New BLOOD RHYTHMS LP - CIVIL WAR -

[NO PART OF IT]

http://nopartofit.blogspot.com/2019/07/blood-rhythms-civil-war-lp-pre-order.html




ORDER HERE
https://nopartofit.bandcamp.com/album/civil-war



Some critical commentary:

"Holy shit. This album is intense. I've listened several times over, and find several things about it fascinating. Compositionally, it packs a lot into a short amount of time. As a complete experience from start to finish, "Civil War" is remarkably well constructed and compelling. It's sonically deep and detailed, compositionally varied and skillful. Out loud, it's a burner... on headphones, it's a world to sink into and admire the project's instigator Arvo Zylo's studio mastery."
-Vital Weekly (Howard Stelzer)

" BLOOD RHYTHMS is just downright scary. Knowing these sounds lurk within those around us could be even more frightening. Is this a completely rearranged creativity or is there a direct connection to an unknown world, dark and foreboding by the carefree standards of today's society? ... The unknown reasons these sounds were made, clearly has purpose and tremendous significance. ...The first two tracks on CIVIL WAR are some of the most disturbing sounds ever heard. If a paranormal investigation produced these recordings, the ensuing fear of an alternate reality or after life would cause growing mass panic. At some point... ...the question needs to be asked... is this just a group of artists being extremely dark and creative, or is this just straight channeling from an ethereal existence? "
-Ken Lower/Lost In A Sea of Sound

"This caught me by surprise – it's an album that, while it grabs you by the scruff and shakes you about, is also enterprising in that it doesn't deny itself the chance to veer away from strict noise parameters."
-1208 North Fuller Ave Apt 1

"This was a bit too violent"
-excerpted rejection letter from unnamed European review site

Press Info:

BLOOD RHYTHMS is an ongoing and constantly morphing collective spearheaded by veteran experimental artist and Chicago native Arvo Zylo. The unit's new LP, CIVIL WAR began its conceptual impetus before its vinyl debut, 2014's ASSEMBLY, which was a layered whale song / locomotive stomp of brass & wind instruments recorded in a meat locker, released in collaboration with RRRECORDS. In 2010, after a few years of makeshift group performances delivering noisy, loop-based industrial drones as a brass ensemble, and inevitably growing to incorporate a series of damaged synth/junk metal outings, the group's official debut was met with live accompaniment from legendary Chicago avant/industrial/gospel giants ONO. With that, the very beginnings of BLOOD RHYTHMS' new LP, CIVIL WAR, were set into motion.

From 2010 to 2016, Zylo exhibited either with BLOOD RHYTHMS or solo, at noise fests, radio stations, or various venues around the country, themes which evolved exponentially. Some of these pieces have been performed live close to fifty times, occasionally with as many as four drummers and a five piece brass section. Words like "cathartic" and "intense" were regularly used to describe the often blisteringly loud affairs-- with contact mic'ed heartbeats, aluminum mic'ed masks, sheet metal, belt sanders, amplified packing tape, and visceral, feedback-laden howls. CIVIL WAR is a studio culmination of nearly ten years of ongoing work; A synthesis of Zylo's main focus, and what has come to be referred to by some as outsider power electronics. The result is something that retains the meticulousness, nuance, and visionary drive of a reclusive studio rat, but without relinquishing the rawness and fortitude of a full group sonic assault.


CIVIL WAR features contributions from Bruce Lamont (Yakuza, Bloodiest, Corrections House), Mike Weis (Zelienople, Kwaidan), Wyatt Howland (Skin Graft, Blackfire, Nevari Butchers), B. Zimimay (T.O.M.B., Dreadlords), Dave Phillips (Schimpfluch Gruppe, Fear of God), Michael Krause (Death Factory), Daniel Burke (Illusion of Safety), and Richard Syska (Secret Means of Escape, Dummy Antenna). It comes on 180 gram vinyl, and there are standard editions in black, or special editions both with opaque red vinyl or metallic silver ripple vinyl. It is housed in a thick gatefold jacket with a full varnish finish, and comes special editions come with a 44 page art booklet which includes collaborative contributions from collage artist Bradley Kokay, and rogue taxidermist Sarina Brewer. Recorded mainly (initially) at Minbal, Chicago by Brian Sulpizio (Health & Beauty), and mastered by James Plotkin (Khanate, Khlyst, NAMANAX). Seven tracks, 38 minutes. Track A3 not for airplay. Edition of 500 copies: 350 black vinyl (180g), 100 opaque red vinyl (180g), 50 silver ripple vinyl (140g). Silver copies come with a unique piece of art.
No download code. No digital version available.


