I Own Some Records

Moby - “Animal Rights” (Mute 1996) 

Did you know that Moby did stuff before he was MTV’s darling electronic music poster boy?  You know, he was the guy that showed off his book collection on MTV Cribs?  Then he made a second appearance on MTV Cribs and had the really sweet house in upstate NY?  Yeah I don’t remember him either. 

I love Moby, particularly ”Play” the record that made him famous.  I had heard he did stuff that was edgier prior to that record, but it eluded until recently when I scored a copy of this record.  This is drastically different from the poppy ambient electronic music we all know and love Moby for.  While that stuff is on here, this record is a hardcore record.  Like this sounds like 108 with electronic drums with just a hint of Nine Inch Nails. There are some ambient electronic parts and alternative rock stuff on here that sound kind of dated, but yeah, all I could think of while listening to this was 108.  I was pleasantly surprised and definitely like Moby even more now.  

-Log.  

JK Flesh/Prurient - “Worship The Cleansing Of Imagination” (Hydra Head Records 2013)

So this is the final release from the illustrious and amazing Hydra Head Records.  I don’t know about you, but I couldn’t think of a better combination of artists or a better release to send off the label.

JK Flesh is one of Justin K Broadrick’s 8 billion projects.  If you don’t know who he is, kindly educate yourself, because while I don’t think I’ve reviewed any of his projects, every single one of them is excellent, and three of them are some of the most influential bands of the last 25 or so years. JK Flesh is sort an amalgamation of his later work with Godflesh and Final, the result is truly satisfying.  The three tracks on here are ambient electronic tracks, with heavy distorted guitars playing doom riffs.  I’ve honestly never really heard anything quite like this before, everything that tries to sound like this falls short and sounds cheesy.  Mr. Broadrick pulls this off masterfully; this is definitely something that requires multiple listens to dissect every nuance and truly appreciate the musical genius presented.

Let’s flip this over.

Prurient has quite the task to live up to the previous side, but I don’t think it’s possible for Dominick Fernow to disappoint (well me at least).  Prurient takes a different approach then his previous Hydra Head releases, which mostly revolved around synths and beats.  These three tracks rely more heavily on ambient electronics and atmosphere rather than keyboards.  The final track does have a synth lead, but brutal electronics slowly come in and take center stage while the synth becomes an afterthought.  

All in all an excellent record.  Do yourself a favor and buy this.

-Log. 

How To Destroy Angels - “An Omen EP” (Columbia Records/HTDA, LLC 2012)

Let me get this out of the way.  If you didn’t know already, How To Destroy Angels is a side project of Trent Reznor.  I love Nine Inch Nails.  No fucks given.

While there are hints of NIN here and there on this EP, if you didn’t now Reznor had anything to do with How To Destroy Angels, you’d probably just think they sound influenced by them.  But in reality this is a tremendous trip-hop/IDM/glitch release.  There is plenty of abstract beats  created from found sounds, haunted female vocals, rudimentary oscillators, deep dark synth pads, and other fancy electronic doohickies that make scary new fangled sounds my old fashioned kind of brain can’t handle.  Some easy comparions I could make musically to this would be Portishead, Autechre, and even some of Bastard Noise’s more recent electronic stuff.  This record is the real deal, and I look forward to hearing more from this hip young rock and roll combo.  

-Log.  

Christian Cosmos - “The Sharp Lines That Delineate His Robes” (Bed Of Nails 2012)

GUYS THIS RECORD IS LIKE REALLY AWESOME.  ITS LIKE DARK AMBIENT AND INDUSTRIAL ELECTRONIC MUSIC.  SHITS LIKE IF BOYD RICE WAS IN APHEX TWIN, YEAH ITS THAT AWESOME.  LMFAO I LISTENED TO IT AT 33RPM FIRST AND THEN I LOOKED AT THE LABELS AND IT SAID 45RPM AND I LISTENED TO IT AGAIN AND ITS REALLY GOOD EITHER WAY.  AND LOOK AT THE COLOR OF THE RECORD ITS LIKE A NEON GRIMACE FROM MCDONALDS AND SHIT. 

-Log.

PS: This is the last review I write like this. Maybe.  

