Shit Metaphor – “Theme For a No Tmrw / No Tmrw Never Came” – [Great Plains Records]

abacus   1/13/2016   A Library, Cassette

ragtag soliloquies from east bay duo, indie punkers down and out with a vengeance; angst and alienation laden catchy tunes with impressive execution, fluid fingerwork and endearing vocals. the listening flows best all the way thru on tape, with the instrumental mock ending hidden between. it’s that frustrating time where nothing goes right and everything is slow and difficult and you don’t seem to go anywhere but you keep trudging along. can’t let the pressure keep you down in the pit as you climb out of your valley of shit.

Zylo, Arvo – “Sequencer Works, Vol. 2” – [Forever Escaping Boredom]

abacus   1/13/2016   A Library, Cassette

recorded between 2000-03 with Yamaha Rm1x sequencer in a closet or crawlspace. industrial cartoon mutations of layered loops and tethered chaos; much of the sequences took up the entire memory, full of arcade boss-level malfunctions, metal slug invaders. among Arvo Zylo’s most musical work, not harsh noise in itself but not easy listening either. compiled from dozens of hours of archives of limited and unreleased material. 9 fucks given

Enemie – “040615 & 042115” – [Uncle Daddy]

abacus   12/9/2015   A Library, Cassette

dubwise grime from mysterious electronic beatsmaker out of USA (i want to say it’s east bay but no way to verify). live recorded for grit production but slick beats nonetheless (in aesthetic, not quality). perfect for late night chinatown wandering, flashing lights abound; freeway traffic maneuvers and dizzy all-night haze. simmer and shake

Pekak! Indonesian Noise 1995-2015 [coll] – [End of The Alphabet Records]

abacus   12/9/2015   A Library, Cassette

musician/promoter Indra Menus spent 5 years compiling this glimpse into the Indonesian underground, documenting a history of noise from a scattering of diverse cultures comprising the archipelago. a vast variety of sounds, from standard HNW (1,2,5), to industrial noise (3), noise rock (4), noise drone (6,18), noisecore (9,12), noise glitch (13,15), and all sorts of unclassifiable variants of the noise genre; some of the tracks (8,10) definitely reveal their cultural influence more prominently and stand out as distinctly unique examples of sonic rarity. unheard sounds from a country notorious for its lack of documentation, this is a historical gem of musical documentation.

Cirrhus – “Cirrhus” – [CW PRODUCTIONS]

abacus   12/7/2015   12-inch, A Library

debut full length from Oregon forest dwelling black metallers. hyper-conscious cosmic trippers bringing visceral melodics to thaw the ice cold guitar swells, galloping drums carrying the waves of psychedelic dynamics. distant torture shrieked and bellowed, ensnaring the listener in the allure of tranquility through pain. meditative anguish.

Grin and Bear It – “Demo II” – [Allergic to Fun]

abacus   11/25/2015   7-inch, A Library

manic grind assaults from these arbiters of misfortune out of Cleveland. confrontational and degrading just the way you like it, Completely Disgusted goes all dirgey and shit. Wil Killingsworth recorded it so you know it’s good. fuck it no one cares anyways

Nicole 12 – “Substitute” – [Freak Animal Records]

abacus   11/16/2015   A Library, CD

another fucked up aberration of art side project from Grunt aka Mikko Aspa aka the Freak Animal himself. creep ambient paranoid electronics mostly sparse but most unsettling. harsh not in delivery but in discomfort, uncomfortable not just in sonic qualities but in thematic content most of all. the guiltiest of all pleasures; the most taboo of all temptations; the evillest of all human acts imaginable; possibly some clean(er) tracks to play but it’s all so, so dirty and definitely very offensive, and some parts potentially not suitable for airplay. play at the risk of absolute moral corruption.

RxFxRxRxAxPxE [coll] – [Bestial Burst]

abacus   11/16/2015   A Library, CD

black noise audio torture at its most tormenting: Finnish black metal ritualists Ride for Revenge fall immediately into a braindead death-march of unerring headache hypnosis; brain burning feedback swells, drums in relentless repetition. the second track a terrifying vision of viscous distortion. German occult electronics outfit RxAxPxE deliver harsh granular walls of blood boiling worship and praise and tribal swamp ambient evoking demons. a showcase of extremes, this split is not for the faint of heart.

Colley, Joe – “Disasters of Self” – [Crippled Intellect Prods.]

abacus   11/16/2015   12-inch, A Library

Oakland based sound artist presents mind altering soundscrapes of agitated industrial friction and hissing factory feedback; bulbous pulsations of infected drones fragmented and spliced into rhythmic ollages of glitched static, field recordings, and ambient noise. sudden drops and transitions sure to confuse DJs and listeners alike: sounds or perhaps the grooves themselves damaged into purposeful scratches? hard to say with various locked ending tracks (B3) or others fading off into near silence (D3), the third disc composed entirely of locked grooves and intruders to really test your focus. the subtleties laid throughout challenge relentlessly, with creeping disturbances to tickle the back of your brain. the sounds here are sinister, and in the most psychically dangerous of ways,,,

Yours, The – “Teenagarten” – [Maybe Mars]

abacus   11/11/2015   A Library, CD

who’d o’ thunk Beijing would become one of the hot spots of innovative rock music? but it’s become just that, with recent bands emulating the noise-pop/indie-rock sound from the 90s, sounding like bands like Sonic Youth, Pavement and others. these kids are from Hong Kong but fit nicely in with this scene. recorded on Beijing label Psychic Kong, The Yours’ sophomore album here is definitely meant to appeal to rambunctious youth audiences, with a much more intense and riff-heavy sound but maintaining a catchy song structures. they definitely lean heavier to the noise end than pop, but fear not, these songs shine melodic amidst the shimmering distortion and colossal dissonances. a lo-fi collage dedicated to youth culture and teenage angst.

