Thursday, February 22, 2018

Modernairs - Bend

Label : Illuminated Records - ILL 812
Country : UK
Year : 1982
Format : LP
In short succession, another post. For once, I'd like to avoid a metanarrative in what should be a humble download page. But I want to illustrate this to satiate a feeling in my tangled neurons. I got this record (along with another LP which I will share later on) at a local fixture in Jerry's Records. The name emblazoned on the sign holds little more than sentimental value and a legacy function, given that the original Jerry has recently handed off the musty and beautiful little shop to new management. Still essentially the same place, however.

Back to what I was getting at: the act of finding what I'm looking for is a much bigger challenge nowadays than it had been then. The last post contains a tape zine which I had found in a crop of several other suitors for my ultimate purchase that given day. Most of said suitors had belonged to a one Paul Morrison, a man who had amassed a gigantic collection of records and tapes of any kind of persuasion, a good amount of which were experimental/avantgarde/whathaveyou... I think I dried up that well given that most of what can be found on this blog especially in the earlier days can be sourced back to good 'ol Jerry's. Now, in the world as it is today, finding a record which I can find some sort of enjoyment out of is a whole different ballgame. Sorting through album after album, taking a few to the designated listening stations, and finally shelling out the green to bring home a few soundforms is the name of the game. It is never a sure thing, which I do enjoy though it can be exhausting. There is a large volume of unknown stuffs on those packed shelves between the Wham! and Aerosmith surplus; the main issue is whether or not I will hit on some good stuff or end up with some generic, abhorrent stuff that was forgotten for a reason.
Betraying my succeeding line at the beginning, I must take heed to the fact that I had written a ton of stuff without having paid even an iota of attention to the music presented here. And I said this was "humble"download page. Anywho, this isn't what I described on the second half of that last line there. There is stuff to like here... Though the whole time I had spent listening I couldn't help but try to conjure up musical comparisons. I saw a review of their sole album liken them to Ludus, which isn't too inaccurate given the jazz instrumentation and postpunk spirit. No female vocalist, though. Maybe a less crazy James Chance? Jazzified Police? I dunno. A bit too neu-wavey at times to me. Still, jazzy postpunk is always welcome dans la maison.


Tuesday, February 20, 2018

Various Artists - Outward Inward #5

Label : SSS Productions - OI-5
Year : 1987
Country : US
Format : C34
If not for the brandspankin' new website tape-mag brought forth by Vinyl-on-Demand honcho Frank Bull, I'd have forgotten that I had never brought the 5th little issue of this industrial zine to lite. Now, here we are. Tape and all! Lots of interesting tendons to chew on in here, interviews from the subunderground tenenaries featured on that prestigious front cover. The music, in lieu from the usual compendium of tracks originating from various sources, consist of live "songs" from a set that occurred at the Squirrel Hill American Legion. Must have been quite the slight live.

Here (tape) / Here (zine)


Monday, February 5, 2018

Panda Haus - Exercises In Brevity

Label : Polyamory
Country : US
Year : 1999
Format : C44

Most of some of the time trawling the assorted obscurities of Discogs' database bears strange and rewarding fruits. This is one of those times. As soon as I saw that notification on the electronic mail, I as there. I first discovered this little dirtied gem of a tape when I, as I am wont to do, inputted some appealing filters with the sites rather limited Style system. I believe it was something to the chune of "1990s, Cassette, Avantgarde, Synth-Pop". A winning combination.


As can be seen from the image, this was likely sent for review to the subunderground zine Muckraker and addressed to its honcho Patrick Marley. Though I bought this from CMS Foundation's Chris Sienko, one of those things that get mixed up when buying a little something. When describing the music, I could say that it is along the thread of experimental pop with lofi production with little smatterings of noise here and there. The noise element, though very understated, is appropriate given the involvement of Tovah "Dead Machines" Olson. Personally, I have found more enjoyment in this sort of project, that is melodic yet chaotic and noisy pop rambling, than the more harsh and glitchy sounscapes that has found prominence over the last two decades or so.



Wednesday, January 31, 2018

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.


