Tollund Men - Autoerotik

There is something about this release that I find very hypnotic and mesmerizing; there is definitely a sense of mystery here, which I absolutely love - it isn't something you see all to often in these glory days of the information age! Couple the fact that this cassette release meanders within itself as much as it leads with hypnotic rhythms, and you have the perfect recipe for pulsating electronic work. The "cassette" quality sound of the sound make it hard to differentiate whether this has been composed on analogue or digital equipment, but the density of the tape sound really adds to the overall atmospheric. Beautiful stuff. If you can track down an original tape, I strongly recommend that you snap it up.

Head Noise - Special Effects Improves The Defects

(Words by Gareth Burra)

Head Noise are a 3 piece Electro Art-Punk band from South Wales, often using a keytar as a primary instrument as well as an array of nontraditional instruments. With no live drums or an actual drummer they are certainly a different act and stand out from the crowd with their less conventional, more experimental approach.

So here we have the bands new 6 track mini-album "Special Effects Improves The Defects", a very fun sounding release here; upbeat, with some wicked little electronic jingles and beats throughout, which wouldn't sound out of place in an 80s disco or a soundtrack to a film set in such era, truth be told.

Some highlights of the EP, for myself, are "Finally Snapped", which may be my favourite of the bunch, with its dark and ambient sound - I'm getting some major A Flock Of Seagulls-esque vibes from this one - as well as "Diamond Planet", with its perfect groove and a more alternative 80's sound.

Overall a nice little release her; its fun, its fresh, its different, and stands out. Nicely done.

Necro Deathmort - Martian Cartography

Martian Cartography is an excellent album release by the criminally under-rated experimental duo Necro Deathmort. Mixing catastrophically heavy atmosphere with intelligent, progressive electronic work has always been ND's forte, but on Martian Cartography, I find that this approach to sound design has finally had chance to spread its wings and fly. In some respects that means that this record isn't as hard-hitting or droning as something off Music Of Bleak Origin or earlier, but the duo more than make up for it on the journey that they help take us on.

The opening track "Repeat-O" - and also, I'm sure not coincidentally, my favourite track, "The Ultimate Testament (Remix)" - both have pulsating beats carrying them; a clinical industrial backbone to a sparse electronic worldview. Other stand outs for me include "Cold Sleeps" and the muted closer, "Terra Cimmeria", which has a relaxed, almost deep house feel. 

Originally released as a download by the band themselves, this was eventually pressed onto CD by Extreme Ultimate.

King Midas Sound - Waiting For You

King Midas Sound is a beautiful collaboration between Roger Robinson, Kiki Hitomi and Kevin Martin, which (I think, correct me if I'm wrong) began life as a track for Kevin's much more wider known project, The Bug. I find it hard to describe and categorize KMS simply because my exploration into this kind of music is incredibly limited (I got here through Godflesh, Techno Animal, etc.), although I can say that this is a incredibly strong and moving record. Revisiting it years later for the purpose of this post has acted as a written reminder to myself to explore these kinds of things more often.

Robinson's soft, bizarrely ethereal vocals are the perfect human accompaniment to Kevin Martin's spaced out dubs, shuffling beats and sparse yet hard-hitting arrangements. Waiting For You walks that perilous tightrope between being chilled out and having a profound message; equal parts dark and light, with finishing flourishes from Hitomi, who would take more of a central vocal role as the project progressed in later years. Waiting For You was released by the excellent Hyperdub.

AUN - Black Pyramid

AUN are one of those bands that I constantly end up back at. For what is essentially noisy ambiance with synths and the odd guitar, this is quite impressive. Fantastic, shoe-gazy drones meet unfurling electronics in transcendent "songs" that average around the 7 minute mark; deep, involving worlds swirl into life, conjured from the chasms of nothingness by this bleak yet somewhat inspiring show of digital noise. Enter the Black Pyramid!

