Friday, November 24, 2006
cabinet of natural curiosities
vineland
[2006, for satellites]
this disc, which came in a very nice hand sewn packaging, was sent to me from brooklynite (but currently in missoula, montana pursuing higher education) artist/writer/musician jasmine dreame wagner. she is the one st
atic fixture in cabinet of natural curiosities, though, from time to time, she does enlist the help of a revolving cast of musicians to fill out the sound. such is the case here.
vineland puts its best foot forward, atleast as far as melody's concerned, with calico (outside). that track makes a reworked reappearance (inside) five songs later. this version is pure memorable lo-fi warmth. sounding like it was recorded directly onto a hand-held tape recorder from radioshack, it's the consummate bedroom folk moment on the album. jasmine pulls it off so sublimely that it makes you wish that she'd stay truer to that concept a bit more. you'll soon forget about all of that after you realize how good everything else is as well. the reprised version swaps the lo-fidelity for cleaner sounds (inside as opposed to outside, now it makes sense, right?). it's still good, but give me the tape hiss and that lovely xylophone from outside.
vineland (part 2) is another stab at bedroom folk and it's another excellent song. this time it's a bit more experimentally-inclined, from the field recordings, which serve as the background music, to the acoustic guitar which transforms to affected guitar during the latter half. this, along with calico, is one the more impressive and melodic vocal perfomances from jasmine, who has a very lovely voice. i'll save myself the embarassment of drawing comparisons and just leave it at that. on occasion, she's backed by a male singer who does a great job of enhancing, and not detracting from, that loveliness. this is best witnessed on the terrific glass essay.
if i had to narrow down my choice of favorites, one would have to be the fourth track, sailing seasick. propelled by a very simple drum hit and then a wood hit rhythmic pattern, it has a guitar playing some terrific chords that seem like they could've come from a spaghetti western score (actually, this would be right at home on jarmusch's underappreciated dead man). without being outright catchy, it's a great track all around.
the rest of vineland is mainly comprised of instrumental songs. these; however, serve as more than just minor stop-gaps in between the vocal ones, they have their own legs and are just as impressive as everything else on here.
it's always refreshing when you come across an experimental folk album that doesn't have to be weird to be different. vineland (perhaps a nod to thomas pynchon?) is one such album. it succeeds on a few different levels. first, it has its share of memorable songs, which is always a good thing. secondly, while there is experimentation being used, not once does it come across as being forced. you don't get that let's be weird just for weirdness' sake vibe that one can come across far too often with this type of music. here, it seems to be more of a natural progression, rather than a suit-following afterthought. lastly, while i can easily see this having a broader appeal, it isn't crafted as such. it just so happens that some talented people came together and made a wonderful album. nothing more, nothing less. i would hope that it's only a matter of time before more people start picking up on what jasmine and co. are doing.
at just over thirty minutes long for nine tracks, this cd is the perfect length for this type of music. the slightly kindred spirited album scatter ways, that i raved about awhile ago, was just about the same length. it sticks around long enough for you to fully appreciate it and be able to take it all in, but it's short enough that it doesn't suffer from the inclusion of lesser tracks that were thrown in simply to bulk up the running time. sometimes less is perfect.
Calico (Outside)
(for more free mp3's check out cabinet of natural curiosities' last.fm page and jasmine's myspace)
[2006, for satellites]
this disc, which came in a very nice hand sewn packaging, was sent to me from brooklynite (but currently in missoula, montana pursuing higher education) artist/writer/musician jasmine dreame wagner. she is the one st
atic fixture in cabinet of natural curiosities, though, from time to time, she does enlist the help of a revolving cast of musicians to fill out the sound. such is the case here.vineland puts its best foot forward, atleast as far as melody's concerned, with calico (outside). that track makes a reworked reappearance (inside) five songs later. this version is pure memorable lo-fi warmth. sounding like it was recorded directly onto a hand-held tape recorder from radioshack, it's the consummate bedroom folk moment on the album. jasmine pulls it off so sublimely that it makes you wish that she'd stay truer to that concept a bit more. you'll soon forget about all of that after you realize how good everything else is as well. the reprised version swaps the lo-fidelity for cleaner sounds (inside as opposed to outside, now it makes sense, right?). it's still good, but give me the tape hiss and that lovely xylophone from outside.
