FLARE – HUNG (CD by Le Grand Magistery)
ELECTRONIC FOREST (CD by HS Recordings)
STOP – NILOMTAPOUX (CD on Simple Logic Records)
TU M’ – POP INVOLVED (CD on Fallt/Ferric)
FRED FRITH & JEAN DEROME & PIERRE TANGUAY & MYLES BOISEN – ALL IS
BRIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT DAY (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
NOWE:LE (CD on Vivo Records)
HAT MELTER – UNKNOWN ALBUM (LP by Crouton)
TIMEBLIND – MOST EYE, THE RASTABAMBA REMIXES (CD by Orthlong Musork)
PETER WRIGHT – DISTANT BOMBS (CD by Apoplexy)
AVAILABLE FROM NAMKE COMMUNICATIONS (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
BECK/HESSION/THOMAS – THE THREE B’S (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
IN BRINE (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
FRONTIER LIFE – BANDA SONORA (CD compilation by Accretions)
REGIVAR – AFAIRYTALEELATYRIAFA (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
ANOFELE – AKOE (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
KALM (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
MICHEAL BYRON – AWAKENEING AT THE INN OF THE BIRDS (CD by Cold Blue)
CHAS SMITH – AN HOUR OUT OF SESERT CENTER (CD by Cold Blue)
CONVERTER – EXPANSION 1.3.1 (3″ CD by Ant-Zen)
CONVERTER – EXPANSION 1.3.2 (3″ CD by Ant-Zen)
CLETUS – MELBA (CD by Cane Andaluso)
LAMINAR – MANIFOLD (CD by JDK Productions)
PATRICK PHELAN/ULTRASOUND (split 7″ on Jonathan Whiskey Records)
MY EDUCATION (7″ on Jonathan Whiskey Records)
PHILIP SAMARTZIS – MORT AUX VACHES (CD by Staalplaat)
FLARE – HUNG (CD by Le Grand Magistery)
Flare are New York’s neo-alterna-folk duo Charles Newman and LD
Beghtol. Their latest effort is a set of a dozen haunting tracks
destined for greatness. Beghtol’s shimmering voice clashes quaintly
with his hirsuit beary frame and has flavors of random planets as
inhabited by the likes of the Beach Boys, Morrissey and Magnetic
Fields (with whom he has recorded with and toured). These are love
songs for the forlorn and hopeful. The acidic ‘School of New York’
complete with glockenspiel, harmonium, and other varied stringed
things is a searing misanthrope watching the ships passing poison in
the neon lit night. Beautifully realized by a large roster of
musicians, this melancholy set of derangements such as ‘Like Is A
Strong Word’ prove there is a spark of cynicism left in the world.
The track is an adjectival diatribe about the fleeting brevity of
passersby and other aquaintences. Painstakingly wry, this journey
seems as if it were pent up and plotted for years. ‘If/Then’ is a
Beatlesesque, self-portrait of a man in the throws of love’s great
indifference and the larger recognition of questionable identity in
another’s eyes. Newman’s lovely piano keeps things moody and
longingly paced. In its saddening, harsh reality the song dares to
ask the questions that we all wonder about when fielding the
boundaries of relationships in transformation. With a line that goes
‘If I ever shaved my beard, would you never shed a tear?…God forbid
I’d ever be your fantasy’ you know this has been lived and breathed.
Throughout Hung are a multitude of macho street images and
questioning reflections. There is a certain grounding to their
attitude on this, their sophomore full-length disc – a sensibility of
been-around-the-block-and-back-again attitude. ‘(Don’t Like) The Way
We Live Now’ is a contemporary reflection on technology’s
omni-present takeover of all forms of personal communication in the
form of a druken conversation and a possible blind date gone awry.
Drama is the key component of the fare on this rare melodic record.
