ever so slowly do i come around to finish up the rest of what bob sent me; two of his personal releases under the reglaer name. it would take me all day to review both of these at the same time, so i'll break them down into two separate reviews and make them a little less daunting. for both of us.

american masonry
[2007, anarchymoon]

this cd is a reissue of last year's anarchymoon ten inch. sweet, since i reviewed that at the wrong speed last time (though, i was reviewing something that i bought, so i feel less bad about that). here's my second chance to not fuck it up. let's see how i do...

oh, and this isn't just a reissue; there's a third track tacked onto this to make it worthwhile... or possibly frustrating for people who bought the vinyl version.

american masonry is a pretty dark album. no, there aren't any industrial overtones, but bellerue's noise on this cd is absolutely bleak, hopeless and mildly harrowing. it's pretty removed from the ear ringing performance that i saw from him a few months back, but no less impressive. there's a great job done in the first half of the opening track to create a tangible sense of tension. bob will teeter the focus between a desolate backdrop and louder rumbles which periodically shatter the eerie calm. it gets a lot freakier once the vocal wails in the background enter the picture. it's all very sinister and the fact that there's a good deal of distorted noise concurrent with the vocals is even better. up to this point the noise was multi-layered and oppressive, but its density is more like a cloud of bad vibes coming toward you than a wall noise typhoon; which sets up the next part beautifully. after building up some steam, a high pitched whine in the background pops up and then everything but barren, nighttime, field recordings and this whining noise exist. once it's done maneuvering between the stereo channels for a bit, everything calms down, but you know better than to expect that to stick around for very long. ok, i'm just leading you on, but that was suspenseful, right? it turns out that despite a few teases into noisier outbursts, the track will stay relatively subdued.
alright, we go from foreboding to... just sort of slow and desolate. there's a subtler hand at work with this track, crafting multiple layers of cold, undulating drones; occasionally, they'll gain enough amplitude to quiver in the speakers before calming back down. soon enough, the noise will pick up in the background, but it'll be way back there, whereas the drones will swarm over everything. the mid-section of the piece will pick up in intensity, as noise isn't a secondary focus but now hand in hand with the drones, though the texture of both will have shifted by the time it gets to this point. there's a lot of layering and that combined with a loud, deep noise and (again) high-pitched whining tones makes for a very chaotic sound. then there's the wolves. while that layer crept into the last few minutes, once everything but the whine, wolves (and vocal droning, i assume) are left, it's pretty fucking great.

now, the bad news for owners of this vinyl: the new addition to american masonry is easily just as good as the first two tracks. it manages to adhere to the sonic theme of the original offerings, while still possessing its own unique aspects. moodwise, it's very much akin to the previous track, but the emphasis is almost exclusively on textured drones. at least it is once it gets past the odd vocal sounds in the beginning (plus the one that sounds like a death rattle). this one buzzes, hums and just plain drones for the first third of its twenty minutes. just as previously observed all throughout this album, the middle section is where bob shines the brightest. instead of having a myriad of different sounding drones, he'll stick to one main sound and it's a dark, loud, throbbing drone which will keep coming in revolutions. it's arguably the most memorable stretch during the disc. the latter portion of the track, while not quite as forceful as its predecessor, still leaves a nice impression with its fluctuating drones and infrequent, but always unexpected, louder outbursts.with the addition of a nice new track, this cd version proves to be a worthwhile release. now i doubt that most people who have the record will cough up the money to buy this digital version, but it offers a terrific second chance for those who didn't know about it the first time around.

