Blue Sabbath Black Cheer – “Untitled” – [Dead Accents]

surferrosa   9/9/2013   A Library, CD

Peaking, industrial, ambient noise- like all that is metal plummeting down a long shaft of stone stairs, clanking and creaking all the way to the cold floor… Demonic roars gurgle from beneath an altar of drones, piercing highs and resonant lows.. pulsating with grating whimsy from deep within an infernal rabbit hole. The theme here seems to be of death and dying.. a plodding, undulating funeral song tipping its hat to the demented glory of suffocation and decay. A hellish haze drills pin sized holes into your temples as you become wholly possessed, accepting and embracing your imminent doom. Wretched beauty in its prickliest form..a sinister sabbath with no cheer. -Surfer Rosa

Aderlating – “Gospel of The Burning Idols” – [Malignant Records]

surferrosa   9/9/2013   A Library, CD

Apocalyptic, ground splitting, demon raising sermons courtesy of Aderlating, using electronics, voice and synthesizer. This is the Gospel of the burning idols… I hear my idols burn indeed, screeching as they do so, their smoldering flesh like incense at a seance. This is the dark ambient score to your most hellish nightmare as it comes to fruition.. dreamlike layering with sonic lakes of sulfur, bubbling and spitting sinister drones.. A black, hoarse, demonic voice whispers venomous poems in your ear as this unsettling inferno of a soundscape burns holes in your eyelids. Not so much harsh as profoundly creepy.. inciting dreams of malice and depravity. Listen as you doze away to Lucifer’s own land of nod..this will make you pray for insomnia. -Surfer Rosa

Dead Ghosts – “I Sleep Alone/Spot a Trend” – [Randy! Records]

surferrosa   9/8/2013   7-inch, A Library

Four dudes from Vancouver groovin on some lo-fi, reverbed out garage punk.. Side A feels like a faraway 50s highschool slowdance, sugary sweet except for a thin, super satisfying layer of dirt. Organ solo to keep things swaying and slide guitar to keep things smooth. Side B is a fuzzed, riff-tastic rock tune with primitive bluesy overdrive..catchy, telephone reciever slop to make you dance in your seat. This shit is simple and classy, so dig it. -Surfer Rosa

Thompson, Linval – “Negrea Love Dub” – [Trojan Records]

surferrosa   8/28/2013   12-inch, Reggae

Echoey, reverby, stuttery dub..produced and written by our good friend Linval Thompson. Pressed in England, 1978. My favorite part about this is the use of what sounds like a church organ, it particularity shines on A1 and A4…..Percussion keeps the rhythm flowing, courtesy of Hoss Mouth and Sly Dunbar, hand drums, drum set and a snare that is being smacked in the back of a deep, resonant cave. Also in the mix are the occasional electronic pop-corn sounds, skankin guitar licks, tight like glue bass lines, ska-ish horn bits and doubled back vocal samplage… This is some kick back lazy island sway, making love and lighting up sort of dub. Real spliffy. -Surfer Rosa

Turner, Ed & The Danilof Center – “Shefel” – [Uganda]

surferrosa   8/28/2013   A Library, CD

Jerusalem locals playing post-punk, almost shoegaze noisy rock…courtesy of the great Uganda Records- a label out of Israel putting out alternative Israeli music from local artists. These guys are pretty straight forward with their sound, nothing profoundly fancy going on here, and it basques in its simplicity.. saturated with energetic overdrive and riffage a-plenty. Vocals are hollered in Hebrew.. singing songs about how only the sewer flows. Track 9 kicks off with naked spoken word.. clear as a bell, perhaps some Israeli person on the receiving end will be super pleased to hear their ancient language blasting through our airwaves. This is to be listened to in a room that’s too small, too crowed, hot boxed with cigarette smoke and human sweat. Loud and infectious. -Surfer Rosa

Tubman, Ron / Sugarm [coll] – [Hausu Mountain]

surferrosa   8/23/2013   A Library, Cassette

Vol. 3 of the Mugen Series – a cassette collection featuring live, single take performances of spacious and psyched pieces by eight artists in total. This volume presents three pieces by two artists taking a jaunt through acoustic-electric fields. Ron Tubman draws a floating, phased out dream-land hovering over an island of TV static. Finger picked guitar wanderings meditate over an ocean of synthy squaggles and gritty ripples. Sugarm builds a soundscape of shifting tones and wobbling oscillations. Minimal and feeding back, riddled with tip toe alterations.. delicate noise tilting in and out of pricklier phases. -Surfer Rosa

