Back on top. Sorta.

So, thanks to everyone who has been checking in from time to time over the last couple weeks and wondering where the hell I have been. I apologize to everyone that is waiting to have something reviewed and to those that read this thing. I have been very out of touch between illnesses, school, work and tour, the last few weeks have been crazy. More importantly though the next 6 weeks are going to be light as I get through this quarter of school. I will get as many reviews up as I can—I have some ones that have been here for awhile that I will definitely get to—but it's going to come slow and steady. If you want to send something for review, just know I am backed up. Like maybe 6 months backed up right now. I will have some reviews in the next week or so though you should be very interested in though...  especially this Total Life LP. Holy shit.

Ninika "ep-2012" cs

Ninika 

ep 2012

No Visible Scars

Huh. I am a little bummed I took this long to review this one. It's not a perfect record but it's damn different. This is almost songs. Drum machine, vocals, guitars, bass and lots of noise make for some interesting songs. It's like Godflesh, Darkthrone, a fire alarm and a broken car engine are all falling down the side of a mountain. On fire. It's a lurching, blackened industrial metal hell pile and it's pretty awesome. It's a total mess and the noise almost completely obscures everything else but it somehow works. I may have to come back to this one again. My only beef is that this is long. I review—or at least have to review—a lot of releases and when I see a tape is pushing the c90 length I really have a hard time getting to it. 

     I am not a fan of the packaging. I don't mind tapes in bags—although I don't love it either—but this bag is just too damn big. The artwork is pretty cool though. Nothing mind blowing but it fits. This packaging would have prevented me from buying, which would be a shame. 

It's definitely worth checking out. 

Thin White Puke "Red Lights Blaring" cs

Thin White Puke

Red Lights Blaring

Self Released

This is a name to look for Thin. White. Puke. It's relatively new to me but so far everything has been both brutal and restrained. This recording by TWP may be live but I am not sure. I do know that this is the sound that causes fear. This is where doubt and insecurity come from. This is audio that is tapped into the fight or flight part of your primal brain. Swirling and swelling drones, noise and harsh, distant vocals tear at your defenses and leave you bare. It's quite a gift. 

     Black printing on red paper, hand numbered and with a personalization to it that is brand new to me. This says it is intended for Demian Johnston on the back. They have my number.  There are only 25 of these but maybe you were lucky/unlucky enough to warrant one. It's haunting. 

Compactor "Desensitization Reprocessing" cs

Compactor

Desensitization Reprocessing

Out of Body Records

More bleak and fearful industrial hypnosis from Compactor. I am not a huge fan of this genre in general but there is something maniacal about Compactor that totally works for me. It sounds like—I should actually say it feels like—it was made in the darkest point of the early 80's. There is this grit and hopelessness that also stinks of excess. It's evil in way that makes you feel like you are losing your mind. I would recommend listening to this with headphones on in the dark but only if you want to have some of your ability to love destroyed. 

     The cassette has that OOB look that I appreciate. The consistency is nice and unusual these days. They could stand to use a heavier paper stock for their J cards though. The flimsy nature of the paper feels cheap. 

Still if scary, 80's death industrial hell is your bag, get this. 

Sutekh Hexen / Prisonfood cs

Sutekh Texen / Prisonfood

s/t

Pent Up Release

So this is, if I'm not mistaken, a bootleg/remix of Sutekh Hexen—the label actually says Texen though—by a Pacific Northwest noise soldier, Prisonfood. It's burly grating noise with just a hint of Sutkeh Hexen's already noisy music just below the surface. It's like gravel and hate pouring in your ears. Lovely.

     Not bad simple packaging. A simple sticker on the jewel case and a text free j card with black and white images that look how this sounds.

If you are a Sutekh Hexen completist you will need this. 

Note: It was pointed out to me that this might not have any SH music below the chaos but who's to say.  Fuck it. 

Remnants "Decayed Tones" cs

Remnants

Decayed Tones

Imminent Frequencies

Another excellent release from Remnants. A projects that is almost the audio embodiment of architectural melancholy. Somewhat static drenched drones make up a large portion of this cassette. There is always a strange sensation of sadness that I hear on these recordings, I really appreciate that. 

