PLAYLIST with COMMENTS/REVIEWS

[ConcreteMascara]

Trepaneringsritualen ‎– The Totality Of Death
Kicking myself for sitting on this artist all of this time, it's absolutely mind bending stuff. I've always been intrigued by the release descriptions I've seen and the vision is so personal and unique. I attempted to listen to the compilation while falling asleep last night and it just made me anxious and uncomfortable. Perhaps not the best material to lull one into a sense of comfort...

Anyone with recommendations for the stand alone titles to check out would be appreciated. Adding a note to my long list of artist's I need to see live once shows happen again as well...

I like "Deathward, to the Womb" because the tracks are good and it's not too long. And the closer "All Hail the Black Flame" is a real fist pumper.

[Baglady]

HEAT SIGNATURE - Altered States Of Warfare CD (Found Remains, 2020)
The previous disc, Dehumanization In Progress, and the self-released tape from 2016 were superb, so my expectations were very high when I first put this on. I did fear, just a little, that this new disc would be just more of the same. I just didn’t see where they could go from something as incredibly thick and chokingly dense as last years CD. Turns out the way forward was to make it less dense (duuuh), to carefully loosen the bolts and separate the cogs just a tiny bit. Et voila! Although Dehumanization... had several tracks as well, it flowed seamlessly like one long face-in-the-mud piece. On Altered States... the now more loose and rickety machinery gives each track more character of its own, the earthy explosive crunch more space to charge and clash with the mindwarping tape-stretch and the electronic squeal and screech, and more oxygen for the desperate howls to soar above the sonic trenches. And speaking of the sounds themselves, they’re more finely chiselled this time, but with the surfaces kept frayed and rough. Another wise move is the treacherously ”calm” piece Dosed Adrenal Glands halfway through the disc, offering a relative pause from the mayhem. In short; more depth, more drama.
I love how Luke and Brad have sortof jumped back in time with Heat Signature, to the mid 90’s for a ”fresh start”, and started to stake out a path of their own from there, but not to lazily stick around but to move forward. And this is a big step further down that path. Easily their best, and that’s not a small achievement given how incredible the previous album was.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Last Domain Lost is band that has done a lot of albums, but not sure is it ”popular”. Even in context of rough industrial genre? Old material, very nice, but also new, far more cleaner produced things are actually very good. Project I could recommend to check out. Now on playlist:  "The Tyranny Of Distance". This was recorded 1992, so not utterly vintage, but still sounding old!

Karl Runau "Beyond Frequencies" cd, some of these less talked Galakt Horro items. Mid 90’s electronic noise signals.

V/A "2:00 matinee" CD RRR compilation
At times this c. 70 minutes CD is almost unbearable to listen to. Silly karaoke songs in glory of Lowell weirdos, random goofiness... but also included is good noisy sound. Idea Fire Company. Jason Lescalleet, etc... In some ways it must be perfect document of how the live matinees of RRR were. I recall Ron saying that a lot of it sucked. Good things, but also a lot of really sucky sessions, but also a lot of fun. So, that about accurate way to describe this historical document. Insanity of having weekly weirdo / noise live sessions at your record store.
This 2:00 matinee thing is so insane. I recall it lasted for about decade? Once a week. even more insane that I think RRR recorded every single set, with exception of handful where he forgot to ”push rec”. How many sets are in tape archives? Must be several hundreds, if not thousands...

[absurdexposition]

PRIMITIVE ISOLATION TACTICS - Deconstructing A Purpose CS (White Centipede Noise, 2020)
A thick, warm, odorous, humming and vibrating tone wriggles around throughout, expanding into crunch and warble at times. Other sounds try their best to stay on top - angry stabs of feedback, some terrified person yelling - only to be swallowed. Excellent restrained slow-burning muck that reminds me of Vårtgård while still being something rather different. Flip the tape and things get more shaky. It’s still a hungry pool of boiling tar, but it has receded slightly, with ripping textures and acoustic sounds revealing themselves. A great tape that ends far too soon. Hard not to play it again straight away. Lovely stuff! Haven’t heard anything by PIT prior to this, and I think I need more.