vineland (part 2) is another stab at bedroom folk and it's another excellent song. this time it's a bit more experimentally-inclined, from the field recordings, which serve as the background music, to the acoustic guitar which transforms to affected guitar during the latter half. this, along with calico, is one the more impressive and melodic vocal perfomances from jasmine, who has a very lovely voice. i'll save myself the embarassment of drawing comparisons and just leave it at that. on occasion, she's backed by a male singer who does a great job of enhancing, and not detracting from, that loveliness. this is best witnessed on the terrific glass essay.
if i had to narrow down my choice of favorites, one would have to be the fourth track, sailing seasick. propelled by a very simple drum hit and then a wood hit rhythmic pattern, it has a guitar playing some terrific chords that seem like they could've come from a spaghetti western score (actually, this would be right at home on jarmusch's underappreciated dead man). without being outright catchy, it's a great track all around.
the rest of vineland is mainly comprised of instrumental songs. these; however, serve as more than just minor stop-gaps in between the vocal ones, they have their own legs and are just as impressive as everything else on here.
it's always refreshing when you come across an experimental folk album that doesn't have to be weird to be different. vineland (perhaps a nod to thomas pynchon?) is one such album. it succeeds on a few different levels. first, it has its share of memorable songs, which is always a good thing. secondly, while there is experimentation being used, not once does it come across as being forced. you don't get that let's be weird just for weirdness' sake vibe that one can come across far too often with this type of music. here, it seems to be more of a natural progression, rather than a suit-following afterthought. lastly, while i can easily see this having a broader appeal, it isn't crafted as such. it just so happens that some talented people came together and made a wonderful album. nothing more, nothing less. i would hope that it's only a matter of time before more people start picking up on what jasmine and co. are doing.
at just over thirty minutes long for nine tracks, this cd is the perfect length for this type of music. the slightly kindred spirited album scatter ways, that i raved about awhile ago, was just about the same length. it sticks around long enough for you to fully appreciate it and be able to take it all in, but it's short enough that it doesn't suffer from the inclusion of lesser tracks that were thrown in simply to bulk up the running time. sometimes less is perfect.
Calico (Outside)
(for more free mp3's check out cabinet of natural curiosities' last.fm page and jasmine's myspace)
Thursday, November 23, 2006
pedestrian deposit
vestige 12"
[2006, hospital productions]
at 21, pedestrian deposit’s jon borges is no doe-eyed virgin in the world of noise. he gets around and has so for about seven years now. his admirably consistent output has paired him for splits and collaborations with such harsh noise heavyweights as the cherry point, oscillating innards, the rita, and others, but he has always stood out from these stasis-seeking wall-of-noise purveyors. he seems militant about one thing only and that’s keeping fresh…and it’s very refreshing.
resonating ambiance and minor scale piano loops have been standard pedestrian deposit fare for quite sometime now. when it does get harsh it does not remain stagnant to the point of passivity, as can be the case when harsh comes from the hands of lesser artists. couple the suffocating narcotic-cloud bliss with his painful, diverse outbursts in a structured form and you see why pedestrian deposit is one of the best contemporary artists period.
vestige, borges’ latest full length lp on hospital productions (his full length debut in this format) has been a long time coming, but the world of pressing plants can move slowly. believe me, the wait has been well worth it. the choice of hospital productions is appropriate as they, along with hanson, co-released his last full length cd fatale, which effectively propelled borges into noise super-stardom.
the new lp is five tracks, each one a small masterpiece in its own right. the a side is more in the vein of earlier releases with calm rubbing against confusion, but the b side puts aside the abrasive for almost thirteen minutes, instead opting for tone-heavy studies and mall parking lot ennui. what is especially striking on first listen of vestige is the amount of structure that exists behind the stuttering shreds of noise.
the first track, angora, follows asymmetrical pyramid structure with a few seconds of reversed percussive loops at the beginning and end enclosing a raucous and abrasive rant, further enclosing a mid-point of calmness and serenity. pedestrian deposit tracks have always smacked of meticulous editing and focus on structure, but with this lp he seems to have perfected the art. moving along, ideal, builds a skeletal structure of reversed tones and urban sprawl ambiance eventually tapering off into silence. i do not want to spoil the rest of the tracks as this is an infinitely rewarding listen and receives highest recommendations. it will be interesting to see where borges will go from here.