Thursday, January 18, 2018

Florida=Death - Depression Era Music


Label : Hot Air Press - No. 17
Country : US
Year : 2009
Format : LP

Another older number from my collection, relatively speaking due to this blog being somewhat of a "collector's diary" so to speak. Relistening to this now, I find myself thinking that I may have initially underrated this single sided behemoth of brevity. There's a lot of cool stuff going on for a whole 25 or so minutes made up of cut up collages containing disparate performances laced with acid and submerged in noisy entropy. Though I am phoning this one in somewhat, having realized they actually have this up at their Bandcamp...... So, if you like what you hear, I'd imagine the logical course of action would be to lay down 5 bones for a much clearer version. I mean, that's what I would do. Florida is the reason, after all.


Thursday, January 11, 2018

Vale And Year - Holy Music And Art / Field Recordings Vol. 1


Label : n/a
Year : 2004
Country : US
Format : CD(s)
A chance encounter I've found. Browsing the internet leads to strange discoveries at times, and on a fateful minute I found a post from the ancient days of 2013 talking about my blog. It had been posted by David Bernabo, a member of this odd little project. I had previously posted the first album served here back in those days, and I had not realized that I never reposted it after revitalizing this digital warehouse. So here we are.

I got both of these from a local library which supplied many a release from around these parts. Not a lot really sprung an interest from me, but these are exceptions. I want to say I first of this band from the Blastitude webzine, but apparently it was not where I had first encountered them. I think I might have first seen it be perchance on the fallen fakejazz superhighway xerox, though I never got much into that one so who knows. Anywho, this is an interesting admixture of noisy indie rawk with some experimental smatterings across the (maybe a bit unnecessary) 2 disc set. The other album is a collection of free improvs and maybe some field recordings. Maybe. I have not heard these in awhile and just now dug them up from the last remains of my old HDD. So enjoy. 


Friday, January 5, 2018

Tsukimoto Tadashi [月本正] - だってもう雨だよ, サンシャインガール (It's A Rainy Day, Sunshine Girl)

Label : きなこたけ - きなこ-101
Year : 1997
Country : Japan
Format : CD
Disquiet night, this. Here's another offering from the strange and apparently illustrated avant-whatever musician Tadashi Tsukimoto. In this episode, he covers those fateful years of 1993-96, this time with a little help from his friends. Compared to the wildly popular post from a little while back, this is a behemoth. And rougher, too.
A comparison I've been forcing upon this album is one of age periods. The relatively piecemeal aki shimmydisc which was replete with small ditties and childish folksong is given way to manic free improv and harsh acoustic works. Now, about the comparison. I have said in the past that this album is one of adolescence to its predecessor's infancy and burgeoning youth. Projection? Yeah. 
It should be noted that I have decided to actually get off my ass and post this album in the split middle of the night, as often I do find my best work to be seen due to the spastic neurons firing and nocturnal motivation. I also just got off watching the first four episodes of the new Debiruman animu, so I have a bit of hypersexual and hyperviolent energy in my veins 'swell.


Sunday, December 31, 2017

Die Welttraumforscher - Das Licht Loon

Label : Edition Stora - Storage Secret Sounds 004
Country : Germany
Year : 2000
Format : CD
Another year is shining through the cracks of my curtains, and here I am posting music under the illumination brought upon by firework. For all the flack it has gotten, the observed year of 2017 was a very productive one for me, besting this very establishments two previous years combined in terms of posts. You know, the purpose of this whole enterprise? Anyway, I should probably get to talking about today's attraction.
Now, I've been voicing my pleasure in regards to this very artist for some time. Such a treat his synth treatments are. This particular album is no slouch in comparison to what I've heard in his catalog, though it does focus more on the realm of (synth)pop rather than the more ambient and minimal musings, and that's just fine. Pfluger is a fine songwriter, and oftentimes shines most when at his most "conventional". Beautiful stuff. Might be too late to put this on the Neu Year's playlist, but I hope you all have a good'un.