    Looks nice. Pretty simple but I have zero complaints. I like Remnants overall aesthetic. It sort of gets out of the way of the music. 

Quilielfi "Forgetter" cs

Quilielfi

Forgetter

Universal Consciousness

This was quite a surprise. It shouldn't be–universal consciousness has been doing the most interesting black metal releases to tape in quite some time–but I still wasn't totally prepared for how awesome and interesting this was. Quilielfi is really bizarre bedroom black metal folk in a way I haven't heard in a while. Imagine someone trekking out to the woods to record their songs because certain trees will be the drums and acoustic guitars with no distortion will be the instruments but then add crazy snarling screams and strange piercing controlled feedback. Quilielfi is something like that, but you really have to hear it to fully understand. It's amazing music and it's from my neighborhood. I have no idea who does this, Ballard is not a huge neighborhood in Seattle and I know most people but this was somehow made right under my nose. I am fascinated. 

Looks amazing. Buy something from U.C. and you will feel like it is actually worth something. 

Lord Time "Drink my Tears" cs

Lord Time

Drink my Tears

Universal Consciousness

Thank Jesus for Lord Time. Lord Time is able to take the sub genre of bedroom black metal and constantly do something brand new and interesting with each release. There is thought in these releases and I love that. This is long. Like maybe two hours. It moves from blazing black metal to bizarre noise segues to droning strings and synths but the movements are random and unexpected. It's probably one of my favorite Lord Time releases yet. I would love to see this reissued on a series of 7"s. I hope Lord Time never stops. 

     The cassette itself is letterpresses black on white paper and then covered in blood. It's brutal. To think he releases 100 cassettes and covers them in his blood. It's kinda a lot of blood. The tape looks red because it's in a translucent red jewel case. Everything is held together by a sticker that you must break, which when you do means that you have forfeited your soul. Sorry.

Never pass up anything from Universal Consciousness or Lord Time. 

Trepaneringsritualen "Roi Perdu" cs

Trepaneringsritualen

Roi Perdu

Belaten

My first exposure to this group was a cassette on Hanson Records that I was way into. At least I am now. I replay a lot of my Hanson cassettes because they are all pretty much amazing. Just don't mix up them up… Anyhow, this is an excellent release of Trepaneringsritualen's spiritual drone atmosphere. Subtle drums and low notes carry an ill sense of unease into your room. It's scary but also incredibly enticing. I strongly recommend this. 

     Looks great and fits in with the consistent look that Belaten enjoys.

Definitely grab one of these. 

At Jennie Richie // irr. app. (ext.) "Unknown Invertebrate Drama" cs

At Jennie Richie // irr. app. (ext.)

Unknown Invertebrate Drama

Black Horizons

There has been a thankfully large amount of splits between these two groups lately. The cassette and a compilation on Dead Accents (my label), a 12" and this cassette on Black Horizons plus some random low run cassettes on Readymade Records—which is At Jennie Richie's label where they often release 5-20 copies of any one item. This is a long release which has two huge tracks of droning exceptional work. Like all pieces from either of these artists I must say get this. 

     The layout is pretty simple but the packaging is stunning. Two full color O cards that fit within each other, covered in beautiful artwork. This is an article piece of art and I would be lying if I said I wasn't a little jealous. Amazing. 

Yes. 

Fungal Abyss "Bardo Abgrund Temple" cs

Fungal Abyss

Bardo Abgrund Temple

Translinguistic Other

Another cassette from Fungal Abyss that is a serious psychedelic adventure. This is like reading John Carter paperbacks in your parents basement while enjoying the waves that come from smoking a bale of marijuana. These people play so well together that you can't help but be in awe of these improvised epics. You can't really go wrong with any of Lesbian's output. The Fungal Abyss pieces are no exception.

     Great spaced out artwork by Darwin Rodriguez that perfectly compliments their logo by Scott McDougall. The type inside is a little hard to read at the size it was printed but it's still well handled. All in all this is a solid release. 