Angora
reviewed by bortron
[2006, hospital productions]
at 21, pedestrian deposit’s jon borges is no doe-eyed virgin in the world of noise. he gets around and has so for about seven years now. his admirably consistent output has paired him for splits and collaborations with such harsh noise heavyweights as the cherry point, oscillating innards, the rita, and others, but he has always stood out from these stasis-seeking wall-of-noise purveyors. he seems militant about one thing only and that’s keeping fresh…and it’s very refreshing.
resonating ambiance and minor scale piano loops have been standard pedestrian deposit fare for quite sometime now. when it does get harsh it does not remain stagnant to the point of passivity, as can be the case when harsh comes from the hands of lesser artists. couple the suffocating narcotic-cloud bliss with his painful, diverse outbursts in a structured form and you see why pedestrian deposit is one of the best contemporary artists period.
vestige, borges’ latest full length lp on hospital productions (his full length debut in this format) has been a long time coming, but the world of pressing plants can move slowly. believe me, the wait has been well worth it. the choice of hospital productions is appropriate as they, along with hanson, co-released his last full length cd fatale, which effectively propelled borges into noise super-stardom.
the new lp is five tracks, each one a small masterpiece in its own right. the a side is more in the vein of earlier releases with calm rubbing against confusion, but the b side puts aside the abrasive for almost thirteen minutes, instead opting for tone-heavy studies and mall parking lot ennui. what is especially striking on first listen of vestige is the amount of structure that exists behind the stuttering shreds of noise.
the first track, angora, follows asymmetrical pyramid structure with a few seconds of reversed percussive loops at the beginning and end enclosing a raucous and abrasive rant, further enclosing a mid-point of calmness and serenity. pedestrian deposit tracks have always smacked of meticulous editing and focus on structure, but with this lp he seems to have perfected the art. moving along, ideal, builds a skeletal structure of reversed tones and urban sprawl ambiance eventually tapering off into silence. i do not want to spoil the rest of the tracks as this is an infinitely rewarding listen and receives highest recommendations. it will be interesting to see where borges will go from here.
Angora
reviewed by bortron
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
israeli intelligence
here's a few releases that were sent to me by parsimoneous recurrence's jake murry, from palmdale, ca, who also happens to be the man behind this noise project. pr is a newer record label which, atleast for right now, is an outlet for jake's music (he's also in sonntag). here's his label's site.
disingenuous c10 & belly fruit diskette
[2006, parsimoneous recurrence]
upon opening up this package i was greeted with a welcome scent, the smell of spray paint. a signature mark of excellence for most diy noise releases. it's always a good sign. after opening up a black painted envelope i found a black painted tape. honestly, i'm a sucker for colored pieces of music, be it vinyl or cassette, so i can appreciate this. fortunately enough, what's good about this release isn't limited to it's packaging (or coloring). this is a nice tape of interesting noises. one of the more unique aspects of disingenuous is its lack of a background layer. most noise artists utilize a foundation piece (more often than not a rumbling static or distortion sound) that they'll then build off of with pedals or whatever, but that's absent here and it provides a brief, welcomed, reprieve from the norm. with the focus turned directly onto what jake's doing and/or manipulating, he does an excellent job of rising to the occasion and keeping me interested. breaking down the overall sound, i'd describe it as cut up noise interspersed with strangled, screaming vocals and that's topped off with some high pitch squeals every now and then. the nakedness of disingenuous makes it come off as not being that harsh, but it's still plenty noisy.
the bad thing about ten minute cassettes is that when they're done you're like, wait, that's it?, but logically that and the 3" cd are the perfect length for noise releases. while they teasingly whet the appetite, they won't wear you out which full length albums can sometimes do. if ten minutes is enough to get you craving more, imagine what a 3.5" diskette would do. well, not a whole lot. the fact that it's a different medium is certainly commendable (i thought it was neat when cock e.s.p. did it awhile back, but then again, they have a ton of really short songs), but with belly fruit clocking in at 1:15, i kind of second guess the practicality of it. this is decidedly different than disingenuous and is almost a complete reversal. the focus this time is actually that background noise that was previously missing, here it's a rumbling noise similiar to what you get when you try and use a microphone outside when it's windy. that sound. there's also, what i'm guessing are, vocal samples buried underneath it all. there doesn't seem to be much of the actual noise making that jake was doing on the cassette, which is a shame. i think the track is fine, but again, it's severely handicapped by being only a little over a minute long.
