Mind & Flesh – Martyr Generation CD

Force Majeure

Mind & Flesh is a project I know nothing about. Besides coming from the Force Majeure label – which apparently is yet another sub label of Nuit Et Brouilliard – the act is unknown to me. Martyr Generation is however, a pretty great introduction to the project.

What you will find on Martyr Generation is rhythmic – but not quite danceable – power electronics/industrial much reminding me of Irikarah, Haus Arafna, and Mind & Flesh’ label mates Objekt/Urian. Some of the tracks are more primal and simple like the opener Walking Target, and How To Punish but each track varies a lot while retaining a similar style, and it is this that makes Martyr Generation a very successful endeavor.

Every track here is good but there are some true standouts as well that bring this album to the next level. The aforementioned How to Punish is only about a minute long but an excellent show of a more experimental take on power electronics. Destroyers features some really great details adding in harmonies and layers of pitched paraphernalia to really heighten the hypnotism it presents. But the true tour-de-force here is Learning to Hate You with an excellent rhythmic undercurrent and some subtle melodies taking sway over the repetitive industrial pounding.

Mind & Flesh definitely fall under the “new school power electronics” flag but unless you have some inherent hate for technology or clean sound production you can’t hold it against them. They excel using the stylistic decisions that they have chosen, and they have created a good effort with Martyr Generation.

Lascivious Aesthetics Presents:

6/14 @ Medford Soaplands 7-11PM

Nurture Abuse
Dead Times
Xiphoid Dementia
Corephallism
Bitchneck

Featuring DJ Nathan Trites and VJ Chris Latina

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Email egan@existest.org for address.

Minamata – Niigata CD

Zone De Confusion

Despite being active since 1984 Minamata seems to have had a long bout of absence from 1991 to 2009. It wasn’t until his resurgence in the latter part of the 2000s that I discovered the project for myself. It’s unclear when exactly this particular re-issue of the cassette from 1985 was released but they added into the mix a mammoth 17 minute track to close things out which was recorded in 2002. Quite a nice addition.

If you’re a fan of noise/power electronics or industrial you simply must check out Minamata who embodies the best qualities of these genres. The music is aggressive and lo-fi yet creative, experimental and thought provoking in concept and execution.

Expect a lot of junk percussion, distortion, layering, delayed vocals and foley sounds to add to the fray here but all these elements manage to collide into an organic yet machine-like meditative state. The composition flows and builds, often time expanding and contracting, letting in more or less space depending on where you are in the tracks. It’s an affair that is sometimes messy and loose but never wanky or jammy.

Things really come to a head in Es Ist Schwer Zu Leben a track which brings the pummeling rhythmic attacks to the next level reminding me of something similar to old school Le Syndicat. Another shining moment is Niigata 1964 a track where percussive improvisation is juxtaposed with seething drones of distortion and drowning delayed vocals in an engaging fashion. Wo Sind Sie is a particularly good track that demonstrates Minamata’s unique sound through experimentation with various rhythms and nuances.

Finally, the moment I have been waiting for is the newer track here entitled Niigata 2002 which is quite different from the rest of the album. Utilizing inharmonic analog synth pads to create a bed of textures with which to house crazed vocal rants. The track is very oppressive with building distortion and overdrive which creates an extremely claustrophobic atmosphere. Surprisingly the track takes a different turn towards the last quarter with more relaxed industrial atmospheres and even a harmonic organ joining more organized percussion to form a kind of emotional ending.

This is an essential re-issue to any fan of noise/pe/industrial. It’s a great document and the new added track is top-notch material. I feel so lucky living in this day and age where artists that have been existent for over 25 years find a resurgence and new vitality after so much time in the game.

Actuary/The Black Scorpio Underground – Metamorphosis of the Transgressor C30

Love Earth Music

This is a pairing that seems to make sense. Both Actuary and The Black Scorpio Underground tend to meander over that line between ambient and noise in a similar style. This is also, the first release on cassette that I have received from Love Earth Music, is it marking a new era for the label? Who knows, but I am quite fine with it.

Actuary is up first on side A with one long track entitled Stricken Host Lies Down. Kicking things off with minimalist feedback drones, atmosphere and very controlled layers of carefully crafted noise. Over the first half of the track the sound is slowly worked up into a frenzy and by the half-way mark it’s full throttle ahead. Once the noise is in full swing expect distorted sci-fi synth sweeps, blasts of distorted feedback and textures squeals. It has more of a clean/synth feel than just strait up noise but it’s still frantic and aggressive.