Some links of live performances featuring early versions of this material:  

Live at Dead Audio Fest, 2010:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSFDOYNB-l4

Live at St. Petersburg Noise Fest, 2013
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cJgTwOQiRE&t=1s

Live on WFMU (My Castle of Quiet, 2013, first track only)
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Arvo_Zylo/LIVE_on_My_Castle_of_Quiet_282013/
https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Arvo_Zylo/LIVE_on_My_Castle_of_Quiet_282013/

[NO PART OF IT]

A pre-release review  of CIVIL WAR was posted by noise blog 1208 North Fuller Ave Apt.1 (named after a former address of the late Rozz Williams, I gather). The LP is out on Sept. 1st.
Here's an excerpt:
This caught me by surprise – it's an album that, while it grabs you by the scruff and shakes you about, is also enterprising in that it doesn't deny itself the chance to veer away from strict noise parameters.

https://1208fullerave.blogspot.com/2019/08/blood-rhythms-civil-war.html

[NO PART OF IT]

"The Face" turns toward you from Civil War's tracklist, emerging from the ash of unspeakable holocaust, and stares you right in your own face, unblinking, rigid, aggressive. "The Face" is an outlier of sorts — what's come before it is a mass of creeping dread, throbbing frequencies, serrated gristle, anguished shrieks. Civil War (No Part of It) is a literal civil war on the senses, ears versus mouth, mind versus heart, all boiling blood and bile as it tries to get a foothold on reality through its blind and bludgeoning rage. One look at ringleader Arvo Zylo's collaborators (which include such noise and extreme music luminaries as Bruce Lamont, Mike Weis, and Wyatt Howland) and you'll get the picture, the grim, unfiltered, sandblasted picture."

New review up at Tiny Mix Tapes
https://www.tinymixtapes.com/chocolate-grinder/listen-blood-rhythms-face

[NO PART OF IT]

Pre-orders were shipped on the 3rd.  

Copies of this LP will be on their way to the following shops some time this month:

Cold Spring
Narcolepsia
Scream & Writhe
White Centipede Noise
Cipher Productions
Zhelezobeton
Turgid Animal Italy

Still trying to get in touch with shops in Asia.

[NO PART OF IT]

New Review at Noise Receptor!
https://noisereceptor.wordpress.com/2019/10/04/blood-rhythms-civil-war/

[NO PART OF IT]

http://www.vitalweekly.net/1203.html

BLOOD RHYTHMS - CIVIL WAR (LP + book by No Part of It)

Holy shit. This album is intense. I've listened several times over, and find several things about it fascinating. Compositionally, it packs a lot into a short amount of time. As a complete experience from start to finish, "Civil War" is remarkably well constructed and compelling. It's sonically deep and detailed, compositionally varied and skillful. Out loud, it's a burner... on headphones, it's a world to sink into and admire the project's instigator Arvo Zylo's studio mastery.
   

Understand that I'm not generally a fan of power electronics. While some people surely do it well and have made its tropes their own (Pharmakon is far and away the best going right now, but also Ramleh, Bloodyminded, probably a couple others), it seems hopelessly anachronistic as a genre. At PE's inception in the early 80s, it made sense a response to Thatcher and Reagan, the rise of the Christian right, popular nostalgia for a white-washed 1950s, economic polarization and racial tension, punk and post-punk giving way to corporate synth-pop... white dudes screaming about transgression had a particular place as a micro-sub-genre of industrial noise. In the 21st century, power electronics has been embraced by non-ironic right-wing edgelords who think that being aggressively vague about taboo subjects is the same as having something to say about them. For the most part, this crap is as provocative as a wilted salad. Blood Rhythms, however, is power-electronics that rises above genre. Not only is each song a self-contained unit full of depth, space and drama, but "Civil War" also succeeds as a cycle of songs that grows stronger in sequence, a single album-length statement that makes deliberate use of every minute of its run time.


For sure, Zylo does shout over feedback (such is power electronics), but he also builds a uniquely uncomfortable tension with jarring juxtapositions and a wide range of compositional ideas. The first side begins with "Closure" (har har), an elegy for reeds (baritone sax? bass clarinet?) around which weave multiple whispered vocal lines and crumbling close-mic'd percussive rattle. "Sick Skin" is a Prurient-ish feedback shriek, the most genre-representative thing on the album, but noteworthy for how Zylo spaces component sounds around the stereo field to give an impression of depth and motion. It's followed by the mournful growl of "Locked Away", an ugly grunt of self-laceration set to mournful reeds and layers of noise that shift steadily sideways with textures that change subtly as new elements are brought in and out. At one notable moment on "The Face", I audibly gasped when the introductory passage of nervous industrial sequencers slams against a mountain-sized brass section. Blammo! As the song builds, a howl of gray shrieking despair becomes a wall of pummeling acoustic drums, reminding me of Taiko drumming or Crash Worship. The album ends with a punishingly bleak two-part blurgh called "Alchemy + Grief", which has Zylo exhuming his voice from some buried brain horror as a steady roll of beatless metal-sheering percussion amps up the anxiety. Instead of catharsis, "Civil War" simply ends, dropping the listener callously off a cliff.


