their beautiful ‘Colliding dimensions’ box-set released. There must be tons of bands and projects that tried to capture the essence of the cosmic in their music.
Two quite new projects from the German Loki Foundation family, that follow the same musical and conceptual route, are Ionosphere and Land:Fire. Ionosphere links the music more to the ‘inner space’ with track titles such as ‘Gravitation of the mind’ and ‘Ocean of thoughts’. It may come to mind, but it is in no way akin to the emotional ambient of Raison d’ être. The drones are chilling, dark and endlessly droning. Devoid of any emotion, it pictures lifeless desolation. The whispering in most tracks gives the music a more earthly touch (‘There are no answers, only choices’), and in track three the bell-like, reverbing percussion is sublime.
Land:Fire is presented here with the long and final track ‘Space interferometry mission’, according to the supplemented text on the sleeve, it deals with the aspects of the black hole. It is very similar to Ionosphere, long drones, high-pitched ones floating around in a bed of deeper and lower ones. Strange interruptions of noises come up slowly and disappear in the distant nothingness. ‘Of mind and of abyss’ brings nothing new or original, but the kind of ambient it harbours, is damned good. And who needs originality when an existing theme isn’t worn out yet?
Published on:
2005-07-11 23:00:00
Zeljko McMullen - Disorder
‘Disorder’ is a mixture of manipulated piano, string instruments and percussion. The beauty of atmospheric soundscapes that consist of conventional instruments exclusively, is that the music sounds more natural and a little more raw than when there are synthetic soundeffects and other electronic noises involved.
The case however with McMullen is, that the sounds you would expect from the mentioned instruments are not recognisable, the instruments have been manipulated so intensely, that the natural mood of instrument-use is preserved, but the concrete sound that belong to them are more scattered, diffuse and mutilated. The soundscapes are dense and thick, like a storm of noises overcoming the listener.
In every song, the texture is complex, like tons of sounds struggling to overrule each other. It may sound a little chaotic at times, but good listening reveals that everything is carefully worked out. Each track evokes a sense of unrest, of conflict, but has serene moments too, alike the silence after a conflict, as track ‘Gently’ for example beautifully demonstrates.
I’m really impressed by this release. The ambience is very mature, very skilled and multi-layered. A good thing is that it’s much more than ‘noise fore noise’s-sake’, or ‘ambient for ambience’s sake’: the artist really knows to create an individual style with an authentic sound. The listener is warped from unrest to serenity to mysterical aural landscapes. A surprising combination of rawness and purity. Zeljko McMullen is inaccessible compared to CMI’s, Loki Foundations or Cold Springs ambient/ industrial acts, but really worth exploring, if you are up to it.
Published on:
2005-06-30 23:00:00
Pernice, Laurent - Humus - Musiques immobiles 5-15
Mister L. Pernice has a long history as an innovative musician, according to his bio. Since the eighties he has been involved in music making from industrial rock to electronic jazz. The release we have here is a practise in ‘immobile music’.
A lot of tracks on ‘Humus(…)’ consist of single-layers of rough sound-manipulations. Noise in a very sober way, as if each track is a different machine that is put on and off, with small variations in the looping noise of the machine. Some tracks break this atmosphere of machine-generated monotony, like ‘Fluide’ for example, that has a very gentle, yet barely audible drone and sparkling tinkles.
When a track opens, the bad (?) thing about is, that you immediately have an idea of what the track will be like. There are no surprises to be expected, everything keeps on going the way it started out. But Pernice is aware of this, as he states: ‘it also became apparent that this music did not tell a story (…) calm leading up to a final climax (…) but that it created an atmosphere, a changing climate capable of continuing endlessly.’ This is exactly the reason why he called his music ‘immobile’: it doesn’t move.
Track four called ‘Accrocs’ is based on a high-pitched drone, little random clicks and a repetitive sound. ‘Apres coup’ has more tension. The atmosphere can be considered as dark and mysterious. A decent dark-ambient track: compelling, frightening and subterranean, but ends to abruptly, leaving the listener with an anticlimax. It is succeeded by another minimalistic, high-pitched piece of experimentalism, named ‘Frolements’. Track seven is quite harsh, but also dynamic, with changes in volume; assaulting the listener in a pleasant way.
Pernice has quite a clear, determined view on his experiments, he knows exactly what he is doing, not surprising since he’s been a musician for such a time, but this release is in my opinion a little too inaccessible, a little too unsatisfying, a little too monotonous.
The record definitely has some good tracks on it, but it’s hard to keep your attention to sounds that can go on forever. I guess I’m more into ‘mobile music’.