Disingenuous Side A Excerpt (from 0:00 to 2:12)
disingenuous c10 & belly fruit diskette
[2006, parsimoneous recurrence]
upon opening up this package i was greeted with a welcome scent, the smell of spray paint. a signature mark of excellence for most diy noise releases. it's always a good sign. after opening up a black painted envelope i found a black painted tape. honestly, i'm a sucker for colored pieces of music, be it vinyl or cassette, so i can appreciate this. fortunately enough, what's good about this release isn't limited to it's packaging (or coloring). this is a nice tape of interesting noises. one of the more unique aspects of disingenuous is its lack of a background layer. most noise artists utilize a foundation piece (more often than not a rumbling static or distortion sound) that they'll then build off of with pedals or whatever, but that's absent here and it provides a brief, welcomed, reprieve from the norm. with the focus turned directly onto what jake's doing and/or manipulating, he does an excellent job of rising to the occasion and keeping me interested. breaking down the overall sound, i'd describe it as cut up noise interspersed with strangled, screaming vocals and that's topped off with some high pitch squeals every now and then. the nakedness of disingenuous makes it come off as not being that harsh, but it's still plenty noisy.
the bad thing about ten minute cassettes is that when they're done you're like, wait, that's it?, but logically that and the 3" cd are the perfect length for noise releases. while they teasingly whet the appetite, they won't wear you out which full length albums can sometimes do. if ten minutes is enough to get you craving more, imagine what a 3.5" diskette would do. well, not a whole lot. the fact that it's a different medium is certainly commendable (i thought it was neat when cock e.s.p. did it awhile back, but then again, they have a ton of really short songs), but with belly fruit clocking in at 1:15, i kind of second guess the practicality of it. this is decidedly different than disingenuous and is almost a complete reversal. the focus this time is actually that background noise that was previously missing, here it's a rumbling noise similiar to what you get when you try and use a microphone outside when it's windy. that sound. there's also, what i'm guessing are, vocal samples buried underneath it all. there doesn't seem to be much of the actual noise making that jake was doing on the cassette, which is a shame. i think the track is fine, but again, it's severely handicapped by being only a little over a minute long.
Disingenuous Side A Excerpt (from 0:00 to 2:12)
mother tongue
open in obscurity 12"
[1988, touch]
there are actually two projects with the name mother tongue, but this is the good one. the other one is some alternative rock band i'd never heard of whose website boasts media praise from such visionaries as mtv, rolling stone and the nme, so i can use my imagination as to what they're like. this overlooked project, possibly due to them only releasing one album, which was only on vinyl, features a couple of pretty important figures in the experimental music scene. the
first is hafler trio mainstay andrew (a.m.) mckenzie, from the uk. the second is los angelean percussionist stefan weisser (center in the picture), better known as z'ev. stefan's also in deep fry with throbbing gristle and psychic tv's genesis p-orridge. rounding out this trio is amsterdam linguistics professor doro(thea) franck. the last member might seem a bit out of place, but her poetry is what gives (half of) this lp its unique voice.
this is truly one of the better and more interesting albums that i've come across in awhile, it's half experimental-type noise and half experimental music/poetry aided by tribalesque percussion and minimal electronic work.
the a-side is comprised solely of one eighteen minute long affair, geelgalayah. this is easily the least easily digestible piece of music to be found on open in obscurity, thus rounding out the noise portion of the album. according to some notes i dug up by stefan, it's a composition by he and mckenzie based around tibetan bells and indian dancing bracelets. it begins a bit on the noisy side before dropping off a bit. the rest of the side has a very harrowing feel to it which is sporadically broken up by intervals where the bells and jangle of the bracelets are most evident.
the songs on the second half of the album all feature dorothea's poetics. for her part, she manages to display a bit of scope in her five tracks, three of which clock in under two minutes. her vocal delivery is primarily in a plaintive spoken word form and ranges from laid back and relaxed, as heard on the outstanding the humble man and most of the nine minute long wind carved my face, to a more manic style. she sounds jittery and on edge during the side opener, who? here, along with some faster paced, manipulated, percussion, she nervously utters someone's coming, someone's coming, i wonder who, he is, he's coming, i wonder, i wonder..i know he's coming, i hear him...they pull of a feeling of paranoia and anxiety like it's no one's business. it doesn't hurt that in the right channel there's an overdub of her voice, which at first sounds normal, but then gets slowed down, repeating everything that she's saying. it's just a bit unsettling.
the following song is, the aforementioned, wind carved my face, and it's an excellent one. for the most part it rides a simple and slower drum beat from stefan. there's also some nice, but buried, electronics from a.m. that you have to really pay attention to pick up on, and then there's the much more restrained effort by doro. during the last few minutes she does manage to break free, repeating over and over, sometimes angrily so, this is not enough! music-wise, it's one of the most rhythmic songs on here, save for the humble man, and it's also one of the album's best.