 

Ink On Paper – “Ink On Paper” – [High Mayhem]

surferrosa   8/7/2013   A Library, CD

Two dudes on drums, bass and electronics bringing us some meandering improv jams… Sounds like two amateurs getting high in a basement, pressing record and kicking out the jams.. the levels are off and the skills are budding.. much like what you probably do with your loser friends in the garage or the attic.. or wherever. The bassist here could use a bit more practice, but he keeps things driving, and the enthusiasm from both these dudes in unwaning. The electronics certainly keep things interesting, sometimes serving as a rhythmic element, sometimes noisy and other times as subtle bleepy bloopiness. These guys experiment with rhythm, timing changes, dynamic and the improvised conversation between two men with three mouths. Something is being bowed on #2 (and 5). Track #3 has got some weird- is the cd skipping- style start/stop. #5 gets pretty stoney spacey. gobbledygook -Surfer Rosa

Brobdingnagian – “Pretty Magoo Cancer” – [Universal Tongue]

surferrosa   8/7/2013   A Library, CD

The word Brobdingnagian by definition describes anything colossal in size. Brobdingnagian here is colossal indeed..this release is from 2010, out on Universal Tongue – a Portuguese DIY label specializing in all that is slightly unpleasant and out there. What we have here is some sort of black-metal, power electronic hybrid.. certainly with some psych and plenty of noise to tickle your sadistic side. Sheer chaos spontaneously combusting into face melting riffage..the whole thing drenched in mind-shredding heaviness.. stoner-like plods mixed with mosh pit sensibilities.. add some nonsensical vomit sounds for vocals, some uber distortion, harsh electronics and you get an utterly satisfying mess! Recording quality and level of static at times emulates that super sloppy lo-fi black metal shittiness you find with some Norwegian cassette tape covered in font you can’t read anddrawings of impaled babies..but it is much more than that.. This cradles the noise junkies, metal heads, punkers and stoney jammers too. Brobdingnagian or massive in every sense of the word… -Surfer Rosa

Beaulieau, Emil – “Abusing The Little Ones” – [Nefarious Activities]

surferrosa   7/30/2013   A Library, CD

Reissue of an out of print record from 2003 originally released on Self Abuse Records. Emil Beaulieau abuses the little ones and then some with these screechy scratchy noise pools. Sounds of malfunction and junkyard clatter. Some are an uncomfortable ambience, others organized interruptions. Sounds of all that rustles, crackles and burns. All encompassing fuzz.. a persistent little needle that pokes you in the ear. Possessed and manipulated vocals on 4 and 8. Watch out- sudden ending are abundant. This one is grating to the touch.
-Surfer Rosa

Post-Materialists – “Moist Rita & Glyptique” – [Self-released]

surferrosa   7/2/2013   7-inch, A Library

Naked music for naked people.. or so the Post-Materialists say- hailing from the experimental music scene of Moscow. This single sided 7” clocks in at a total of 4:16. Lo-Fi, DIY sorts of sounds made of layered drones, organ tones, broken piano and all in all mish mash. Vocals are about as muddy and murky as they come. Minimal percussion sets the groove, a repetitious little organ line keeps things together. Turns all weird and noisy-like for the second half. Broken, staticy and simple. -Surfer Rosa

Sun Children Sun – “S/ T” – [SPHC]

surferrosa   7/2/2013   7-inch, A Library

Sun Children Sun – from Japan, putting out spazzy, damaged punk-ska.. or something. These are quick, energetic tracks that end before you know it. Asymmetrical shits and giggles party time vomit at its very finest. There is something illogically catchy going on here…straight ugly rock n roll sentiment slop- totally killing it. The occasional use of hand drums, sax and a recorder makes me scratch my head..but it works! Punkers for sure.. weirdos also.. can’t go wrong. -Surfer Rosa