Published on:
2005-06-26 23:00:00
Orchestramaxfieldparrish - Tears
Well, here we have quite an oldie, since it was already released in 2002, but ‘Tears’ by the formation Orchestramaxfieldparrish is a record one mustn’t skip.
‘Tears’ is an evocative and dynamic blend of all sorts of instruments (listed separately beneath each track in the cd-booklet) as electric guitars, drums, piano, synthesizers and acoustic guitars. Keywords to describe the music would be: atmospheric, soundtrackish and dreamy. The overall audial impression of the record is not dark at all, more soothing then menacing, sometimes even more poppy than ambient.
The rich variation of styles is clear in ‘A lot like you’. After the initial drones, Orchestramaxfieldparrish suddenly breaks the ambient structure and starts a moody and catchy song. In the next track, besides droning electronics, also drums and a bass-line are present, but this time more to support atmosphere than to create a songstructure. ‘Bow’ is definitely my favourite track, which sounds like a mixture of Raison d’être and Alio Die. The echoing, reverbing guitarsounds create a very powerful lush feeling of desolation and sadness. Like Orpheus’ lyre twanging sad strains, emitting nice vibrating sounds. These chilling, distant guitarstrains are present in most of the tracks; resulting in an album that sounds as a whole. Everyone sensitive to soundscapes will absolutely be touched by the efforts of this band from the big apple.
Orchestramaxfieldparrish combines the best ingredients of ambient-electronic music on the one hand, and post-rock-alike guitar drones on the other. A definite recommendation.
Published on:
2005-06-26 23:00:00
Punck - Nowhere campfire tapes
‘Nowhere campfire tapes’ is a title that immediately struck me with its promise of obscureness. I never heard from the project Punck before, but that might well be because this is their full- length debut. They’ve only released some cdr’s before.
Punck is no standard dark-ambient in the vein of Cold Meat Industry artists, and not even close to more regular ambient acts like Vidna Obmana or Steve Roach. It is electronic laptop minimalism with a very mysterious, trance-like feeling, mainly evoked by the razorsharp, high-pitched drones and haunting field recordings. The project is very similar to two acts I reviewed before: Freiband and Birchville Cat Motel. The reason why I was negative about Birchville Cat Motel, is exactly the same reason why I’m very positive about ‘Nowhere Campfire Tapes’: this artist knows how to create atmosphere, knows when to use the field recordings and knows how to use it in a beautiful structured way.
The field recordings are complementing the music (not overruling it) resulting in a nice contrast between abstract sounds and concrete echo’s from nature. Interesting is the usage of (Italian) spoken word samples in ‘Adriatico Lisergico’ and ‘ Tsunami Notes’. Again warping the listener from a more abstract dimension in a more concrete one.
There are no discrepancies between the tracks. Sounds return and evolve around each other, swelling and slowly disappearing in a perfect fusion. Rhythm and melody are almost absent, but that is no problem whatsoever, since the whole release sounds so maturely developed, so greatly structured. It has no need for concrete song-structures as melody or rhythm.
The production is sublime. All sounds are crystal clear. I cannot wipe the smile from my face as I am reviewing this record. I’m already looking forward to listening to this record once more.
Published on:
2005-06-19 23:00:00
Freiband - Martin
Although the music is totally different, this release has got everything to do with the cult lp ‘Unknown Pleasures’ by the great Joy Division.
So what’s the case? The artist behind Freiband noticed seven tracks with ‘errors’ on the lp produced by the notorious and late Martin Hannett. These were errors such as clicks and strummed guitars. Freiband created the music on this release on basis of these minimal seven extras.
I expected the whole release, being such a directed effort on the basis of some minimal extra’s, to be quite inaccessible, but that’s not the case whatsoever. The result is stunning:
crispy, crystal clear electronic minimalism is combined with dark bass drones and rhythmic poundings. Do not expect melody, but well balanced structure. Microscopic textures unfold into oppressive soundscapes. There are no such things as instruments on this release, instead, this is laptop ambience at it’s best.
I can go trough every of the seven tracks on this release, but I won’t. You can buy it for just 5 euro’s at the Tibprod. website. It’s file under: minimal electronics; much better than most I heard in a long time.
Published on:
2005-06-15 23:00:00
Tattoed Boy from Birkenhead - Gliss EP
Seconds after I started the ‘Gliss Ep’ from the Belgian formation Tattoed boy from Birkenhead, my room began to change.
At first I was sitting on an ugly leather couch, watching empty white walls in a small student dorm, wide awake with a nasty shiver down my spine. Then, I heard the first tones of track one called ‘Space-love’, suddenly I began to feel very loose, very relaxed and it was as if warming sunlight reached for my body. That the track was a little dark didn’t matter, the sliding guitars and warm low voice coming from a distance, created a sense of smoothness, of cocktail drinking in a lounge with all kinds of lazy day-dreaming sleepwalkers.
