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just because some people said it, doesn't make it true
zoo + trilogi peradaban cd
the little-known genre of zeuhl found its roots in france in the 1970s, spearheaded by the prolific and grandiose band/cult magma. a genre that somehow managed to combine free jazz, opera, blues shouting, progressive rock, heavy metal and chamber music, zeuhl made its impact on the avant-garde music scene by showcasing the duality between bombast and primitivism.
since the sound was forged in western europe, zeuhl has been flung far across the globe, with numerous bands springing up in parts of japan and, in the case of new-school zeuhl thrashers zoo, in yogyakarta, indonesia.
zoo pay homage to their zeuhl roots on trilogi peradaban (in english, “civilization triology”), the band’s latest release by australian experimental music labels dualplover and tenzenmen. the album tells a story of societal devolution through the medium of highly syncopated bursts of bass and drums, frenzied vocalizations and, at its most primitive, ritual drumming and minimalistic folk balladry. the entire album lasts only 40 minutes, but contains 22 tracks.
the first 16 tracks on trilogi peradaban are evocative of the thrashy zeuhl sound championed by japanese band ruins, one of the many projects of uber-prolific drummer yoshida tatsuya. there is also a great deal of avant-grindcore influence, bearing similarities to the work of melt banana and naked city. much of the album's sound is made up of snaking bass lines and syncopated drumming reminiscent of a (somehow) more caveman take on the early powerviolence of man is the bastard.
across the entirety of the album, zoo vocalist rully shabara herman stands apart from the rest of the band, shouting, chattering and operatically chanting over the thrash-and-grind of his bandmates. the final part of the album is meant to convey a return to primitivism through organic percussion and neo-folk-influenced acoustic guitar arrangements that bring a calm ending to an otherwise frenzied album.
trilogi peradaban is an excellent, operatic take on neo-tribalism that makes a provocative statement, melding grindcore, folk and contemporary zeuhl sounds to convey a theme of societal collapse into a primal state of simplicity.
aaron wilk for acrn.com
the gar + cd
this is the self-titled debut of beijing-based indie rock band the gar. formed in 2007 by ex-the naza singer zhan pan, the band's presence was felt almost immediately in the beijing scene. after 6 months of shows around china, the band entered the studio to begin work on their debut release for maybe mars records. in early 2009, over a year after they began recording, the album was finally released to widespread critical acclaim. recently the band have also toured with carsick cars and have begun to get some recognition from the press outside of their native china.
the beijing indie scene is now pretty firmly established, and alongside shanghai is the major music/art/culture capital of china. i've been listening to beijing indie rock stuff for a while now, and while a great deal of the bands are simply doing bland copies of western music, there are a few acts that really stand out. the gar definitely fall into the latter category. this record in particular straddles the barrier between densely textured shoegaze and melodic post-punk, while retaining a somewhat carefree vibe that seems to run through the album.
from welcome to the space world blog
scul hazzards + landlord cd
go outside! get some fresh air! don’t come back until you’ve sorted yourself out! Well, that’s not quite how things have worked for local trio scul hazzards. having decamped to london two years ago to get some soot in their lungs and a lot of mileage under their music, they’ve recently returned to their hometown, with this document of burgeoning disgust in tow – their postcard memento of their time away, i guess you could say.
landlord is a mangled assortment of sounds. scant on pleasantries, it’s the kind of love letter you’d expect from david yow. a serrated six-string noise comes from guitarist steven smith, scratching and scraping across the snarling low end of bassist tiffany milne. in most cases this would be enough to prick the ears of many an enthusiast of the 80s chicago underground (‘too late’) who wishes to hear those sounds born again and made anew. these 11 songs, however, aren’t a rehash of piss and vinegar from the past – with the nauseating and complex backbeat coming from the limbs of leigh fisher, scul hazzards really do wring the scrawny neck of noise rock and make it muscular once more (‘no resolve’)!
if landlord is what london and europe’s underbelly does to musicians, then more bands should decamp pronto. more likely though, it was nothing more than fortitude and close quarters that has allowed a promising band like this to now rear up and kick us in the teeth – it sure sounds like they never wanted their damn bond back anyway.
richard alverez for timeoff
when chimps attack + cd
there is something brilliantly anarchic about leftfield sydney hardcore ensemble when chimps attack. the band's entire profile seems to be stitched together from discarded rumours, idle conjecture and conscious myth-mongering while their music is equally scattershot in it's influences and ideals. when chimps attack is a prime example of the band's almost nonsensical approach to their artistry - randomly released on christmas day, containing live and studio recordings with footage recorded everywhere from studios to kitchens.
the truly satisfying aspect to the band's erratic work ethic is that, for some inexplicable reason, it has produced some seriously brilliant results. when chimps attack is easily one of the best hardcore-affiliated releases to emerge from the australian underground for a considerable amount of time. the band's songs - essentially jagged and abstract collages of off-kilter riffs with random blasts of vocal barks and fleeting stabs of melody - are deliciously violent and imminently enjoyable and the austere production of the record only serves to emphasise the appeal of the band's angular aggression. the taut nature of the band's musicianship, meanwhile, recalls similarly-minded melbourne post-punks my disco.
'michigan' recalls the stop-start dynamics and random noise blasts of genre kingpins the locust while the relatively protracted 'sick fucks' could easily have fallen off a steve albini record. when chimps attack don't do a great deal, all columns tallied, but what they do, they do astonishingly well. their debut basically has 'cult classic' tattooed all over it.
matt o'neill for drum media
when chimps attack + cd
in the 20th century, music underwent an interesting development. inspired by avant garde pioneers and new ideas in philosophy, musicians questioned and overturned previous notions of beauty and harmony in sound. simultaneously, the means of producing music became increasingly available to everybody, not just trained and privileged elites. rock’n’roll was the ultimate expression of this trend – music made by people with very little expertise or background in theory, but lots of dumb ideas.
having established itself as a unifying cultural force, rock’n’roll immediately started fracturing into hundreds of subcultures, opposing trends and movements both towards a commonality (the desire for sameness) and diversity (the assertion of difference). as a result, the wider framework of popular music allowed for exciting explorations of extremes as well as the emergence of the conservative mainstream.
it’s easy to guess what camp sydney quartet when chimps attack reside in. while bound up in the conventions of rock’n’roll, specifically punk and hardcore styles of the past 40 years, they make music that constantly strives to go further. it strains at the leash of convention in a way that exhibits both a celebration of its chosen genre and a desire to go beyond it; to transcend received forms and create new meanings from them.