Flare adds Stephin Merritt on its ‘Glitter’ which starts with a
nursery rhyme as read by a bewildered child. Its acerbic refrain
‘Watch me glitter and be gay, watch me piss it all away’ speaks
volumes about the venomous and loaded double entendres packed to the
gills throughout. The overtones of well-worn emotions are in
apparent abundance on Hung, a record to be reckoned with for fans of
Antony and the Johnsons and all those aforementioned. (TJN)
Address: http://www.magistery.com/
ELECTRONIC FOREST (CD by HS Recordings)
Electronic Forest (Matthew Florianz, Joris de Man and Erik t’Sas)
releases an orchestral ambient project that has a lightness of being.
This one hour+ excursion is a multi-layered fusion of dark entries
and smoky mazes. Having started the recording process in 2001, this
young trio had many twists along the way before seeing their project
surface. But as it does it glides right alongside works by
vidnaObmana, Robert Rich and Saul Stokes. Sand is one of those
tracks that has a luminosity akin to floating above a mirror,
suspended by its own reflection. This is clearly the type of work
that is indicative of collaboration with filmmakers and others.
Blending synths and guitars with other sound hybrids these guys have
set out to make music evocative of late night suspense and early
morning foggy ambiguity. (TJN)
Address: http://www.hsrecordings.co.uk/
STOP – NILOMTAPOUX (CD on Simple Logic Records)
Stop is an ambient project out of Poland. In a limited edition of
only 50 copies Nilomtapoux is reminiscent of works by Brume or Maeror
Tri at first listen. A rattle and hum that at times sounds like a
rocket preparing for lift off on Semisong. For a moment everything
sounds in reverse on the dronefest Nice Dice, its assorted engines
and watery crevices. And so it goes, with dramatic warping of knobs
and wires, this noise is at times chaotic, at times harmonious and
settling. Though this is certainly not easy listening, as the racket
on the ravaging Motherfucker will attest. This is certainly the
aftermath of a anthropomorphic invasion of deserted wastelands by a
being that doesn’t sound tickled to be there. The inherent anger in
the piece has a certain subtlety that gives it dramatic credence.
During its eleven minutes there is a whole range on tonalities and
other assorted sounds, fading finally into a vortex of crunchy white
noise. Information uses voiceover samples in multiple languages,
though they are truly only part of a larger weave of symbiotic
restraint. This powerful release by a virtual unknown could dual
with any recent Merzbow recording, though its limited release will
only inspire few. So I guess for now this is somewhat of a secret –
hmmm, reminds me of how the current underground developed in the
first place. Comes in a lovely handmade sleeve depicting a
knife-wielding humanoid in an embossed woodcut. The graphic does not
fully speak of the contents, though illustrates a certain dangerous
metaphor for further listening. (TJN)
Address: http://www.simlog.republika.pl/
TU M’ – POP INVOLVED (CD on Fallt/Ferric)
Italian sound artists tu m’ are up to something. Something quite
clever indeed. This full-length disc incorporates 14 tracks, all
quite plotted and somehow free sounding. These somewhat prolific
artists have been known to dabble in single sound sources like glass,
though here they take their blend of microelectronics to a much
layered place, sounds of comic industry, airy blips and incidental
beats. This release just plain floats and drifts at times and then
uses a series of complex manipulated filters and gadgets to create
unique atmospheres that do not rip off other like-minded artists –
this is a dedicated new voice on the horizon. There is a wise blend
of trad-Japanese strings that get channeled into the glitch in a
‘look mom no hands’ way. Sounds like a harmonium in an opium den.
There are some fleeting circus antics and other alternate effects and
maybe even some artificial intelligence. This is evolved sound for
the post Logan’s Run generation, like the way we once envisioned
things that became, say, the microwave oven, the G4Cube or even the
Segue. The whirring zip of choppy resonant bursts pave the way for a
brighter patterned repetitive mix. The closing track, with its
dizzying Steve Reich-like delay/repeat, leaves the listener wondering
about a sequel. Fallt is building a curio cabinet of curated sound,
a finer selection for those with advanced aural taste in those things
which are minute and sculpted, finite and organic, digital and
informed. Pop Involved is one of those rare limited edition releases
that is a must for any fan of Daniel Menche to Goem to Zoviet France
to Kim Cascone. (TJN)
Address: http://www.fallt.com/
FRED FRITH & JEAN DEROME & PIERRE TANGUAY & MYLES BOISEN – ALL IS
BRIGHT, BUT IT IS NOT DAY (CD by Ambiances Magnétiques)
On 18-02-2002 these four gentlemen came together in a studio in
Oakland. Frith had brought his guitar with him. Derome had his
saxophone and many other wind-instruments as well as some little
percussion instruments in his suitcase. Tanguay arrived with his
drums and all kinds of objects. The fourth musician, Boisen came with
empty hands and did the real-time sound manipulation.