Geerken, Hartmut – “Amanita” – [Qbico]

abacus   11/11/2015   12-inch, A Library

home recordings of German artist/composer/founder of Cairo Free Jazz Ensemble playing Sun Ra’s sun harp/bandura he was given after hosting the Arkestra in Egypt and a swarmandal gifted him by the Dagar brothers during his Kabul years during the comeup on amanita mushrooms one solitary day back in Germany in the 90s. from jarring, incessant strumming, banging and mangling with a purge of absurd vocalizations to polyrhythmic dispersal and focused variations on individual tones and surfaces all in an outpouring of desert delusional harmonics settling into a trembling zen at the end. psychoactive meditations from one of history’s greatest trippers. swallow the caps and stems and start all over again.

Hell/ Mizmor [coll] – [Lower Your Head]

abacus   11/10/2015   12-inch, A Library

split release from two of Oregon’s most deathly doom projects. Hell sets the mood with medieval folk intro on guitar, harp and viola; setting the stage for a dark and dismal night, stars obscured by black clouds drifting thru still waters to a solitary gothic tower; exploding off into DMT fueled cosmic doom trip. Mizmor then blasts off immediately into interstellar black metal harmonics breaking thru to higher consciousness, realms of bleak shattered into gut churning sludge; the collapsing beat dragged through dirt and riffs thrown about haphazardly in fits of wrong. despite the two projects being interrelated to the point of sameness the sounds they produce are drastically different though complementary: the visceral effects of their power evoking a cold, haunting terror that only the best can achieve.

Apa Kabar – “We Are Apa Kabar” – [Self Released]

abacus   10/26/2015   A Library, CD

a meeting of spirits in Jogjakarta, Java. Japanese vocal trips – Indonesian guitar mantras – American effects entropy. tribal dada psychedelia and celestial funk minimalism. connections to Factums, Seek Six Sick and Yo Yo. the supreme of surreal, the best of bizarre. may trigger flashbacks, use at your own risk.

Breathing Patterns – “All Beat Up” – [Self Release?]

abacus   10/26/2015   A Library, Cassette

self-declared experimental post-punk out of San Jose. teeth gritting guitar riffage and bellowing bass and drums accompany; snarling vocal delivery gives you that punk rock grimace with spacious song writing that still manages to move and change. these guys got skills and a sound all their own in a sea of same-sounding rock music (the 90s were pretty fuckin awesome though)

Untitled [coll] – [Instincto Records]

abacus   10/26/2015   A Library, CD

Texas noise gang train on listeners ear fears; 4 way pileup of fundraiser folly and demotivational mutilation. harsh no-no music noisy noise with big grimy mouthfuls of Texan drivel and abuse. people will not donate to this.

Hideous Replica – “Hideous Replica” – [Self-release]

abacus   10/21/2015   7-inch, A Library

have you ever listened to everything around you so intently that the presence of sound itself became unbearable? whether in the chaotic milieu of an urban downtown or the isolated breaches of silence in faraway rural desolation the sounds around us have the capacity to overwhelm if you try to take it all in at once. be careful how intently you pay attention.

Commode Minstrels In Bullface – “Thug of War” – [Tusco/embassy]

abacus   10/21/2015   10-inch, A Library

sitcom dementia theme show featuring noise hopscotch signal surfing and alien isolation techniques. free flying honk ‘n sconce gabber jabber hyper chloric acid tested flubber improv marching. 4-5 minutes per side at 45 rpm but is it 33?

Jar Moff – “Commerical Mouth” – [Pan]

abacus   10/21/2015   12-inch, A Library

urban dust street scene collage; soul jazz underbelly raving screech and skronk futuristic in a familiar way; drums pushing and pulling the piano glitch with turntables ever spinning; the beats come in movements with cinematic progression like a new age hip hop ballet; IDM for the interdimensional; needle dragging along the inner label side B carries on sparks simmering in the deconstruction; reconvening for the spirit solstice but jarring back to bass line; is that funk i hear crumbling? a drum solo locked in ether between terrestrial and not; heavy organs carry the weight of planets; gravitational free association dropping like comets; storm cloud distortion driftin lullabies meandering back to stressed passing pastures and green lawns unbeknownst to chaos; Athens based artist.

S/V\R – “Celebration Noire” – [Handmade Birds]

abacus   10/21/2015   A Library, Cassette

nefarious industrial from members of Menace Ruine out of Montreal. rhythmic noise with gothic leanings. warzone drum machining with 80s aesthetic and modern grit. B side especially unleashes the heaviness.

Oneohtrix Point Never – “Commissions I” – [Warp]

abacus   10/14/2015   12-inch, A Library

internationally commissioned work by Daniel Lopatin out of Brooklyn. A1 interprets Lutoslawski’s Preludes for Sacrum Profanum – an orchestral treatment of ethereal harmonies. A2, denser but still gentle, an accompaniment to Quadrorotor’s Saatchi & Saatchi. the B side (45rpm!) a creeping rework of the classical original song. Lopatin’s work is constantly evolving and draws on myriad influences, gaining deserved attention worldwide.