Loachfillet – “Tatminsizlik Ve Olum” – [Chocolate Monk]

surferrosa   7/2/2013   A Library, CD

Glitchy, gunky electro noise recorded at the Crypt in Oakland from 2007-09. Buzzing and squelching mental sounds, fully varied in their sonic nature and stylings.. this is tasteful noise- dipping into the realm of sonic manipulation, audio contortion.. never entirely assaulting- often minimal, though I wouldn’t call it gentle. Frequencies to make your vertibre vibrate- tones all across the board, negative space to add to the tastefulness. Keep an ear out for the beat. Broken lounge loops on 3, stringy drones on 7… Orchestral schizophrenia on 8.. most tracks are short but the last is a twelve minute feast of bubbling, skipping, menacing, tribal ear medicine. Truly a prickly pleasure. -Surfer Rosa
FCC on #4

Behold The Arctopus – “Horrorscension” – [Black Market Activities]

surferrosa   7/2/2013   A Library, CD

Unrelenting, super technical thrash-math-metal courtesy of madmen Mike Lerner (guitar), Colin Marston (warr guitar) and Weasel Walter (drums). This is total arithmetic annihilation. Double bass poundage, face melting riffage, impossible to follow headbanger candy. Some kind of monster with like seventeen tentacles playing all sorts of impossible harmonies and tying itself into fancy knots. All instrumental, fully structured and well rehearsed..these guys are locked together, always on the money…tighter than spandex. Colin Marston plays a warr guitar..kind of like a Chapman Stick, its got between 7 and 15 strings and makes for some crazy speed of light tapping all over this album. Horrorscension slays. Massive. -Surfer Rosa

Keen, Jeff – “Noise Art” – [Trunk Records]

surferrosa   6/19/2013   A Library, CD

Jeff Keen (1923-2012) is a visual and sonic artists/experimentalist from London famed for creating strange films with stranger sound tracks. There don’t seem to be many collections of his sonic work outside of this compilation. The sounds here were collected from tapes found in Keen’s house, home made recordings created with a mic, tape recorder, atari computer, ZX Spectrum computer, a Binson echo unit and home made instruments. These are experimentations in voice and audio manipulation. Keen takes his spoken work type poetry, cuts it up, loops, layers and stutters. The noise part of this is accounted for by all sorts of analog manipulations and contorted computer sounds. Some of these tracks contain old radio samples, sounds like being stuck between stations, others will make you feel like you are being possessed by a broken, old school gaming system. -Surfer Rosa

Ambarchi, Oren – “Destinationless Desire” – [Touch]

surferrosa   6/19/2013   7-inch, A Library

Ethereal drones on the lovely side using electric guitars, organ, samples, bells, percussion and a motorized cymbal. The A side brings the drones with a light groove, shimmering sounds that crack and pop. Shifts into a warbley, manipulated organ drone about half way through (you can see exactly where on the grooves) Heavenly sounds of a cathedral floating in the clouds. B side feels a bit like a raga.. meditative hums, and soft, slowed down, echoey vocals moaning a mantra which turns a little weird once the machine sounds and scraping samples kick in. Plugs me straight into a lucid dream.. -Surfer Rosa

Battery Davis [coll] – [Teen Action]

surferrosa   6/11/2013   A Library, Cassette

Teen Action Records, based in Sf, delivers a handful of local noisters and dronesters. Kicks off with Copy Lake, a stoney Dr.Jekyll jam turned Mr.Hyde noise-out..speckles of space gun synth sounds and distorto alien abduction. Ringing and wobbling hippo-hypnoses from Seven Lies.. dub with sharp teeth through a shroud of haze. Weird Habit breeds Loopy loops and sample slop for a slow plod electro repetitious whistle.. halfway through, part two brings a bloated voice with broken speech and unaligned beats. Side B starts with Coagulator summoning the uber-drone oscillator..breaking into helicopter pulsations. Abyss of Fathomless Light comes with relentless stutters of an analog synth.. haunted and manipulated..Italian horror flick turned into tribal insane asylum war dance party. Closing things with Styrofoam Sanchez, channeling messages from Hell via Satan’s minions. Body function electronics with a gurgle garble schizo doom gloom death plod. Dig in. -Surfer Rosa