sure, one can say this about any number of bands – all the best bands, in fact, try to do this – but not many have the ability to pull it off. when i listen to when chimps attack, i can hear a band with one foot in tradition and the other edging towards the unknown. that makes them exciting – even at this late stage of the rock’n’roll era. and it’s precisely because the rock’n’roll era is waning that bands like this are showing a way in which old forms can mutate and show us something new. when chimps attack may not have achieved this yet, but every note on this record speaks of this potential.
it’s there in the hyperactive playing, the indecipherable lyrics gushing forth, the clipped guitar chords, the atonal breakdowns, the confusion and profusion of ideas. it’s there because i probably couldn’t listen to this record regularly. it’s there because i get it and don’t get it at the same time. it’s there because i feel like i’ve heard it before and yet it still feels brand new. it’s there because it embrace its contradictions and cliches. it’s there because you can rock out to it, or analyse it, or do both at the same time – or nothing at all.
by rené schaefer for mess and noise
truth from facts + 2009 cd
truth from facts are a melbourne, australia based three piece that have opted to go without a bass and instead use two guitarists and a drummer. their reasoning was more so because that’s how it worked out rather than just making the choice. when you have a flow, i imagine you might as well stick with it and whatever flow truth from facts is in right now is most definitely working.
they passed along their recently released album titled 2009 through tenzenmen records not too long ago and it’s been a more than enjoyable throwback of math/post-hardcore tunes. despite the twin guitar and bass-less setup, their sound actually remains quite thick. in fact, it sounds better than a lot of bands that actually do employ a bass player. they are backed with a pretty good drummer as well, who does a fair amount of damage throughout this record and is most definitely a highlight.
a lot of the song structures and the bands overall sound reminds me a lot of that first thumbnail lp, as you could probably take 2009 and send it back in time to 1994 and it would fit in just fine alongside that record and many others. i don’t mean that in a bad way at all either, i actually wish more records did sound like that.
anyway, this is a pretty solid record that is actually a bit refreshing when compared to a lot of bands that try and recreate drive like jehu, etc.
from http://www.builtonaweakspot.com
“possessing two guitars, drums, and no bass, truth from facts manage to pull a very deep and soulful sound with lush tones that still define themselves between restrained and aggressive. there is a grasp of dynamics that can only be derived from their minimalistic instrumental approach.
the vocals were a pleasant surprise as well, rather than soak their mature sound in the wet vocals of a heart broken teen, as so often happens in this niche of d.i.y punk/emo, the approach here is raw, rough, and husky.
as for their actual sound, there is definite homage here to some earlier my disco material, drive like jehu and hot snakes, as well as a nineties ebullition hardcore feel similar to portraits of past.
2009 is a very inspired, original and positive precursor for what is to come from truth from facts”
by ryan sim for blunt magazine
does diy mathcore from melbourne sound interesting? or does it sound like something that is about 5 years or so behind the times? as much as this kind of thing was quite popular a while back and then died a very quiet death, it's good to hear a group rocking it with passion and technical ability.
everything about this band is stripped right down - the vocals are sparing and delivered with visceral urgnecy, the artwork is stark and the band really get a lot out of a few ideas per song, using dynamics rather than trite breakdowns to create a sense of heaviness.
sadly, as with many of these '90's influenced screamo bands, when things get quiet, the singers really need to learn to shut up or learn to sing, as yelling over a beautiful musical passage is really quite jarring, though one assumes that it is done for effect, so that makes it okay (we hope).
production-wise, the album keeps its stark tone, with the band sounding raw as the instruments blend into each other and the vocals struggle to climb over the top of the churning riffs. with this kind of stuff, you really couldn't ask the band to sound any other way - you need to feel as if you were at some warehouse party in marrickville drinking coopers green and talking (shouting?) about human rights.
by luke monks for drum media
truth from facts are a band of friends who play ferocious and scarily tight post-hardcore math punk. more than that, they are also a political band in the best sense – they don’t preach their radical left-wing ideas and philosophy of creative autonomy, but try to inspire by example. they are the revolution you can dance to.
initially, guitarists alain and chris were inspired by both the music and the uncompromising stance of fugazi, but with the addition of powerhouse drummer blake they have forged their own style and idealistic approach to conducting themselves as a band. this means no rockstar turns; never playing down to an audience, either metaphorically or literally (the band prefers to play venues without a stage); and letting their music speak for itself. this is also evident in the decision not to include musicians’ credits on 2009 and the band’s insistence on being identified by their first names only in this review.
musically, truth from facts are a democracy, with all three members contributing equally to shaping the songs. blake’s breakneck drumming drives the tunes, negotiating sudden shifts in tempo and time signature with almost supernatural dexterity, while the guitars compensate for the lack of a bottom end by taking turns as rhythm and lead instruments. unlike a lot of math rock though, truth from facts’ songs are about musicality rather than precision, never sacrificing feel for the sake of technique.
alain writes and sings the majority of the lyrics. his approach to both is minimal. in the overall sonic picture, vocals are treated as another instrument, leaving the listener to discover the key to their meaning. they are aware that political lyrics can alienate audiences as much as galvanise them, so they prefer not to include a lyric sheet with the album, but rather publish them on their website.
alain’s writing style is as clipped and minimal as the music. lines often consist only of one or two words and overall the effect is allusive and poetic rather than didactic. inspiration for songs can be quite obscure and drawn from other media such as literature and film. it would require some prior knowledge, for example, to deduce that ‘greetings ancient ocean’ was inspired by a monologue in jean-luc godard’s 1967 movie weekend, which was intended as an indictment of the bourgeois culture of its time.
a song like ‘for diana oughton’ is easier to decode. oughton was a member of the weathermen, an american group of radical left-wing activists, who resorted to terrorist bombings. she was killed when an explosive device detonated prematurely in 1970. the lyrics to the song are derived from a poem published in her memory in a radical newspaper six months later: “sometimes there is only blood, bullets, bodies. but when I think of you, sister, and remember, i know what you would say now: you don't cry for me, but for yourselves. that's bullshit! why only talk of dying for revolution? live for it!"
by quoting this poem, alain expresses his conviction that it is necessary for revolutionaries to not only strive for future utopian ideals, but to think consciously and critically about how they conduct their lives in the present. that he does this without proselytising is what makes truth from facts effective as a political rock band. the politics never come first, but add an additional layer of meaning to a band that first and foremost provides a visceral experience. if it inspires listeners to explore those meanings that’s a bonus, but it’s certainly possible to appreciate truth from facts on a purely musical level. therein lies their genius.
by rené schaefer for mess and noise
wifey
+ salt sugar fat cdep
it's taken a while to pen a review of this ep, but salt, sugar, fat is a truly rollicking, joyous selection of music. it’s well-written and wonderfully-executed: maniacal drum-fills, strings, keys and andy calvert’s often frenetic vocals.