The idea was to spend the day with spontaneous improvisations, to be
processed in real time by engineer Myles Boisen. 8 pieces found their
way to the cd format and are availbale now on this new release on
Ambiances Magnétiques.
Frith’s first release of improvised music was his album ‘Guitar
Solos’, released in 1974. This one was engineered by David ‘White
Noise’ Vorhaus. The liner notes say: “No overdubs were used, the
music is heard as it was played……The only sounds not produced
‘naturally’ by guitar or prepared guitar are those of the fuzz
box…” So the task of the engineer here was only to register. To the
listener these quotes want to make sure that he trusts his ears: yes,
you hear it as it was played. And yes, it is the guitar that
ptroduces all these strange sounds. So don’t question it.
With ‘All is bright, but it is not Day’ we have a situation that is
very different. Here the engineer is the fourth musician. “Real-time
processing is a fundamental asset here, as the new sound matter it
brings forward have a radical effect on the perception of music.” I’m
not sure what kind of technology is involved here and what use Boisen
made of it. I suppose that during the playing of the trio he alters
the music according to his own musical intuitions and gives the music
it’s definite shape. So on the one hand it may remain a question if
we hear the music as it was played by Derome, Frith and Tanguay. But
on the other hand it is no question at all if we emphasize the role
the fourth player: engineer Boisen. He is responsible not only as an
engineer but also as a musician in the recording of the music.
By the way Myles Boisen is also guitarist, member of the Splatter
Trio and played with many West Coast improvisors, Rova, Club Foot
Orchestra, etc. As a recording engineer, Myles started in 1979 and
worked since on about 150 productions.
Derome and Tanguay know each other from numerous cooperations since 1980.
Allthough the four know each other from other occasions, they work
together here for the first time.
Together these four musicians present here their first cooperation.
The cd opens with somebody laughing painfully. Another voice says:
“that’s is an interesting technique” Gradually the laughing is
adopted by the players and the music starts to develop.
Does all technique and technology end up in interesting music? Yes,
some briljant moments are catched here: strange magical sounds, dark
atmospheres. At other moments humour and childlike tunes takes over.
But I like it most because it is an convincing experiment. Ending up
in interesting blend of live impro music and real time processing.
(DM)
Address: http://www.actuellecd.com
NOWE:LE (CD on Vivo Records)
The tag line on the back of this disc reads “the psyhedelica ambience
to the coldness of computers into ethnical ex-perimetronics via the
Texan desert”. On this compilation Poland’s Vivo Records brings
together artists from Japan, the US and Poland in what sounds like a
pretty promising set to base other like collections in the future.
Opening with Maciek Szymczuk’s track Uruk the listener is immediately
bathed in a vibration of quiet, sensitive harmony with just the right
amount of hiss and crackle. Japanese soundsters Filmfilter and Atsuo
Kumagai offer their unpredictable Nonstopfilm which sounds like a
muted, contorted remix of Squarepusher, with some aural two-stepping
The beat is, the beat is, the beat is furious and flavorful. At about
midpoint the track shifts to include moan and groan grinding and
tinkly bells and offbeat meandering. Let’s do the time warp again.
The first of three tracks by US-based Yume is Born In Spring which is
a very, very quiet lullaby, almost an aphorism. Their track C4 is a
haunted, winding soundtrack to perhaps a lost forest. It crawls ans
creeps with the subtle essence of a music box in the background. This
could have been sound editing scrapped from the Blair Witch Project,
it has an assumed horror. Poland’s Zenial/ Palsecam vs. Maciek
Szymczuk offer There’s No Way, in the class of those on imprints such
as ~scape, Mille Plateaux and Raster-Noton. It’s uplifting presence
is warm and glowing and filled with all sorts of microsoundscapes.