Dreamdecay – “Fern” – [Great Plains Records]

surferrosa   6/5/2013   12-inch, A Library

Noise rock from Seattle.. these guys recently toured with Iron lung and they totally have that Steve Albini sort of sound except without Steve Albini… that right there should tell you what you’re getting into..Crunchy and gritty.. The riffage here is pummeling, teetering on hardcore punk with headbanger sensibilities. Super-distorto wall of fuzz all over this one sided record, keeping things nice and cacophonous,but always with dynamic which swings into straight noisy freak-out and then merges back together for some well to do jams. Sometimes things even get kinda quite for a short moment- particularly at the end of the record (look at the grooves!). These guys have a very tight sort of looseness happening here, with a heaviness to please anybody with a sweet tooth for dissonance + RnR. Programming note: discogs tells me there are five tracks here.. good luck figuring out where one ends and the next begins.. you can hear the tracks change if you keep your ears perked, but I suggest letting it spin. The whole thing runs about 19 minutes. Killer. -Surfer Rosa

Sonic Protest 2006 [coll] – [Sonic Protest]

surferrosa   6/4/2013   A Library, CD

Flip this this over and take a look at the list of artists on this compilation. Face-melting. Sonic Protest is a yearly music festival which has been taking place in France since 2003. The festival features all sorts of weird music. Our favorite. The list of artists who have played this festival over the last ten years is mind numbingly awesome. And so is this collection. The variance here is massive..where do I start? expect a little bit of noise(1,15), all sorts of loops and layers (2,7), a touch of spazz(3), skronk+organ grooves (17), kooky lo-fi(4) and math too! (9)..ambiance ranging from the dissonant and tense (5,11,14) to the mesmerizing and lovely (8,13). Weirdo glitched out noise beats on 10. Dig the electro-schitzoid circus sounds on 12.. hardcore punk from out of nowhere on 16.. and a catchy song about Hitlers and Churchills on 18 (littered with FCCs.. which is awesome and too bad at the same time). I plan on putting this collection on continuos play and calling it my show. So. Good. Its absurd. -Surfer Rosa

Black Sun Roof – “4 Black Suns & a Sinister Rainbow” – [Handmade Birds]

surferrosa   6/3/2013   A Library, CD

The latest 2013 release from Matthew Bower (of Skullflower, Total and Pure) collaborating with Samantha Davies, who appears on a few of Bower’s other releases. If you are familear with Bower’s work, Black Sun Roof won’t land far from the Skullflower tree…This must be the type of music satanists listen to when they meditate or do yoga…but not exlusively.. ambient noise, drones on top of drones, absolutely peaked out and relentless. Sounds mainly like instrument based noise complimented by a touch of growling,oscillating electronics and a far away beat, birthed by a machine, industrial when in the forefront…. poking through a sonic blizzard of static fuzz. The sounds here are thick and their presence is heavy. Murky and harsh for the most part, though a few tracks lean a bit more on the easy side.. which isn’t saying much. Just don’t expect these pieces to go anywhere, cause they won’t. I wanna call this a soundscape. A grating wall of sound…scape. Disc1 tracks pretty seamlessly and tends to be on the headier side, Disc2 doesn’t track as nicely, though it is a tad more beat heavy.. Eeeeerie. -Surfer Rosa

Androids of Mu – “Blood Robots” – [Water Wing Records]

surferrosa   5/21/2013   12-inch, A Library

Four android-ladies from the planet MU who crash land on earth, West London to be exact, in the year 1975. They immediately took up their earthly duties of rockin’ out and put out this record in 1980, the only one they ever released. Originally on Fuck Off Records, this album is now re-issued by Water Wing records.. sounds very much like London to me, Lo-Fi easy skankin’ sort of punk with the scent of ska, definitely in the same vein as The Slits. Vocals are delivered or hollered with a charming accent and no shame. Lyrics to make you grin, pertaining to the boredom of earth life, earth politics and other earthly issues. Tinny fuzz guitar riffs along to the groove, keeping things angular. Don’t forget the cheap synthesizer, bringing squiggly space sounds to the mix..naturally fitting since these ladies are androids from another planet after all.. this adds a nice flavor and a type of noisiness that you don’t always get with late 70s punk. These droid-ettes certainly know how to keep it weird and classy too. -Surfer Rosa