Tuesday, December 26, 2017

Napalmed / Mood Nanamenicaca - Split

Label : Napalmed
Country : Czech Republic
Year : 1999
Format : 7 inch

What was a Christmas present to me is a Boxing Day gift to you, the reader. Hope you all have had a jovial holiday, and if not, I hope to at least spread some joy your ways. Here's some stirring sounds provided by Czech noise masters Napalmed and a sideproject of a blog favorite in Hachiman-Mae.

Now, I'm not sure if many of those who come by this blog read my reviews on rate your music, but I'll keep this brief so as to not create a retread of my review of this on there. This split was something of a surprise to me as it played along, shattering my expectations ov it. At first glance, I had thought this would be a coin of different sides in terms of sound: The harsh machinations of Napalmed and the lowfi junkfolk of Hachiman-Mae. But, as you may hear, it deviates quite a bit from my preconceived notions.
For one, the two sides do not present much of a radical difference from one another when it comes to general aesthetic. Two sides of electronic experimentation as it were. Though Napalmed's contributions fall more into the realms of industrial synth and Mood Nanamenicaca's in the ways of glitch collage, the aural arenas are not separated so much as they are in perpendicular realities. If that makes any sense at all.


Friday, December 22, 2017

Smersh - AIP

Label : Albertine Records - ALB 1-12
Country : US
Year : 1989
Format : LP
The Piscataway legends return. Essential New Joisey indie-pain-dance, as you may know. Smersh has been steadily getting more coverage over the past few years it seems, though still not nearly enough. Such a great band with a monstrous sound unmatched by their distorted progenitors. This ee-pee is no slouch in regards to that voracious aesthetic.
This is another wreckord that I've held onto for awhile, mostly because it has been posted in the past on some faraway blog. Now with the links to it being apparently dead, I've decided to post it. This relative quickie parlays the familiar Smersh sound with its harsh, overgained vocals and incessant drumbeats and synthesizers. There's even a sax in the mix somewhere.

Anyway, it seemed worth mentioning I did some post-production on this number. The third track had a scratch near its end and was a bit annoying, so I applied some clickrepair to the wound. Now, instead of being a loud click, it just sounds like I'm lightly tapping the turntable cover.


Sunday, December 17, 2017

Various Artists - Tête De Bébé

Label : S-S Records - SS020
Country : US
Year : 2006
Format : LP

S-S is a fine label, with it releasing a ton of good stuff and repackaging just the same. And any-body who appreciates Monoshock is good in my book. This particular release, though, doesn't do much for me, toutefois. It's a foreign sequel to the early Ess Ess joint "Babyhead", composed mostly of synth heavy frog garage punx and occasional exp. spasms.


I've not found myself a fan of more straightforward punk musics, especially contemporary forms. I prefer a bit more of a looser structure I guess, though I can't call this uptight. Maybe my receptors are outta whack.


Wednesday, December 6, 2017

Tsukimoto Tadashi [月本正] - 1983-1985

Label : n/a
Country : Japan
Year : 1987
Format : 7 inch flexi

Probably the sparsest record that's been shown a light on this blog. Each little track comes and goes as the needle crosses borders between grooves, leaving only jilted melodie and lowfi guitar and piano recordings behind.

I said before on a different site recently, this is one for fans of pseudo-children's muzak the likes of Uncle Calvin's Private Life, maybe Dragibus, etc... But this is a much more stripped down version of that kind of stuff, so donut expect some elektrik eccentricism. The influence of nursery chimes is obvious when he himself gives thanks to his childhood on the back cover. Placed above his halcyon days, he also gives thanks to the great D.D. Records, one of the greatest tape labels in Japon's fabled histry.

I believe Tsukimoto appears on the excellent DD comp "Disk Musik", performing a chune not unfamiliar to the stylings posed here. He also appeared on some compilations put out by the also excellent and eclectic Fifth Column label.







Sunday, December 3, 2017

Infektionsabteilung - Luzifer's Traum

Label : Narcolepsia - narco070
Country : Portugal
Year : 2015
Format : C30

Here's a more recent tape. Brief dark ambiance for that industrious thrill. Apparently, this is an Italian project. Expect heavy organ and primitive drone. Tiny pinch of noise, too.