Reviews

[FAP]

Lyssa Humana - Schraubentape (circa 1980’s):


An obscure German group, Lyssa Humana’s back catalog certainly fits the visual aesthetics of 80’s industrial–the packaging this tape came in is awesome–however their musical output leaves much to be desired.

I was lead to believe this would be something in the vein of Einstürzende Neubauten (boy, I wish): what I got instead was some jackass absentmindedly strumming a bass guitar while doing pseudo-karaoke over schlager tunes... for three quarters of an hour.

I didn’t expect greatness, but this was just lousy; were they even trying? Was this supposed to be a joke? I remember recording something like this myself when I was a teenager, and frankly, I'm not sure which is more embarrassing.

No wonder no one talks about Lyssa Humana: a hidden gem they most certainly are not. What a waste of good tape and great presentation.

[FAP]

Sektion B - Hidden Tracks (2007):


I remember seeing the above video about a decade ago and being blown away by the "dälek-esque" vocal effects. I sought out a copy of the album this track appears on soon after, but for whatever reason I couldn't get my hands on one and eventually forgot about it: now that I’ve heard the album in full, some 9+ years later, I think it’s safe to say I’ve [mostly] grown out of power electronics in general.

Looking back on it now, Section B’s composition style has a sort of underlying dance music structure to it; while feedback and processed vocals are still par for the course, Hidden Tracks is also typified by its use of distorted techno beats, as well as hosting several apparent ‘remixed’ tracks, a fairly uncommon concept amongst traditional power electronics artists.

This in itself isn’t a bad thing: any ‘power electronics’ project that prominently samples Steppenwolf while shouting “VE VERE BORN TO BE VILD!” probably isn’t too concerned with exploring taboo subjects in the typically morose manner of their contemporaries. That said, given some of their later work, I admit I’m not entirely sure if they’re in on their own joke or not.

Today, Hidden Tracks sounds a bit dated and cringe-worthy at times, but overall it’s pretty harmless… wouldn’t want to be caught in public with this cover art, though:

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[FAP]

Fudgy - The Now End Of The Universe (2020):


Now this was truly unexpected. I'd picked up a free download code for this album during record store day, not really knowing what to expect; the card the code came on implied it was originally pressed on vinyl, which it was, so my curiosity was piqued.

According to discogs, Fudgy are (is? was?) an experimental group from Milwaukee, with members who’ve been active in various other projects since the early 2000’s. One of them, Kendra Calhoun, even did vocals for a Hal McGee album, of all things. Without any further context, though, I assumed I was in for some ho-hum avant-rock music, thickly coated in that typical-yet-uniquely-Wisconsin blandness I’ve come to expect: boy was I wrong, and I’m glad I was.

It’s difficult for me to describe how this record sounds; it certainly touches upon a wide variety of genres and styles––country, hip-hop, spoken word, jazz, middle-eastern music, lo-fi, and [arguably] polka to name a few––however I wouldn’t say it’s a consistent fusion of any of those genres, or even genreless. Neither is the mood of the album consistently dour nor upbeat: it just is.

In order to describe it in the most accurate way I can, let me present you all with a thought exercise:

imagine if Reverse Baptism’s Street Business LP was reimagined––from the ground up––by a collaboration between Beck and Cincinnatus C. Somewhere along the line, both of them get a little bummed out, so they start playing slower. They gradually draw from their life experiences, more than either of them usually do, and as a side effect they start to cheer up a bit... but not completely. That's the mood they carry with them throughout the majority of this hypothetical album's production, and then, one day, it's finished.

Even if you could imagine such a thing, the result of this thought exercise would still be a little different from the reality of The Now End Of The Universe, just different enough to give you an odd, indescribable feeling at the back of your head.

What to comes down to for me, really, is this album took me on a journey. I think a lot of artists know all too well how hard it can be to keep the listener engaged with this approach, and while The Now End Of The Universe took me to a few less-than-pleasant places, I was willfully immersed in it the entire time. Even the pleasant places it took me to never felt saccharine or contrived, and despite its nonchalant blending of different musical tropes, nothing on this album came across as overly-ambitious or dishonest to me. The worst I can say about it is it’s maybe a little too long: at nearly 90 minutes, it can feel like a slog at times. For a long car ride, though, it’s ideal.