Yeah, shoot yourself into space. 

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer "Scum Tapes Vol. 2" cs

Blue Sabbath Black Cheer

Scum Tapes vol 2.

Deadline Recordings

Fuck. This is a two sided audio holocaust. 

     It's packaged in a black envelope that has been spray painted and that you have to tear open to get the cassette out. I guess if you were a total freak you could steam it open like a suspicious, neglected wife in the 1950's but fuck it. The point of this is imbedded on the magnetic tape. The layout is rough, hand-cut and punk as fuck. I like that. There is a fine line between doing things like this that look authentic and awesome and things that look like they have been done incompetently. 

Like all BSBC, buy this. 

Nodolby cs

Nodolby

s/t

Sincope

This is a wild little noise & electrical acoustic trip. One side is squelching synth manipulations and the other is this quiet little bit of tape loops, bells and scratchings of some sort. It's quiet and very effective. I actually like the second side quite a bit more. Not that the first is bad but this second side gives you a sonic illustration of what textures in music can really do. 

     The design is clean and simple with a nice use of helvetica. Solid. I like little details how even though the art and text are on one side of the paper, they still went through the effort and expense to copy the other side red. It looks like they care. 

Yup. 

Wrath of the Weak "Solace" cs

Wrath of the Weak

Solace

Universal Consciousness

I feel honored to review the last release from Wrath of the Weak. If you don't know about them/him then consider yourself so lucky to be able to hear the entire catalog for the first time. Bedroom black metal with a whole lot of shoegaze and dense noise covering gorgeous and heartbreaking melodies. This release is the most heartbreaking of them all. The long repetitive drones and noise just barely covers some of the most beautiful and crushing sounds I have heard in a log time. Turn this up loud and kill your house plants with a crushing feeling of longing and sadness. I am going to listen to this over and over again. I am going to constantly hope that this time, the music won't stop.

     Of course it looks great. Universal Consciousness does an amazing job every time. Letterpressed covers with xeroxed inside artwork make for a killer combination of texture and mood. This cassette comes in a neon green clear case. It's so cool that my 3 year old has stolen the case. It's beautiful. 

Get this right now. 

Jorge Arana Trio "Mapache" cs

Jorge Arana Trio

Mapache

Self Released

This is not the only cassette that I am way overdue on reviewing but it one of the ones that I am most bummed about not getting to earlier. Jorge Arana Trio is jazz.  Absolutely. As far as which genre of jazz though… well, that's a little harder to nail down. There are strong elements of fusion and free jazz but there are also elements of noise, pro rock and metal on this recording. It lives somewhere between Dave Brubeck, Dazzling Killmen, Trevor Dunn Convulsant, Faraquet and The JanMichaelVincentCarCrash. It's fucking awesome! Super fast and erratic at times this recording is really impressive. I am pretty blown away to be honest. Never boring and not at all self indulgent, they seem to want to play music for themselves and the audience that might be listening. It's playful, clever and heavy and the approach to song writing never feels forced or overly improvised. It's a good balance. The recording itself sounds really good as well. Damn good. 

     The cassette looks good and brings to mind the best of the Blue Note layouts. That look is maybe a little too much of a tell though. It almost looks like the layout is wearing a "jazz uniform". I forgive it though because it's well done. 

Well, worth it. 

Poena "Likboden" cs

Poena

Likboden

Belaten

Tzadik, Editions Mego, Hydrahead, Handmade Birds, Southern Lord, RRRecords, Debacle Records, American Tapes. These are just a handful of labels that at one time or another you may have basically bought everything they put out. These labels often had a very specific point of view and you knew that if you liked 75% of their output then taking a chance on a release you hadn't' heard of from them wasn't a bad idea at all. It's time to treat Belaten as this. This label has been releasing consistently amazing cassettes for a bit now and the fact that I already have a big hole in my collection of their releases is bumming me out. I will be posting a few more reviews from them shortly as I get through this massive pile but for now I will talk about Poena. Poena is a duo from somewhere European (wicked research right?) This 30 minute piece was recorded in the morgue of an abandoned mental institute. It pretty much sounds like what you think it would sound like, horrifying. Howls, drones and scraping are punctuated by an almost audible darkness. It's scary but it can't be as frightening as recording this piece was. Remember when you first saw the Blair Witch Project and it was a little disappointing? Well, at the end of the movie when they are in the house and shit gets pretty creepy there is a few minutes where everything gets real effective and scary. Mainly because you can tell the actors themselves were actually scared themselves. You can tell that it's a pretty real sense of fright and it translates. This recording has the same effect. 

