Kevin Tomkins solo + Sutcliffe Jugend

Started by FreakAnimalFinland, May 06, 2013, 08:15:52 AM

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acsenger

QuoteAlso all Alchemy Records stuff used to be priced according to Japanese standard.

Around 6 years ago I bought I think around 30 CDs from Alchemy Records for about $13 per CD including postage. Hijokaidan (all of them), Nihilist Spasm Band, some Incapacitants, Merzbow, Seiichi Yamamoto etc. That was the price they were selling all their releases for, including worldwide postage. I couldn't believe it.

Scat-O-Logy

Just spotted this:

SUTCLIFFE JUGEND and JUNKO (非常階段/Hijokaidan) - Sans Palatine Uvula
(4iB CD/0413/003) Out Soon On 4iB Records (www.4ibrecords.com)

4iB will also release SUTCLIFFE JUGEND "Live Actions Singapore" but there is no additional info/samples yet.

Dr Alex

What happens with SJ = Tomkins + Taylor? Last SJ was Tomkins only and this will be collaboration...
Blue Rabbit was damn good but I miss blasting feedback and screaming of SJ.

P.W.A

Blue Rabbit the song was great story telling.  A collection of Tomkin's fiction would be most welcome!

Bloated Slutbag

Quote from: Scat-O-Logy on May 23, 2013, 10:55:38 AM
Just spotted this:

SUTCLIFFE JUGEND and JUNKO (非常階段/Hijokaidan) - Sans Palatine Uvula
(4iB CD/0413/003) Out Soon On 4iB Records (www.4ibrecords.com)

Recently got this, and quite liked. Unlike other Junko collabos, Tomkins sounds like he actually makes a go of "working with the voice", providing a real dialog, and in some cases actually treats the voice- which is something I'd always thought should be done. At intervals the lungs sound as though they contain real power; something that does not always come through in other recordings. And the title track is great; rusted out shrieks vs rusted out shrieks.
Someone weaker than you should beat you and brag
And take you for a drag

Azoikum

Sorry for necroposting but I'm really curious what happened to the plans of re-releasing the "We Spit On Their Graves" boxset on CD ? The only news there were for the last couple of years is that Kevin is remastering the material but does anyone know if it will see the light of day somewhere in the near future ?

Bleak Existence

yeah it been a while they talk about it but nothing happen ?

impulsemanslaughter

I was tired of waiting for this and bought the WSOTG cd on Cold Spring. Nice selection!

AWWFN

I spoke to Kevin about it and he was up for doing a reissue in principle but didn't seem all that fussed. He stopped replying to messages about it eventually. A guy spoke to me at the recent Shift/IFOTS etc gig I put on in Glasgow and said he was a pal of them and they had asked him to approach me about putting them on live in Glasgow. I had to run away straight after that night to get home so never got the guy's name but well, they've got my email address!

Get the impression he's more interested in recent stuff he's doing and doesn't care too much about ten hours of music he fired out pretty rapid some 30 years ago.

Bleed On Me

Could have posted these album comments in "Playlist", but perhaps wouldn't be a bad idea to revive a specific thread.

Sutcliffe Jügend ‎– Pigdaddy (2008, Cold Spring)

This work from the frequently criticized period of the project's activity actually grew to be one of my favourites in the discography. The filthiness & ugliness of the concept is perfectly presented in the material. Dense and muddy guitar feedback layering, surgically cold electronic pulsations, atonal autoharp convulsions, creepy «damaged tape» effects and filthy samples of choking & regurgitating sounds thrown in the overall sound cesspool... The result is not harsh and radical "ear punishment" at all, but a really enjoyable experience of stinking aural mudbath. Tomkins' vocal perfomance on this one is also very noteworthy of course, this "perverted old creep" style works really well with the concept, it's quite comical on the one hand, but in a quite an unhealthy way, sort of "John Waters movie"-style of intentionally bad taste humour. It also somewhat rhymes with my impressions from some of Marco Corbelli's vocal tricks for example, which can also sometimes seem to be a bit comical, but in the context of sickening atmosphere of Corbelli's music they somehow add more unhealthy craziness to the music, make it even more fucked-up. The same situation with this "dirty old fuck groping in the boy's pants" style of Tomkins' delivery on "Pigdaddy". Especially impressive are the moments, when the old fuck goes hysterical and starts to yell the same shit over and over until he probably gets a heart attack. "Defacer", the second track on the album, is a good example of this: "It's not enough! It's not enough!" and a fuckload of more repitition until it all grows into fucked-up mumbling senile dementia. I also really enjoy the cold, pulsating synthwork on this track, some kind of gloomy surgery-room electronics, reminds me of Corbelli again and his traditional style of gloomy rhythmic synth-throbbings with minimalistic structure. Paul Taylor's guitar freakout on this track is also really enjoyable, maybe a bit too laid-back in the mix, but the dense layered sound comfortably envelops you like warm mud. Probably, "Defacer" is my overall favourite on the album. "Pigdaddy", the title track, comes close with its' (dis)tastefully sampled "choke & spit" electronics, and more fucked-up silliness and bad taste humour in the concept and vocal/lyrical performance - this time the old fuck supposedly (judging by what I could make out from the lyrics) mumbles about his unfortunate impotence problems, while the falsetto voice probably impersonates his young "prey" making fun of him, and it all gives an impression of some kind of satirical take on Sotos' prose. "Dirty" is also interesting stuff - some twisted circus, carnival-ish rhythm and catchy vocal lines (sometimes even resembling a sort of "singalongs"), weird production with sampled grunts following the rhythm and something like turntable fuckery. Among the weaker sides of the album I would point only to the last overextended track "Nonce", a bit tiresome stuff, fails to keep me interested during the whole length. But as for the other 5 - really strong pieces to my opinion, with the 3 mentioned as the standing out. Old pervert electronics at its' best.