Phasmid offers two tracks here. Mehr Licht is a slow boiling ambient
wash meets sleepy lounge beat rhythm. The collection also includes
warped tracks by Shapethrower and Alphabet1. (TJN)
Address: <http://www.vivo.pl/>
HAT MELTER – UNKNOWN ALBUM (LP by Crouton)
Jon Mueller, Steve Hess, Jeff Klatt and Matt Turner make up this new
montage known as Hat Melter. Unknown Album is a limited edition 12″
vinyl disc in a special hand made packaging. Like a warped jazz
quartet, these gents prepare percussion and bend string instruments
into submission with electronics to spare. The editing is the magic
in this land of sound sculpture. Bits and pieces, cryptic informal
gestures and improvised spare moments make this release an intriguing
listen. This 33 1/3 includes two tracks and runs about the same
length at just about 33 minutes. The cymbal screetch and hollow bow
remind me of lazy afternoon chamber orchestras warming up for Sunday
brunch, while the hired help dashes throughout to futz with
everything in sight. Their ties askew, still wearing sneakers and
not quite yet in tune – but coming together as a collective, slowly
easing towards a rightful note. Here the note is a bit more spatial
and ominous, but still melodic and investigatory. Hat Melter may
leave you in a poker faced grimace, stunted for a moment in time.
(TJN)
Address: http://www.croutonmusic.com/
TIMEBLIND – MOST EYE, THE RASTABAMBA REMIXES (CD by Orthlong Musork)
Every so often a painter, a sculptor, a writer or a musician is lucky
enough to have that one moment where all of the elements involved in
creating their piece come together. Whether it’s the ideas falling in
place, the time of day, the noise outside or any number of variables,
these moments are usually few and far between. Orthlorng Musork’s
Timeblind seemed to have all of the elements in place, while
recording his masterpiece, ‘The Rastabomba’ on last year’s album,
‘Rugged Redemption.’ Apparently, the track was recorded around 5am
soon after moving to New York City, while the water pipes in his
apartment ruptured and his hard disc crashed. Some are so lucky. All
kidding aside the track is a monster, which has been reinterpreted by
the likes of Kid 606, Kit Clayton, Dj Rupture and the super collider
(the software, of course) maestro, himself. The Most Eye Remixes each
carry the persona and characteristics of the individuals with
production duties. Mostly revolving around Ragga themes and
subtleties, all of the remixes involve the imminent dub stabs and
granular ramblings of a Rasta radio host discussing his frustrations
on political and socio-economic issues, both found on the original
track; the only exception being Dj Rupture’s mix, which substitutes
the deep male vocals for a sexier female vocal text. Kit Clayton’s
powerhouse mix is built on heavy bass stabs, while Timeblind’s own
mix is a rough, edgy noise piece that induces internal bleeding.
There is so much going on underneath the obvious. Listen closely.
With the original track, 4 remixes and 2 Timeblind bonus mixes (which
were the standout tracks for me) you can’t go wrong! The beats will
induce bodily movements, whether you like it or not. (GK)
Address: http://www.musork.com
PETER WRIGHT – DISTANT BOMBS (CD by Apoplexy)
Christchurch New Zealand’s Apoplexy label head Peter Wright branches
out on his own in a rash of multi-instrumentation including strings,
bottles and other electronics. This seven track disc is an overview
of disorder and isolation. Quiet spaces in which the background
overwhelms all else – just a faint drift of ambience at points,
partly drone-harmony, partly atmospheric. Distant Bombs is an unusual
diversion, its mantra – trance induction on contact. This man uses
the bow towards an end that realizes a complex wash of daydreams.