Track two only strengthened that feeling. My room became a clearly visible lounge as I was getting more and more drowsy. I saw smoke curling alongside red curtains that embedded the room, people slowly nodded, welcoming me, sipping their cocktails in slow motion, eloquently tipping their cigarettes.
Just because the music reminded me of it, I saw Angelo Badalamenti, composer of a.o. the Twin Peaks soundtracks passing by. Also, the post-rockers Barzin were playing their instruments of soothing slide guitars, and the Mormon band Low visited quickly too.
The man singing on stage in a far corner of the lounge, listened to the name Daniël. I watched him moving gently in a slim fit black suit. I whispered or thought: ‘You should use real drums instead of a drum machine,’ but he didn’t hear me.
After enjoying ‘Never ending day’, ‘Richmond hotel’ and ‘On/Off(slowly)’ the music suddenly stopped. Daniël walked towards me, but I didn’t see him coming.
‘Hey shoegazer, wake up dreamy boy. The EP of Tattoed boy from Birkenhead is over,’ he said. And suddenly I was on my ugly black couch again.
Published on:
2005-06-09 23:00:00
Birchville Cat Motel - With Maples Ablaze
Birchville Cat Motel is a collective consisting of 27 members. The music on ‘With Maples Ablaze’ is very ambient and environmental, with all kinds of field-recordings.
I must say that I’m not really into environmental ambient. Most of this ambient soundscapes are really devoid of melody, and actually even quite boring because of the repetitive, ‘empty’ sounds. I’m not particularly fond of this release, which is a pile of sounds, ‘structured’ in a quite random manner.
Track one starts out with a swirling sound, some guitar-amplifier brum-brum sounds, and evolves into track two, with (oh, how environmental) birds chirping. I imagine some guys in a studio, moving objects such as chairs and ashtrays, playing a bit of poker. Next to them, there are tape-decks rolling with sounds recorded in their gardens. They are playing around a little with their instruments, only improvising, careless of building up tension, rhythms, melody or a particular mood.
‘Well, I recorded a train today,’ says one to the other.
‘O cool, let’s roll it.’
‘Ah wait, I’m busy doing weird stuff with my guitar.’
‘When shall we play the bird sounds then?’
‘Ehm, after the chicken, for sure.’
(Of course, this conversation is manipulated and hidden unrecognisably in the music)
Track seven is good though, it has a nice flowing, sliding drone, painting a picture of a desolate area, with a desert feel. Then there is track eight, with the sound of (boiling?) water, with the same guitar drone continuing, howling, breezing. Track nine sounds as a one-chord piece, with some crackling of someone scraping his nails over a microphone. The added noises, again, sound really random which is a pity. Then, you can hear the chicken and again some birds, which is not really rewarding. It’s keeps on going and going.
Track ten has some bar chimes tickling and other minimalism, and another droning single tone. All very gentle, but quite uninspired.
Published on:
2005-06-07 23:00:00
Figure - When the Alphabet Hides In Your Mouth
The music of Figure (which is Brannon Hungness) sounds like coming from an abandoned stage in an old theatre. (‘An opera with closed eyes open.’) On this stage there are a lot of figures that are moving slowly in an out of the shadows surrounding them. Figure appears on the stage then, and opens the zippers on their bodies to release some blood. Then, there is a medieval forest…
This is not my imagination but a part of the introduction to the first track of ‘When the alphabet hides in your mouth’, called ‘Distance (an emergence)’. All tracks have introductions like this in the booklet, sketching a scenario for the listener. One could complain this destroys the personal imagination, but it is nice that Figure leads you along the way, building a path for your mind to wander on. With closed eyes, and opened inner eyes.
Figure’s music is very hallucinogenic. The soundscapes are dark and dense, with organic sounds like bells, treated tuba and trumpet, and self recorded noises, but also with sizzling electronic sounds. The music is dominated however, by Hungness’ moaning, theatrical voice, which sounds like Rozz Williams’ corpse opening his decayed mouth. He overly stretches the vowels, making the singing more like an instrument.
The journey through the music is a strange one: there is no serenity in Figure, all tracks evoke a sense of antipathy and threat. There are mystical things lurking in the darkness. The only hints to get out of this awful place, come from the dead Rozz Williams, but the hints are made out of weird associations, coming from a late mind that ended itself.