TBSU is up next on side B and with Genital Minotaur they present a muddle of found sounds colliding in chaos. Banging around, shaking things, weird tribal percussion, sounds like almost anything they could get their hands on. By the time the end of the track rolls around there are some spoken samples from the radio or something. Immolation/Revelation is the second track they present and it takes on a much more industrial feel. The bulk of TBSU’s material here is quite experimental though, with atmospheres too weird to be dark or gothic, too noisy to be straight up industrial, and not noisy enough to be harsh noise.

The one thing that this split gets really right is the pairing of the artists. It seems both these acts are along similar lines of aesthetic, tone, and ability at this point. The music is good, it’s thoughtful and composed but just doesn’t quite grab me as being the breaking point for either of the projects. Solid work and a decent release with signs of potential.

Hheva/Shiver – Troubled Sleep C40

Diazepam

It’s kind of weird that this split should bear the same name as Prurient’s seminal album. There are so many great combination of words and images to conjure out there I don’t know why in hell you would choose the exact title of an already landmark noise album. But besides this little pet peeve of mine I dig the simple packaging and delivery on this release. Shiver is familiar to me as I have reviewed them before but Hheva is a new name.

Side A contains the work of Hheva who presents some excellent ritualistic ambient. The track evolves nicely with experimental layers of found sound, manipulated chants and layered sound effects converging to form a thick smoky atmosphere. Airy drones eventually give way the tribal drumming and spacious chants. There is a lot of focus on detail and a lot of great moments and sounds to enjoy. The best thing about it is that the space of the composition goes from thick and oppressing to open and spacious.

Side B has the work of Shiver which contrasts a lot from that of Hheva’s. Where Hheva was organic and spacious, Shiver is electronic and oppressive. Where Hheva had great production and layering, Shiver is basic and lo-fi. That’s not to say the work of Shiver is bad, but it does seem pale in comparison to the excellent work that Hheva had provided to the split. Looking at the material on its own, it’s not really until about the third track that Shiver finally grabs my attention with delayed layers and subtle spoken samples.

The two contrasting styles of these artists doesn’t make for the most appropriate material to share a split tape. But they can each be appreciated in their own way. I especially enjoy the detailed ambient and atomspherics of Hheva here. An interesting release for sure.

Objekt/Urian – Tonfragmente II CD

Zone de Confusion

Objekt/Urian is a project that has apparently completely evaded my radar since the year 2000! Always amazing that one can find new things after this many years in the noise scene. Zone de Confusion is a sub-label of Nuit et Brouillard, the long running industrial label.

Presented in Tonfragmente II is a very clean sound of industrial/power electronics much reminding me of a mix between the groups Irikarah and Haus Arafna. Sure, they are great starting points but I’m not sure that Objekt/Urian ever truly reaches the same heights as those acts, but the sounds also differ in some unique ways which make this worth a listen for fans of either of those acts.

There’s a good variety of tracks here some which fall on the heavier side of rhythmic PE and some which play out as more experimental affairs. Among the standouts here are Useless Informations with it’s unique and light percussion somehow representing a more underlying sinister intention. Fight ends up being a rather anthemic power electronics outing almost reminding me of the sloganeering of Non’s Total War or a lesser version of a Genocide Organ track.

One thing that holds the album afloat is that most of these tracks are really enjoyable even if they’re not the standout tracks. In addition, they are all differing and have separate ideas going on. One great example of this is the closer An Appeal which is still bringing new elements to the album and ending it on a strong note with some weird combination of synth-pop and militaristic industrial.

This is a great album, very fun yet still consistent in aesthetic. The experimental aspects of the sounds really add to the release which is rare for an already experimental genre. Honestly I’m even still perplexed by Tonfragment II yet I can see this material growing on me in the future even though I already like it a lot.

Vehement Caress – Existential Squalor C30

Apicult Recordings

Yet more work from Boston’s finest Vehement Caress. It’s a project that is continuing to expand his sound and styles. Where the last release reviewed here was Flawed Eternity – a drone album dabbling in powerful synth atmospheres – now Existential Squalor brings back the lo-fi noise and power electronics in full force.