Thank you for positive remarks, I'm glad you liked the tape. I wasn't familiar with Vårtgård but what I was able to download sounds very up my alley. Cheers.

[JacksonPratt]

KODAK FIRE - DRAIN WASTE VENT (2018, C/Site Recordings)

Rude rocker of an HN tape, and one i think more people need to hear. Hard edged and gnarly but with a psychedelic twist.  Showcasing a incredible ear for blown out mucky saturation, and a display of real-deal tedious tape manipulation. Tracks move quite a bit and play with dynamics, but everything stays gross and seedy. HN from the mind of plumber, or construction worker could be an apt description... Worth tracking down for anybody curious about recent lesser known projects.

[FreakAnimalFinland]

Ø - Tulkinta -cd. 1992 Mika Vainio early electronics recordings. I read from art magazine review of his ongoing exhibition at Helsinki modern art museum that his sounds would be ”mostly based on natural sounds and field recordings”.. hmm.. Well, there is a bit of that too, but when I think of Vainios works, I think of pure electronic minimalism! Early works are at the best of that. Ultra minimal, delicate, often various tempos shifting in track. Almost like different length loops always being in rhythm of their own, but different to other rhythms in song.

I have not been keen to purchase most of The Gerogerigege new releases. Not the tapes, cdr’s and stuff like that. It seems gamble whether you will get what you paid for. This = Tokyo Anal Dynamite Singles CD, was too good to pass, so discogs order from Japanese dealer. Senzuri champion ”remake” and this one, plus one exclusive cdr was included... Really really good reissue of many old Gero 7”s plut additional unreleased noise, little edits and added sounds beween 7” sessions. All 7” covers revised into comical drawings in style like front cover.

Illusion of Safety / Life Garden / Voice of Eye - The Nature of Sand CD, plain amazing Illusion of Safety & co. Recording. If someone would describe there are bongo drums, experimental soundscapes, a lot of dynamics and tension... I could say well... hmm.. perhaps not interested. However, it is utterly difficult to articulate what the CD actually is, and even more how good it is. Proper speakers, set volume on level that feels good for first 5 mins or so, and album will occasionally grow very intense, calm down, always on the move, shiting from thing to another. Two c. Half on hour tracks were one can’t really predict what will come next, yet compositionally they are solid. Not fragmented collages etc. Seems like sound compositions, yet early 90’s indicates there may not be much use of computers, so the flow has very organic feel to it.

Mason Jones "international Incidents" live CD of mid 90’s Japanese gigs. Mason Jones of Charnel House may not ring bell to newbies, but his role in introduction of Japanese noise to west should not be underestimated. His magazine, compilation series etc. Good variety of not only sheer noise, but also odd music of the time. Also this CD, it has same feel. I like the tracks with KK Null, Jojo Hiroshige and Aube... but Omoide Hatoba guys jamming with Mason... hmm.. Perhaps not something one would need to be listening decades after gig took place! Haha.

If discussion emerges, I may split to different topic, but:
This is something I am very curious of. There are handful of tour reports or interviews covering western noise artists playing in Japan ... but how it is nowadays? Of course not meaning right now, but before virus. How is the gig culture? How is the underground culture? Been in Japan few times, from 2005 onwards, but last visit was almost 10 years ago. You could gradually see that less specialist UG shops, venues. Less unusual stuff in record stores, book shops etc. Every time visiting, formerly existing things closing down meanwhile... Still there is something in Japan that makes me want to travel (to even play). Most western countries barely have the lure, when its just the same as going to Helsinki or something, hah...

Have not read any reports of how it is like to play there now? Anyone played there in recent years? Now got to listen CCCC live recordings and Mason Jones in Japan and have perhaps unrealistic visions of how it must have been pre-internet vivid physical underground... I hope some podcast would cover mr. Jones adventures in same enthusiasm as he did on his own magazine. Recap the seemingly good times!