Yes, this music is perfectly suited for headphone-listening in the dark. Very enjoyable also, because of the personal, unique soundscapes and creative mind of Figure. Maybe some listeners will be irritated by the theatrical laments of Hungness, which is sometimes a little overdone. For me, this is trivial because of the well done job in mood engineering.
Published on:
2005-06-07 23:00:00
Fire in the Head - Ignite/Submit
Seven tracks of raw powernoise in the vein of MSBR and Slogun: that is what’s presented to you in the form of a fairly new project called Fire in the head. From track one ‘Ignite/ Submit’ to track seven ‘Enough of you for both of me (v.1)’ the listener is confronted with waves of distortion and aggression. Is it original and new? No. Is it energetic and fierce? Yes!
Thematically all tracks are dealing with the topics that most powernoise projects have a subscription to: rape, domination and homicide.
Pictures revealed to me that Page is also using his voice in Fire in the head’s live performances. Unfortunately, vocal declamations are only detectable on track six (‘Written in her own blood’). Clearer vocal-abuse might have given this release a little more variation. Without it, the tracks are not really distinctable. Also: FITH doesn’t have a distinctive, own sound. When you listen to the album you can’t really say: ah, well, this must be Fire in the Head, because it might as well be Slogun, MBBR, Pain Jerk or The Haters.
FITH’s website shows that Michael Page is a devoted and prolific artist. To conclude: the noise-assaults sound professional and powerful, but there’s only a little lack of variation and originality. But then again, noise die-hards will definitely enjoy this record. They should keep an eye out for this project.
Published on:
2005-06-01 23:00:00
Folkstorm - Sweden
I guess everybody in the ambient-industrial-scene is familiar with Henrik Nordvargr Björkk. For all I know, he began his music career with the quite satanic Cold Meat Industry-act MZ (Maschinenzimmer) 412. Since then, he evolved as an underground artist, released under the moniker Folkstorm about nine albums, had some records released under his own name, and composed the Sleep Therapy-boxset.
MZ. 412 is a dark-industrial project, Sleep Therapy is more minimal-ambient, and this release, which is ‘Sweden’, is more harsh, more militant and cruel. I don’t really wonder why he called this album ‘Sweden’. If there is one country that contributed a lot (maybe even the most) to the blooming of the dark-experimental-genre, it is Sweden.
‘Folkstorm is dead. All hail the new order of lesser meaning. All hail the rise of nothing. All hail the art of plagiarism,’ says the booklet of this release. Yes: Folkstorm is dead. Which is a good thing. If an artist has new means of expressing himself with a new project, why not kill the former? Why keep on continuing in the same musical direction?
This last effort in the Folkstorm-trench is a very dark, oppressive album. The first track of the ten untitled ones is riddled with a heavily distorted guitar riff, very akin to a black metal composition. In track two, a growling voice is present, sounding a lot like a swearing spell, eventually drowning in the rumbling noise. A lot of the tracks are based on distorted electric guitars. Luckily, there are also nice folkish music samples on track four and eleven, of course battered by white noise, and other more experimental cut-ups that return as theme’s, as in track nine.
I believe Björkk is moving more and more away from the standard dark-industrial soundscapes, and he is more involved in creating a personal sound. ‘Sweden’ is a nice blend of destruction and electricity, with lots of references to styles that have become overly imitated by ugly epigones.
Published on:
2005-06-01 23:00:00
Accelera Deck - Pop polling
‘Pop polling’ is my first musical meeting with Accelera Deck, although this is already Chris Jeely’s eighth release. According to the press information, this record is different from his former releases, because on ‘pop polling’ there is more melody involved, which is probably absent in his former works. Those efforts were more ‘ear-splitting’, especially on the ‘Sunstrings ep’, so says the additional information.
The music presented here is nicely chilling and reminds me of a lot of things. First of all, there are clear pop-influences on this album. The tracks are songs; calm post-rockish songs with beautiful melody lines created by harmonic guitar sounds. The soft guitar plucking reminds me of Dirty three and Mick Harris solo-albums. Melancholic, sometimes raw and a little bit sad, but overall very mellow and pleasant.
These are not just regular instrumental guitar songs though. The pretty melodies are distorted by rumbling, stuttering electronic sounds. This experimental approach is alike some acts of the American label Apestaartje, such as Anderegg. Jeely gives you a song, but makes sure the listener has enough room for his own interpretation. He does this by fracturing the blooming clear structures, by exposing the ‘conventional’ guitar sound to decay. All this is delicately served on a nice bed of droning sounds, with splintered feedback, scratchings and scrapings in a way that makes you shiver pleasantly.
If you can’t stand abstractness and grandiose experimentalism, you should leave this record at your local mail-order. If you are an open-minded lover of the avant-garde, you will cherish this release as a little gem.