'homing' and 'charlie on the beaches' could start any party, while 'medicine' is a beautiful, grandiose ode led by kathryn brownhill's moaning, singing strings and calvert's (perhaps intentionally) lazy pronunciations. final track, ‘diamonds in the mine’ proves that leonard cohen had no excuse to be so boring, as wifey set the perverse genius of his words to their own brilliant tune. centred by kirsten morley's keys and again livened by brownhill's violin, it’s a rocking number that rolls nicely too. oddly enough, cohen's lyrics seem to fit this arrangement far better than his original, in terms of both metre and personality. and yet, who'd have ever thought they'd be dancing along to the line, “some very clever doctor went and sterilised the bitch”?
the highlight is the delightfully filthy ‘phoenix falling’, pertaining to the antics of the sydney music scene’s favourite sexual deviant matt phoenix, who in order to wank more successfully on stage during dos dedos gigs (google if you’re unenlightened) opted to take viagra. it was apparently a total failure: “there’s a hole in the sheath where there used to a sword/there’s a casio, where there used to be a korg/there’s a modal tonic, where there used to be a power chord/c'mon baby, you’re not even trying!” the track also contains what could, if given enough time, become one of the most enthusiastic repeated crowd sing-a-longs independent australian music has ever seen:
“how do you spell ‘fellatio’?
you go f-e-l-l-a-t-i-o!
repeat the second line seven times, and you have a winner.
there's unquestionable talent and songwriting nous at play here, but it's paired with a sense of fun and wifey’s reticence to take themselves too seriously. they don't need to – everyone else soon will.
by a.h. cayley for mess and noise
p.k. 14
+ city weather sailing cd
this is the second release out of china i have received in the last
few months. the first by demerit was caustic street punk in look, style
and sound, and the p.k. 14 could not be any further removed. citing
influences such as fugazi, talking heads, bauhaus, fela kuti and woody
guthrie, you have to wonder not only how on earth did they hear all
of these bands, but how do they melt them all down to create their own
sound? sung completely in their native tongue and featuring an eclectic
array of sounds, the p.k. 14 certainly does recall the nyc post-punk
scene but they also have some very lush arrangements as well. there
are moments of wonderful orchestration that really fill out their otherwise
indie sound, and they have that uncanny ability to shift gears mid-track
without losing power. there is talk of a tour down-under and on the
strength of this they will be seriously memorable shows, just as this
is a seriously memorable cd.
by jeremy sheaffe for blunt
p.k. 14
+ city weather sailing cd
two things become overwhelmingly clear reading the press release for
'city weather sailing' - the record company want you to know that the
p.k. 14 are the next big band out of china and that they should be seen
as a contemporary asian version of ny art-punkers television. add to
that a list of influences which essentially includes all american music
from 1950 onwards and an album cover that looks like a mars volta cast-off,
and you could understand why i was somewhat dubious.
oh, how i love to be wrong. pop in the disc and you'll be greeted by
i wait for you in nanjing's streets, and it couldn't sound less like
television if it tried. a funereal, dirge-like piano wraps its way around
a mournful vocal, whilst ominous synths sputter and whir in the background,
peppered with spikes of guitar feedback. it's urban, contemporary, disquieting
and utterly brilliant. after the slow burn start, the album builds tension
with the epic wade the river, with it's existential lyric of "what
is gonna happen/ his body turned around to ask another body /whatever
happens is merely your illusion/ is the man's reply." light as
a feather drums quickly give way to bursts of noise, while inventive
bass playing holds the bottom end down as an eastern-tinged string section
adds an additional layer of intrigue.
and that's just the start - amazingly, 'city weather sailing' manages
a consistent pacing throughout. despite the presence of improvised musical
'interludes' (usually code for 'wank' or 'filler') which, against all
odds, actually help hold the album together with a wonderful sense of
cohesiveness. the band demonstrate a wonderfully polymathic sensibility
too - hopping from sound to sound (check out the pop hooks of some surprises
come too soon or the acoustic and synth driven how majestic is the night)
whilst managing to remain defiantly themselves throughout.
this is far more than punk/ post-punk influenced music. instead, it
borrows from some of the greatest music of the 20th century and recontextualises
it, placing it in an irritable, urban, scratchy, paranoid and above
all contemporary environment. in doing so, it no only manages to capture
the zeitgeist, and forge strong bonds between eastern and western musical
sensibilities in the 21st century, but it makes one bloody good record.
miss it at your peril.
by patrick lang for db magazine
p.k. 14 + city weather sailing cd
punks like
to think themselves tough, alternative and against the system. unfortunately,
that shit gets a little disingenuous with equal access resources, uninhibited
self-determination and the gentrification of city centres. nanjing post-punks
p.k. 14 dodge that whole debate by being chinese. formed in 1997, not
only do the band have lots of systemic abuses to complain about, but
doing so is both anomalous and genuinely hazardous. yet the best thing
about p.k. 14’s fourth studio album is that, for all the naming
and finger-pointing they could rightly do, they don’t. instead
the band tell beautifully cinematic stories of urban life with strong
undercurrents of melancholy and chaos, which is ultimately a far more
powerful message. that they sound like an oriental interpretation of
television and talking heads certainly helps the four-piece. the production
is regularly amazing, and the band’s willingness to experiment
beyond their winning formula of jangly guitars and thumping rhythm section
is thrilling. a host of instruments are utilised, including sparing
string and horn arrangements, but also organs, synthesisers and layers
of percussion. the esoteric sounds wrung from each device are quite
cerebral at times, but never interrupt the songs in which they reside,
nor indeed the overarching sonic narrative p.k. 14 have constructed
on city weather sailing. count this is as a firm recommendation.
by jakeb smith for rave magazine
crux/pazahora + cd
diy spirit practically oozes out of this release like the excess glue stains all over the hand assembled cardboard cover. crustier than a paedo's undies after schools, this trans-pacific production (brought to you by three different labels!) see sydney's crux facing off against singapore touring pals pazahora. while both bands have fairly quaint production, if you were to compare the two pazahora seem to lack crux's killer punch. crux build on their doom laced hardcore legacy with five of their best tunes so far, while pazahora of for a more epic style across their five, added strings, pianos and all. they get an extra point because they have a guy and a girl doing vocals but i can't tell which is which, but unfortunately they also lose a point for not being able to tune their guitars properly in closer 'mandate'.
