e a r p e a c e : audio reviews
crank sturgeonkevin drumm & aaron dilloway
kevin drumm, leif elggren, mats gustafsson
steven curtin
eeee eeeee
john fahey
fennesz/main
ryoji ikeda
lightning bolt
irene moon
nautical almanac
old bombs/wolf eyes
paradise camp 23
rubber o cement with james 'twig' harper
yximalloo
(various artists) bulb singles #1
(various artists) radio action 1
(various artists) strewth
- crank sturgeon motion pictsaur cdr (xv parowek)
- crank sturgeon breakfast with crank sturgeon cdr (rrrecords)
- crank sturgeon/f.w.k. nein ruckus ot ot/where the fuck are all the zombies cassette (freesound)
reviews forthcoming
breakfast was one of those short-length cdrs i am becoming so fond of. a little here goes a longw ay, and this item stayed in my disc changer for some weeks, and strangely enuff, i really like listening to it in the morning while i try to convince myself that my day job is worth going to. lots of good sonic ideas manifested in a format that allowed lots to happen within that short time span. i like my eggs well done.
reviews forthcoming
- kevin drumm & aaron dilloway i drink your skin cassette (american tapes)
great pairing here, with drumm tracks being dillowized on one side and dillo tracks being... well, drumm-sized on the other. i really, really like both of these guys, and my preference for the kd side of this tape in no way reflects a disappointment with ad, but rather an appreciation for the sonic magicianship of drumm. if you listen close, you can hear aaron's setup popping up in the soundstream of his side of the tape, while drumm's side reflects some of the hugely grand dronewerx he has been doing of late. not a minor side-release, no, not at all... a major convergence of two of the most relevant midwestern freenoise artists of the day. get it or you suck. you suck anyway.
- kevin drumm, leif elggren, mats gustafsson deg lp (firework edition)
as i understand it, triangles was intended to be an elggren/drumm collaboration, but that didn't work out, but here is a live document of those two playing improv experimental sounds together, along with the highly-regarded percussionist mats gustafsson. pressed on something like 2oo gram vinyl, this is one heavy record, in more ways than one. repeated listenings find me being drawn in by an interestingly structured set of sparse abstract sounds, some voices, some undefinable small noise interjections. .
- steven curtin wires on dry trees turn night into day cdr (foreign lands)
i recently had the pleasure of seeing steve curtin play in lansing, and in speaking with him, his affection for analog synthesizers is apparent. that love is reflected here in a set of well-crafted pieces which explore terrain which has a familiarity to it, but which succeeds in a very musical way of exploring the parameters of the equipment. the result is very smooth and listenable, the timbres are well-modulated, using the stereo spectrum so that the sounds are kept moving and shifting, avoiding any semblance of the static. it is rare to encounter a recording so based in modular synth technology that does not resort to schmaltzy pop gimmick tricks nor contorts into outright noise. these are layered patterns in sound, smooth & listenable, melodic & rhythmic, appearing more composed than improvised (tho he lists just intonation guitar as an element). i have to congratulate steve, because all-too often someone with the academic background he seems to have could make music that comes off as remote, more exercise than song, but this release succeeds in being smart without becoming annoying. and while i, too, have been an analog modular synth user, i believe that this cdr has a sound that is accessible for those who wouldn't know a vco from a vcr. looking forward to hearing more.
- eeee eeeee cdr (mang-disc)
gawd i love these mang-discs... this one is in a jewel case which has been covered with newspaper, which has been ripped off so that layers remain & the whole thing wrapped in tape so that it only takes second place to heresee's na rejerks melted jewel case in the category of "most difficult to open packaging." when i read mr. kraag's description, i knew this was something i had to hear, so here it is: "this is a recording i found in the basement of a good friend of mine's house, 4 years ago. the home recordings of his little brother whom, at the time of the recordings, was in either 6th or 7th grade. my best guess is that he would not approve of my giving copies of this to people, but i, and everyone i've played them for have enjoyed them so much, that i feel they warrant sharing regardless."
talk about outsider. hear for yourself. awhile back i reviewed irwin chusid's songs in the key of z, a collection that presented his painfully disdainful concept of outsiders, but this is the real thing. no intent to entertain anyone but himself, the guy doesn't even know people are listening to this and getting off on it. and before you start worrying about exploitation, you should go check out the mang-disc site, cuz this guy will send you stuff if you send him yesterday's leftovers, or scribble some random letters on a sheet of paper or just ask. for free. something in the water out there in strange maine. anyways, some descriptions might be of some limited use. a young sports guy, venting his spleen on himself thru characters in song, some ham-handed keyboards, mostly using presets, some half-assed guitar pop-punk basement jam riffs, but some hilarious words, scrambled together in a way that there seems no way they could have been written out in advance. i defy you to listen to some of this and not find yourself walking around singing a few lines to yourself without thinking about it later. "i play sports & i cant spell worth shit... i play sports and i cant shit, constipations where i'm hit... i'm a jock & i'm not free, i gotta go really pee..." recommended, not because of the voyeuristic thrill, but because it is hard not to be reminded of your self, captured in some un-self-conscious itch-scratching.