Published on:
2005-06-01 23:00:00
Merzbow - Rattus Rattus
I have to admit that I’m not a great admirer of noise, especially not of ‘japanoise’. Harsh industrial acts can bring me some kind of destructive satisfaction, but when comes to totally chaotic, unstructured sound-madness: I rather get away from it. I must also admit that I don’t even believe that there are people who like noise musically. They might have some sound-art fetish, or maybe there are those who think the projects are interesting or fascinating, but you must be one hell of a moron (sorry girls and boys) listening to song after song for musical enjoyment. Hearing noise is just physically unattractive: it rapes your eardrums in a very unpleasant way. Maybe I’m going a little too far here, but at least you have an idea of my credibility as a noise-reviewer.
Maybe I’m wrong, but I believe Merzbow’s Masami Akita was even earlier active as a noise creator than Peter Sotos or William Bennet of the infamous Whitehouse. Merzbow started out 1979, with a first release in 1982 (A little later than Boyd Rice’s self titled lp, which appeared in 1977). Since the birth of Merzbow, Akita has released around 300(!) separate recordings. He even fabricated a 50-cd-box. Calculated: about twelve releases every year, which makes one a month. This makes Akita presumably the most prolific ‘musician’ of all times.
This release called ‘Rattus Rattus’ is absolutely maniacal. I saw a documentary on the effects of ‘tweaking’ (long term methamfetamine-use) lately, and this is a perfect soundtrack to it. Meth or ‘crank’ (with an ‘n’) is a substance made of various chemicals, such as battery-acid and ammonia. What makes this release japanoise, are the totally out of control noise bursts, collapsing structures of high-and low-pitched sounds, sounds of voltages that are shrieking, yelling, screaming. As if the brain is poisoned and giving out heavily distorted signals. This record is absolutely not monotonous, and after two times listening, there is even a structure to discover in the chaotic madness of torturing sounds. Irritating frequencies sound as if ‘meth bugs’ (hallucinogenic illusions) are crawling underneath your skin, pursuing their craze for food, eventually eating your brain. Three tracks long.
It might be clear that listening to this release is not a pleasant experience, but I guess that’s not the point of Merzbow’s radical assault. I must say that it can be fun listening to this release, just to enjoy the pleasure of the extreme, only not longer then, let’s say, ten minutes. And if you are a music collector, you must at least have a record of the highest extreme in underground music in your collection, which might well be: ‘Rattus Rattus’.
Published on:
2005-05-31 23:00:00
Kobe - Economy of movement
Kevin Dunn is the man behind the project Kobe. A man who is, according to his bio, active in the underground ‘experimental’ music scene for years. He joined the band Loretta’s Doll in 1991, and studied martial drumming for quite some time. He also founded the label Middle Pillar Records.
Martial percussion is the keyword concerning Kobe’s music; but it’s not alike the regular drumming present in most martial industrial. Instead, Kobe is heavily influenced by Japanese culture (hence the name Kobe) and especially the country’s Taiko/ Kodo drumming.
All songs on ‘Economy of movement’ are strongly percussive. The music is -I guess deliberately- unbalanced because the background ambience evolves around the Taiko (or Kodo?) drumming. I’m unfamiliar with the drumming genre, but I guess Dunn did some effort to give the album a more industrial feel. So the feeling that this music evokes is not purely a traditional, ethnic feel, moreover an industrial one. However, it’s not akin to the martial, industrial slow drumming of Der Blutharsch, for example. But raging and fast, and more tribal then the mentioned band. A lot reminds me of the famous ‘Ars Moriendi’ cd of Cold Meat Industry’s Memorandum.
To cast my judgement: the album is very strong. Kevin Dunn drums so tight, it is as if there is a drumcomputer or drumsynth involved. But I guess this is all the art of Dunn. The beatings are fast, intense, heavy raging battle drums, a little flat and synthetic, but really powerful.
The melodies are minimal as well. The music accompanying the drumming is sometimes almost absent, sometimes there are repetitive layers or atmospherics added. Even the background noises seem to rhythmically assist the percussive intensity.
People into fast rhythms and who are unafraid of a little ethnic experiment, should definately get their hands on ‘Economy of movement’. But those who like slow evolving ambient/ industrial, with moody, slow beatings: this album is not for them.