Steve Roach comes to mind while listening to Claymore, a surrealist
piece distended by its tonal shift. As the disc closes with Undertow,
Wright sings about “falling down in the water” accompanied by a
mesmerizing guitar riff. At once this is a new bead on a larger
string of versatile musicians. This would be of interest to fans of
Legendary Pink Dots and the like . (TJN)
Address: http://www.go.to/apoplexy
AVAILABLE FROM NAMKE COMMUNICATIONS (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
BECK/HESSION/THOMAS – THE THREE B’S (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
IN BRINE (CDR by Fencing Flatworm Recordings)
CDR labels that try to look like real labels carry my sympathy.
Fencing Flatworm is such a label. Professional colour xerox covers, a
wide variety of underground music types: it all makes sense here.
Recentely the got rid of the jewel cases, and now pack everything in
plastic wallets, that is probably more economic. Their two recent
normal audio releases, display their interest into very different
types of music. Namke is a collective of people making music, without
telling very much who does what. It seems to me that ‘Available From
Namke Communications’ is more a compilation then by one artist. The
five tracks are strange, but well-fitting overview of underground
techno music of the last ten years. The first two tracks ‘Polaxemer’
and ‘Seen From Beneath The Waves’ could easily been on Artificial
Intelligence compilations of the early nineties, or part of a Namke
CD on Warp. But ‘Not.All.There’ and ‘Radiophobic’ are much more
closely to the recent click and cut movement, and sound like Pole
influenced: warm, clicky and dubby. They fit however well together on
this CD. I can imagine that one would like to know more as to whom
did what, but life is like that, I guess.
The contrast with the Beck/Hession/Thomas disc couldn’t be greater.
Mick Beck plays reeds, Paul Hession plays percussion and Pat Thomas
plays keyboards. Their six live tracks were recorded at the Termite
Club Festival in Leeds in November 2000. They play hardcore
improvised music, free jazz with a noise attitude. In ‘Boracic Lint’,
the keyboards play a prominent role in a jazz rocky/Sun Ra style.
High energy disc, and certainly not for the weak at heart.
I’ll be honest about the final disc. I haven’t played this entirely
yet. This CDR contains all music from nineteen Fencing Flatworm in
MP3 format, plus additional texts, covers etc. Flipping through all
this music, one discovers a wide variety of musical styles, from the
minimalism of Midwich (either drones or rhythms) and Neil Campbell to
the acid music of DJ Wank Chops, laptopnoise of Klunk and the
seventies inspired cosmic music of Truant. It’s all there. This is
definetely a nice idea to present it like that and playing it on
random shuffle mode will surely bring you a pleasent day or so of
nice underground music. (FdW)
Address: http://www.fencingfaltworm.cjb.net
FRONTIER LIFE – BANDA SONORA (CD compilation by Accretions)
The film ‘Frontier Life: Banda Sonora’ is about life outside the
media cultivated Sin City Heritage and ‘searches for the heart and
identity of a city that is much more than a cantinastrewn throwback
to the Old West. The film interweaves stories of car worship, drag
racing, wastewater treatment and new musical hybrid that announces
the shape of things to come’ – needles to say that I haven’t seen
this film, but it sounds interesting. The music on this soundtrack is
by members of the Nortec Collective (from Tijuana) and Trummerflore
Collective (San Diego) and artists from the borderland as well by
Hans Fjellestad, who is also the director and producer of this
documentary. So far all the information from the cover and the press
text, what kind of music does one expect? I expected some desolated
dessert music, slide guitars, Calexio inspired music, but I was
entirely wrong. Twelve tracks of hip electronica, break beats, lush
melodies, rhythmmachines and samples. I am not sure how the reflect
life in the US/Mexican border area, but only in the 10th track, by
Marcos Fernandes, spanish text samples pop up against a swirling mix
of loops and electronica. Although the music on this CD is quite
alright, I must hasten to add that they also sound interchangeable.
There is a great unity in the music, which of course is fine, but it
reduces the seperate artists to a bit of faceless mass. Oh well,
maybe it’s about time to see the film then. The music is promising
enough. (FdW)
Address: http://www.accretions.com
REGIVAR – AFAIRYTALEELATYRIAFA (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
ANOFELE – AKOE (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
KALM (CDR by S’Agita Recordings)
In Vital Weekly 330 a previous release by Regivar was discussed. That
was a pretty old one (recorded in 1999), but this new double CDR
release by this composer from Italy is more recent. Just on her
previous release, the emphasis here lies in the realm of
synthesizers, certainly on the first disc and samples, more so on the
second disc. Alongside the synths, she uses a whole bunch of
environmental sounds, which are not always easy to identify, water is
certainly one them. Both discs have just one piece, one is sixty-four
minutes and one thirty-eight. As on her previous release, the music
to be found here is overall dark, ambient and has a filmic character.
