NW011 - PHOG MASHEEEN

[NoiseWiki]

Zip Archive Wav and Mp3 .67gb

INVERTEBR8

DOWNTOWN SHOUTER



Published 6/11/21 during Covid-19 Pandemic

NoiseWiki Page
Discogs

[Phogmasheeen]

As you might have guessed, this release is formatted as a cassette "Kit." It will neatly fit on a C-40 cassette and the cover is the graphic for the tracks.
The "Downtown Shouter Log" mentioned on the cover. Is the documentation of life in downtown Long Beach, CA. During spring of 2021. Enjoy, phog masheeen.

Zip Archive Wav and Mp3 .67gb

INVERTEBR8

DOWNTOWN SHOUTER



Published 6/11/21 during Covid-19 Pandemic

NoiseWiki Page
Discogs

[Phogmasheeen]

The reviews are rolling in... Here is one from Scott Mitchell. "Very different and not what I expected. I like it! Side A almost sounds like mall music for a mall that's exclusively filled with cannabis shops. I expected Downtown Shouter to be "shoutier" The trumpet is a nice touch; sort of like taking a shower while someone plays a jazz record in the next apartment."

Zip Archive Wav and Mp3 .67gb

INVERTEBR8

DOWNTOWN SHOUTER



Published 6/11/21 during Covid-19 Pandemic

NoiseWiki Page
Discogs

[FAP]

I really wanted to give Phog Masheen the benefit of the doubt, as he seemed like a naive but well-meaning young artist earnestly seeking approval for his first major release… it was only later I discovered he’s been putting himself out there sporadically since at least 2007. But this new frame of context has practically zero impact on my opinion of the Phog Masheen album, as I'd already finished it by the time I received this information.

I’ll be blunt: Phog Masheen is shit.

To me, the opening track “Invertebr8” initially sounded like it was going for a Koobaatoo Asparagus sort of vibe; it actually reminded me a lot of the now 10+ year-old K.A. split with Sexonomica, if that means anything to anyone. And this approach would’ve been fine—K.A.’s not my favorite but he’s alright—if the more discordant elements of this track weren’t so far removed from the rest of it. "Invertebr8" sounds like two completely different (yet equally half-baked) soundtracks selected arbitrarily, then played on top of one-another.
This by itself would’ve been boring but at least tolerable. Then out of nowhere, roughly ten minutes into [and halfway through] the track, we’re introduced to a narrator of all things. This was the final nail in the coffin for me: I could deal with the sub-par attempt at psychedelia, but I couldn’t even enjoy that so long as this anonymous middle-aged hippie droned on about creatures without spines. There’s a joke in there somewhere, but I’m not in the mood to go looking for it.
I’m not against spoken word in principle, as long as it’s engaging or entertaining: this is neither.

I honestly skipped through the rest of the album after this point and to no surprise at all, the B-side largely stuck to this bizarre formula of “average man recites gruelingly mundane factoids while a stage theme from some PS1-era Spyro The Dragon game loops in the background.”
Maybe I just don’t “get” this, and I wouldn’t blame you for saying that: even if I were a stoner, though, I could think of at least fifty better things to listen to before I'd ever think to spin this again.