Published on:
2005-05-28 23:00:00
Architect`s Eye - Motel Architecture
If Lycia’s Mike Vanportfleet and Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor were to copulate, and one of them would receive a child rectally, undoubtedly, they would name it Architect’s eye. A little male child, with almost invisible batwings and crunching steel teeth. Both fathers make poppy, danceable music. Reznor a little more industrial, Vanportfleet a little more lush and gothic. Luckily, the little child called Architect’s Eye has received an equal percentage of both fathers genes. So when this child does something creative, for instance creating the cd ‘Motel architecture’ it is a nice balance between the two mentioned styles.
‘Motel architecture’ is a thick mix of poppy, danceable structures; of atmospheric layers with distorted, sampled guitars and whispered vocals. 21(!) tracks that are each very varied in itself, with different rhythms, minimal melodies and pleasant but ‘clean’ noisiness. The more calm tracks are nice as well. ‘Still life’ for example is very serene, immediately followed by the up tempo title track which is determined, as most tracks, by Jean Paul Braghins chilling whispers.
I wouldn’t call this music ‘dark’ in an ambient sense, since it is so full of catchy rhythms and swirling guitars that you are more likely to ‘move your body to the beat’ then enjoy the soundscapes motionless. I bet this record will be heard in the club circuit very often, it’s perfectly fitted for it.
The record lasts 75 minutes, so you have enough time to get your latex-suit out of the closet, put some torn stockings over your head or other body parts and give your nails a nice black shine. Since almost all of the songs are full of energy, you can be a happy gothic boy or girl and dance all night long in your personal bat cave.
Published on:
2005-05-25 23:00:00
Barzel - A shield of defence and the word of the son of blood
At least here we have a power-electronics project that we can not accuse of being nazi’s. ‘Militant Jewish industrial’ is Barzel’s (= ‘iron’ in Hebrew) monicker. The project is fiercely inspired by the idea of Zionism (‘the national movement for the return of the Jewish people to their homeland and the resumption of Jewish sovereignty in the Land of Israel’).
The whole cd contributes to this concept, including spoken word samples, artwork and such. I even found an interview with them on the nationalist ‘Save Israel’ website. Barzel states: ‘Barzel was produced for those in Israel and the Diaspora. It's a strike against our enemies and a call-to-arms for our brethren and allies.’ So all Palestinians can leave this cd at their local mailorder and return fondling their self-made explosive devices.
Personally I’m not really interested in Zionism, so let’s leave the politics to the politicians and discuss the music. Barzel is rough noise, what more is there to be said. It’s noise in the tradition of The Grey Wolves and Genocide Organ: a construction of brutal sounds with occasional spoken word samples, in this case dealing with the Jewish state of course. (Also to be heard in Proiekt Hat, although in Barzel’s case there is no irony.) It’s not original, nor is it particularly good. Production-wise somebody should have done a better job, because all music sounds like coming from underneath a woollen blanket. It has no real depth.
It’s a nice soundtrack to Israeli bulldozers ravishing the house of a Palestinian suicide bomber I suppose, but I heard much better noise-albums than this one. The rhythms and rumblings are too vague to inspire. Almost all tracks are down tuned, without surprising high pitched noises, which makes Barzel more monotonous than most industrial already is.
It’s good to hear a different voice though. It all sounds very sincere and meant. But to learn a thing or two about Zionism I don’t need heavy distorted rumblings, I rather read a good book on it instead.
The cd comes in a nice cardboard sleeve with powerful pamphlet pictures and inspiring quotes. The artwork is sublime to my taste. I think Barzel has potential musically. With a better production and a little more originality, truly inspired, heavy menacing noise can be expected.
Published on:
2005-05-25 23:00:00
Techix - Monosymphonic
A very pleasant surprise is this debut cd of Techix. Techix is a one-man-project formed in 2001 by Justin Jones. The spine of the music is Jones’ skilled violin performance on every track. It’s clear that Jones has been attending an art’s institute and an orchestra, since he sounds as if he’s really mastering his instrument.
The music is in a very nice way sober, as to not distract the attention of the listener from the fine instrumentation. All twelve tracks are very moody, with soft bass-lines and touching melodic composition. Jones plays his violin sometimes fast and furious, sometimes slow and evolving; it lifts you up and down, puts you in places of drowsy twilight , of sadness and wonder.
The violin playing is sometimes supported by more electronic effects and rhythms, on track ‘Narge’ for example, which has a pleasantly nasty, whipping beat, or ‘Un dia mas’ which is combined with a reversed, accordion(?) melody. Overall the classical instrumentation is dominant. My favourite track is ‘Boklock’ which reminds me of the indie band Mogwai, which is very slow with a soul stirring melancholic feel.