Blank Banshee - Blank Banshee 0

I might be a bit late to the Blank Banshee party, but that doesn't stop me from chaining the entire discography a few times on a night shift or two. It definitely got the ol' chair reclining; it was actually quite pleasant working away to the busy-yet-lucid tunes in a 2am caffeine haze. What stood out to me the most out of the Blank Banshee records was this one, the first one.

There's just something about this one that seems much more precious. It is hard to be original at all in electronic music, and whilst I'm not claiming that Blank Banshee has in any way re-invented the wheel, this is an extremely refreshing take on several different layers of the electronic world. I know I'm playing catch up, but this is amazing stuff. 

Hong Kong Express - This

Perhaps it is because I find myself more and more nocturnal, with my life seemingly spent basking in the constant glow of some sort of screen or interface, but I find myself becoming one with the [ v a p o r ] ((( a  e  s  t  h  e  t  i  c ))). Yes, this is the only logical reason I can think for my sudden interested in what is referred to as vaporwave. I am still a little bit unsure if it is actually a legit genre of music, or just a strange meme of some sort.

Either way, Hong Kong Express is here and This is very fucking real (sentence construction entirely intended). Hong Kong Express is easily one of the more ethereal and ambiance-based vaporwave artists I have come across. It is almost as if this entire thing was designed to be consumed in the small hours; it is simultaneously relaxing yet uplifting to hear. Strongly recommended listening!

Björk - Biophilia

I love Björk, I really do, but a lot of her later output leaves a lot to be desired, in my opinion. Case in point: this entire album. Despite the lead single "Crystalline" being one of my favourite Björk tracks, and "Mutual Core" being a fantastic, brooding ballad-meets-speedcore headfuck, the remainder of Biophilia is unfortunately a lazy wasteland of ploinky ploinky quirkiness that goes absolutely nowhere, which in a bizarre twist of fate is simultaneously Björk's appeal as well as her undoing.

It is hard to analyse a record that literally does the same thing over and over on every track (please give me the sweet release of harsh noise wall!), so I'll just wind this up quickly. It doesn't matter how weird or perplexing Björk's lyrics are, when you've heard *x* number of icy synths or obscure percussion instruments being strummed/plonked/hit/keyed out of time for ten tracks in a row, the peculiarity loses its charm. For die-hard Björk fans only.  

This is the best song here by far, and the video is awesome too.

The Haxan Cloak - Excavation

Presenting you with haunting digital soundscapes from one of the masters of the genre, the Excavation record is a true trip in ethereal ambiance and beatwork. I first spun this at about 4am on a nightshift; it was that eerie time of night when everything literally stops dead, even though I was in a room full of people. There is something about "the witching hour" - that unique stillness - that is just so palpable. The Haxan Cloak was the perfect choice. Perhaps it was fate.

I gave Excavation a listen as a whole, rather than study the layout and the track listing, which is what I usually tend to do when obsessing over something awesome, but everything just seemed to fit together so well as a whole it didn't seem worth breaking down. I just went with the ride, and I enjoyed every second. I almost fell asleep, but it was almost as if my mind was asleep, and not my body.

A fantastic record all round, which seems like it could easily be a film soundtrack of some sorts, if the opportunity was right. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that Haxan Cloak had done a bit of work on the latest Bjork album, which had a slightly darker overtone than a lot of her stuff. Anyways, I digress. Check the links below if you're in the mood.

Grunt - Codex Bizarre

Grunt (the Portugese gore/porn/whatever/grind band, not the power electronics project of the same name) have been causing quite a stir lately for various reasons, and the main response amongst "haters" online is that the music made by Grunt is for neanderthals. So I listened. Ha! I'm not exactly a stranger to the seedier sub-genres of grind (shhh though, don't tell the real trve grinders I called this grind) but I was very much blown away by how on-point this record is. I was expecting some mediocre tupa tupa bollocks but this is fresh, interesting, and put together with a strong studio production job. (edit: I have seen Grunt live before, a long time before listening to this, but the sound was so fucking bad at that venue they literally had no chance).