     All Belaten cassettes have a uniform look and it works great. Black and white artwork with excellent minimal text. I'm pretty jealous. 

Like every Belaten release, you should buy this. 

Deathstench "Massed in Black Shadow" cd

Deathstench

Massed in Black Shadow

Black Plague Productions

So a band called Deathstench on a label called Black Plague productions is not exactly going for subtly. This is heavy, dark, heavy, heavy, dark, dark metallic drone. This may sound like a criticism but almost the entire record sounds like the Sunn0))) track Cursed Realms (of the Winterdemons). I mean almost every track on this record sounds directly influenced by not only Sunn0))) but that track in particular. It's not bad, in fact it's my favorite Sunn0))) track on my favorite Sunn0))) album. So in a way that is very good. It's not the most inventive or varied album though, which are two things I look for pretty often. Although halfway through this cd you do get a track that has some blasting, blackened drums. I would love to hear more of that. God damn, this is fucking dark. If you are a fan of Sunn0))) or better yet, the criminally underrated and unheard Ardent Vein, you are going to dig this. 

     The art is pretty cool, in that silly metal way. Skulls, candles and portals to blasphemous dimensions are all on the cover. There are six more panels of that. It's pretty cool drawings but my real issue with the layout is how the text is handled. It's just center aligned (mostly) and all the type has that annoying black stroke around it. Actually some of it is actually transparent as well. I would love to see some better typography here.

It's musical strengths outweigh it's typographic failings. 

Compoundead "Cutting your Certainty" cdr

Compoundead

Cutting your Certainty

Sincope

This drone record is all about the textures and your feeling on this is how you feel about textures. For me the first two tracks are subtle, gorgeous collections of tones and grinding textures. Maybe there is some bass in there, maybe some synths but it's very well done. The third track is a little over the top and doesn't work quite as well for me but it;s still pretty good. It just doesn't feel enough like either a compliment or a contrast to the other tracks. it feels like a different project all together. Still not bad.

     It's simply put together but it's quite nice. I am all about the black and white layouts and this is another one from Sincope that works pretty well. Visually it utilizes textures as well and in that was it works. Simple use of helvetica in a vey loose grid. Maybe the text could be tighter in it's grid but I still think it's pretty solid.

Fans of dark grating drone, this is for you. 

Justin Marc Lloyd "Funeral" 3" cdr

Justin Marc Lloyd

Funeral

Sincope

I have missed JML. He moved away from Baltimore and ended up in Chicago, making Chicago all the better for it. Justin has been making amazing noise journeys for some time now and they just keep getting better. This one is four tracks that go from feedback heavy rhythms to pops and cracks that sound like an alien campfire. Reminds me of some early Birchville Cat Motel lathes that came out many years back. I mean that in the best possible way. It's a killer selection of one of today's more prolific noise artist. 

     It's a cool little package. Small yet larger than usual sleeve for the 3" that is covered in this odd black and white artwork. Decent handling of the type. Nothing to complain about. I even loved the spraypaint on the cdr itself. I kind of miss that stuff…

It's damn good. 

Sujo "Repent" cdr

Sujo

Repent

Inam Records

Sujo is the work of a very talented man by the name of Ryan Huber. I say very talented because this album, while remaining cohesive, is so varied and interesting that I am not sure what part to be more jealous of. The song writing, the guitar playing, the programming, the sound in general.Musically it exists in a drone and post rock world, similar to Nadja and Pyramids. I would say fans of these two acts will find Sujo on their short list of bands to own everything by. I am very glad to have found this one. I am a fan. 