EDIT/DISCLAIMER: If you decide you want to hear this album in full, please contact the artist first before dropping $25 on the bandcamp link posted above. Like I said, I got this for free; the download code took me to somewhere other than bandcamp, so I don’t know if purchasing the album on bandcamp will actually get you the full album, or just gets you the single/promo track.

[FAP]

Manuel Calvo - El Artilugio (recorded 1968, released 2022 by Alga Marghen):


Of course, I first have to thank RUBBISH for bringing this to my attention in another thread, so thanks for that!

Of all the records I’ve listened to in the broad canon of early electronic music, this may be the earliest example I know of a purposefully “noise” record. Granted, it may not be very good noise, and while its creation lies within a fluxus/dada installation art context (as opposed to being made purely “for noise’s sake”), the abrasive aural elements of El Artilugio were clearly chosen and implemented because they are abrasive.

Most other early electronic and musique concrete works I’ve heard typically try to emulate some kind of musical structure, or at least try to avoid bluntly unpleasant sounds (i.e. creating ambient soundscapes); in this framework, the decidedly non-musical moments of these compositions tend to feel like the intriguing but nevertheless unexpected results of musical experiments. There’s nothing wrong with this––in fact, it’s a big part of why these kinds of records appeal to me––however I believe El Artilugio is distinct in that its own decidedly non-musical moments feel like they were the goal from the beginning.

You get to hear [what sounds like] microphone feedback, deep bass rumbles, various sorts of odd tones and, according to the label, “the parasitic noises of an old electric engine” recorded on reel-to-reel: all these techniques should sound familiar to anyone who’s done or been doing noise for any significant amount of time, both in principle and in practice.

Speaking of structure (and of dadaism), the first side of this record sounds somewhat reminiscent of later dada audio art by groups such as The New Blockaders, except unlike TNB (whom I obviously don’t hold a very high opinion of), I consider Calvo’s art installation to be truly challenging: not “challenging” in the sense of “I know this sounds kind of stupid but I’ll keep listening to it anyways so I can pretend to be sophisticated and egdy,“ but genuinely “challenging” in the sense of “I know this sounds kind of stupid but I want to keep listening.”

All that praise said, I did say the noise on this record wasn’t particularly good. While I still think the focus on noisy sounds here was totally intentional, the irony is the arrangement of those sounds relied heavily on randomized variations; because of this (or so I’d reasonably assume), nothing sounds purposefully sustained or elaborated upon, and instead every sound exists as a fleeting instance of chaos in an otherwise quiet void. To put it another way, don’t expect to discover a late 60’s Spanish Merzbow.

But to get to the elephant in the room: yes, the last 55% of this album is little more than nonsense phonemes, spoken in a fashion akin to very early avant-garde (think 1920’s-1950’s dada sound poetry). Obviously I’d prefer it if the first 45% of the album sounded like 100% of the album, though honestly, I think the latter half of El Artilugio is still slightly more enjoyable than a lot of other sound poetry I’ve heard before.

And I’ll admit: maybe I’m being biased due to the sheer age of the recording(s). I’m also not under any illusion of this being the “first” noise record––Pauline Oliveros’ Reverberations boxset blows this thing out of the water, not to mention the far earlier and indisputably more seminal works of John Cage––I’m just saying that, for 1968, El Artilugio is exceptionally harsh, and I’m very pleased to see we’re still digging up obscure, fascinating “noise” recordings from the past.

TL;DR - the first half or so of the record is the interesting part: the latter half is negligible.

[FAP]

Sissy Spacek - Featureless Thermal Equilibrium (2020):


While Spacek are typically a total no-frills noisecore band, they’ve put out some good stuff in the past; I was tracking down some other albums when I came across this one, so I figured I might as well give it a shot, too.

Unfortunately, Featureless Thermal Equilibrium sees the band at their most spartan and dare I say generic: it sounds exactly like every other _core EP, LP, CD or pee pee out there, emanating a cacophony that might be satisfying for a minute or two (especially if one hasn’t listened to any _core/_grind in a while), but loses its novelty shortly thereafter.