Sutcliffe Jügend – Offal (2016, Cold Spring)

My favourite among the heap of work which was released last year (haven't heard the giant "S L A V E S" release though). The main structure of the 1st track "Cleave" is constituted from extended high-pitched drones (sound like produced by electronic organ, but maybe I am mistaken), swelling mass of guitar sound by Taylor will be layered along the way. The introductory electrified-sounding tone strongly reminds me of Whitehouse's famous "Wriggle Like A Fuckin' Eel". Fierce vocal delivery by Tomkins is top notch, the way the vocal tracks are treated in the mix (high-pitched, compressed, razor sharp sounding) is also to my taste. My favourite track comes next though - fuck, "Howl" is really intense. Menacing sound loop of some destructive stuff which sounds like string orchestra getting absorbed in napalm-soaked distortion, even more aggressive vocal delivery with rhythmic precision and use of hysterical repitition of phrases in the manner close to some moments on "Pigdaddy". "Slice" is no less impressive with it's seismic pounding, quite Swans-reminding stuff, I love these rhythmically lined mini-explosions of sound going into non-stop ecstatic frenzy. The last track "Crawl" is in a more experimental vein, strange fragments of sound are organized into some warped rhythmic fuss, which definitely doesn't sound aggressive, crushing or powerful (like the rhythm on the previous track for example), but perhaps the "weirdness" factor may work for someone - the combination of this strange foolish rhythm with background sound madness and Tomkins' psycho ramblings results in something fucked-up and hallucinatory. The overall impression about the album is very similar to my opinion about "Pigdaddy" - very strong main body of work, but mixed feelings about the somewhat uninspiring ending, which unfortunately occupies quite a portion of the album's whole playtime (in this case it is the longest track on the album and lasts about 16 minutes).

Kayandah

Probably best to post this here, there has been a glut of SJ releases last year and wondered what people's thoughts were?

The S L A V E S boxset was the best, assuming you'd prefer the instrumental side of SJ. Of the six discs only one was a letdown, it is the one release I keep coming back to

The Muse was the other standout release, I liked the melancholy vibe running through some of the songs. some might call it melodic, I don't care.

Nude and Full of Wounds is a weirder one, far more vocal heavy from Matthew Soko, can't say I listen to it that much but do appreciate it is something different - as an aside the back cover is dreadful quality, not sure what happened there

Offal was okay, Masks I rarely listen to and is the weakest in my opinion

Not heard Shame yet but with so many releases not sure if will offer anything different from the above

Thor

I've come to seriously love Pigdaddy  and I really wish someone would release it as an lp, my cd is already too scratched. Also, with the constant demand for a reissue of We spit on their graves I must wonder why nobody has undertaken the task (I mean there have also been rumours of such a repress for a long time but it doesn't seem to be happening?). Would be interested to hear any recommendations on early SJ...

david lloyd jones

Quote from: Thor on November 18, 2017, 07:45:57 PM
I've come to seriously love Pigdaddy  and I really wish someone would release it as an lp, my cd is already too scratched. Also, with the constant demand for a reissue of We spit on their graves I must wonder why nobody has undertaken the task (I mean there have also been rumours of such a repress for a long time but it doesn't seem to be happening?). Would be interested to hear any recommendations on early SJ...

'we spit...' has already been subject to posts regarding dodgy bootleggers and tompkins' own efforts, resulting in loss of remaster data.
sometimes something remains mythical.
given his recent output, it seems likely that mr tompkins has this low on his list...

breidahl

Any fans of Bodychoke? It was the noise rock project with SJ members. They are maybe not that obscure since "Cold River Songs" was re-released by Relapse Records (because Jonathan Canady from Deathpile worked for them?) and "Five Prostitutes" was produced by Steve Albini. But considering how great they were, not very many people talk about them these days.

NaturalOrthodoxy

Quote from: breidahl on November 24, 2017, 02:20:53 PM
Any fans of Bodychoke? It was the noise rock project with SJ members. They are maybe not that obscure since "Cold River Songs" was re-released by Relapse Records (because Jonathan Canady from Deathpile worked for them?) and "Five Prostitutes" was produced by Steve Albini. But considering how great they were, not very many people talk about them these days.

never heard of them til your post, checking out Skinflick from Five Prostitutes now, it's fucking great. The violin parts with the tense build up reminds me of Godspeed you Black Emperor weirdly. Excellent stuff