- john fahey red cross cd (revenant)
review forthcoming
- fennesz/main split lp (fat cat)
i have enjoyed many recordings by christain fennesz over the past few years, that i was surprised to find myself kinda having the reaction that i did to his side of this. i was thinking, there is no question that this is fennesz... and then i realize that is is disappointing in it's familiarity. not a major departure or evolution, but a consolidation, the watery processed strummed guitar textures make for a pleasant listen, but doesn't give any reason to listen to this rather than endless summer. could this be fennesz' "jumping of the shark"? i hope not.
not having listened to closely to much by robert hampson's main, i was again surprised to find myself enjoying & appreciating this side in preference to the fennesz side. main's contribution is more linear, rather than static, moving here towards a more resolved sound of travelling guitar-derived sound. not a great description, but this is the impression i got. not waves, or pools, but a steadily progressing, moving set of lines converging & diverging, but continually dealing with time in a more direct way.
- ryoji ikeda op. cd (touch)
review forthcoming
- lightning bolt wonderful rainbow cd (load)
lightning bolt are a must-see live band, and i usually come upon various opinions of how well their recordings represent that phenomenon. this is a great, tightly played, excellent representation fo what i have heard them play over the past year. the bass stuff sounds especially good. i dunno how they can possibly get brian's viciously loud drum sound onto tape. someone should figure it out, tho. it just isn't the same without the pain & bewilderment felt while withstanding that pummeling. this is a really good record, i shouldn't pick at it, sounds like i don't. it is just that they are so damn great live, it is hard not to be reminded of that while listening to this. one order of lb, to go, please.
- scientifically speaking with irene moon a cocktail from the preferred host cdr (perhaps transparent)
review forthcoming
- nautical almanac rejerks volume 1 cdr (heresee)
if these are the out-takes/rejects from a forthcoming nauticalmaniac release, then just fuck me & take all my money. these tracks bare evidence of the ongoing upgrading of the diamondize studio facilities, and all bodes extremely well for future spuge. fellow travellers chuck bettis & caleb johnston continue the ongoing pollution of the na gene pool. can't let go without mentioning the melted jewel case packaging that makes sure that you will enjoy hours of pleasure trying to get it to close or fit it into your cd shelf. inside the listener will find a unique & well-fleshed vision of sound devices played into submission, manipulated into elastic forms, along with voices that exude a sense of fun & self-expression reflecting many, many hours of dedication. music for the morning-after the impending collapse of society. send 'em money & love.
- old bombs/wolf eyes cdr (public eyesore)
review forthcoming
the wolf eyes side of this is pretty much a throwaway live on the radio recording of songs that sound much better elsewhere. good for completists, but the thin-ness of the sound left me unimpressed, since i know they sound so much better.
- paradise camp 23 oto cdr (mandragora)
review forthcoming
- rubber o cement with james 'twig' harper shameful, effectual, masterbattalion! cdr (brutalsfx)
most recent rubber o project, with the iconoclastic spastic twig harper aboard. sounds pretty consistent with the other cementia i have heard, that is, segments of contorted sound, pruning shears applied with vigor, leaving just the choicest morsels of writhing audiowurms. twig appears, i am only guessing, by the casio-esque elements that penetrate thru here & there. the last group of segmented songs leans heavily over into an analog synth zone. can't get away without mentioning the diy packaging in the finest sf tradition, some comic book stock with hand colored strips of paper binding it closed and the cdr enclosed in a sheet of notebook paper that had to be ripped to get it out, info/art inserts stuck all over the front & back of the comic. there is a science project autoeroticism concept mixed in here that i pretty much prefer to ignore cuz i just like the sounds too much to think about the thematic underpinnings and clever song titles. this cdr also includes a selection of brutal sound effects videos that can be played, which i did, once, before going back and replaying the wonderful sonic depravities into my ear cavities. agenerak was kind enuff to send me a pile of back rubbero catalog items for only a "half wad" of us tender. i recommend you do the same if you get a chance.
- yximalloo xv cassette (old gold)
one of a trove of yximalloo treasures i mined from the old gold site. a unique entity, japanese folk-damage, can't help but mention syd barrett in that the melodies are diguised by the traumatized delivery, but not totally obscured. time for a yximalloo tribute project? this american reissue/compilation from some mid 90's (or 80's?) self-released cassettes provides a taste from some deep, tainted wellspring. followers of extroverted dementia need look no further.
- (various artists) bulb singles #1 cd (bulb)
well, i am a latecomer to the group of labels that prominently include bulb, so here is my first encounter with the amazing couch, via the early single sides here. these are so good, they made a lot of sense out of 28suaves, in a revisionist realigned way. obviously, magas' work stand heads above the rest of the pack here at first listen. the rest of this stuff is interesting, creepy-grimed up garagey ectomorphic bawling strangeness. but hard, for me, at this point to see much beyond the magnificent couch. now, time to track down glass brothers.
- (various artists) radio action 1 cd (free1o3point9)
review forthcoming.
- (various artists) strewth cd (synaesthesia)
review forthcoming.
~ b . w i l d e r e d (except where noted)
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