[implementsofsacrifice]

HEAT SIGNATURE - Altered States Of Warfare CD (Found Remains, 2020)
The previous disc, Dehumanization In Progress, and the self-released tape from 2016 were superb, so my expectations were very high when I first put this on. I did fear, just a little, that this new disc would be just more of the same. I just didn’t see where they could go from something as incredibly thick and chokingly dense as last years CD. Turns out the way forward was to make it less dense (duuuh), to carefully loosen the bolts and separate the cogs just a tiny bit. Et voila! Although Dehumanization... had several tracks as well, it flowed seamlessly like one long face-in-the-mud piece. On Altered States... the now more loose and rickety machinery gives each track more character of its own, the earthy explosive crunch more space to charge and clash with the mindwarping tape-stretch and the electronic squeal and screech, and more oxygen for the desperate howls to soar above the sonic trenches. And speaking of the sounds themselves, they’re more finely chiselled this time, but with the surfaces kept frayed and rough. Another wise move is the treacherously ”calm” piece Dosed Adrenal Glands halfway through the disc, offering a relative pause from the mayhem. In short; more depth, more drama.
I love how Luke and Brad have sortof jumped back in time with Heat Signature, to the mid 90’s for a ”fresh start”, and started to stake out a path of their own from there, but not to lazily stick around but to move forward. And this is a big step further down that path. Easily their best, and that’s not a small achievement given how incredible the previous album was.

I couldn't agree more. I'll add that, while I think there is something to be said about an album "flowing seamlessly", the fact that tracks being distinct or separate from one another is considered remarkable speaks volumes as to how muddy and washed out harsh noise can often be. An element of "spaciousness" is certainly welcome. This release really shines in that you can actually hear everything... their best yet!

[Baglady]

HEAT SIGNATURE - Altered States Of Warfare CD (Found Remains, 2020)
Although Dehumanization... had several tracks as well, it flowed seamlessly like one long face-in-the-mud piece.

I couldn't agree more. I'll add that, while I think there is something to be said about an album "flowing seamlessly", the fact that tracks being distinct or separate from one another is considered remarkable speaks volumes as to how muddy and washed out harsh noise can often be. An element of "spaciousness" is certainly welcome. This release really shines in that you can actually hear everything... their best yet!

Yeah, that is true. Anyone, or many at least, can crank out great textures. But to make memorable and dynamic harsh noise with qualities of its very own is something else. But the ”seamless flow” of the last HS album was definitely a positive thing. Not sure if that came through as I’m not a native english speaker/writer.

[Baglady]

And speaking of the dandy Mr Tandy...

HARNESS - Encased In Marble / Wrapped In Roots CD (Throne Heap, 2020)
You don’t hear or read much about Harness (Shane Church and Luke Tandy), and it’s a shame. Very far from what they’re usually up to, especially in Tandy’s case. I haven’t been on board from day one, but the four or five releases I’ve picked up are all brilliant, each one better than the last. Encased.../ Wrapped... is a delirious slow nighttime stray. Loss of balance, blurred visions, intoxicants, phantoms and ghouls, moldering headstones and strong hashish. No grave left unlooted. It occupies a space somewhere inbetween the better works of One Dark Eye and more contemporary tape wizards such as Darksmith and Altar Of Flies. But Tandy and Church are usually more hellbent for the harsh, and you can hear how they’re struggling not to turn every knob to eleven. They do crank it at times, threatening to blow things to pieces, but they always come to their senses, adding yet another element of unstable tension besides the eerie sounds themselves and the brilliant composition. A heinous act, this album. Buy it!

[Duncan]

KODAK FIRE - DRAIN WASTE VENT (2018, C/Site Recordings)
 

Great recommendation. New on me and very enjoyable

[NaturalOrthodoxy]

KODAK FIRE - DRAIN WASTE VENT (2018, C/Site Recordings)

HN from the mind of plumber, or construction worker could be an apt description...

Checking this out right now based on this sentence alone. Something about the idea of dripping pipes, rusting beams, crawlspace untouched by humans since construction, miles of disgusting human fluid underneath civilised settlements... sort of speaks to some inherently 'industrial' ideas.

This is indeed a fantastic release. Keeps you guessing, keeps moving, never too static nor too spastic. excellent stuff.

