Ttotals – “Spectrums of Light” – [Twin Lakes Records]

A duo from Nashville Tennessee that doesn’t fit the “Nashville stereo type” at all. In fact, import/export Pete “Sonic Boom” Kember (Spectrum / Spacemen 3) into the mix (he mixed it), and Nashville is turned inside out. Drums and Guitar and washes of feedback all make for a magnificent psych journey. I saw these guys live at the Austin Psychfest in 2013 and the sounds they made were pretty mesmerizing as I crested the banks of the Colorado River (the backdrop for the band), I was expecting a helluva lot more than just two dudes with one of them being on a very stripped down drum kit. Good news, they sound as good, if not better, live!

On one side you’ve got the slow burner Sometimes You Just Are – and then the intensity level kicks it up about 10 klix more, then, back down and then again back up; a nice ride; Tricks of the Trade is a little meaner sounding and reminds me of a stripped down NYC NoWave act circa the late 80′s or early 90′s (something not to be messed with to say the least). Last thing, making this quite a find in the KFJC library is that every cover on these limited edition 7″ are all unique (and we defaced it and fucked it all up as is the custom).

Tryp out; hang out.

Soil

Lumerians – “Weaning and The Dreaming, The” – [Sanity Muffin]

Among many descriptors of the air sound at KFJC would be the over-used but apt, “Experimental”. As such it is appropriate to know the backstory of this cassette as it is truly experimental. First off, the Lumerians, an East Bay project that continues to gather velocity as the 20-teens progress veer off into some pretty tryppy territory here (not their “usual” structured psychedelic faire so to speak). Instead, someone got the brilliant idea to make a record immediately after spending time in an isolation flotation tank. A 4-track recorder was setup in the lobby of said establishment and the band members would soak for a while and then do their recordings. No edits (and they didn’t all record at the same time either – just a bit of tape flipping halfway through the whole process) which in turn causes the A Side and B Sides of the tapes to be mirror images of one another. Anyway, get that through your noggin or don’t and just enjoy the completely improvised post soak sounds of the Lumerians. In the end experimentation is the word and it is up to you to go forth and do the same. This limited edition cassette, put out by Oakland’s Sanity Muffin, was part of the merch table schwag of their Fall 2012 European jaunt.

Taylor Bow – “Thin Air” – [Youth Attack Records]

Hardcore noise punk from NYC – this is their first LP (and only 2^nd release ever); coming out in 2009, this looks to be a side-project for Dominic Fernow (on Guitar) of Purient and a few others; (noting also NYC scene maker Steve Lowenthal on vox) you’ve got your basic rock setup, guitar, bass, drums, and tortured/maniacal vocalist; making pissed off music that rails against stupidity in society. Their first release (Hate Fuck), a 7″, was deemed more of a venture into Power Violence territory, but this stabs at more of a classic, weeping rock violence wound ala the Brainbombs (especially the beautiful fucking mess of the final track on side A “White Was The Window”. Side B cuts deep into homebase territory with the pounding “Massive City Rotting”and never lets up till the grooves run out. Let’s hope these guys come up from air on their other projects to let loose another raw and ragged tidbit of Taylor Bow before we all tear each other apart during our mowing of daily bread.

Soil

Twin Stumps – “Twin Stumps” – [Dais]

This is Twin Stumps’ first of, sadly, only two outings before they called it DONE. This is blasting noisecore rock of the finest quality. If I were to compare these guys to various varieties of Salt, they’d clearly be in the Amethyst Bamboo grade (go look it up). If you’re not gonna look it up, let’s just say it is high fuckin’ class hoity toity salt. This is 3 piece out of Ridgewood NY. Dais, bless their hearts, put this out a in a limited edition (as they do) few years back and it immediately disappeared from the shelves and into rabid noisy rock collectors’ oily hands. This is #155 out of 300, and I got it off of some greasy dude up in Oregon. If you’re familiar with Twin Stumps, do enjoy. If you’re not, welcome to the fold as you coax your ears to bleed profusely by dropping the needle on this beauty.

Soil

Prurient – “Wrapped In The Flame of Illusion, Masked In The Clay Of Behavior” – [Dais]

Double 7″ (orange and purple)that shows the rare “unagitated” side of Prurient; Genesis Breyer P-Orridge at the Graphic Controls; inspiration taken from circuitus religious logic and the conspiratorial nature of the deaths of two tabloid superstars Anna Nichole Smith and Michael Jackson; “wispy” at times; haunting; eerie, droney and not, oh, too noizy. Grand,yet short (go for 33 if you’d like to extend the spooky/dripdrug vibe out a bit more). Starting off with the ramblings of what might be two sisters playing with their uncle’s tape recorder to the final gothic ending of the sighs of a neither world, this is not what you thought you might be getting into by dropping the needle on these gems; limited enough as well as substantially different than what you might expect from Dominick Fernow to become an instant collectors item. – Jack Soil

Wrapped In The Flame Of Illusion, Masked In The Clay Of Behavior

Lord Foul – “Killing Raping Burning / The Devils Advocate” – [Dais]