     This looks fucking great. Translucent vellum cover and a full color insert house a stamped cdr. It's very attractive and professional but obviously made inexpensively. Obviously designed by someone who can solve problems visually. This is what you guys need to strive for in packaging. 

Buy this. 

Japanese Women "Quality Control" cs

Japanese Women

Quality Control

Tapes of a Neon God

Another god damn perfect album from Japanese Women. Purveyors of something called Dankwave and making music that makes me fucking jealous. This is dirty, harsh, heavy, noisy intensity–the kind of music Converge might have played if they had started out drinking gasoline instead of putting x's on their hands. I think the closest comparisons might fall somewhere between Black Flag, Infest, Converge, Akimbo and the Locust but I would say this is heavier, noisier, more raw, more intense and less goofy… perspectively. Japanese Women need to get in a van and only stop touring when they have decided they hate seeing each other. They owe it to this shitty, shitty musical landscape of ours to help fix us, or ruin us.

     It looks crazy. Just like the music. It's a big foldout j card with a comic of sorts drawn on it. It's super weird but hopefully they will make shirts with this scrawling all over them. 

Buy immediately. 

Fungal Abyss "Transonic Migration" cs

Fungal Abyss

Transonic Migration

Triangle Tapes

This is one hell of a way to end my recent illness. A psychedelic journey, bouncing off clashing, crashing and contrasting waves of guitars, holding on for dear life to a three piece rhythm section and finding myself basically baptized in a giant green fireball. Fungal Abyss, which is basically the band Lesbian, with Nathan Smurthwaite (Abodox) and various stand in musicians and vocalists, has been cutting a swath across Seattle's psyche for a few years now. This cassette is an excellent example of how these players can improvise huge epic pieces that never feel too self indulgent. These conductors are still aware that this train has passengers. It's awesome and hugely impressive. This recordings features extra percussion by Sam Yoder. 

     It looks awesome. It's packaged in one of those oversized Norelco style cases with a clear tape that has little green reels. The artwork and design are done by the illustrious Andrew Crawshaw doing what he does best which is this seamless photo collage thing that is very impressive and appropriate. 

So stoked to have this. 

Just to let you know...

My family and myself have been battling this fucking virus that has been going around so I haven't really had much time to review things this week. I am hoping to have it kicked in the next few days and everything should be back up and running. There is so much killer stuff to share with you.

Demian

Merzbow & Balázs Pándi "Katowice" cd

Merzbow & Balázs Pándi

Katowice

Instant Classic/Radiofonia

Anytime I receive anything in the mail that says Merzbow on it I get a jolt to my brain. My first real noise show was Daniel Menche, Masonna and Merzbow in Seattle in the mid 90's. It changed things for me and rearranged my brain. This cd is made up of a live set that was performed in Poland in 2011. It has a killer free jazz meets total audio destruction. I wish I could have been there. Thankfully, it sounds really good as well. I am assuming this was recorded off the board because it sounds almost like a studio recording. I have linked a youtube sample below.

     Pro-printed covers and a cool appropriate layout full of hand written text that I assume came for items found around the actual show. 

http://youtu.be/ZVhHNcMKsj

V/A "Seance" 2xcs / Videodrome VHS

Various Artists

Seance

Worthless Recordings

This is a beast. About 100 minutes of some of the best artists in Noise, HNW and Power Electonics. This would be the perfect introduction to contemporary extreme experimental "music". In fact you should probably pick this up for yourself, of course, but also for that friend who told you they were getting into cassettes again but keeps buying forgettable indie nonsense. Tapes are wonderful but they are less of a format for the sounds and more of a compliment. Anyhow, enough of that before I start rambling… This is full of amazing acts so pick it up. 

     It looks killer, two inserts inside one of those weird double cassette norelco boxes. The kind that used to hold live Iron Maiden cassettes. It's good...