from unbelievably bad zine #9
carsick cars cd
in grade five, we were taught that china represented the longest continuous modern empire. in recent times, china's idiosyncratic hybrid of western economic theory and strictly defined parochial values resulted in it being recognised as the powerhouse of the current global economic environmnet.
in that historical and political context, it was only a matter of time before a chinese rock 'n' roll scene evolved beyond its tioghtly controlled national cultural boundaries. sydney label tenzenmen, in concert with chinese label maybe mars records, has taken upon itself to bring the fledgling chinese rock 'n' roll scene to australia. the latest cab off the rank is carsick cars, a trio who have already caught the keen eye of sonic youth, so much so that carsick cars joined the former on a recent tour of europe.
the association is more than coincidental - carsick cars are clearly fond of sonic youth's balance of extreme white nosie and simple rock rhythms. zhi yuan de ren - like dungen, it's refreshing to see a band that couldn't give a proverbial about english translations - nestles in on a slick riff that brings to mind lou reed fresh out of electric shock therapy, and pushing for a fight with the nascent rock 'n' roll establishment, while gun has an ethereal quality to it and, if your cultural appreciation is suitably superficial, might even incorporate a vague sino musical sensibility in its exploration of the new york no wave scene. zhong nan hai screams a classicly laconic thurston moore, or maybe glenn branca for the purists, while hou dao keeps a foot in the '80s punk scenes located on wither side of the atlantic, and never misses a beat. guang shang haunts liekthe ghost of a long lost art school community buried under the weight of lost commercial opportunities. re shen has the counter intuitive pop quality that john lydon thrust upon the world with public image ltd and he sheng must surely have recovered from the daydream nation recording sessions.
the united states contimues to chastise china for its wavering commitment
to international trade treaty obligations. the us knows it has plaenty
to fear from the modern chinese state - china does capitlism better
than ben franklin could ever understand - and with carsick cars, it
is apparent china can do new york punk as well as any precocious american
art student.
by patrick emery for beat
carsick cars cd
it's not often you hear bands from china, it also seems like people from china don't often hear bands from china. when it comes to carsick cars though, it would be nigh on impossible not to hear their feedbacking sonic youthisms from the basements of beijing, to the correctional facilities of tibet. if you're from china and new york is your bag, then you're gonna want to think twice about walking in front of that tank from now on in. listen up, it's gonna be a helluva long time before you see president jintao strap on a fender jaguar. shit, it's gonna be eons before monks earn their rights to own the deluxe lp re-release of daydream nation. and you damn-well know it'll be yolks before 'march of the volunteers' is replaced by 'teenage riot' as national anthem, but carsick cars are working on it
rhys davies for unbelievably bad zine #9
carsick cars cd
second in the line of chinese underground releases from sydney label tenzenmen, carsick cars deliver some smooth tunes, albeit smooth tunes soaked in washy feedback a la sonic youth.
production-wise, this album has a nice, warm feeling of ambience. it feels as if they have just piled sound on sound until the whole stack was ready to collapse. thankfully, the songs maintain their structural integrity, even when they meander far into the realm of art rock. this is a group who knows when to expand on an idea or simply repeat a phrase to the point of excess (check out the cool refrain in mo gu).
while i am largely unsure of the lyrical content of this sprawling monstrosity, you get the feeling that this is music made to feed the flames of discontent in an alienated urban youth - yo can tell by the way that singer/guitarist zhang shouwang drones his words, even if you can't make out exactly what he is saying. zhong nan hai reminds of the cure's killing an arab and this dark, post-punk vibe carries on throughout the album.
the abrasive nature of the songwriting is largely softened by the fact that the songs blend seamlessly and the aforementioned warmth of the production. if you miss the late 80's and early 90's and don't mind having no clue what is going on in the singer's head, then this is most certainly for you.
by luke monks for drum media
demerit + bastards of the nation cd
originally formed in qingdao in 2004, beijing-based demerit are one of the more forward-thinking chinese punk bands, and their latest album "bastards of a nation (2008)" shows them mimicking the direction of the newly popular third (or fourth or fifth or sixth) generation of the oi / "streepunk" genre in the us -- diversified style and more complex song arrangements, but a return to the performing intensity of earlier hardcore and oi movements of the early 80s. and, of course, a return to the 70's uk punk uniform: leather g.b.h. jackets, dyed mohawks, ripped t-shirts, bullet belts, bondage pants, etc.
an earnest, anthemic, and hyper-political hardcore album, "bastards of a nation" is, on first listen, pretty much in the realm of the current representatives of hardcore to the masses in the us -- a global threat, the unseen, and the casualties. demerit keep it dense and heavy with metalish riff here and there, and break it up with melodic breaks, choral backing vocals, and even some clapping action in there ("fight your apathy"). the arrangements were well-conceived and varied, and the musicianship is great -- particularly the guitar work -- and there's some interesting changes throughout. while listening to the album i had the feeling that the guitarist learned his stuff doing iron maiden licks and then switched up when the singer lent him a choking victim album. i enjoyed it overall, and bits and pieces reminded me of leftover crack, particularity "tz generation," and "fuck the schemers." fans of that band's many variations -- indk et. al. -- and fans of the newer us east coast hardcore, won't be disappointed.
the standout tracks on the album are the title track "bastards of a nation," "bye bye my county," and "beijing is not my home." and this brings us to another interesting thing about demerit (besides the fact that they were interviewed by the washington post). they're currently on tour promoting this, their second album, but the rumor is that their lyrical content, presumably the three aforementioned songs, have forced a delay of the album because of their anti-government content. in "bastards of a nation" they sing, "why the fuck am i loyal to you / we don't wanna be your victim of greed / sick of you, no future for us / how many people die in famine," which seems pretty inflammatory to say the least. in "bye bye my country" they sing, "i can't believe the red sky. how much blood has been shed, in pursuit of freedom? / you can't stop, you kill for greed, money and pride let your children starve / is it worth the cost?"
the song "beijing is not my home" -- my favorite song on the album -- echoes the sentiments of displacement and marginalization many bands feel living in beijing (or so i hear) and is a really powerful answer to another punk band's song "come down to beijing" by brain failure.