[Zeno Marx]

I was listening to the Insomnia Vol.2 comp 1988 today because the Hunting Lodge tracks have recently been reissued on LP/CD.  Only made it a track or two into Hunting Lodge because I got so fixated on the Matt Heckert track (24 minutes).  The Greater Than One tracks are also very good, but here's this name I've never heard.  Early industrial experimentalism like my generation thirsted to hear.  He barely has anything showing at Discogs, yet I'm genuinely surprised I've never heard of him.  He's that good.  Then I gave his Mechanical Sound Orchestra CD 1995 a listen, which I think is the audio portion of a 1990 VHS release.  I'm not 100% certain about that.  If you are into Vivenza and early pure industrialism, he might be worth your time.  Some of it ventures into more musical, dare say theatrical rhythmic territory, ala early Esplendor Geometrico, but for the most part, it's wonderful machinated sound.

This is a perfect example of why I hate to pass up old compilations posts on blogs.  There would need to be 72 hours in a day to listen to them all, but when I run into listener's block, there's nothing like them.

*looks like I've had my head in the sand.  Some nice write-ups about him, his machine(s), and performances.

[masoncharnel]

If discussion emerges, I may split to different topic, but:
This is something I am very curious of. There are handful of tour reports or interviews covering western noise artists playing in Japan ... but how it is nowadays? Of course not meaning right now, but before virus. How is the gig culture? How is the underground culture? Been in Japan few times, from 2005 onwards, but last visit was almost 10 years ago. You could gradually see that less specialist UG shops, venues. Less unusual stuff in record stores, book shops etc. Every time visiting, formerly existing things closing down meanwhile... Still there is something in Japan that makes me want to travel (to even play). Most western countries barely have the lure, when its just the same as going to Helsinki or something, hah...

Have not read any reports of how it is like to play there now? Anyone played there in recent years? Now got to listen CCCC live recordings and Mason Jones in Japan and have perhaps unrealistic visions of how it must have been pre-internet vivid physical underground... I hope some podcast would cover mr. Jones adventures in same enthusiasm as he did on his own magazine. Recap the seemingly good times!

Thanks for the mention, and it's an interesting question. I haven't been able to get to Japan to play shows in a few years, so I am very overdue to visit again. The last few times I've gone it's still been similar to the past, but it seems as though there are fewer live houses and fewer people to contact who can help organize shows. Some of the great artists are still doing it (Astro, etc) but it's not as active as it was.

There's an upcoming Noisextra podcast that includes me talking about some of the early tours there! It was extremely active back then but of course still the audiences were never very large...although they were all very interested and enjoyable.

[[MBD]]

KRANIVM - The Brighter Edge Of Death

Such a classic. Dark ambient at it's height of oppression and uneasy atmospheres, mixed with the twisted and brilliant sounds only Marco could conjure.  The album does all the talking.

[Bruitiste]

If discussion emerges, I may split to different topic, but:
This is something I am very curious of. There are handful of tour reports or interviews covering western noise artists playing in Japan ... but how it is nowadays? Of course not meaning right now, but before virus. How is the gig culture? How is the underground culture? Been in Japan few times, from 2005 onwards, but last visit was almost 10 years ago. You could gradually see that less specialist UG shops, venues. Less unusual stuff in record stores, book shops etc. Every time visiting, formerly existing things closing down meanwhile... Still there is something in Japan that makes me want to travel (to even play). Most western countries barely have the lure, when its just the same as going to Helsinki or something, hah...

Have not read any reports of how it is like to play there now? Anyone played there in recent years? Now got to listen CCCC live recordings and Mason Jones in Japan and have perhaps unrealistic visions of how it must have been pre-internet vivid physical underground... I hope some podcast would cover mr. Jones adventures in same enthusiasm as he did on his own magazine. Recap the seemingly good times!

Thanks for the mention, and it's an interesting question. I haven't been able to get to Japan to play shows in a few years, so I am very overdue to visit again. The last few times I've gone it's still been similar to the past, but it seems as though there are fewer live houses and fewer people to contact who can help organize shows. Some of the great artists are still doing it (Astro, etc) but it's not as active as it was.

There's an upcoming Noisextra podcast that includes me talking about some of the early tours there! It was extremely active back then but of course still the audiences were never very large...although they were all very interested and enjoyable.

Looking forward to hearing that!  I remember highly enjoying reading your tour diaries in Ongaku Otaku.