Blaqk Audio - Bright Black Heaven (Big Death/Superball Music 2012)

I was a bit wary about picking this up, because I remember hearing Blaqk Audio’s first album when it came out, and I completely fucking hated it.  But at the time, I didn’t stuff like this that much.  Let’s say my palette has “matured” since the last time I heard Blaqk Audio, so I gave them another shot.  I put the needle down and the first track came on and my first thought was, “Fuck, this is really lame.”  Now I’ll admit, my knownledge of synth-pop, darkwave, and EBM is pretty limited, but I know a few bands, and I would like to consider myself a fan of the genre.  The opening track on this album is just bad.  Not bad like it’s a bad song, it is just really lame, and it reminded me of stuff like Blood On The Dance floor or something, cheesy pop/dance music.  Thankfully, the rest of the album is much more enjoyable.  It’s still cheesy dance music, but with just enough of a dark side to make me dig it.  I mean I would never go to a show or concert for this genre of music; I don’t think I could handle that many goths at once.  But this is a fun record, and a nice change of pace for me; you can only listen to so much noise/black metal/hardcore/power violence/grind etc. without getting sick of it.  Oh I forgot to to mention, Blaqk Audio is Jade and Davey from AFI.  Jade handling all the tunes and Davey handling the vocals.  I’ll file this under my other listen to this alone and dance as to not embarrass myself records like Apoptygyma Bezerk and Combichrist.  Don’t tell anyone guys.

-Log. 

Infrabunny - “Fried Man” (TPOS 2010)

“Discipline, precision, and repetition.  The more you listen, the more you will hear.  Strange rhythms from somewhere in there.”  - on the back cover.

I was given this CDr with the understanding that I listen to it all the way through without stopping.  I was scared; not because it could contain a harsh blast of noise for 50+ minutes, your faithful reviewer enjoys such torture.  I was scared it could just be terrible music.  I don’t know why I was worried, Infrabunny is a project of Malcolm Tent, the perpetually bearded, guitar plucking, bass thumping, Connecticut music staple, founding member of noise rock troupe The Bunnybrains (and current member of Ultrabunny, who in my opinion are much better than Bunny Brains), and the man who is primarily responsible for my record collection being as large as it is (his record store in Danbury was probably the best you could ever go to, and I frequented it probably 3 times a week for about 8 years).  

Infrabunny is definitely it’s own beast though.  This CDr contains almost an hour of repetitive almost unchanging beats delivered via 4 tracks.  The first two tracks sound like the same skeleton of a rhythm, most likely a drum machine, and other little bits of sound added and subtracted.  Both are 15 minutes and are absolutely hypnotic and fly by in what seems like seconds.  The third track is made up of what sounds like white noise cut up into tiny bits and makes an almost danceable beat.  I could see this being put on for a bunch of dust heads and they would dance to it.  Otherwise I’d suggest doing what I did, slip on a nice pair of headphones and bob your head to it.  The fourth track is the most interesting of all; it sounds like the same pattern from the previous track but that pattern is activating a gate or something that plays the first (or second) track.  Whether I’m wrong or right, I’m stealing that idea for one of my projects.  

Such a great release.  Head on over to Malcolm’s website and purchase a copy.  While you are there buy some of his other hot releases.  

Malcolm Tent

-Log. 

Vatican Shadow - “Kneel Before Religious Icons” (Type Recordings 2012)

So Vatican Shadow is another Dominick Fernow (Prurient, Ash Pool, Cold Cave, Tortured Hooker, Taylor Bow, a million more) project and like his other projects, at least to me, this shit is solid gold.  The whole record consists of hypnotic, repetitive beats.  Beats that are made with cold synths, and simplistic drum machines.  I seriously can’t get enough of this.    Its hard to say what it reminds me of, but if there was a gothed out rapper in the 80’s, these would be the beats he used. 

I don’t have time for a real review. Whatevs. 

-Log. 

aTelecine - “The Falcon And The Pod” (Pendu Sound Recordings 2011)

Ok I’ll admit it.  I caved.  I didn’t want to, but I couldn’t resist it’s charm.  I paid for the aTelecine subscription from Pendu Sound.  I didn’t want to, as it was ridiculously over priced ($88 for 3 LPs, 7”, and a slipcase for everything? Come on!) but after I saw a copy of this record I had to.  Look at how sexy this fucking this is!!  The vinyl is grey but has just a twinge of green in it.  Love at first sight.  I just hope the rest of the records live up to the high standards this one has set.  

Musically this record is very weird.  It touches upon so many different elements over the course of two sides it’s kind of mind boggling.  This record is like a mixture of 60’s experimental synth records, Throbbing Gristle, Bauhaus, late 80’s early 90’s dance records, Cabaret Voltaire, Aphex Twin, The Residents, the first Devo album, and like a million other things.  Also the entire thing is fucking evil sounding.  Like the kind of thing grandmas would hear their weirdo neighbors listening to and then telling everyone in their sewing circle her neighbors were summoning demons and/or worshipping Satan.  Oh yeah Sasha Grey is in this band too.  