    Zylo is the main voice of Blood Rhythms, but on "Civil War" he's joined by Dave Phillips (of Schimpfluch), Dan Burke (Illusion of Safety), Wyatt Howland (Skin Graft), Mike Weis (Zelienople) and other players. The LP comes in a gatefold sleeve with a 44 page art book. (HS)
––– Address: https://nopartofit.bandcamp.com/

[NO PART OF IT]

Copies are on their way to Drone Records, and Aufabwegen.  Also, for Russian customers, I wasn't able to ship to Russia.  The Homeland Security stopped the package from leaving the country on two different occasion$$$.   

https://www.aufabwegen.de/

https://dronerecords.de/

[NO PART OF IT]

Jerry Kranitz went over a few of his favorite physical releases in a new article at Hal McGee's Electronic Cottage webzine/community site.   Kranitz has been involved in the noise/experimental scene since the 80s and has a book on cassette-culture coming out at Vinyl-On-Demand (with two 7 inches) coming soon.  He had this to say: 

I'll say at the outset that this is the granddaddy of all physical music packages I have seen in years. The LP is pressed on red vinyl, comes housed in a sturdy gatefold jacket, and includes an absolutely STUNNING 44 page glossy art booklet. View the video for a detailed look.

The entire set is a delightful audio art, soundscape, collage, noise excursion. The music excels at simultaneous aggression and tranquil thematic development. I love how the music dramatically twists and turns on emotional and mood shattering dimes. It can be harsh, but there is a LOT going on... much sonic ear candy for the brain to ingest and absorb. I have listened to this LP several times, flipping slowly and intentionally through the art book, transfixed by the images. The imagery absolutely impacts the experience of the sounds on the LP!

https://www.electroniccottage.org/jerry-kranitz/the-audio-visual-experience?fbclid=IwAR0_ltQK87DjCWAOMVXyrn6G7pt5dPEr1-33wTS53nmb9IBzUPwcQ03ujAk

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The Civil War LP was reviewed at Lost In A Sea of Sound:

http://lostseasound.blogspot.com/2019/11/blood-rhythms-civil-war.html

Excerpt:

The spirit being pierced by anti-harmony and severe turmoil. Voices cry in anguished urgency. There is no help for them, these sounds only a warning from the dimensional nexus. A place beyond current perception, an open aural pathway most would refuse to travel. BLOOD RHYTHMS is just downright scary. Knowing these sounds lurk within those around us could be even more frightening. Is this a completely rearranged creativity or is there a direct connection to an unknown world, dark and foreboding by the carefree standards of today's society? When music ceases to be and the cacophonous sounds become hyper focused, thoughts race and reach to understand. This composition titled CIVIL WAR defies rational thoughts. From the shrill opening tones, through both garbled and crystal clear messages, a drone like glue of electronic static holds everything together for a brief listen. The unknown reasons these sounds were made, clearly has purpose and tremendous significance.

[NO PART OF IT]

https://noisebeneaththesnow.com/2019/12/02/an-interview-with-blood-rhythms-noise-experimental/

Interview about the LP at Noise Beneath The Snow.

[NO PART OF IT]

Interview in Houdini Mansions:
http://houdinimansions.com/features/2020/1/6/interview-arvo-zylo-talks-blood-rhythms-civil-war

Excerpt:

There is an aspect of "The Face" that is personal to me. It is partially about the battle between empathy and narcissism. There is the image of the narcissist admiring himself in the mirror, and also the old command phrase "take a look in the mirror", as if to say that a mirror humbles a person in some way. Some of my most revelatory experiences have been with what they call "mirror scrying", and I'll tell you, some really unbelievable things happen when one manages to do that at length! In doing so, I see different aspects of myself, and eventually, I'm just sort of experiencing this disconnect, where I'm just observing this strange creature in a window, and I forget that it's me. Characters bounce around in the background sometimes, too.