The cdr is released by the American AntiClock Records, a small independent record label dedicated to ‘experimental, classical, and folk forms of music’. I didn’t hear from the label until this record, but it might be a label very well worth checking out. As for Techix: I really hope he’ll continue to follow the musical direction that he is following now. Lovers of slowcore like Low, but also fans of post-rock acts like GYBE or Dirty three will really appreciate this beautiful debut. A tip for the economically disabled: it’s just ten bucks!
Published on:
2005-05-25 23:00:00
LEAK - Redemption
The ‘dark-ambient’ genre anno 2005 is blooming wildly. In the past, there were just a few acts that (now labelled as cult), deliberately made ambient that was ‘dark’. Lustmord was one of them, and he held a quite unique position in the ambient landscape. Today, there are tons of labels releasing tons of projects making dark-ambient. It has become a genre with typical cliché’s, typical droning sounds and typical samples. Some Gregorian choirs, some bells, a few distant rumblings and repetition and you have your own self-made dark-ambient record. I have no problem with good dark-ambient in the standard Raison d’etre or Lustmord tradition, but I can t get really enthusiastic anymore, unless….
For me, the LEAK album ‘The old teahouse’, released on Cold Meat Industry a few years back, was a revelation. It had standard dark-ambient ingredients, but it was unlike any other project around. They had their own unique sound. It was sometimes harsh, sometimes chaotic but always carefully planned out structure and balance. This, combined with moments of peaceful tranquillity and astounding melody was a pure orgasmic experience for me.
When the German (now Texan I believe) label State-Art promised to release LEAK’s new album ‘Redemption’ I was wildly in love with State-Art’s Deidre for being such a nice girl and give me what was rightfully mine: ‘Redemption’. I was naïve and should have known that life is no joyful surprise-party.
‘Redemption’ is a bit of a disappointment. This is not the fault of LEAK, because the five untitled tracks they present on the record are well-produced, deep droning electro-acoustic songs. But I expected something different. All the melodies are gone and more disturbing to me: the variation is gone. The drones are droning minutes after another, and die out. Track two for example, has a fade-in that lasts approximately four minutes! Track four is a different story, the song is as minimal as the others but has noise bursts that make Sutcliffe Jugend or Whitehouse seem pitiful choirboys. Listening to the genre as you should (in bed with headphones on), this track makes you beat your discman to a messy pulp. Track five however, is great, with the sound of steel clashing and distorted horn-blowing, but this is an exception.
If you haven’t heard the masterpiece ‘The old teahouse’, you’ll probably like ‘Redemption’. In my case: I should have learned from Schopenhauer stating: ‘High expectations can only lead to disillusion.’
JS
The second album from LEAK, two Swedish musicians formerly active in the project Heid. I missed their debut album on Cold Meat in 2001, but I read some good thing about it. They also did an interesting split cd with Kosmophon last year for Fin de Siècle Media. "Redemption" contains five untitled tracks, most of which are rather minimal and inacessible soundscapes. They might be appreciated by dark ambient listeners, though the two composers come more from an academic electro-acoustic background.
The first track calls for patience, since it begins with various minutes which appear to be silent. Large parts of this 15 min. track are quite minimal, with a barely audible drone and microscopic crispy sounds. The volume is somewhat turned up on 'Untitled II', with a repetive hypnotizing sound and slowly shifting patterns in the background. Track three starts with a nostalgic waltz and marching sounds, followed by noisy radio frequencies. It turns out to be a short intermezzo before 'Untitled IV" begins. You try to decipher what metallic sounds you hear, when you are surprised by a blast of noise, a huge wall of sound, is it torture or catharsis? My favourite piece is probably 'Untitled V', with all kinds of subtle percussive elements, giving it a mysterious, ritual character.
"Redemption" is not your ordinary dark ambient album, but contains rather challenging compositions, which demand concentrated listening. Some parts appeal to me, others are a little too obscure for my taste.
HD
Published on:
2005-05-22 23:00:00
Sigur Rós - Ba ba ti ki di do
‘Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do’ is the latest Sigur Ròs material. Sigur Ròs (‘Victory Rose’) is just one of those ‘indie' groups that can’t go by unnoticed. They gained worldwide attention after their second album released in 2000, called ‘Agætis byrjun’. A while after that first global success, they released the highly atmospheric album ‘( )’.
The first thing that strikes you after listening to the band is the unique sound and singing, the latter which is best described as ‘androgynous’. The sound is mainly constructed by playing the electric guitar with a cello bow. Also, Sigur Ròs is not afraid of experimenting with weird electronic sounds and voice deconstruction. This is mainly the case on ‘Ba Ba Ti Ki Di Do’: three pieces of instrumental music, originally written for the Split Sides performance of the Merce Cunningham Dance Company.