Artists:

          Goat

          HHL

          Haare

          Vomir

          Josh Lay 

          Camisole

          Aderlating

          Skin Graft

          Flesh Coffin

          Ghoul Detail

          Luasa Raelon

          Demonologists

          Winters in Osaka

          A Snake in the Garden

          Persistence in Mourning

In fact here is a little youtube ad for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dDEBAOhc_z0

Borrowed from worthlessrecordings.blogspot.com

I should also mention that as far as excellent compilations go Worthless Recordings released as awesome VHS video comp last year titled Videodrome. Again, amazing contemporary experimental artists but this time you get visual interpretations as well. If you own a VCR you owe yourself this one as well.

Again, a youtube preview for you:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=PcT9ugPgHzc

Raven "A Disease Called Man" cs

Raven

A Disease Called Man

Lave Church

Another image I had to borrow. My camera hates everything about me. 

damn. I am so excited to check out the other Raven cassette I have to review after hearing this. Brutal noise in the vein of Blue Sabbath Black Cheer or maybe Deathroes. It's almost like a love song as sung by the engine of a 747. It's intense and cutting and good. I recommend this for anyone that likes being fucked with aurally. 

     It looks nice. In a chipboard O-card that looks as if it was xeroxed but in the best possible way. In fact the whole thing makes really good use of photocopying. Nicely handled text and decent art.

Yup. 

Highgate LP

Highgate

s/t 

Vendetta Records

The first thing I heard from Highgate was their excellent split 7" with Ghast on Pesanta Urfolk. This is a much earlier album but it is no less heavy. Epic blackened doom tracks with completely deranged vocals. Lots of space and texture made with only two guitars and a drum set. I think most people who dig Mournful Congregation, Neurosis, Grief and Shining Ones will find something to really enjoy here. Not to say they really sound exactly like any of those bands. It's quite unique. Good riffs and good taste. 

     Pretty much standard heavy music layout. Nothing really jumps out as outstanding or horrible as far as the text and artwork goes but little details like having the inside of the jacket be solid black is nice. This is just the beginning.

Start here with this band. Available here as well. 

Vasculae "Receding Stasis" cs

Vasculae

Receding Stasis

Monorail Tresspassing

I had to borrow this image. My camera hates me. 

Fuck. Amazing epic HNW. One side is blistering cold and the other side is pure terror. This is so undeniably good that my three year old daughter asked:

 "Daddy? What's this sound?"

"It's a tape. Does it bother you?"

"No… It's cool tape."

So there you go. Evidence I have ruined my child. 

     It's packaged in a bag with an abstract image covering the insert. It really is a cool tape. The type is small and usually people make their type too big but this is a little too small. Still good but 4pt type is a bit too small. 

Still, get this right away. 

Myrrh "Hymns" cs

Myrrh
Hymns

Lightenupsounds

I had to borrow this image. Having issues with my camera. 

It's nice to get something from this label again. They did some rad stuff that i reviewed a year or so ago and it looks like they haven't stopped. Excellent. The recording on this is raw as fuck. Luckily it works really well for this instrumental band. I guess to describe this I would say that recent Earth and early Sunn 0))) and mix in a strange amount of Tangerine Dream and you have something about right. It's unique and pretty killer. 

     Nice packaging. Pro-printed cassettes and nice looking j cards. I like the display font they use for the band name as well. Type in general is handled quite well. It looks like they really care and I dig that. 

Grab one. 

Seagull Overseas "Last Train Home" cs

Seagull Overseas

Last Train Home

Besotis Besarmatis

Not a bad combination of drone/noise and electronic music. The first and second track are so different I had to take notice. The first song has a Cocteau Twins sort of vibe while the second track feels a lot more like a sad drone that falls into the type of noise wind on a microphone makes. I wanted to write it off at first as something I wasn't' into but after hearing the first few tracks I could easily see this being released on Brave Mysteries of one of those labels with a wide variety of sounds. This is not a bad release and maybe the first thing I have reviewed from Lithuania. 

     The packaging is not bad. I can tell this is a memorex tape or something but they did something different. They printed a sticked that covers almost the entire tape from the bottom, over the top and back around. They even put information on that top "spine". They also made a j card that goes almost all the way around and then closed it so the pegs from the case burst through the paper. Punk but not that attractive and also it seems out of place. 

