Selfs Without Shells - 5: The Number Of Communication

Label : EE Tapes - ET16

Country : Belgium

Year : 1993

Format : C60

Astute minds might notice something about today's post, that is the fact that it has been posted before. Well, apparently. Kinda. What the monumental tape-attack (which I'm glad was not shuttered after a few weeks without downloadability on the blog) posted was the IRRE iteration of this particular series of tapes. What we have here is not a failure to communication, but simply a small series of misunderstanding. numero cinq.

What's different? The tracklisting differs a little bit, though it shares the Birds of a Feather (apparently a separate group? I dunno, I wasn't there) side to a tee. The schism here, ironically, is the one that also shares a title with the other issue, that is 5: The Number of Communication side. Now, I don't know the significance of the number 5 and what it has to do with communication and magick and whatever but it seems to me that it comprises of various collaborations (probably via mail and elsewhere) between members of the Selfs with such incandescent figures as the Sack himself(s) and Del(eted) and autre un-unforgotten luminaries of the underground seen.

Here

I was not very confident in my ability to discern between different tracks on this one as I am usually, given the muffled aspects of it and my forgetful laziness. Seeing as the "Bofa Feather" side differs from mine on the Brains For Breakfast rip, only one of us can be wrong! Or both.

Kakophonia Nr.1 - P (0) 0 (X K0 (0) 0

Label : n/a

Year : 1993

Country : Germany

Format : C60

An unknown shriek across sound spectra. "Unknown" meaning I have no clue who was behind this. Although it it befitting that this tape be from an obscure source, given its cacophonic (hah) terror. If I were to dredge up a cliche used by every internet reviewer since the mediums emergence, almost eldritch.

But what do I know? I can't even read, let alone Love. Craft of another form in the field of noise and collage and industrial and the fusion herein. This cassette just never stops from the word go, only ceding when it chokes the medium to its limits.

Here

Die Welttraumforscher - Gold Vom Tiefen Himmel

Label : Das Moniflabel - PP031

Year : 1993

Country : Switzerland

Format : CD

Naive art, the true solitary reveries of an outsider*. Is this naive? Only an appearance? If even, it's impossible to be cynical about such beautiful music and warm sleeve art. Made right in the wheelhouse t'where I first entered Pfluger's dreamlife, this is a nice journey into a mysterious bois.
Drink it in.

Empty spaces are to be filled with imagination, or somesuch.

I recall quotes pertaining to a similar notion.

I figured I'd try a taste of what's over my paygrade.

Here

*wrong Rousseau

Guy Clerbois - La Dernière Tentation Du Disque

Label : Ayaa - PSOCDA 1

Country : France

Year : 1993

Format : CD

Ripped by Scramoutcha

Oh, hello. Here is another rip from my fine friend from across that big old body of water--an old rip at that. A sideproject of the frontman (as if there was much of a backing) of the monumental synth-spazz project Vitor Hublot. Somewhat a departure here, maybe more. Here is essentially, at the time, the previous 20 or so years in recorded music history given the John Oswald treatment. Er, if Oswald hadn't already done that at the same time frame. Maybe a bit more obscure in choice here, though I do recognize many a phrase here, and I have a terrible memory! Particularly the first the track-from the getgo I can recognize that song, see if you can. I can't even remember which song it was.

A familiar cast of characters. I wonder if this was an artistic choice or one borne out of the need to credit the musicians themselves. I'll go with both.

Here

Schwarzwurz / Harald "Sack" Ziegler - Zugabäh! / Helau?

Label : Senseless Gebollah - SG ! #14

Country : Germany

Year : 1993

Format : C60

Back to our regularly scheduled programme, as abnormally placated it is. I got this tape from the honcho of the immortal Ebus tape conglomerate on Discogs recently, and it certainly is a strange beast. The A-side is composed of live performances from a band/duo/project/experiment called Schwarzwurz. Prior to this I had no exposure to them and on first glance, they are pretty damn wild. Noise-industrial improv, "Fuck You" kind of music.

Now the B-side is from a figure that I have a much greater familiarity with. Harald "Sack" Ziegler has been putting out warped pop for years, and with a live backing it becomes even rougher.

Just the two sides ripped, pristine and without any bells and whistles in the post-processing and splitting processes. Since the tracks are quite hard to discern from one another due to the quality and nature of live performance and my ignorance of most of the content, I hope it's acceptable.

Here

Flophouse / Research Defense Squad - 10th Anniversary Celebration Release 1983-1993 / The Percodan Years

Label : Foundation T.dieZ. - 030

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : LP

The monstrosity above, Porky Chedwick's Monster as it were, is my attempt to manually stitch together the hopeless fragments of the scan of this particular obscurity's "front" sleeve. An inevitably aleatoric operation due to the nature of the thin, textured paper as well as the bullet holes that are riddled across said paper. The back cover stitched fine, for whatever reason.

OK, enuff vanity for just a moment. The real trashy treasure here is the music itself. And that's why we're all gathered here together right, dear readers and crawlers? Although I do tend to overrate stuff that is hopelessly unknown (especially so if I pay a pretty penny for it), I must say this is well worth my high appraisal. As I might just get into in a second, this is an outgrowth of the 80s Chicago noise-collage microscene. Prior to bucking up and throwing down a few decades of cash for this, I had been previously familiar with the underside of the split, that is the Research Defense Squad. Featured here though abridged, I had heard their Pisshole tape when the noise-arch was still live. It's, uh, interesting.