American Masonry 1

sacred arrow c36
[2007, arbor]



oklahoma's brad rose doesn't just talk the talk with his foxy digitalis webzine, or his foxglove and digitalis labels, he can walk it too with his own musical projects. there's at least: alligator crystal moth, corsican paintbrush, eastern fox squirrels, autumn galaxy, the golden oaks, the greenlanders, jade emperor, the juniper meadows, ocasek, rura'pente, akhet and now ajilvsga, which is a duo with nathan young. i'm going to go ahead and assume that it's that nathan young.

take one guy who's known for noisy electronics, put him together with someone known mostly for folky (maybe i should just say organic) music and the results are... electronic! to elaborate a bit more: stunning electronics. i popped this tape in having no clue who was responsible for ajilvsga and came out from the experience blown away.out of every musical genre, i'd have to say that drone is one that's most in need of brilliant albums every now and then to grab and shake you out of that lull and make you realize that it's capable of being amazing. granted, by design, drone isn't the most dazzling form of music; hell, even the word itself sounds boring. it ultimately rewards those with patience and while it's always great to throw on as background music when you're reading, or want to take a nap, a track like taurpis tula's november 9 (on sparrows) opens your eyes to how phenomenal this music can be when its potential is maximized. for me, sacred arrow is one of those epiphanic releases.

with that in mind, to simply call the music on sacred arrow drone would be to sell it drastically short. it's really an album about balance. rose's psychedelic leanings being counterbalanced by young's darker urges. the first track, salt plains, is their most harmonious pairing. the background is haunted by light, flowing, atmospheric and celestial sounds while the darker synthwork establishes itself as the more dominate force. that main sound is an amazing piece of electronics which will alternate between a deep drone and a quivering sputter. the most important thing about it is that it's not completely monotonous, there are changes in its tone, making it a lot more memorable than it could've been. also, as killer as that layer is alone, it's definitely enhanced by the airier elements encircling it as the mood of salt plains can change quite a bit depending on which unique sound you choose to focus in on, and that's a nice added bonus.
wolves standing in water is less about contrasting (as complimentary as it was) and more about using enhancing sounds that won't depart much from the great main fluctuating drone. just as previously heard, there's an emphasis on slight tone variation, making repeated listens a much more enjoyable experience. wolves is a predominantly drone track; what i want you to take from that is that the drone isn't the most captivating element. it serves as the foundation (albeit, an extremely solid one), and what might be thought of as accoutrements will provide the subtle dynamic that it needs to make a lasting impression. the most noteworthy of those is a wisely underused electronic ringing sound (sort of). what i like the most about it is that when it's not producing that exact sound, it exists as a higher pitched droning counterpart to that main low-end lurcher.

the sixteen and a half minutes of the lone b-side track, fire builder, is sacred arrow's least immediately gratifying piece of music. i'm not saying that it's a lesser track, but on this particular one, ajilvsga spends more time building towards something, whereas salt plains had me hooked right from the opening seconds. one thing of note is that this is the only track where i can perceptibly hear a guitar. brad's delayed drone adds a unique texture to the synthetic drones witnessed all throughout the tape, and even more so in conjunction with the lighter ambient drones on this track. it's mostly repetitious lulling throughout the first five or so minutes, but then it gets a bit more interesting once the guitar drops off as the focus shifts from drone to heavy atmosphere and some beeping electronics. once past the ten minute mark, the wide-open feel is abandoned for a bit more cohesion. that centering aspect comes by way of catchy tonality; there's nice back and forth between higher and lower tone pitches amidst swirling ambiance and various benign synth effects.

one of the reasons that i think i didn't take to fire builder as much as the others is that, well, it's a departure from both of them. after taking more time to soak it all in, i appreciate this one more because it's so different. both of the a-side's offerings had at least one key part that you pick out and say "this is what i'm drawn to". you didn't have to think about it so much since it was right there in the forefront. side b was more dynamic. the sound continually evolved until it got to that lucid moment where everything came together for you, and even once it got there, the music continued to transform around it.

get this tape.

p.s. will someone please put out an ajilvsga and ahlzagailzehguh split for my amusement? plz?