Cheater Slicks – “Bats In The Dead Trees” – [Lost Treasures of The Underworld]

Number 86 of a limited edition of 500 that is a repressing of a release that “sold out” in about 1 day the first time around; 2009′s Cheater Slicks make what some might call a noise record inspired by “garage rock”. Undoubtedly cut from the same bolt of cloth as say a Liquorball, Gasenata, or Mainliner. 4 solid studio tracks cut onto vinyl that, at first you think are going to “build” into one another,but instead of building they just ARE, and BEING is something that isn’t bad here. A bonus CDR is included that is a live recording at Skylab that is thinner in sound but possibly meaner/unrelenting in tone. The CDR is clearly the same set of songs, and after a few listens I found myself liking both just the same which is fine with me, as I’d rather not choose a favorite; the whole thing is amazing and worth more than just a few listens before it gets lost in the library.

3 Word Review- Batshitcrazy Loudass Motherfuckers!

Soil

Puffy Areolas / Purling Hiss [coll] – [Permanent Records]

Record Store Day, May 2011, some amazing records are released, and as the saying goes, “once they’re gone, they’re gone”. A visit to the Permanent Records Store in LA in July of 2011 confirmed this, or so I thought, as the proprietor told me they were gone and that there were no more to be had. It thought for sure the LABEL would have more. This particular record, the one you’re holding or listening to via KFJC, is proof that if you’re patient, and don’t lose hope, you might one day find that thing you were looking for. If it was not for the vastness that IS the SF Amoeba Records store, you might not hold this delicious Psychedelic Garage Rock split. Both bands waste little time in gearing up for their swirling psychedelic psonic assaults. If there is such a thing as a “builder track”, it’s the Puffy Areolas’ “My Hell”. The Puffy Trio get’s worked up right away and heads off in an venomous Butthole Surfer vein and basically lives there for the full 8 minute jaunt. Purling Hiss rocks it out of the gates as well, but about halfway through, they gears shift in a copacetic direction and change it up in a slowed down manner that begins to channel some crazy ass psych -blues vibe you might here from some old character such as R.L. Burnside. Obviously, I love this shit and I hope you do too. Soil

Klangmutationen – “Weisse Messe” – [Holy Mountain]

First outing (of about 3 so far) dating back to 2007 from these Malaysian caterwaulers. It’s noise, but it isn’t blowtorch your face off noise; it’s chaotic with instruments going in every which direction. Touted as Organic Metal (with Sax even!), this is the real Freedom Rock, and it has never sounded better. Holy Mountain stretched it a bit here, but stretching is a good thing- keeps the cramps away. Side B starts to gel a bit more than Side A; nonetheless, you’re about to embark on trip with one of three live slabs of various sizes; find it; fuck it; own it. Soil

Taeter – “Absolute Nothing” – [Trash Ritual]

I guess you could say these are sort of Whitehouse inspired sounds, if not by them, then there’s a few others that will come to mind after a quick listen. This is sonically, as is the case,visually, with the liner notes, dicks hanging out noise, and it isn’t pretty. On the other hand, just because something isn’t pretty doesn’t mean it’s shitty. This is not shitty. It’s great noise with textures and fucked up vocals tricking you into thinking something other that what is being said is said (liner notes are a must for most tracks). And hey, whoever covers a Brainbombs track on their record is A-OK in my filth stained book. Most tracks clock in under 5 minutes which is likely plenty for most, but the last track comes in at about 17:25 (there’s a false ending) minutes of sonic and mental manipulations. Brainbombs, Whitehouse, noise, maybe a little musique concrete, you gettin’ the picture? Recorded in 2008, released in 2010. Limited to 300.

Soil

Puffy Areolas – “In The Army 1981″ – [Siltbreeze]

Fuck, I guess if your areolas were always puffy, that shit might hurt, and you might play rock and roll like these guys if this were the case just to ease the pain or at least communicate your pain to anyone who might listen regarding your particular ailment. This three piece is letting it all hang out, but they’re also all tightly strapped in at the same time. It’s a garage rock freak out in all senses of the word (echo’d out vox, frenetic instrumentation, seemingly different trajectories yet all arriving in the same burnt out Bus Station at the same time). You should play this because people will dig it, and those that don’t should just go aggressively rub their tits with 60 grit sand paper for 3 minutes every day for a week straight and then see how they like Puffy Areolas.
TW … Rock sans abandon
Soil

Decoy & Joe McPhee – “Oto” – [Bo'weavil Recordings]

Extremely Spirited Live recording of an evening at the famous Cafe Oto in North London. Decoy play there often, but on this particular night, they were joined by Saxophonist, Joe McPhee. This performance must have been a sight and sound to see. Out of the gates, these guys turn up the heat and never really stop cooking throughout the entire set massive set. Track 1 is just under 40 min. Track 2 clocks in at about 30 min, and then the 3rd track is a measly 8 min. Again, Massive, in a word. Amazing in another. Improv at its finest. Dig the Hammond B3 channeling Sun Ra throughout! Everyone is top shelf here. Don’t sleep on this!