Based off that a posteriori knowledge, that is their sound mostly being based on collage and noisy industrial rumblings, I was quite surprised by some of the songs featured on their share of the record sleeve. Though still industrial, it has a much more melodic flavor. Which is always welcome. Though you still do get to hear that collagenoise aspect I mentioned earlier, it still is interesting to hear something different than what you had previously expected. 

Flophouse are something of another story altogether. I had no knowledge of them before I bought this, and what sparse info I could find at the time didn't really paint a full picture. Now having heard them on this record, I would love to see if I can get more of their stuff. Psyched out industrial noise rock is the name of the game.

Splitting the tracks for this whole operation was a bit difficult, and there may have been some mistakes here and there. It should also be noted that this is a pretty dirty record with some scratches so I tried to clean it both physically and digitally as best as I could. Might do a rerip eventually, only God knows when I'll get around to that.

Here

Various Artists - LowLife 17

Label : RRR Records - RRR-L03

Year : 1993

Country: US

Format : LP

Hello, here's something I've had for a little while and never bothered to upload for whatever reason. This here is a companion to the LowLife zine which apparently existed and RRR pressed for a coupla times... Too much indeh rawk here for me, don't care for it. There is some good avant moments, however. Murray Reams and Paul Hoskin play together on 'ere, and the mostly unknown band called Cake inverts their more popular and similarly named contemporary with some exp. folk dirges. Tinnitus is cool, too, and befitting of its name. My memory isn't very good, so maybe I imagined what this whole record sounded like in lieu of listening to it again. Well...

Here

It also came with this booklet, presumably the zine in question. It's pretty cool, contains some reviews about now acclaimed cult klassics like Spiderland (a pretty ambivalent review for that one, all told). Some illustrations, too! Pretty... Didn't scan it, though.

Pineal Ventana - Stagnancy Is Revolting

Label : PV Records - PV1

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : 7 inch

Perhaps out of character, have a post-HC record. Saved by its noisy demeanor, however. I may be losing my edge, I almost bought a minimal techno record and very well may have posted it here had I done it (it was rather good, though. Probably should have picked it up). A digression, as they call it, but I appeal to it here.

 Back to the little slab o' vinilo presented, just some scorching noise-industrial sized punx for the discernible of disturbances. A track that it isn't listed actually persists here, which I have made the distinction of in the rip, just for you. There's some nice vinyl messabouts to change it up from the average noisepunck charade, whether its physical or aural I don't really know.

Here

(note to the self, get Photoshop or something to help me stitch manually in a coherent fashion)

Semicolon - Violent Sneeze & The Neighbor's Pool

Label : Shimmy-Disc - SHIMMY-793

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : 7 inch

An odd one, this. I've had this for awhile and decided to let this loose to help squelch the creative malaise this blog has been experiencing the past month or so... I'll give it to you guys straight and to the point: it's recorded at the wrong speed. Yep, at about 12 less revolutions taken for what's needed for pain. This is necessary, however, as the original recording is generic folk rock with a female muse, whereas the one presented here is more of a darkfolk interpretation with a bit of a demon's growl.

Also, I haven't been able to fix the buzzing that has become more prominent over the past year, probably a preamp issue, maybe the receiver itself. I won't be able to sort this out til I get new equipment probably.

Here

Candiru / Fat Hacker - Split

Label : Red Stream Inc. - RSR-0103

Year : 1993

Country : US

Format : 7 inch

I've posted a lot of Industrial musics on this blog, but I've never really divulged in the rock or metallic side of the "genre". Barring some exceptions depending on your definition of Industrial rock/metal, of course. I don't really care for this kind of stuff, preferring the more noisy and abstract sound. This release itself is no real outlier in this calamity. Enjoy, some Harrisburg bred Industrial rawk split with some NY style racket.

Here

Unwanted Christmas Presents - Unwanted Christmas Presents

Label : Electrocution Records - ELE 33007

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : LP

I dislike unwanted Christmas presents. Obviously these guys did, too. This WV-bred weirdo punk would fit right in the catalog of Siltbreeze if not for the untimely demise of vocalist/howler/barker Keith Dunleavy, who makes his voice heard throughout this racket of eighties coaltown dementia. The screeching of the frontman is backed by the metallic improvisation of guitarist/various object player Joe Nathan (no relation to the reliever I presume). This is mainly composed of fragments strewn throughout the nineteen eighties via live performance and garage 4-track debauchery. 

Exhibit A: this cool poster outlines the whole process of this little compilation, with some nice drawings to boot. This is the stuff I crave, garage-punk noise trash with a little lore behind it.

Here

Note that the first track had some residue and/or a scratch on it, so there are some annoying clicks. Luckily, a better version can be found here, along with some other cool things about this obscure little outfit. Also, an interesting interview with Nathan was in Maximum Rock 'n' Roll awhile back, it can be found on page 88 here.

Trumans Water - Godspeed The Static

Label : Drunken Fish Records - DF-10

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : LP

Here

Filet of Feedback - Live!

Label : SSS Productions - SSS44

Country : US

Year : 1993

Format : C60

Here

Various Artists - Acousticide

Label : Apraxia - PXC 08234 

Country : US 

Year : 1993 

Format : C60

Here