Not necessarily an inspiration, but I find a kinship with an artist whose name I've never known.  I was a bartender for catering companies in Chicago, and I often bartended at art galleries or fundraisers exhibiting art.  One particular artist layered apparently hundreds of mugshots of abusers transparently on top of each other, and part of his artist statement was apparently about phenotypes; that we all do have a face that perhaps, to some extent, phrenology could measure and predict, despite current claims of pseudo science.  Of course, the notion that some of us were told as a child, that if we keep making ugly faces, they'll be stuck that way, has a different context now.  And there's always the episode of the Twilight Zone, where people wear masks at the request of a dying rich man, in hopes of gaining his inheritance, and at the stroke of midnight, their faces are stuck like that of the mask."

[NO PART OF IT]

Reviewed by KFJC:

https://spidey.kfjc.org/38326/blood-rhythms-civil-war-no-part-of-it/

Civil War is the latest assault from Blood Rhythms, the noise collective fronted by Chicago-based electronic artist Arvo Zylo, here with Dave Phillips (of Schimpfluch-Gruppe), Wyatt Howland (Skin Graft) and many other collaborators. It's a devastating – yet even beautiful – record, that might surprise non-noiseniks with its range of sounds and moods, and nearly song-like compositions. "Closure" (T1) opens with strange clarinet melodies, piercing tones, and a massive chorus of voices that finally resolves into a lone anguished scream. If the high-pitched violence of the latest Frataxin release left you begging for more, "Sick Skin" (T2) provides satisfaction, as strangled growls flail helplessly in feedback filth. With its first deep, ominous pulse, "Locked Away" (T3) descends into a forgotten underground lair, and we are overtaken by the howls of those trapped there. Side B holds the centerpiece – the colossal, confrontational "The Face" (T5) – where driving electronic rhythms collide with a cacophony of hellish horns. Yes, it's a face-melter. The two-part finale (T6 and T7) buries heavy beats, organ bellows, metal scrap, and dying screams in a mass of noise; with one final thud, the suffocation succeeds.

[NO PART OF IT]

Reviewed by Chain DLK:
https://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/?id=11504

Blood Rhythms is the brainchild of Arvo Zylo, who is also the driving force behind No Part Of It. He has released a considerable amount of material, but this is my introduction to his work. First off, let's talk about the packaging. The packaging is quite involved, with artwork of deer hearts and quotes by Carl Jung. There are a lot of people involved here, but my favorites are Dave Phillips on "balloons, electronics" and Daniel Burke on "Inevitability / Transformation." The attention to detail is evident also in the record etchings (remember those?) with "There is a place where we go to die" on one side and "Your wound has created a pearl" on the other side. So let's put this on and see what it sounds like.

The album begins with "(En) Closure (Heart's On Fire)," which was not what I was expecting. Whispered vocals over grinding, squalling noise. Ends with a scream, then silence. Not bad. "Onism (Sick Skin)" is sparse, high pitched feedback noise with completely destroyed vocals. The lyrics are completely unintelligible. Not really my cup of tea though. "Locked Away" begins almost peacefully, with a simple synth line and just a hint of static. Nice building of anticipation as you wait for the track to completely let loose. Once the vocals kick in it becomes increasingly noisy, but the restraint on this track is remarkable and it never really disintegrates into noise like I expected it to. With lyrics like "Cut off your face" this isn't exactly feel-good music though. But you didn't exactly pick up an album titled Civil War to get mellow, did you?

Flipping the record over, we have "Paris Window," with an intro that sounds like an old time radio show soundtrack, but this quickly becomes enveloped by noise. Next up, if you were waiting for this to go full on power electronics, "The Face" has you covered. Grinding repetitive synth line with screamed vocals and interesting noisy interludes. "Alchemy & Grief (Part I & II)" closes it all off with a two-part track. Part 1 is a really good noisy track. The sounds of answering machine messages over clanging noise. Part 2 begins as really sparse noisy soundscapes under yelled vocals. The noise builds over time as the vocals become increasingly unhinged.

One of the issues that I have with a lot of power electronics stuff is that the underlying noise is just so boring. Blood Rhythms manages to avoid this trap by keeping the underlying compositions interesting. Indeed, the compositions are sometimes more interesting than the lyrics (when you can make them out – they aren't in the booklet). There were times where I would have really liked them to completely let loose with the noise, but I can appreciate the work that Zylo is doing with variety and dynamics. If you like power electronics that takes the noise part seriously this is well worth checking out.

[NO PART OF IT]

Two copies of the red vinyl edition remaining.

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Red vinyl edition is sold out.  Black vinyl copies with 16 page booklet still available.