morgan short for smartshanghai
demerit + bastards of the nation cd
sydney diy do-gooder tenzenmen is at it again, launching the maybe mars series to help provide some western exposure for a handful of china's choicest indie and punk bands including indie experimentalists carsick cars, post punk prodigies p.k.14 and spiky haired punk rockers demerit. with the chinese government creeping horribly close to fulfilling orwell's worst nightmare - media sources tightly monitored and politically sensitive content removed; freedom of speech, even freedom of thought, vigorously discouraged - the dudes in demerit are probably taking a huge risk walking the streets of beijing dressed like rancid, let alone playing politically aware street-punk with hardcore tendencies and titles like 'beijing is not my home' and 'fuck the schemers'. if hellcat doesn't snap 'em up their government surely will.
from unbelievably bad zine
demerit + bastards of the nation cd
this
cd is so fucking awesome! the production values are fucking
ridiculously pro, but the tunes are sugary street-punk anthems, not
unlike
the first defiance lp , crossed with some shitty radio-friendly pop punk
a la anti-flag , but the whole thing has a really cool moodiness to it that
you normally find in fist-pumping japcore bands, but not something your
typical street-punk or pop punk bands would ever normally be able to accomplish.
it's definitely super mainstream-accessible but actually, a lot of the
elements have mucho in common with something like crude; high energy
aggressive hardcore that sticks in your brain like a gluey mess. did
i mention this band is from china? one of the best things I've heard in
a while.
from maximum rock 'n' roll fanzine
hira hira + we. are. all. xray. pricks. no. talent. fuck. off cdr
the product
of weekly post-hardcore bro-downs between members of yeah bears, call
the medic, call the nurse!!, pockets and very much robot, this curt
little number treads familiar waters but makes up for it with characteristic
brashness. you cop as much from the title, a naughty little sentence
that would have you thinking this was a fairly straightforward brat
punk ep – and in many ways it is. there’s lots of “fucks”
and general tomfoolery, but there’s just as much vitriol about
“the system” and typically lockstep post-hardcore discipline.
nothing can stop these young lads from being highly talented, and it's
talent that beats you over the head repeatedly here, no matter the band’s
best efforts to scream(o) it off the stage. chaos matched by intensity
matched by control. nice.
by lawson fletcher for mess and
noise
the night crash 12"
originally recorded three years ago, it’s taken until now for the night crash’s debut 12” to reach the public. for the most part instrumental, the brisbane two-piece strafe recklessly between and beyond extremes, exploiting every notch of dynamism inherent in the technical metal that influences them, while stifling any inclination towards gratuitous showmanship. the compact drums and guitar ensemble achieves a rather subtle, minimalist complexity, even when the sawing guitar is riding gratingly at the top of the neck.
the night crash’s approach is effective for one significant reason: the percussionist is liberated. in fact, the drummer practically runs this show, often trailblazing ahead, leaving the guitar sounding a bit befuddled or confused. sometimes the guitar appears to skid a few feet when brashly chasing the percussion around tight bends, losing precious time in the race to finish each song. the fact that it manages to snap back like some thick cumbersome elastic every time is impressive and lots of fun.
despite citing my disco as an influence, this band doesn’t play like the rhythmic arm of their forces need hold strict tenure of the melodic. there are occasional moments of song-like coherence – especially during the spiderland-centric third track – but for the most part the night crash seem determined to fit as much energy and chaos into the smallest sonic area possible. the results are raucously entertaining.
shaun prescott for mess and noise
pure evil
trio + cd
this cd has it all, literally... everything sydney's pure evil trio
have done so far on vinyl, as well as some new stuff to sweeten the
deal. john, aaron and abel (apart from sharing some swell, biblical
names) share a love for the infinite musical horizon, mixing hardcore
with noise and jazz (not in a shitty, "dad's record collection"
way) and sheer pissed-off-ness. if you are into by-numbers punk, this
is going to do your head in. it twists and turns away from the comfort
of that sort of common ground, retaining a lot of the spontaneous energy
of their live shows. i'm not going to compare this to anything out of
respect for the band and your intelligence. if you've witnessed these
guys live, you'll buy this just hoping it'll floor you in the same way...
and it will. the boutique packaging is done through the mighty dualplover
and is a fitting wrapper for this weird-tasting lolly. give this cd
to a stranger.
glenno + unbelievably bad
pure evil trio + cd
okey dokey, to start with, calling this collection of works an album would be something of a misnomer as this cd collects all of pure evil trio’s previously recorded material into one spiffy little package; the artwork on the digipack perfectly suits the crusty-improv-mess it snugly houses.
with a collection this broad – everything from demo tapes to noise collages and their latest offering the evolution of everyday strife, it’s a lot to take in, even though most of the ‘songs’ are quite short and those of you with musical add may find the repetitive nature of some of the works a little hard to take – it’s pretty unforgiving listening after a while, a mash up of grind, art and hardcore.
production is as varied as the actual collection of songs – it’s all in the minute differences - and can largely be brought into the housings of ‘raw’ at the best of times and ‘scratchy’ when things aren’t quite working out.
considering the band’s strong diy attitude, it’s commendable that the group have managed to stay together for the past six years or so and are obviously not interested in throwing themselves on the mercy of the scene point distributors lurking in the world where most sub-categories of music are smacked with the ‘core’ suffix.
this comprehensive release serves as not only a great introduction (for the newcomer) or retrospective (for the long time fan) but as an exclamation of separation from mainstream excess.
luke monks (drum media)
ni-hao! + red blue green
japanese frolics in the park giving us an all-girl trio stereotype just as expected (do you think they all smile cutely in quirky poses or look like fucked-up hardcase morons on the inserts? take a wild guess...). comprising dual bass guitars, electronics and drums, simple and sometimes effective songs, with fuzzy bass rumbles and little girl vocals, alternating between oo-oo-la-la and shouting at the cat. a theme of red, blue and green tracksuit tops gets stylistic points in the band photos. lots of writing in japanese, with some translation. although i think the japanese made more sense to me - "romantic scratch” and “i love smurfy” indeed. they didn't quite sustain my interest, but i liked their humour and i could see what they were trying to do. it may yet grow on me.
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #1
so here we have the first of a series of cds showcasing 3 bands each time, across as many tracks as they could be bothered to contribute by the looks of it.... hinterlandt made me smile straight away. how seriously can i take this? “chuck it out” indeed – a title like that is asking for trouble, but i'm sympathetic this evening. sound with a bit of instrument thrown in (literally), and then coming on like a ravaged depeche mode. what are you playing at? no really, what are you playing at? anyone? hello? zu impress with the opening song title (wait for it) “tom araya is our elvis”. and i hear they've supported joe lally on tour. aside from that, it's musical chunks and bit-part riffs to construct their 7 improvised jam-tracks. electronics, saxophones, bass and cello heading off in different directions over the hills and down the dales, sometimes meeting up for a pint of ale and a chat at ye olde musical interlude public house. some points of interest along the way, but otherwise head down and keep on walking. can can heads give us their 13 short cameo instrumentals. for the one minute or so that they can maintain their interest in each song, they do it well, holding on to that early minutemen feel, but lacking the romance and charisma of d. boon's vocals, and slightly less sophisticated musically. if you're struggling to work out whether i like this or not, then you'll be pleased to know that i am too.