Salt Plains

psycohazard c28
[2007, psychform]

this cassette from kenji siratori comes as a bit of a relief. his previous solo outing (the b side of a split with pcrv) on psychform was strictly spoken word. i can appreciate that, but another tape of that would be pointless to review since i don't understand japanese. much to my surprise, psycohazard actually sees siratori no longer content with just allowing everyone and their mom to make the music while he supplies the vocals.
kenji's music will adhere closely to his established pattern of working within a darker tone. speaking of walking down familiar paths, his background as a science-fiction / cyber-punk author also comes into play, aurally. psycohazard's inhabitants live in a cold, bleak, grey and apathetic world. it's not too far-fetched to envision a post-apocalyptic, subterranean setting; the repetitious sonic elements evoking a mechanical image, giving the music a futurist slant, without being hamfisted.

for someone whom i've heard precious little actual music from, kenji has a great grasp on how to make good (what would david reed call this...) death industrial. the most important aspect is that it doesn't sound overly synthesized, which is where a lot of darker artists lose me. on the a side opener he'll employ multiple layers of great loops which aren't so much dark as they are somber. there's a colder ambiance, but that plays a small part. the most memorable feature are the affected vocal wails in the background in conjunction with a repetitious wave of shriller noise, which is pushed back just enough so that it doesn't overwhelm the other components, but helps create a brooding aura. the second track has the most cinematic feel to it, mostly due to the emphasis placed on the synth (and legitimate music, as opposed to solely atmospherics). it doesn't start off like that though, beginning with desolate ambiance. it will slowly begin to build off of that bare-bones foundation, incorporating a layer of noise which is similar to the first track. that will soon drop out of range for a minute, immersing you back in ambiance, before leaning into the synth on a more grandiose level as the noisier element returns, too.
there's definitely a constant to kenji's sound on psycohazard and that's the token dissonant layer on three out of the four tracks. it always has a shrill and sweeping sound to it. whether that's a good or bad thing, that depends on your personal view. i actually kind of like how it establishes a sense of continuity. there's a good level of parity between the first three tracks; they all have their own unique attributes to separate them from each other, but there are also commonalities. retaining this one key aspect makes the tape play out more like one long, continually evolving piece of music, which has thoughtfully been broken down into smaller pieces.

the tape's closer is its starkest departure. in its original form, it would be more of siratori's spoken word, but this sounds like he's manipulating a tape of him speaking, and it sounds great; making for an odd (within the scope of the cassette), but satisfying conclusion.

Psycohazard 2

music by kenji siratori mixed with a short film from david lynch. not a legitimate collaboration, but an interesting one.

i should probably start to integrate the package sent to me by ballard, washington's levi berner. this is from the first batch of his new wasting imprint.

untitled 3" cd-r
[2007, wasting]

ground tissues is the latest solo project of seattleite shevaun thomas. perhaps some of you remember her last as mad eyed screamer.

this is an interesting disc of experimental noise from ms. thomas. larval parasites is all about the distortion. where some, or maybe i should say most, would tend to flip that distortion into something more overbearing, it seems like shevaun's taking it completely the opposite route as it sounds tiny and fragile, like you're trying to get an a.m. station to come in on a real cheap alarm clock radio. the onset is marked by multiple unique stereo channels of distortion with a high-pitched interference that weaves in and out of the noise. once the legitimate noise starts (after several minutes) she'll continue to make the most out of each stereo channel while a dominating layer of hum and chirping electronics preside over everything, constant in both speakers. the dynamic noise that she's making is really great, but i have no clue what it is that she's doing. it almost has a skipping record needle over a piece of vinyl sound, but i know that's not it. that's the best way i could describe it. really scratchy and dripping with distortion. it sounds killer. parasites will ease itself out on the same far away sound that it began with...
... which is also how hatching and feeding begins. shevaun will retain the electrocuting buzz from the first track, but chooses to go with a denser base. i really feel like one of the most important things in making enjoyable dense noise is panning. there just needs to be something dynamic to keep the momentum moving forward and that's exactly what's happening with this track. i also love how the electric hum becomes a drone amidst all of the crackling and rumbles; it's very grounding. my favorite part of hatching and feeding will come near the end when a piercing tone will be panned and phased between the speakers. it's hell on the ears, but in the best way.i've been really stoked on the few things of thomas' that i've gotten to hear. she has a unique sound and despite the fact that it's not particularly harsh, it's also not easy listening. what i found most impressive with this disc was how she was able to use a rather trite noise element (static) and via manipulating, panning and pairing it with better sounds, made something engrossing. it seems like an easy enough thing to pull off, but sometimes i wonder.