Just by looking at the artwork one would instantly draw comparisons to Cock And Ball Torture, and whilst the band do draw elements from that mucky pool of inspiration, Grunt have their own unique sound, mashing together cleverly-assembled metal with elements of goregrind, dark and twisted electronica, and a not-too-imposing usage of source material and sampling. I mean, sometimes it's hard to bang on some pornogrind at top volume when there's a crap sample of somebody having an orgasm over the top of it every five minutes.

You can stream the whole album on YouTube or Bandcamp or get the real thing from the legendary Bizarre Leprous. 

AFX - Hangable Auto Bulb

 If I wanted to hear freaky English kids talking about fucking potatoes over a meltdown of electronics, up until now I'd have said that I'd have to either a.) knock up my ex a few times (aayyy lmao) or b.) hit a shitload of acid. But now, thanks to the Aphex Twin side-project / spin off AFX, I can just wap Spotify on, and away we go! Wow, technology has come so far, I think I have a tear in my eye! Progress, people, progress!

As far as AFX goes, Hangable Auto Bulb is AFX to the core. That may be just as ignorant as that time I did a review where I said Electric Wizard sounds like Electric Wizard, but literally I fail to see how you can listen to this and not know who you are hearing (unless you've never heard AFX / Twin before, of course). Anxious, blippy electronics meet mellow, almost nostalgic synth work and downright bizarre sampling, culminating in a concoction that is just simply gorgeous.

Case in point, "Every Day", taking this mixture to a new level. All hail AFX.

Cool pro tip - This is the CD version of 2 12" EPs together on one release, and I'm sure a few others, unless I'm going insane...

Death Grips - Exmilitary

Exmilitary is the debut mixtape/record/whatever from seminal noise-meets-rap maniacs Death Grips. I can't believe this thing is five years old, especially considering I've been planning on reviewing it since I started this website! But yeah - I don't think the hip hop world was prepared for Death Grips, and neither were the legions of fans from outside of that sphere; would-be converts sidling on over due to this group, and this mixtape.

I first came across this on Jay Randall's Grindcore Karaoke website as a free download, and was instantly hooked on the super-weird, trashy mash up of noise electronics and hip hop music. To me it sounded like ODB meets Merzbow at a Scorn show, and this was before the gimmicks and the controversy; all you had in regards to Death Grips was this puzzling record sleeve, and bangers like "Guillotine", "Takyon (Death Yon)", "5d" leading to "Through the Walls" and "Blood Creepin".

An iconic and essential piece of modern hip hop, if you've not already heard it.

Clams Casino - Rainforest

Rainforest by Clams Casino is probably my top contender for favourite driving music at the moment, especially during the night time. Rainforest is as dense and multi-layered as its moniker suggests; overlapping, almost distorted layers of electronic auras mingle freely over retro drum programming and ethereal vocal tomfoolery. Honestly, the whole thing is a bit disjoined but each individual track works so well in unfolding its own world that you don’t want it to end.

Opener “Natural” sounds to me like Jesu meets King Tubby, whilst the excellent “Treetops” that follows it is more akin to a jam between Emeralds and Burial. I could go on in this vein for quite some time, but it feels like I’m not giving Clams Casino any credit for the sounds on offer here. It’s really interesting because Mr. Clams is a hip hop producer. You don’t really see that many hip hop producers releasing solo stuff like this (if anyone says Dr. Dre I’ll fucking clock you haha) and asides from the Instrumentals series he’s released over the years, it appears Rainforest is Clams Casino’s only stand-alone original material. I could be wrong on this shout though – if I am, hit me up with more of this stuff, it’s simply gorgeous.

Earl Sweatshirt - Doris

Every now and then it's great to hear a rapper who doesn't rely heavily on endless taboo subject matter to fill his verses. Granted, perhaps I was a little burnt out on the excess of hip hop, as I was listening to Necro's The Sexorcist a lot alongside Doris, and I'm not exactly saying that this Odd Future member's solo outfit is clean like a Will Smith album, but it is admittedly refreshing all the same.