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #1
"what's
that sound?", p asked upon entering room. "this is the record
raine gave me", a answered. "just don't make it any louder"
p warned me. this short and revealing dialog was inspired by this compilation
and especially the first band, hinterlandt, who seem to get lost within
themselves while producing different kids of squeaking & screeching
sounds. the band consists of german expatriate jochen gutsch from australia
and his modus operandi seems to fluctuate between the ethereal and the
disturbed. with drum machine producing the rhythms, hinterlandt travels
through many kinds of moods. there are only three songs, but one of
them is over 15 minutes long. to call this interesting might raise some
questions? maybe this is original and strange but not very good? more
and more questions arise, so I guess I'm just left bewildered. lost
and found in light and sound and the balance of too much and not enough
just float aimlessly with some edgy distortion thrown in. for some reason
i want to put on black sabbath's solitude right after this. listen to
that song and sonic youth, jefferson airplane and young gods and you
will get something like hinterlandt.
zu from italy play free jazz, or something. saxophone is used ruthlessly.
this sounds much more like improvised music than hinterlandt. works
better in a dark club than in your living room. well, you could always
turn off the lights… this is edgy, even menacing stuff. i really
enjoyed the song anatomy of a lost battle. listening to that song, i
kinda forget that i'm listening to jazz, thinking this might as well
be no trend or flipper. well, "jazz". without looking at the
cd-player an amateur in this field like me wouldn't even necessarily
notice where one song ends and another starts. i was going to say that
this isn't really my kinda music, but after putting on the headphones
the music started to sound exciting. really, and i'm not saying this
just to prove i can understand "art". really. i really mean
it!
our own can can heads offer us total diy stuff. not just because it's
rough, but it's original too. so what is this, you ask. not too many
of you would call this music, i'm sorry to say. music it is tho, whether
it's droning on and on with the same riff or being just plain unpredictable.
there's roaring sax and crashing drums. truut-toot and kolkutikilikili.
add some mumbling. improvised avantgarde rioting. once, when listening
to the repetitive starpowerless someone made indefinite, banging sound
just outside. it's very telling that first i didn't know if the noise
was coming from the record or from somewhere else. anyway, it fit more
than well. so maximize the experience. play this in an urban environment
or near a construction site, let the hum of the cars passing by or hammers
banging away add their own atmosphere to the sounds produced by can
can heads.
the so-called end result: to access the universe these bands have created,
you have listen to this compilation more than a couple times.
(arto hietikko/toinen vaihtoehto #176, translated by jmt)
dilettante´s
digest #2
tenzenmen
presents: eccentrics, issue #1
this is a compilation of three bands. the first one of them is hinterlandt,
and they're completely worthless. they have drum machine, electronic
effects, distorted guitars, lame vocals, etc, and the music changes
between experimental electronic rhythmic stuff and crappy cyber-grind
or something. their three overlong tracks take up more than a third
of this 65-minute cd. seriously, one of the worst bands i've heard.
that's an accomplishment, too.
then it's luckily time for something completely different: zu! they
start with a track titled tom araya is our elvis, and with that it's
impossible to go wrong. bass, drums, saxophone and cello intertwine
together in a way that just has to be heard to believe it. it's heavy
but still true to the spirit of (free) jazz - totally uncompromising
stuff here. zu are definitely the most interesting of all the "punk
jazz" bands around at the moment. their second track continues
in the same vein with an addition of a sample of some psychiatrist guy
talking about "subconscious manifesting itself in psycho- masturbation",
"satanic tendencies" and other funky stuff. unfortunately
the following zu tracks are not as good, they're a bit aimless and lack
in heaviness of the first two and don't really bring anything else to
replace it. they're still not bad, and it would be difficult to top
the first two in any case. well, the last track is in the vein of the
first two again, but it's still not as good as them.
the third band here is the finnish no-wave kings can can heads. they
play altogether 13 tracks which are full of jerky, twitching rhythms,
screeching guitar noise, occasional saxophones, retarded vocals, etc,
and i'm loving it. all of their tracks aren't obviously masterpieces,
and their whole is a bit too varied, but there are some real gems like
double talkin' maybe (which ithink has been already released on some
of their 7"s, but i'm not 100% sure - the title just sounds so
familiar), the swivel spout's angle swings (my favourite and one of
the band's very best, a real no-wave masterpiece), hilarious banana
(with a guy talking about the price of bananas backed by freejazz),
starpowerless (that does not sound like sonic youth but like motörhead
who try to play funk but notice they don't know how and just rock out
instead) and sawdust brain (which would make captain beefheart proud).
if you didn't get the point already, this is definitely worth purchasing
because of zu and cch.
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #1
this is
certainly one of the strangest compilations i have come across recently.
i don't recall ever hearing can can heads, but i was aware of hinterlandt
of course, and also zu i saw play live some time ago, and it is a strange
combination to see them on a cd together.
but the cd opens with hinterlandt and that's a real surprise. i knew
jochen plays around with the notions of popmusic, but the three cuts
here are entirely sampled from death metal, pop and symphonic rock with
just that tiny bit of experimental electronica. after 'poprekordt' maybe
the thing to expect but i just dislike death metal and symphonic rock,
also when they are sampled. i must admit though that hinterlandt does
a fine job in what he does.
zu are free rock trio from italy of drums,
guitar and saxophone. they play free rock or free jazz, you don't have
to call it anything if any terms shocks you, but they play whatever
they do with great power. seven relatively short cuts of intense playing.
maybe the sort of thing i wouldn't play often, but their concert left
me a good impression, so maybe i am positively influenced by that while
enjoying this.
as said, i never heard of can can heads, who are a five
piece band from finland, on guitars, drums, bass, vocals and saxophone.
they also play free rock music, and this time it's a bit more traditional,
less jazz and a bit more punk related. of the three bands, this is the
one which i had much trouble with. too traditional for my taste to enjoy
these free punk reputations too much. but the renewed connection with
hinterlandt and zu made this well alright for me.