I would pick this up though...

Messiah of Evil cs

Messiah of Evil

s/t 

Center for Disease and Control

I don't really have the patience for this. Silly 8bit beats with a guy singing in a super high falsetto voice about who knows what. It's very, very silly. It's the type of music you would sing to your cat when no one is around. I appreciate that but you don't have to record it. As I get towards the end of this cassette I am sort of appreciating the lunacy but I really hope I don't have to hear this again anytime soon.

     The artwork is terrible but kinda awesome. A drawing of a pig crying after beheading a man that had just decapitated another pig. The j card is too small for the case though and the type is too small and the hand drawn text is just forgettable. I guess silly is my description in general. 

Silly. 

Ballerina in Blood // Vasectomy Party split 3"cdr

Ballerina in Blood // Vasectomy Party

Forever Escaping Boredom Records

There is almost nothing in this world as therapeutic to me as harsh noise. Nothing reminds me that everything in my life could be so much worse. It's like audio perspective. It's the worst part of all of us and that makes me feel so good. It's like a blanket of hell. Ballerina in Blood has made me feel quite a bit better today. $1000 bill from the IRS? Well, that is a distant memory for at least 3 min. Vasectomy Party also brings the HNW destruction and I love them for it. I am not as into the very long sample from some movie about crime at the beginning that I can't quite place but it is handled pretty awesome. I guess it works pretty well, so I will give that one to them as a decent use of a sample. 

     It looks okay. I have never really been into the splits where the front and back covers are basically just two disparate front covers. The inside is fine. Nothing special. 

HNW this brutal is worth hearing… 

Amalgamated "Spark II" 3"cdr

Amalgamated

Spark II

Intangible Cat

Amalgamated is pretty fucking awesome but it is a little heavy on the beats for me. This sort of twisted and warped industrial is perfect for fans of The Bug but it's not totally my bag. There are actual saxophones on this and the part of my brain that really enjoys Jim Thirlwell is really into that. I think if I sit with this a bit it may really work for me but right now I am thinking this would be the best soundtrack to the rumored Blade Runner sequel but not something I would spin too often. 

     The layout is beautiful. For a 3" they really went above and beyond. A die-cut vinyl  sticker is attached to the poly sleeve that barely show you the full color photo of circuitry. It doesn't seem like it cost a lot of money to make but the way they put this together, it looks very expensive to make. They real hit it out of the park.

     It is hard to say entirely if I would buy this or not. I wouldn't buy this if I heard the first track but on the packaging alone I would have. I am going to come back to this one...

Nagual s/t cs

Nagual

s/t

Pidgin Records

Lovely. Just lovely. This is like the songs of ice giants. It sounds like a howling, cold wind lulling you into your final sleep before freezing to death. The subsequent tracks range from guitar layering to feedback nurturing but all with the same icy cold intensity. This artist does some really excellent work and I am ashamed it took me this long to get to it. 

     The package is nice. Weird collaged face on the cover with a matte black inside. There is a separate info card that is also numbered. This is an edition of 100. 

Worth tracking down.

Disthroned Agony // Grain Belt // Ice Volt split/collaborative cs

Disthroned Agony // Grain Belt // Ice Volt

Live at the Book House

Small Doses

This live recording was captured in an actual bookstore in Minneapolis a couple years back. It took me awhile to get to it but it put it in during a good part of my life. I am kinda getting into noise recordings that use no pedals or real effects. Just pure sound. This release is just that. Three artists using found and organic objects to make their sounds. Scraping metal, glass, stones, or even the human voice creates a weird painting of the evening captured on cassette. I really wish I could have been there but this will have to do. 

     The simple, clean layout using mostly text look nice. Not much else to say but the pro printing is always nice.