Long shots of empty nature I’d say, when I hear this, or maybe
desolated industrial sites (certainly if one chooses the second disc).
In the constant search for new Italian talent, S’Agita found Anofele,
who is Adriano Scerna, one half of the duo Kar (see also Vital Weekly
357). He released his first solo CDR himself, but his second is now
S’Agita. Adriano uses field recordings and percussion, which he
assembles on a minidisc multi-track. The voices and atmospheres on
‘Ghnome? Akoe’, the opening track, reminded me of Scanner, until half
way through it more unfolds into an ambient piece. In the other three
pieces, unearthly rumbling is a most common feature, either from
rhythmical scrapings or thunder from above. The rhythmical scrapings
are not like Test Department or anything, but rather a continous
investigation of objects. The overall atmosphere is dense and dark.
Kalm is an extended work of collaboration between members of Kar,
Anofele, Logoplasm and Maath. All of the people are from Rome. In the
summer of 2002 they recorded various improvised sessions together,
without audience, and then each went home to transform, remix or
re-investigate the recordings. Without wanting to generalise too
much, the four persons involved in this have a strong similar taste
for the darker ambient in combination with field recordings and
doodlings made with the use of contactmicrophones. In the two shorter
tracks by Kar this works quite rhythmically, but in the track by
Maath, with thirty two minutes by far the longest, everything is in a
dense, long mood and the atmospheres play an important role. It’s an
interesting disc this one, with a nice concept, but also one for the
true lovers of the genre. (FdW)
Address: http://sagitarecordings.vze.com
MICHEAL BYRON – AWAKENEING AT THE INN OF THE BIRDS (CD by Cold Blue)
CHAS SMITH – AN HOUR OUT OF SESERT CENTER (CD by Cold Blue)
With the arrival of these new Cold Blue CD’s, I strongely begin to
wonder if Cold Blue is seriously interested in opening up the new age
market. Apperentely Micheal Byron’s music has two different
characters: a sereen one and one of ‘nearly savage relentlessness’. I
am still puzzled if these five pieces are from both categories or
just one. The first two pieces have sustained lines played on a synth
with a string quartet and a doublebass. Certainly, when the sun is
shining so bright like this morning and the cold spring wind
refreshes the air, it is nice backdrop music. ‘Evaporated Pleasure’
is a piece for piano four hands, but it couldn’t really bother me.
The same hasty character can be found in the title piece, which is a
string quartet piece. The final piece, with just three minutes also
the shortest on the disc, is a solo piano piece, nice and quiet. So,
I must admit I have some problems with this. The serenity pieces are
a tad bit too much new agey for me, and the so-called savage pieces
are not really savagey enough for me, I guess. Just the piano piece
at the end came off in a nice Satie-like way.
I am not sure how I ever found out about Chas Smith, maybe it was a
catalogue description that made me curious. His old 10″ and LP were
interesting enough to get hold off. Then afterwards I heard his more
recent CDs on Cold Blue, but here too, I think Cold Blue is going too
much over to new age territory. The metallic hammerings, the
minimalist overtones are gone so it seems and replaced by a steady
wash of sounds. ‘A ’75 Scircura’, the final piece on this disc is so
drenched out in reverb, that the soundsources that were fed into the
reverb machines are almost redundant. One long wash of sounds fade in
and fade out, they could have easily been digital synths, rather then
pedal steel guitars. Maybe the darker undercurrents of the pieces may
prevent that new age lovers step right in, but it seems to come very
close. In the other, somewhat shorter pieces the metallic side comes
up, especially in ‘Absence Of Redemption’, which is the most abstract
and atonal piece here. (FdW)
Address: http://www.coldbluemusic.com
CONVERTER – EXPANSION 1.3.1 (3″ CD by Ant-Zen)
CONVERTER – EXPANSION 1.3.2 (3″ CD by Ant-Zen)
Apocalyptic sounds from one of the true masters of Power Noise.