Doris, being produced by Tyler the Creator, sounds pretty fuckin' good. Earl Sweatshirt's tracks seem to hold a stoned elegance to them, particularly "Hive" which is like what gangsta rap would have sounded like if it was invented in an Amsterdam coffeeshop. "Sunday" is also a great ode somewhat in part to weed smoking, even if Frank Ocean's contributions aren't the greatest. Vocal contributions from Tyler the Producer (see what I did there?) on "Sasquatch" are always welcome, and RZA from Wu Tang guesting on the excellent "Molasses" is a nice little suprise towards the end of the record.

Libido Airbag - Knee Deep In Her Pussy

Welcome to the album that got me banned from the Vinyl Junkies group on Facebook! Haha! 

There was some spat happening on there over the use of the nude female form as album artwork. The usual pros and cons were discussed, where the line between pornography and art lies etc. etc., and I argued (quite sensibly, I would like to think) that no matter what the image may be, if the band or artist has chosen that image to represent their sound, it becomes art. It is irrelevant if the image is crass, offensive, moving, beautiful or plain boring. It is now art. A lot of people argreed with me so I posted this record sleeve as a kind of hamfisted example – and was promptly booted from the group. LOL!

But fuck those prudes, this is German techno porno gore grind, bitches! I’m here to dance, not moan about nudity! This is by far the most lo-fi of all Libido Airbag releases, and it is often mistaken for the band’s debut album, but it’s actually a collection of two tape demos. It was released on CD and went out of print many, many moons ago, but Goatgrind Records did the scene a massive service and re-issued the collection on vinyl record for the first time.

Side B has a much better sound than side A, as it’s from a different session. All in all I listen to this album much more now that I have a decent pressing of it; the already muddy sound was crapified even further in dodgy mp3 downloads that I’ve possessed in the past. This pressing was fairly limited to, I think 200 copies, so if you’re gonna get it, I’d get it sooner rather than later (you ever seen the price on out of print Libido Airbag vinyl?).

Rock out with yer cock out!

Suicide - Suicide

Well, this is… different. I’m aware of the influential impact that Suicide and Mr. Alan Vega have had on some of my favourite artists, so it was only fair that in time I go back even further and plumb those original depths. After a bit of research, and conversing amongst friends, I came to rest on Suicide’s debut album; a puzzling affair of cheap synths, almost early Lou Reed-like vocals and linear narrative and repetition that no doubt cemented the foundations for the no wave genre.

Despite the, how should I put it, homely style of synths, the overall recording is pretty flat and claustrophobic. Song subject matter ranges from comic book crushes, to the monotony and crushing feeling of entrapment in Western life (for the working class, at least). Each song does hold it’s own unique vibe and atmosphere, which is quite the achievement for something so linear.  “Frankie Teardrop” is probably my favourite song here. I was unaware that “Che” was originally by Suicide (I love the Sunn O))) version), and I am impressed that it still packs quite a punch without two guitars and thousands of pounds worth of amplification equipment.

All in all, I’m glad I made the listen, and I do appreciate what’s going on here, I just don’t think it’s for me. Not yet.

Death In June - Brown Book

Death In June is one strange-ass project. For something as simple as acoustic, folky shit, DIJ sure do have a wide, eccentric discography. Brown Book is pretty weird. Death In June's lazy campfire strumming and monotone vocal meets 80s-to-the-max drum programming and fairly awful female vocals. It kinda sounds like a poor man's mid-career Swans. I might be slightly biased here however, and even factually incorrect as Death In June were doing this kind of thing first.

Although, for some reason that isn't entirely clear to me yet, I quite like this. Perhaps it is because I am pretty interested in some other DIJ material, and this is just a perplexing variant on that sound. It is almost soothing, yet at the same time quite unsettling. "Red Dog - Black Dog" is like a cross between a lullaby and a nightmare. "Hail! The White Grain" and "Runes And Men" must be deliberately Third Reich-y? "We Are The Lust" is almost ritual like, with thumping percussion, haunting synth work and chanted vocal mantra. "Burn Again" rounds everything off with a menacing yet pensive tone. 

