Joe Marshall – The Evening Redness in the West C22
Double Dot Dash
I am trying to refrain from making any jokes about this album title because I have to remember my roll as a reviewer and not as a comedian. It seems the only time I utter something I think is funny I end up being the only one laughing. I’m sure any comedy is not intended on The Evening Redness in the West though because in addition to the abstract, colorless artwork the song titles are quite foreboding.
It turns out …

Colorguard – Channels C13
Elm Recordings
Yet another unknown artist from this label and right here in New England as well! I love hearing new and interesting artists one of the few reasons I write these things. This is a quick blast of two opposing tracks represented well with the artwork using inverted white/black art on the cover.
Side A is all lo-fi noise destruction relentless in it’s attack. Not exactly harsh but more hypnotic and mesmerizing. Side B features echoing smooth layers of harmonic sounds forming a droning din of pulsating trails.
At …

Jon Ericksen – The Pale Light C15
Elm Recordings
The artwork for this release is a minimalist/kitschy affair using a light blue j-card with an animal skull on the front. The design works on a few levels so it sets up for the music although the sound here isn’t perhaps what I was expecting.
Jon Ericksen creates some filthy distorted tunes. Yes tunes, because there is “music” happening behind the layers of distortion, minimalist kind of piano lines that remind me of early Philip Glass or something, but they’re difficult to make out …

Amalgamated – Spark II 3″CDr
Intangible Cat
Spark II is the second installment of the Spark series from the artist Amalgamated and immediately noticeable is the link in packaging design. It’s unique yet tied to the first volume as well using a vinyl sticker on the front of the case to create negative/positive space with the inner insert artwork. It works and is striking to the eye as well as providing something different.
The music inside is of the experimental electronica variety which isn’t normally my thing but I have to say this …

M. Todd & L. Kerr – Beyond The Threshold CDr
No Visible Scars
Larry Kerr is a member of the massive death industrial unit Steel Hook Prostheses while M. Todd is the man behind the project Transcendent Device. I don’t have any experience with the work of the latter project but if the work of SHP is any indication as to how this will sound I will guess this is going to be a descent into pure darkness with little hope. Before delving into the sound though, I want to mention that …

+Dog+ – Greetings from Moot Point California CD
Love Earth Music
+Dog+ is a project that always seems to perplex me. I’m always on the edge of whether or not I’m into it and with their latest effort Greetings from Moot Point California they make things even more difficult. First off the absolutely terrible graphic design on the packaging is a site to behold. Not just obviously photoshopped, but badly photoshopped the art makes use of fonts in the most atrocious of ways. The color scheme is ridiculous as well; combining light …

Lavas Magmas – Dark Mantle C34
Dumpsterscore Home Recordings
Dark Mantle is a Lavas Magmas release I have yet to hear and I am psyched to fire this baby up. Lavas Magmas is the project of Luis Gonzalez who has been creating abstract sound since roughly 2009.
The work of Lavas Magmas usually lies within the realm of ambient industrial utilizing scrap metal sounds and heavy organic-like synth sounds to create a mix of soaring drone and experimental underpinnings. Most of this tape stays true to the traditional Lavas Magmas sound but …

Agarttha – A Water Which Does Not Wet Hands LP
King of the Monsters Records
This one took me by surprise. I had never heard the project or was familiar with the label at all. The artwork is simple and understated yet the packaging comes with a nice fold-out poster on heavy stock. The music presented within is a great mix of psychedelic drone, goth, and neo-folk.
Most of the tracks feature underlying minimal drum beats with either drones or subtle yet simple melodic ideas and a driving bass line. The atmosphere is …

Peter J Woods & Instinct Control – What We’ve Done 3″CDr
FTAM
What We’ve Done is a pairing of two midwest artists Peter J Woods hailing from Milwaukee and Instinct Control from Chicago. They both produce experimental music but in slightly different forms. Wood’s sound is usually more composed with a darker touch and Instinct Control’s is more free from and improvisational.
This disc collides the styles of the two artists very well working off the strengths of each. Instinct Control’s usually ultra-dry and raw sound is mixed with Wood’s manipulated and morphed …

Instinct Control – Who We Are 3″CDr
FTAM
Instinct Control is Ryan Dunn not to be confused of course with the late, great Ryan Dunn of the infamous Jack Ass prank troupe. The Ryan Dunn we are concerned about is a resident of Chicago, the man behind the unrelenting experimental noise project Instinct Control, and one of the people responsible for the Enemy show space which gave host to many incredible shows during it’s duration.
My first experience with the project was a live performance where Dunn manipulated a 4 track tape machine …