Again, the band’s done better. This isn't a[nother] case of me outgrowing a genre (though there's some truth to that): Spacek just didn't provide anything I hadn't heard before, and what I had heard before wasn't performed or presented in a better or more interesting way. Simply put, it's just a waste of time; a diversion, at best.

[FAP]

Gnaw Their Tongues - Genocidal Majesty (2018):


One decade ago, I listened to Gnaw The Tongues’ 2009 full-length All The Dread Magnificence Of Perversity; this was during an early phase of me discovering ‘black noise’ bands i.e. bands that combined harsh noise and black metal. The style of that album wasn’t what I was expecting: it was more like an amalgamation of dark ambient and industrial with some vaguely black metal-esque aesthetics, kind of like a shittier Abruptum. Obviously, it failed to impress me then, and sadly, now one decade later and with a more recent album, Gnaw Their Tongues still elicits a solid emotion of indifference.

I just don’t really groove with what they’re going for here; this half-baked blend of sludgy bass, trappy gabber drums and generic ‘br00tal screams ov teh dammed666’ comes across like a jack of some trades, master of none-type approach. It doesn’t excel in any one area, and it isn’t unique enough to develop into its own distinct style. It’s like audio slop.

I did kind of like “Cold Oven,” as it had some melodic moments that helped break-up the haphazard assault of multiple genre tropes. I’d also like to think the name was chosen because it’s an anagram for “Old Coven,” though who’s to say if this was indeed the reason.

I guess the following track, "The Revival of Inherited Guilt," was okay as well. It makes me think they were going for a sort of 'tribal' tempo with their sound, except this track is the only one where that tempo sort of worked for me.

If you like this sort of dark sludgy stuff, then by all means give this a shot.
For something similar that's also totally bonkers and hilarious, try Abu Lahab:

[FAP]

Jimmy Eat World - Bleed American (2001):


Definitely not underground, let alone noise, but please indulge me. I'm curious if anyone here (likely under 30) has fond memories of this album; it seems to have gotten something of a minor resurgence in recent years and I don't quite see why.

Apparently a broadly acclaimed album from an era when pop punk dominated the airwaves, Bleed American was less substantive than I’d hoped, but not completely lacking in it.

Jimmy Eat World--whose name I now realize abbreviates to JEW (though this doesn’t appear to be intentional)--are perhaps best known for this album, specifically for its hit song, “Middle." I think this song is so ubiquitous now that it’s impossible for me to listen to it critically: not like it matters, because in my opinion, the real winner here is “Sweetness.” In contrast to the rather bland, sleekly produced "Middle," "Sweetness" is an energetic, emotional rock anthem that wouldn't sound out of place if it were sandwiched between Green Day and Blink 182 tracks.

The difference in tone between “Sweetness” and “Middle” is a microcosm of the problem I have with Bleed America in general: it doesn’t know what it wants to be. For every more-or-less genuine pop punk tune like “Sweetness,” there’s another, decidedly more toothless radio-friendly jingle like “Middle,” or a vexingly shallow pop ballad like “Hear You Me.” Sometimes the less ‘punky’ songs work out–-if you squint, “The Authority Song” almost sounds like something The Shins would write–-but most of them ring hollow.

Moreover, I want to emphasize that there’s nothing wrong with variety, as long as the vision and/or quality remains consistent. Clearly, this is not the case for Bleed American; I don’t know if they were going for a scatter-shot approach, or maybe they decided to make their sound more accessible halfway through production, but whatever the case, it makes for an awkward listening experience.

Normally I refrain from giving number or letter ratings to albums, for various reasons, however given the adolescent fanbase Jimmy Eat World were (and I suppose in some way still are) playing to, I find it poetically fitting to give their homework a solid C+.

Other tracks of note include “A Praise Chorus” and “Cautioners.”

[RUBBISH]

Of course, I first have to thank RUBBISH for bringing this to my attention in another thread, so thanks for that!

Your reviews are extremely good/well written and hilariously honest and I really like them but I'm scared you may review something of mine.
I enjoy how you don't hold back..at all..and put the boot to these groups/people.
Thanks for the reviews!

PS: the reveiw ofJimmy Eats World
(I will continue never hearing/listening to thier music)
I don't see/hear any issue with other non-noise related reviews like this being posted here.
(Anyone?)