Make what you will of the nazi-related imagery (but they ain't nazis, yo - it's art, see?), but all in all this is a pretty interesting recording, if you have an open mind.

Alec Empire Vs. Merzbow - Live CBGB's NYC 1998

Christ, who's idea was this? Mixing gabba-techno / industrial kingpin Alec Empire with the father of harsh noise, Akita Masami would surely result in a cacophonous cocktail that would make the world end in any other given circumstance. Somehow the earth didn't stop turning, and instead we are treated to one of the craziest collaborations in musical history in all it's glory. This is quite probably the most coherent thing I've heard Merzbow being involved in. Empire's spastic beat programming and bass warbles dominate the forefront of the performance, with Merzbow's harsh noise attacks bringing up the rear, fleshing out the higher echelons of the audio canvas. 

It's kinda like what Libido Airbag would sound like if their members were originally from Ramleh instead of GUT. I've not heard awkward synths and industrial terror mashed together so uncertainly since Greed-era Swans. Obviously, the 'harshness' of the harsh noise has to be a little scaled back for Empire's parts to even get a look in, but even when it's Merzbow's time to shine, he seems to focus on broken, stuttering loops and staccato, stabbing distortion in lieu of punishing walls of wailing static. There are some clever references in the song titles here, such as "606: The Number Of The Beast" and "Curse Of The Golden Angel". In case you didn't know, this references Curse Of The Golden Vampire, which was another short-lived bat-shit-crazy-random supergroup featuring Alec Empire, Godflesh's Justin Broadrick and Kevin Martin of The Bug / King Midas Sound fame (I know, right?).

Whoever thought up this collab might have possibly been smoking a lot of meth at the time, but it fucking works. If you loved Masami's Merzbeat, Aqua Necromancer or Door Opens At 8am albums, or even his Merzdub collaboration with Jamie Saft, then you've probably already heard this. If you're an Alec Empire fan, I don't see why you wouldn't love this either. Everyone is a winner! 

Fire Walk With Me - ストリートウォーカー

Warning - shameless plug!

Whilst I surely can't review my own material, I can tell you fuckers a little bit about it. With the death of Life Is Easy I've started a whole bunch of new musical ventures, including Fire Walk With Me; a project born out of my new love affairs with David Lynch's Twin Peaks and HNW music, if such a crossover isn't too bold. What I've done here however is attempted somewhat at creating texture within harsh noise wall. Basically I recorded a harsh noise wall passage of about 44 minutes, achieved my desired distortion and decided that it just wasn't enough, so I built on that passage with a further 7 more layers of harsh noise (you can hear them all kicking in within the first five minutes or so).

As amazing as 8 layers of HNW playing at the same time sounds, I quickly learned that putting noise on top of noise just results in more noise - but it is a hellish, claustrophobic, repetitive, hopeless, self-depreciating 44 minutes that you will never get back, if you're into that kind of thing. ストリートウォーカー basically translates to 'street walker', be it tramp... junkie... prostitute......vampire......

Stream the entire thing for free, or tapes are available for £3 with a much bassier and versatile mix (created by my tape dubbing machine, which has a mind of it's own). 

Data Shit - Reconstruction Deformation

Now this is really nice - imagine combining the sounds of gabba techno drum programming (but slowed down a touch) with the random ambience of early Warp Records electronic music like The Aphex Twin. It's kinda like a drum'n'bassy Venetian Snares making sweet, sweet love to Optimus Prime, at varying BPM.

"Time Is A Disease" is a beast of an opener, with moody synths and epic piano lines, before it bursts this EP open with a flurry of garbled electronica and blasting 909 beats. "At Least We Have McDonalds" is a scatterfuck of a track, incorporating elements of dubstep into an already chaotic sound. "The Ghost Of My Girlfriend's House" is as close to straight-up Snares worship Data Shit can get, before closer "Hypertrophy" is a simmering mirage of operatic samples and grindcore-grade drum programming. What more do you need?

I've tried looking up more about Data Shit but have so far been unsuccessful. You can stream and download the entire EP over on Torn Flesh Records.