The first two tracks ( ‘Ba Ba’and ‘Ti Ki’) are quite nice, with a sampled music box and some synthesizer melodies. They have a different sound than presented on ‘( )’because of the missing vocals and the absence of manipulated guitar playing which causes the atmospherical sound. Also there are a lot of clicks, cuts and little cracklings present that give the songs a strange but very pleasant structure.
The highlight of this mini-cd is the last track, logically called ‘Di Do’. It’s a slowly evolving track with a very strong and rhythmic apotheosis. It features cut-up samples of choreographer Merce Cunningham's voice, which is of an experimental beauty I haven’t even heard in most ‘underground’ experimental records. It even has episodes of chaotic noise-bursts. I think most Sigur Ròs fans, unacquainted with unconventional music, will hate this effort of the Icelandic band, because it is much less accessible then their other work. Considering this is a special project, Sigur Ròs will probably return to their original sound on their forthcoming album.
Overall the mini-cd is a nice one, a perfect blend for lovers of both experimental music and post-rock. Comes in a nice digipack too.
Published on:
2005-05-20 23:00:00
Grey Wolves, The - Division
Besides Con-Dom and Genocide Organ, The Grey Wolves have quite a reputation as purveyors of ‘cultural terrorist’ power electronics. It’s one of the reasons why cult lp’s such as ‘Catholic priests fuck children’ and ‘The age of dissent’ make large amounts of money on eBay. The Grey Wolves have quite a discography, but they have never bothered to renew themselves ‘noisically’ nor conceptually. The Grey Wolves is always, and will be: harsh walls of noise, barely audible distorted rhythms and samples that complement their concepts: terrorism, racial hate, religious hate and more hate in general.
‘Division’ was announced for ages but has come to see the light of day in 2003. The nice white box comes with twelve inserts and a poster, mainly containing collages of terrorist attacks (on the WTC of course), aggression and oppression. Their slogans are (as always) present on them, mostly dealing with issues of power and resistance.
‘Division’ consists of twelve tracks of brutally distorted power electronics, complemented with the usual samples (political statements, Muslim fanatics and such), and vocals. Some tracks however, seem to be more atmospheric and clearer of structure then the ones on the lp ‘Many are called but few get up’ or older records. Track two ‘Not your country’ for example, is a nicely calm track, evolving around the whispered words ‘This is not your country, it never was, it never will be’. Track nine, ‘Blood lover, blood hater’ has the same, mantra like quality. The noise bursts are less sharp and less present then on previous albums I know. Rumblings and soft hisses are determining the structure. This is only the case with a few tracks, so to say The Grey Wolves are going in a new musical direction might be a little exaggerated.
Overall, ‘Division’ is a very pleasant record for lovers of aggressive and cynical noise, sometimes even enjoyable without having your ears bleeding or your neighbours chasing you with a kitchen knife.
Published on:
2005-05-19 23:00:00
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band - Horses in the sky
‘They put angels in the electric chair’ sings Efrim mournfully on the first track of the new
Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra & Tra-la-la Band record, called ‘Horses in the sky’. Cynically as ever, the track is called ‘God bless our dead marines’, undoubtedly a reference to the situation in Iraq. Never afraid to be socially committed, Efrim chants his complaints as he did in his former act Godspeed You! Black Emperor, the band now put in the closet for a while.
There are however, a lot of differences between GYBE and TSMZMO. First of all, there is the almost continuous singing of Efrim, a lot of times supported by the other members singing as a choir. Although Efrim’s singing is, according to classical standards, very weak and unskilled, it fits perfectly the mood of the songs, which is, tragic, sad and very, very melancholic. It’s the voice of a broken man.
Another difference with GYBE is the structure of the songs. GYBE was well know for the slowly evolving soundscapes, eventually bursting to a climax of pure, heartbreaking beauty. Instead, the tracks on ‘Horses in the sky’ are more calm and do not evolve to a climax. The title track for instance, is of serenity unknown to GYBE. Careless listeners might want to put a rope around their necks after listening to ‘Horses in the sky’, because of their intense sadness, careful listeners will, undoubtedly, find the pearls of melancholic beauty hidden within the songs.
The quality of GYBE is maintained in TSMZMO. Same instruments are used, such as the violin, swirling electric guitars and nicely plucked acoustic guitars. Also textually the band is very strong and suggestive.
According to the band, the songs are ‘Sticky worried knots’ made by ‘Messy hearts made of thunder.’ Listening to the dreary tracks, one can just image the band sitting around a campfire, worried and anxious about the state of affairs in the world and in the hearts of man. In putting these feelings to music, the band has done the greatest job possible.
Published on:
2005-05-19 23:00:00