Hatching and Feeding

free piano 7"
[2005, misanthropic agenda]

jeez, speaking of under-appreciated noise artists, here's japan's masami akita. alright, you got me, i'm being facetious. i feel like i should come clean about something here: i don't listen to merzbow. my reasons are, admittedly, pretty asshole-ish and have nothing to do with akita or his music. fans of merzbow just fucking annoy me and i don't get how he's so popular (well, in noise terms) while other incredible japanese noise artists are so fucking overlooked: mo*te, pain jerk, government alpha, guilty connector, msbr, outermost, thirdorgan, killer bug... wtf.

cynicism aside, i have no qualms with listening to collaborations that merzbow does with artists i like and la's john wiese is definitely an artist that i like.

i haven't worked my way to merzbow and wiese's multiplication disc (also on gerritt's misanthropic agenda imprint) yet, but after hearing free piano, i might get to it sooner than later. dual channels of great dynamic distorted noise are putting the choke-hold on the rhythmic pounding bass in the background. you can feel the jolts from it, but that's about it. it will provide a unique texture for the dissonant onslaught and high pitched whines coming from the speakers. i love the periodic stops and shifts that will occur throughout (especially so in the closing minutes). oh, and that bassline that pops up after two minutes is wonderful (it won't wear out its welcome, either). also noteworthy was the less dense, but still plenty noisy, final minute.
hypersomnia is your respite from side a's chaos. while the duo will tone things way the hell down, they won't equate that with being less interesting. there's quite a few layers to this lumbering beast. you've got a frequently recurring high-pitched tone / drone, an ambient background drone, a howling main drone, a layer of distortion and a deeper background drone. christ. all this makes up for the fact that hypersomnia doesn't do a whole lot, but it sounds good doing it. or... not doing it. i'm confused...

this was released in an edition of 500 and there's still some copies available. they'll all cost you in excess of ten bucks. i'd say around fifteen if you're planning on buying it online. is the music (all ten minutes of it) worth fifteen bucks? hell no. is it good? definitely, but i can think of quite a few albums that are more deserving of your money. the main selling point to this (other than merzbow's name) is that it's a double-sided picture disc. well, that's why i bought it, anyway.

Hypersomnia

john wiese @ family in los angeles; 4/1/07

split 7"
[2006, breathmint]

i'm not sure if it's due to the fact that i'm over here on the west coast, but mat rademan's pennsylvania-based newton project doesn't really seem to get the attention that it deserves. i know that it's not due to shortage of material, as he keeps himself pretty busy. it appears that the majority of his releases are pretty low key; released on his own breathmint label (which at this point is past two hundred releases in its discography). time to wake up people!not to take anything away from nicholas, but newton's side is the main draw. it's not blatant harsh noise (by either artist), but dynamic and more sonically involved. rademan will build off of his slow, sputtery base with a combination of denser noise and almost sci-fi like sounds. the back and forth between those distinct elements beginning at around the two minute mark was great. after a minute or so of that, life is rough will settle into a pattern of sustained low pitched tones with just the right amount of distortion adorning them.

portland, oregon's dead/bird puts forth a nice effort with the cinder block wall. what makes me favor newton's track was the fact that it's a bit more involved. i still like bittakis' approach, though. especially rad is his trade-off between high-pitched frequencies and shriller sounds with static. there's a lot to like about what nick's doing in the latter half of his side, too; stuttering synth, screaming analog knobwork and a great use of static in between the gaps.
having listened to both of these tracks a bunch of times now, i stand corrected: i think they're equally great. another thing that i enjoyed was how well each of them complimented the other. the transition from one to the other was seamless. well, except for the fact that you have to flip the record over. oh, there's also another rad art job done by nicholas' seizure palace. it's always nice to have more of his artwork.

Newton - Life is Rough

mat jamming as part of r.l. stein. he's on guitar. it looks like ren (god willing) is one of the drummers, too. kindred spirits to los angeles' deep jew.