This one has it all.  Psychedelic keyboard freakouts, straight up dance jams, vintage synthesizers and drum machines, creepy vocals drowned in delay, and much much more.  I do not regret for a second buying that subscription because I can’t fucking wait to get the rest of the set.  

-Log. 

Kevin Drumm - “Sheer Hellish Miasma” (2010)

After a long day of listening to records and coughing my lungs out, this is the perfect way to cap off my night.  ”Pure Hellish Miasma” is one of those albums that just works.  It easily invades your psyche and doesn’t let go.  Even though this is two LPs I was craving more and more.  

Contained in these grooves are 6 epic tracks of searing noise, warm sheets of fuzz, psychedelic repetitive electronic buzzing, canyon like drones, sparse synthetic ambience, and other pretentious descriptions of sound.  

Really all I can say is this record is like the soundtrack to a dream about flying a space cruiser through deserted lands that may or may not be inhabited by robots. Or mutants.  Thats what I see.  I’m tired alright? 

-Log. 

The Residents - “Eskimo” (Ralph Records 1985)

I don’t even know where to start with this record.  If you don’t know about The Residents, get with it.  I’m not gonna describe them to you, do your own research.  

So this record tells of tales of the Eskimo, exploring their folklore and creating a soundtrack to go with it.  There are linear notes included with the record and you are supposed to read along as you listen.  I can’t imagine listening to this record without the linear notes (though I’m doing just that as I write this).  

The tracks follow a walrus hunt, childbirth, summoning Gods, etc. All the sounds are created by humans with ancient synthesizers and native instruments built by The Residents.  This record is insane.  It’s dark ambient record (if I was to use a nowadays genrefecation) and noise, and early electronic music, but seriously there is no way to describe this accurately music wise. If you are expecting some toe tapping brilliance look elsewhere. I must say though this record is amazing, especially for the time it was recorded in 1979.  Track yourself down a copy. Or don’t. I don’t fucking care.

-Log. 

Sylvester Anfang - “II” (Aurora Borealis 2010)

Man I really don’t feel like writing a review right now, but I really felt like sharing this incredible album with the world.  A friend described Sylvester Anfang as folk/black metal (NOT folk-metal) but this is pretty far from that.  It’s like a blend of psychedelic rock and kraut rock (two genres that kind of overlap) with lots of strange electronics and an overall evil mood.  The mood is probably the only black metal thing about this record.  That and the art; lots of naked chicks and skulls and anti-religious iconography.  There are lots of droning repetitive grooves that I’m just getting lost in as I listen to it.  So incredible.  Also the vocals are sparse but they remind me of Les Claypool for some reason.  Great shit. 

Gender Sabotage/Ritual Stance - split (Void Seance 2011)

Uh oh. Call the hipster police; I’m reviewing a CD!!  Well it’s actually a CDr that is limited to 30 copies, so it’s more underground than most shit hipsters listen to anyway. But anyway. 

Gender Sabotage is yet another name/side project of noiseman Richard Ramirez, a guy who’s in so many noise projects it kind of makes me sick. And by kind of it really makes me sick. And by really I mean it doesn’t at all.  Gender Sabotage offers up one track entitled “Third Gender” that really brings the HNW.  Low tones bubble up and pop into erratic static sounds for a good half an hour.  It”s irritating at first but after that amount of time it sounds really nice.  On the other hand it sounds like a a broken coffee machine percolating. 

Ritual Stance’s track “Bare Upon the Altar” is a more bellowing dark track.  Super low sounds waves are distorted and shift while a constant buzz covers the whole thing. Or to make it sound like a real life situation it sounds like a really heavy wind shooting up sand and making it hit a window.  But in a good way.  

Another solid release from Void Seance.  Solid as a wall. A harsh. Noise. Wall.  BA DOOM CHA!

-Log. 

Void Seance

Suicide - “Suicide” (Red Star Records [I’m not sure what year this is from but it’s definitely not OP])

I’m been meaning to hear these guys FOREVER.  I finally have. Hooray! Simple electronic passages that remind me of Silver Apples with manic vocals.  Cool. 

Venetian Snares - Sabbath Dubs (Kriss Records 2007)

I couldn’t get a good shot of this one right above it so thats why it’s at an angle. Deal.

So this was a small sampling of my 10” collection.  I mostly posted ones that had cool colors (which I didn’t realize is a lot of them!) and then some that I felt like bragging about. I hope you enjoyed it!  Now get me more followers.  I’m pretty close to 150.

Best format ever.  

-Log.