Entering the Ant-Zen camp with the debut-album “Shock front” in 1999,
Converter quickly became one of the important flagships alongside
Imminent (Starvation) and Synapscape on the legendary label of
rhythmic Noise. From beginning Scott Sturgis (a.k.a. Converter,
ex-Pain Station travelled somewhere between danceable EBM and harsh
waves of Noise brutality. Previous album “Blast furnace” though took
a step further towards the harsh territories. A great development
that has been fulfilled on these two 3″-cd’s, where the EBM friendly
dance floor moments have been left behind giving way to some
over-the-top power electronics swirling inside orgies of rhythmic
distortions. Tribal dance of the insane, rave of the dead or a dark
sonic expression of the present global political situation…! No
matter what we are dealing here, this is true sadistic excellence!
(NMP)
Address: www.ant-zen.com
CLETUS – MELBA (CD by Cane Andaluso)
This is an Italian band, which consist mainly of Marco Palmieri (who
wrote all the songs) and two others (the computer font makes it hard
to read), who are helped by various other people, of which Frencken
Terry Ann does the voice on ‘Tamaki’, which is sung in dutch (of
course much to my pleasent surprise). It could have been a one person
band, because much of the music seems to come out of a box – the
sampler. Sampled down beat rhythms, loungy guitars and a nice bass.
Strange thing about most of the tracks is that seem to be breaking
down half way through. Sometimes they built up again, but also they
completely change direction. That is a bit strange, as if Cletus
doesn’t know what to do exactely; but maybe it’s a deliberate method
of working. But it sort of adds a nice experimental touch the music.
The track with the dutch vocals, is the only one that has them, apart
from a station call here and there. A likewise curious piece is ‘Sima
Day’ which starts out with the sampled Ringo Star drumming of
‘Strawberry Fields’ – a classic piece of drums to sample. In all it’s
a very relaxing aswell as entertaining CD, in a nice package (well,
apart from the writing). (FdW)
Address: http://www.spazio.org
LAMINAR – MANIFOLD (CD by JDK Productions)
Laminar’s first disc, released by Soleilmoon Recordings, some years
ago, didn’t make it to these pages, but here is their second disc.
Laminar is the project by one Fred Szymanski, who has quite career in
music (which is kept secret) and is also a video artist. With his
latest project Laminar he deals with noise: sounds that nobody likes
or wants, or even gets refused and thrown away. He takes these sounds
and throws them in the computer, samples and transforms these.
Sometimes we are to recognize some of these sounds, like wheels
turning over some surface. But most of the times we are served a
thick mass of sounds, processed beyond recognition. Laminar’s music
certainly stays within the realms of noise and industrial music, with
those thick clouds of sound, but it’s more then just that. Fred adds
dynamics to his pieces and the noise doesn’t stay on just one level.
It moves back and forth through sound effects and digital
processings. By using the methods of cut and paste, plus the dynamics
of the sounds themselves, he pushes the boundaries of industrial
music. Not by a generic, monolith mass of feedback noise, but via a
clever and intelligent form. It’s nothing new or shocking what he
does, but in the world of noise music, this is at least something new
to try and chance what is already known. That in itself is a major
revelation in this otherwise conservative type of music. Plus it is a
pleasent disc. The reverse of music of Gunther, Chartier or Meelkop,
but then louder, thicker and massive. Something to check out if you
left noise music some time ago. (FdW)
Address: http://www.jdkproductions.com
PATRICK PHELAN/ULTRASOUND (split 7″ on Jonathan Whiskey Records)
MY EDUCATION (7″ on Jonathan Whiskey Records)
Even when maybe 80% of all music reviewed here comes on CD, I must
say I still vinyl, and at that 7″s more then LPs. I am sucker for all
those small labels, like Static Caravan, Earworm or Awkard Silence.