For me it (music I heard as a teenager type reviews) would be something like
Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA that I hated as a young person but 30 something years later when I gave it an actual listen its actually really kinda great in its own way. Maybe the constant daily replaying of minor threat and dead kennedys aaaaannnd being 13 had something to do with not really understanding what that album is about.

Other examples for excessivness sake.

NiN - pretty hate machine(sound wise this is still sort of ok. the emo goo goo woe is me lyrics don't work for me now and in reality didn't work for me then but this was a 'lets have teenage sex' sound track for me so those are nice memories)

Guns n Roses - appetite for destruction(nope then and just fucking no today. His vocals make me wanna kick him the throat and the whole band is paying for it. Is Slash a great guitarist I dunno Axl fucking douche dork Rose is the way bro. I hated the kids that listened to this shit. I wonder how and where they are today? Fun Fact: the great smartass early L.A. punk rocker Black Randy who I really like and am sad he didn't do more before he died was GnR's manager in thier early days. Probably thier speed\coke connection also?)

Dead Kennedy's - bedtime for democracy(just doesn't have the same vital feel it did at 13. Dear Abby is still a great funny punk song about cannibalism. In parts separate from the whole some of these songs still have the punch but over all as a unit not so much...could be I'm just old but also could be that this just didn't age as well I did...harharhar)

[FAP]

Your reviews are extremely good/well written and hilariously honest and I really like them but I'm scared you may review something of mine.

Well, now that you mention it, I do recall being somewhat bored by the majority of The Pagan Christ, but that boredom ended with the title track, which I thought was awesome.
Of course, it's been years since I've heard that album; I don't think I can give it an honest review without giving it another spin, but I already have a backlog of about 30-40 hours worth of stuff I still need to listen to before that.
Consider yourself lucky...

In all seriousness, thank you for your kind words.

Back to business:

David Behrman - Wave Train (1998):

(no full album rips on youtube, sorry)

More 20th century composer gobbledygook… for the first sixteen or so minutes. I suppose “Canons” and both parts of “Ricercar” could be enjoyable if one is in the right mood: I’d just skip them outright.

Of note is the title track, a 1966 composition made from what the liner notes describe as “piano resonance with feedback.” In practice, it sounds more like a violin bow being pulled across scrap metal. Whatever the case, it’s not bad.

Following immediately thereafter is the baffling “Sounds for a Film by Robert Watts,” a 1968 composition that’s about 70% nature sounds/raw foley work, 20% silence, 6% traditional instrumentation (implemented with seemingly little rhyme or reason), and 4% various electronic noises. I don’t know why it’s structured like this (the liner notes fail to provide the name of the supposed film or how this recording was obtained) but regardless, it’s a piece of shit.

Of far greater interest is “Players With Circuits,” composed and recorded in 1966. While not very harsh (or rather, not very loud), “Players With Circuits” is nonetheless a de facto noise composition and a damn good one at that. I’d love to know what circuits the “players” used in this recording, as such information is again vexingly absent from the liner notes.

Capping-off the compilation is “Runthrough,” another electronic piece: it’s just okay.

While Behrman’s solo work is a mixed experience at best, his contributions to mid-20th century avant-garde music should not be understated. He produced several indispensable early electronic records, mostly with Columbia, featuring the likes of John Cage, Henri Posseur, Milton Babbit, Pauline Oliveros, and Steve Reich, among others.

Notably, Gordon Mumma performed on all the tracks I liked (or at least found passable) on this compilation; Alvin Lucier and David Tudor also make appearances on “Runthrough" and “Canons,” respectively.

[RUBBISH]

Well, now that you mention it, I do recall being somewhat bored by the majority of The Pagan Christ, but that boredom ended with the title track, which I thought was awesome.
Of course, it's been years since I've heard that album; I don't think I can give it an honest review without giving it another spin, but I already have a backlog of about 30-40 hours worth of stuff I still need to listen to before that.
Consider yourself lucky...

Yeah I think I made some of my releases way too long.Too many tracks. Now ill have to go back and listen to that release. Like the pagan Christ could have been 2 or 3 separate releases or just 1 release cut down to 25 or 30 min of the best tracks. I am aware of the issue. I blame drugs and over enthusiasm.
Feel free to rip my noise ass wide open!