in regards to the humble man, this particular track does the finest job of equally combining each of the artist's musical elements. there's another very rhythmic drumming effort that's coupled with a great drone from andrew, who also provides various other complimentary noises and sounds that come and go in each channel. this slow paced piece provides the perfect canvas for doro to paint her picture of the poet, with nothing but the heart, the heart, the sore heart, with the hole in it. it's a very beautiful piece of music.
the album's closer, heart, is another one of my favorites. this one features slightly sped up percussion and vocals, with franck, in a style reminiscent of the opener, albeit in less of a paranoiac fashion, going on about the heart...it can hurt, it can hurt, it can hurt, it can hurt. it can beat, it can beat, it can beat, it can stop. bringing the lp to its stop in fine fashion.
open in obscurity is a superb album that none of us have a shot of ever getting our hands on. it's painfully out of print. i would think that a cd reissue would be in order. maybe if more people wanted it, they'd look into it...in the meantime, look for this on p2p, it's well worth the hunt.
Heart
[1988, touch]
there are actually two projects with the name mother tongue, but this is the good one. the other one is some alternative rock band i'd never heard of whose website boasts media praise from such visionaries as mtv, rolling stone and the nme, so i can use my imagination as to what they're like. this overlooked project, possibly due to them only releasing one album, which was only on vinyl, features a couple of pretty important figures in the experimental music scene. the
first is hafler trio mainstay andrew (a.m.) mckenzie, from the uk. the second is los angelean percussionist stefan weisser (center in the picture), better known as z'ev. stefan's also in deep fry with throbbing gristle and psychic tv's genesis p-orridge. rounding out this trio is amsterdam linguistics professor doro(thea) franck. the last member might seem a bit out of place, but her poetry is what gives (half of) this lp its unique voice.this is truly one of the better and more interesting albums that i've come across in awhile, it's half experimental-type noise and half experimental music/poetry aided by tribalesque percussion and minimal electronic work.
the a-side is comprised solely of one eighteen minute long affair, geelgalayah. this is easily the least easily digestible piece of music to be found on open in obscurity, thus rounding out the noise portion of the album. according to some notes i dug up by stefan, it's a composition by he and mckenzie based around tibetan bells and indian dancing bracelets. it begins a bit on the noisy side before dropping off a bit. the rest of the side has a very harrowing feel to it which is sporadically broken up by intervals where the bells and jangle of the bracelets are most evident.
the songs on the second half of the album all feature dorothea's poetics. for her part, she manages to display a bit of scope in her five tracks, three of which clock in under two minutes. her vocal delivery is primarily in a plaintive spoken word form and ranges from laid back and relaxed, as heard on the outstanding the humble man and most of the nine minute long wind carved my face, to a more manic style. she sounds jittery and on edge during the side opener, who? here, along with some faster paced, manipulated, percussion, she nervously utters someone's coming, someone's coming, i wonder who, he is, he's coming, i wonder, i wonder..i know he's coming, i hear him...they pull of a feeling of paranoia and anxiety like it's no one's business. it doesn't hurt that in the right channel there's an overdub of her voice, which at first sounds normal, but then gets slowed down, repeating everything that she's saying. it's just a bit unsettling.
the following song is, the aforementioned, wind carved my face, and it's an excellent one. for the most part it rides a simple and slower drum beat from stefan. there's also some nice, but buried, electronics from a.m. that you have to really pay attention to pick up on, and then there's the much more restrained effort by doro. during the last few minutes she does manage to break free, repeating over and over, sometimes angrily so, this is not enough! music-wise, it's one of the most rhythmic songs on here, save for the humble man, and it's also one of the album's best.
in regards to the humble man, this particular track does the finest job of equally combining each of the artist's musical elements. there's another very rhythmic drumming effort that's coupled with a great drone from andrew, who also provides various other complimentary noises and sounds that come and go in each channel. this slow paced piece provides the perfect canvas for doro to paint her picture of the poet, with nothing but the heart, the heart, the sore heart, with the hole in it. it's a very beautiful piece of music.
the album's closer, heart, is another one of my favorites. this one features slightly sped up percussion and vocals, with franck, in a style reminiscent of the opener, albeit in less of a paranoiac fashion, going on about the heart...it can hurt, it can hurt, it can hurt, it can hurt. it can beat, it can beat, it can beat, it can stop. bringing the lp to its stop in fine fashion.
open in obscurity is a superb album that none of us have a shot of ever getting our hands on. it's painfully out of print. i would think that a cd reissue would be in order. maybe if more people wanted it, they'd look into it...in the meantime, look for this on p2p, it's well worth the hunt.