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #1
primo episodio della saga eccentrics a cura della tenzenmen, neonata etichetta australiana. la raccolta, che in realt? sarebbe pi? indicato chiamare split a 3, va indubbiamente a soddisfare palati eterogenei pur avendo essenzialmente un'anima rock, almeno da quello che trapela ad un primo ascolto filato. quasi una versione su cddi un possibile - e auspicabile - concerto dal vivo.
si parte con hinterlandt, qui presente con tre tracce alquanto spiazzanti quanto a intenzioni e soprattutto per un uso accentuato del campionamento. diversi gli spunti interessanti comunque. "the balance of too much and not enough", nei suoi 15' e 33" di durata, pur manifestando talvolta umori non proprio esaltanti che guardano al rock sinfonico cos? come al deathelettropopmetal, offre un voriopinto sampling di suoni e suggestioni del progetto di jochen gutsch.
tocca poi
ai romani zu, che macinano concerti e creano occasioni in quantit?,
qui arricchiti dalla presenza del violoncellista fred lonberg-holm.
da "tom araya is our elvis" tributo al seminale bassista e
cantante degli slayer a "every seagull snows" tutta la compattezza
e la potenza del zu-sound viene confermata.
a chiudere, la formazione dei can can heads da kauhajoki, finlandia, con 12 ottimi brani dal periodo 1994-2004. come per hinterlandt anche qui gli anni 80' sono dietro l'angolo, questa volta per? si guarda alle prime pubblicazioni sst records come alla no wave di arto lindsay, tracce dalla breve durata a bassa (a volte bassissima) fedelt? che ci lasciano decisamente rinvigoriti.
valutazione: * * * *
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #1
was diese bands eint, ist dem untertitel zu entnehmen: drei acts, die auf ihre jeweils eigene weise ungewöhnliche musizierweisen vorfahren.
da wäre zum einen hinterlandt, mal ein vielköpfiges improvisationskollektiv, mal, wie hier, die ein-mann-und-sein-rechner-nummer. die kranlieder auf dieser cd sind ein ziehmlich bizarrer mix aus rock, pop, elektronik und deathmetal. die elemente - ein mascis-solo, ein spielzeugbeat, ein metal-riff, eine surfgitarre, you name it - stehen in den möglichsten und unmöglichsten kombinationen vor-, über- und nebeneinander, ohne je wirklich in das jeweils andere aufgelöst zu werden. die daraus resultierende spannung trägt auch über die 15 minuten von the balance of too much and not enough.
über die italienische jazz-free-core-band zu hattom an dieser stelle schon einiges geschrieben. sieben neue stücke - das erste heißt tom araya is our elvis - in denen zu, ergänzt um den cellisten fred lonberg-holm, in mahlender brachialität zu werke gehen. langsamer als auf früheren alben, gleichwohl meist von beeindruckender intensität.
can can heads aus finnland schließlich spielen einen grandios gestärten rock in flipper-manier, zuckend, verdreht und mit archaischem equipment aufgenommen.
stone
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #2
Following the format set in “Eccentrics 1”, 3 bands showcase: LIMITED EXPRESS (HAS GONE?) (I'm a big fan of bands with brackets) with a slightly less manic than Melt Banana feel, stop-starty party shrieks with delicate nice bits here and there. Songs within songs, it's difficult to know where things are heading next. My CD player says track 2, but I swear we're 5 songs in. Two parts Dawson, one part Guapo, one part Deerhoof, they were doing something right according to my ears. STALWART up next. Stoner recordings from beyond the sewer: minimal, hypnotic, repetitive riffage, with pounding rhythmic drums and occasional vocals. Some parts have a mid-period Dischord feel, but not enough to keep it interesting. Or put you off, depending on your point of view. PLATYPUS give us minimalist recordings of sounds that left me with pins and needles in my head. When you tire of music (whatever that is), put this on for a change.
tenzenmen
presents: eccentrics, issue #2
australian-based indie-label tenzenmen seems to have a thing for finnish
underground music. this three-way split, released last november, is
the second cd in the eccentrics series. the first release featured can
can heads, the third one will contain more blue n' white rhythms in
the form of astro can caravan and the cd at hand features no less than
two finnish bands, stalwart and plat ypus. the main idea with the eccentrics
series is that each band has 20 minutes of running time at their disposal.
this slot they can fill any which way they see fit. each band has also
given a title for their part on the cd.
limited
express (has gone?) – leads you
limited express (has gone?) is true jap mayhem in the vein of melt banana
and boredoms. for those not familiar with the term ”jap mayhem”,
here's a description: a japanese woman screaming in a manic, high-pitched
voice, noisy electric guitars and chaotic jazz-punk song patterns. anarchic
with a capital a, irritating with a small i and nice with a big n. very
cool. very japanese. sax bonus.
stalwart
– digested floods and mutinies with well-rounded toleration
stalwart of pori surprises me yet again with another high quality, varied
offering. the release history of stalwart isn't a very long one, but
the members are experienced, having played in various finnish bands
in the past. the seven new tracks on this aussie disc form a great set
of stylistically individual, eclectic alternative rock. the members'
past in circle doesn't shine through as strongly as on the band's debut
effort torment non plus, but an element of hypnotic repetitiveness is
present here as well.
during
20 unpredictable minutes, the trio explores the middle ground between
hard rock and avant-garde weirdness. girl parade trainee includes surprisingly
coherent, but nonetheless strange singing. in sickened by symbolism,
stalwart goes for a high speed assault, harkimo moves features free
form noise and zeitgeist of a loudmouth is a metallic rocker. wow! stalwart
is rapidly developing into a brilliantly original rock-group.
plat ypus
– black hand rising
i 'm aware of the existence of this band, and that pretty much is the
extent of my knowledge of plat ypus. creating some sort of lo-fi minimalist
noise soundscapes seems to be their thing. after two short, and very
obscure tracks we get to the real deal as the noisy world of black hand
rising unravels to the listener's bewilderment. the production sounds
really primitive. it sounds like the whole thing was recorded in the
cellar with a cassette radio. somewhere in the distance you can hear
drums and guitar. above this a sporadically re-occuring, heavily effect-laden
voice hovers hazily. i'm reminded of the countless sound experiments
of läjä äijälä. there is a certain sympathetic
home-made feel and an air of adventurousness in plat ypus' music, but
the 14-minute title track is just too much.
from psychotropic zone psychedelic music club
tenzenmen
presents: eccentrics, issue #2
ex-circle guitarist jyrki laiho (now in kuusumun profeetta, among other
things) was friendly enough to sell me his archive copies of the first
two circle vinyls, and in the same package he also sent me this weird
three-band split release.