The Black Scorpio Underground/Werewolf Jerusalem split 12"

The Black Scorpio Underground/Werewolf Jerusalem

split 12"

Husk records

Very strange and unnerving. I don't think I have actually heard The Black Scorpio Underground before this but it is a damn fine hunk of off-putting doom and swirling hell. Peppered with desperate sounding vocals and harsh drones you will find yourself a bit nervous listening to this one. Werewolf Jerusalem, besides having the world's toughest name, is always good and this is no exception. Super harsh and cutting noise that slowly moves up and down the terror scale of intensity. What a weird thing to write…  

     It's a pretty simple layout and I am not in love with how the text on the back was handled. It's not bad but it's kinda huge. that is really my only issue. The logo on the back is also crooked and it doesn't really look intentional. The cover art is somehow psychedelic yet pulled from the gutter. It's a sort of sloppy collage that has so many strange digital cuts and weird choices that I kinda love it. The bugged out colors on the front perfectly match the crazy colored vinyl that comes with this. Husk Records always puts out releases you should buy and this is no exception. If you could just subscribe to Husk you would not be disappointed. 

Buy.

Actuary/Juhyo split flexi disc

Actuary/Juhyo

split flexi

Love Earth Music

This is surprisingly satisfying for such a short release. Actuary puts forth one of the most beautiful things I have ever heard them do; the track sits somewhere between Nadja and Yellow Swans. Juhyo's track sounds like an automated abattoir warming up for a horrible day. Both tracks are quite short but totally well worked out. I am quite pleased. 

     Although I do wish they had put together some sort of packaging. This could really have used some artwork of some kind. Maybe next time. 

You should hear this. 

Bad Algorithm "D.o.a.R./(l)" cs

Bad Algorithm

D.o.a.R./(l)

Self Released

It's nice to start out 2013 with a massive dose of HNW. Bad Algorithm has always down this genre of anti-music white well and this new effort is no exception. There isn't much to say than "thank you" to B.A. for this excellent release. I have to point out when people use samples since it's become something that I usually don't like but the execution is abstract and interesting enough that I don't find it very jarring. Nice work.

     Looks okay. Not really into the black boxes around the logo and text but it works okay. Needs a little work.

Still, totally worth it. 

Sunn0))) "Rehearsal Demo Nov. 11th 2011" lp

Sunn0)))

Rehearsal Demo Nov. 11th 2011

Southern Lord // Ideologic Organ

This is my favorite sort of Sunn0))); Atilla is incredible, I love when Steve Moore or Bill Herzog join the fray. I can get behind Joe Preston or Tad Doyle adding chaos but when it comes down to it Sunn is best when it is just two guitars in a big room. This rehearsal demo sounds much better than any rehearsal demo I have ever heard and I wonder if they didn't actually intend from the beginning to release this but it's great. This is the type of piece where two guys playing guitars simultaneously, with riffs that span minutes and rarely repeat in any noticeable way, can really impress you with their ability. I think some people believe Sunn is just random chords and a whole lot of drama to cover over the "trick" but I think this record should be able to prove most deniers wrong. In fact there are a lot of kids who worship Sunn and think that they can do it if they just buy a bunch of Model T heads and have the audacity to play this loud but they are also wrong. This takes skill, taste and talent and I think this may be one of my favorite releases from Steve and Greg. The only unusual thing is that there are samples at the beginning of every track. I don't usually get with samples but I have to say that these rule. A lot.  

     The packaging is simple and perfect. Excellent image on the front, handled well with mostly handrawn text on the back. Foil stamped number on the cover along with a solid black record devoid of any printing. Perfect. 

I would buy this. 

Limbs Bin "Primitive Response" 7"

Limbs Bin

Primitive Response

Familiar Combatants/Tickled Meat

This 7" has an awesome Man is the Bastard vibe that has totally reminded me how much amazing shit is sitting in my record collection right now. Limbs Bin may belong right next to it. Harsh noise with lots of heavy beats are accompanied by some very intense vocals. Definitely singing about something horrible. There are a couple minutes when the drums sound a little weak but all in all I think this is a killer 7" well worth your time. 

     The packaging itself looks great. They were able to take a simple xeroxed card stock paper and make it into something much more. It unfolds into this cross shape that is pretty inventive yet simple. I am looking forward to more releases from the Western Massachusetts artist. 

 
Get one. Here.