Jonathan Whiskey is a new label for me, but judging upon these two
releases, I should add it to my list of favourites. The first 7″ is a
split affair with Ultrasound and Patrick Phelan. Patrick was a member
of Minnow and the ambient South, both of whom I never heard. On his
solo record he plays just guitar and sings. He does that in a rather
melancholical touch, but light hearted. Maybe this is singer-song
writer stuff, which I maybe wouldn’t like, but it sounds nice. A
moody piece.
Ultrasound on the other side do whatever they do, at their best. A
viola, guitar, slide guitar and drones play a laidback tune, minimal
and drony. Maybe it’s the same thing that they have been doing
forever but I find their sound to be more open these days. The
seperate instruments play their part and even when it’s drone affair,
it’s still recognizable.
Of Ultrasound fame is Kirk Laktas, who plays also in My Education,
whose self-released debut was discussed in Vital Weekly 317. My
Education has members of Stars Of The Lid, Ultrasound and Cinders,
but sound much more prog-rock, krautrock with pounding drums. Like
their CD, their sound comes close to that of Godspeed You Black
Emperor, but certainly on the b-side it’s more open and light. The
only problem here is that with this kind of music, which needs a
longer development, the format of a 7″ might be too short. But
otherwise, very nice too. (FdW)
Address: http://www.normanrecords.com
MY EDUCATION – 5 POPES (self released CD)
Admist all the click ‘n electronica normally reviewed in these pages, it’s a
delight to hear good ol’ distorted guitars and pounding drums in a heavy space
rock mode. My Education hail from Texas and has former and current members of
Stars Of The Lid, Ultrasound and Cinders. I don’t know Cinders, but being very
familiar with the other two, I can assure you that My Education has nothing in
common with Stars of The Lid and Ultrasound, other then maybe, though not
important, trance inducing music. But whereas the other two bands evoke music
by layering dense drone textures, My Education have a continous rhythm and a
wall of guitars, occassionally coloured by keyboards. My Education have no less
then seven members of which three play guitar, two violin, one drummer and one
for the keys. At times a pompous sound that is in vein of Godspeed You Black
Emperor, sometimes like F/i and sometimes prog rock/symphonic rock (which is
ok, I never disliked Electric Light Orchestra). I don’t think My Education does
anything that I haven’t heard before in any of the genres but to slag them down
as mere copyists, may not justify the quality and enjoyment I had of playing
their CD. (FdW)
Address: <my_education@hotmail.com>
PHILIP SAMARTZIS – MORT AUX VACHES (CD by Staalplaat)
Philip Samartzis is one of the most innovative artists on the
Australian sound art scene. Apart from a few releases on the
excellent Australian Dorobo label, he has collaborated with a number
of leading sound artists abroad. Latest release in the excellent Mort
Aux Vaches-series presents three stylishly quite different projects
approximately lasting for one hour. First track “Variable resistance”
opens the show with low audible timbres, glitches and discreet noises
that after a few minutes give way to a wide range of natural sounds
from various field recordings, sometimes repetitive but otherwise
constantly developing. Second track “Deconstructed windmills” opens
slowly with short frequency sinewaves reminding of Panasonic (pre-Pan
Sonic) that suddenly fades into pure silence until the next wave of
noise flushes. Generally “Deconstructed windmills” is minimal in its
expression, both being hypnotic in its repetitive sounds and quite
noisy thanks to the use of high frequency sounds. Final track “Soft
and loud” opens with some metallic percussive sounds followed by
almost painful screeching sounds that suddenly penetrates and then
disappears again. During the first part, the track constantly changes
between silence and noise. Soon after deep rumbling subtle drones
occur together with electroacoustic noise sounds gained from the use
(or misuse) of various music instruments. “Soft and loud” is the most
remarkable piece of work on the album sounding like a strange
combination of Einstürzende Neubauten, Oval and Edgar Varese. Using a
great variation in his sonic expression, Philip Samartzis certainly
demonstrates his talent as an electroacoustic sound artist on this
great edition of Mort Aux Vaches. (NMP)
Address: http://www.staalplaat.com