tenzenmen is apparently an australian label so far focused on releasing
this kind of record. their web site says they are interested in all
extreme, outrageous, amusing, adventurous, improvised etc. music. this
cd is well in between those lines.
the album starts with six tracks by japanese limited express (has gone?),
and I've never heard anything of them before. rather heavy, noisy, technical
and fun stuff. the female singer's very high-pitched and theatrical
voice is the thing that stands out. strange.
then it's time for a trio called stalwart formed by jyrki laiho, veli
nuorsaari and janne peltomäki. their cd ep torment nonplus released
a little while ago was a promising preview of their heavy and hypnotic
rolling also present on this album. they have packed seven merciless
assaults into twenty plus minutes. you can still hear some old circle
in there, but there's a lot of other stuff, as well. jyrki also sings,
especially in a track called "girl parade trainee". "sickened
by symbolism" is a pretty fast track, phew! then follows some heavy,
slow riffing, but cacophonic, psychedelic elements are always present,
as well. this is rather experimental, heavy as hell and odd stuff. i'm
a bit scared if the possibly pretty soon-to-be-released full length
will also be this merciless head banging all the time, but this works
like an evil kübel in 20 minutes long dosages. it would also be
nice to get this band to play live, maybe with some reinforcements.
the last orchestra on this cd is also from finland and called plat ypus,
and I'm ashamed to say that I don't really know much about them. a couple
of shorter tracks were recorded already in 1997, the over 14 minutes
long "black hand rising" in 2002. this quartet plays rather
noisy and weird, obviously improvisation-based stuff. there are also
some programming and sound college-like elements in there to give nice
extra colour to their sound.
this is rather confusing compilation, but I'm sure this kind of stuff
has plenty of listeners!
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #3
Familiar set up by now – EXPERIMENTAL DENTAL SCHOOL are first up with ringside circus-time tunes recalling the softer parts of Mr Bungle, Tomahawk and Fantomas, managing that bizarre shift between eerie and comical. Easier on the ears and less metal than Mike Patton's posses though, with jazzy guitar rumbles, and casio-inspired stop-start. I liked this lot, and something appealing about the song titles. SABOT commit a single tune, the title obviously Mary Poppins inspired. Opening grumbles on a downward slide, then hitting a creepy blues of four interwoven musical parts in ever decreasing circles, picking up and dropping the pace as they feel like it. The Leeds guys That Fucking Tank come to mind. It grew on me (like moss?) the more I listened to it. SABOT also give us a “video presentation” but it wouldn't show for me. Fuck 'em and fuck technology then. ASTRO CAN CARAVAN are a 16-piece orchestra giving us their version of a film soundtrack, “Suite Charukeshi” in 3 parts. At first fooling us into Tortoise-muzak for aspiring lounge lizards, kicking off with stretched orchestral notes punctuated with a low rattling snare. Then moving into Charlie Mingus/Miles Davis territory, before finishing up with a more manic Zorn/GOD 8-minute composition which gradually creeps its way towards a finale of screech saxophones, screechier keyboards, frantic drums. The back cover had already warned us of a bonus mystery track, and sure enough, after the last track and 31 3-second tracks of silence, we're treated to two 20-second trashy punk numbers, one instrumental. Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.
dilettante's digest, musically incorrect fanzine issue # 2
tenzenmen presents: eccentrics, issue #2
hey, more
eccentrics just before the deadline! it’s three bands again, and
the first one of them is limited express (has gone?). oh well, they´re
japanese so i guess you can give them certain privileges with naming
things and stuff like that. they also sound very japanese, being some
kind of ”lite” version of melt-banana, boredoms and such.
and godco too,definitely. it’s nice jerky rhythmic postmodern
no-wave or something with crazy vocals and song structures. good stuff,
but I guess that a longer whole than the ca. 20 minutes here would start
getting on my nerves.
then it´s time for stalwart. compared to their earlier mcd (see
below) the material here is perhaps a bit more experimental and less
rocking and catchy. it´s still great though. minimalist heavy
yet groovy music with enough talent and vision to separate them from
the grey mass of millions of fucken krautrock clones/clowns out there.
oh , their first track sounds almost exactly like alice in chains (anyone
remember?) – stop smirking, at their best aic were great!
a nd to the last band: plat ypus. their first two tracks leave me scratching
my head, being short collages of experimental electro, no-wave and such
weirdness. luckily their last track, the epic ”black hand rising”
(what a great title!!!) is sincere krautrock worshipping with lo-fi
sounds, some great wah-guitar playing and amateurish-in-a-good-way approach
to the whole thing. good stuff! i hope the future eccentrics will also
be of this good quality. (pekka)
from
fakejazz
kroko + rabia
rabia, the group's second disc, finds kroko as a duo, though ylikoski's
still featured on a third of the album. it's more of the same, with
rampaging prog, mellow tracks that, surprisingly, are still a welcome
addition to the album, and trashy, noisy slabs of improv. the departure
of ylikoski's bass isn't a huge factor for hissa and dassum, it seems,
as their music shows no ill effects due to the loss. dassum's guitar
is even more at the forefront of the music, with searing flurries of
notes, and soaring arcs of flaming sound. as with the band's debut,
much of rabia is made up of live recordings, this time made even more
convoluted and clamorous with a stereo mix featuring different live
performances of the track in each speaker (the twelfth track is actually
split three ways). the music in the different channels, of course, isn't
always in sync, though this little imperfection and the disorientation
it can create are some of the album's best moments. "burning soul,"
one of the disc's few studio tracks, is the best of kroko's more relaxed
material, though, as with all of rabia, it would fit well on the band's
debut, as well. this second effort isn't too far a stretch from what
kroko had accomplished on their introductory release, but kroko's compositional
sense is varied enough that they still manage to cram more stylistic
touches into one or two songs than many bands do in a whole career.
kroko + rabia
instrumental soundscapes with scraped together sounds, accompanied by occasional tunes and atmospherics. if you worked down a mine with a diamond drill vibrating inches from your face for most of the day, this could be your background music. recalls dawson and orthrelm.
limited express (has gone?) + live at 101 bar
no paperwork with this one, so the only thing I have to go on is the title and the music. the title explains itself quite neatly i think. so that leaves the music: 11 songs of relentless shouting, scratchy guitar and drumming from this japanese trio, these recordings drown out any interest i could possibly show them. having said that, i think it's a bit unfair to try to get to grips with a band from a live recording, and consequently i prefer the stuff that appeared on “eccentrics 2”. this however, left me cold. orchid versus deerhoof, if you're interested in a vague comparison.
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