Side A is really enjoyable with a handful of tracks that are quite varied. Ranging from throbbing power electronics with hateful vocal attacks to sampled speeches accompanied by noise loops and building swashes of sound.

Yet side A contrasts with side B where we are presented with one long harsh noise track running the gamut of passages from wall noise to crunchy lo-fi mastery and overdriven distortion. It’s simple and primitive, yet also effective.

The recording quality of this tape is more lo-fi than any previous Vehement Caress recording. I’m not sure that’s such a good thing as some of the impact is taken away. But it also seems to match the concept here which can be appreciated. Still good work, and I’d love to see this re-released as a CD or CDr to get the best quality for the tracks.

Epaulettes – An Exhortation in Martyrdom C30

Self Released

Epaulettes is an artist hailing from Boston who works with a variety of synthesizers and effects to create heavy industrial-influenced drone. The artwork here is quite understated with merely an abstract shadowy image, perhaps of the artist himself as the cover. It fits the disembodied death drone well, and reflects the minimalist aesthetic.

Side A works very well with it’s early onslaught of very airy industrial ambience. Whispery frequencies coupled with heavy tones eventually build up to an intense powerful synth throb. Then the synth throb is further built upon adding subtle harmonies to the mix.

Side B kicks off with a much noisier layer of distorted synths and sub bass interruptions. The track continues with a kind of unearthly energy propelling it and adding eq’ed distortion, alternating high-pitched tones all the while portraying a frantic atmosphere. The devil is in the details here and there is a lot of very subtle but interesting twists in these compositions.

The work of Epaulettes very much reminds me of the work of Reviver but perhaps a touch more layered. These tracks are thick squalls of darkened sound that suffocate until there is absolutely no air left to breath. Excellent work.

Vehement Caress – Flawed Eternity C40

Apicult Recordings

Vehement Caress is Lex Russo, an understated dark electronics project from Boston MA. He also runs the low key tape label Apicult Recordings on which this cassette is released. In the past I have enjoyed Vehement Caress’ output which usually is heavy squalls of harsh electronics ranging from throbbing industrial to seething power electronics.

Flawed Eternity is a different beast though. Embracing more of an aggressive ambience sound here Russo explores the depths of synthesis and atmosphere, a tact much different from his previous output. Although the release explores a variety of textures there is similarity in the sounds here and they seem to match the high contrast black & white artwork well. There is a raw edge to the recording which seems to prevent the sound from ever becoming too complex so the morphing of the basic layers is more apparent.

There are moments here that stick out like the abrupt yet highly emotional ending to Rupture 1 and Rupture 2 which make exceptional bookends to the album. The tracks do embrace a kind of stasis yet also show a fair amount of evolution, just slowly and stretched out over time.

So it is that Vehement Caress has changed his tone for this one and created an album that will appeal more to the drone heads then the harsh freaks. Recommended for those who enjoy their sounds culled from synthesizers and presented on raw tape.

Jaguar Crystal Palace – There is Going to Be a Change of Power C60

Dumpsterscore Home Recordings

I have to admit it is not until this moment that I realized Dumpsterscore Home Recordings has a recycled tape series. I am very pleased about this – even more esoteric sounds to explore! Jaguar Crystal Palace has very little information about them available anywhere on the net and even after a quick search I couldn’t find any info about this release on the label’s website even.

JCP present a curious amalgamation of sounds. Meandering (yes, wanky even) bell sounds layered over what sounds like a field recording of a city or small town. Add to that an equally wanky accordion, or harmonica? Maybe a recorder in there as well? I can’t really tell. It goes on, it continues… how long have I been listening to this?

At times the instrumentation is joined by odd voices, speaking, or chanting? Like the ghost of an AM radio it haunts the landscape here which is riddled with police sirens and train whistles. It’s all very raw and exposed. There is a type of “evolution” which increases over the course of the track where the playing gets more hectic and more active. By this time though it is actually increasing the level of irritation. The bells are especially annoying.

One thing that I really enjoyed about the recording is that it reminds me of a documentary recording of folk music or something. Sadly as far as music goes this falls flat on it’s face. I’m guessing these guys fall into the genre of “free improvisors” but they need to know when to call it quits. It’s too bad because there are some good moments here that at times almost redeem things but they just can’t seem to pull it off. Honestly I couldn’t even get through this whole thing but after a bit of fast forwarding I just gave up.