Heart
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
pop culture rape victim
no use for a broken existence
[2003, snip-snip]
let me see if i can accurately trace matt taggart's movements. he's from billings, montana, then he moved to portland, oregon, then back to billings and now to oakland, which in combination
with san francisco, appears to be the noise mecca. under the name of pop culture rape victim, also known simply as pcrv, matt has only been making noise for around five years, but he has amassed an impressive discography including releases on the following labels: dada drumming, cipher productions, crippled intellect, chondritic sound, rrrecords, troniks, harshnoise, obscurica, audiobot, and this one that was put out on david reed's snip-snip. he's also got another project, 40wattwomb, but i don't know anything about that.
immediately after i listened to no use for a broken existence my right ear began ringing and didn't stop until about twenty minutes later. also, i found myself saying "what?" a lot. not sure if the two are related, though. i should point out the fact that i listened to this with headphones on (the way all noise should be heard), with the volume all the way up. that last part was probably not the brightest idea. having said that, one might jump to the conclusion that this was just some loud and unlistenable noise barrage, but don't be misled. pcrv's music is indeed some very harsh noise, but it was quite enjoyable to listen to. i attribute the earache to taggart's penchant for using very shrill frequencies, akin to feedback, and, on occasion, sustaining them for just a few seconds short of unbearableness. that's not a complaint. where pcrv arguably shows little concern for listenability in that regard, he makes up for it elsewhere. perhaps aware that not everyone can devote their entire attention span to eighteen minute long harsh works that have little variation, he throws in brief calm periods during each of the three tracks. in the first piece, victories gone unnoticed, these interludes occur every few minutes, then in the middle stretch for every minute for a few minutes. they usually last for around thirty seconds and aren't ambient or anything, they still contain elements of noise, but they're hushed and the shift of focus aims more intently on the right and left speaker dynamics. that dynamicism; however, is graciously prevalent all over the forty-nine minute cd.
pcrv has graced us with an excellent album filled with interesting and engaging changes as well as full on brutal noise. this combination strikes the perfect balance for a fulfilling listen. just make sure that you don't listen too loudly.
Cracked Smile Comedy Excerpt (from 2:04 to 5:20)
[2003, snip-snip]
let me see if i can accurately trace matt taggart's movements. he's from billings, montana, then he moved to portland, oregon, then back to billings and now to oakland, which in combination
with san francisco, appears to be the noise mecca. under the name of pop culture rape victim, also known simply as pcrv, matt has only been making noise for around five years, but he has amassed an impressive discography including releases on the following labels: dada drumming, cipher productions, crippled intellect, chondritic sound, rrrecords, troniks, harshnoise, obscurica, audiobot, and this one that was put out on david reed's snip-snip. he's also got another project, 40wattwomb, but i don't know anything about that.immediately after i listened to no use for a broken existence my right ear began ringing and didn't stop until about twenty minutes later. also, i found myself saying "what?" a lot. not sure if the two are related, though. i should point out the fact that i listened to this with headphones on (the way all noise should be heard), with the volume all the way up. that last part was probably not the brightest idea. having said that, one might jump to the conclusion that this was just some loud and unlistenable noise barrage, but don't be misled. pcrv's music is indeed some very harsh noise, but it was quite enjoyable to listen to. i attribute the earache to taggart's penchant for using very shrill frequencies, akin to feedback, and, on occasion, sustaining them for just a few seconds short of unbearableness. that's not a complaint. where pcrv arguably shows little concern for listenability in that regard, he makes up for it elsewhere. perhaps aware that not everyone can devote their entire attention span to eighteen minute long harsh works that have little variation, he throws in brief calm periods during each of the three tracks. in the first piece, victories gone unnoticed, these interludes occur every few minutes, then in the middle stretch for every minute for a few minutes. they usually last for around thirty seconds and aren't ambient or anything, they still contain elements of noise, but they're hushed and the shift of focus aims more intently on the right and left speaker dynamics. that dynamicism; however, is graciously prevalent all over the forty-nine minute cd.
pcrv has graced us with an excellent album filled with interesting and engaging changes as well as full on brutal noise. this combination strikes the perfect balance for a fulfilling listen. just make sure that you don't listen too loudly.
Cracked Smile Comedy Excerpt (from 2:04 to 5:20)