Music Reviews

Ctenizidae – “…Of Rotting Soil And Spine” – [Nebular Carcoma]

whngr   12/15/2022   10-inch, A Library

There is something very small on this landscape… and it is you! 

A tiny man in a field of unspeakable horrors, fearsome giant spiders are prowlling for flesh and now that you are the size of an almond, you make a hopelessly soft target and must battle for your life like a lost Frazzeta painting. And these six short tracks are the soundtrack to your terrifying, if brief, tale of woe in the spiny clutches of ruthless arachnoids. 

High intensity USBM and harsh, slightly insectoid electronic textures by one, The Abyssal Rot of All Creation of which no information is available. Cteniizidae is an order of spider that hunts uses a trapdoor to hunt and hide… Creepy.

Location unknown – 2021

Twin Trances – “Chains EP” – [Dirty Slacks]

Brian Damage   11/7/2022   10-inch, A Library

If there was ever a record that was destined to get blasted out of the rolled-down windows of a primer grey ’68 Chevelle, that record would be this one from Twin Trances, an Atlanta duo made up of two men both named Chris.

Chains is a 4-song 10″ EP of lo-fi, dirty scuzz-rock that gets in, does its business, and gets out. There’s distorted git, keys, drums, and vox, all recorded on a boom box in the next room. This is music to commit petty crimes by.

This is literally the soundtrack to mailbox baseball.

The killer track is “The Angel,” which sounds like a cover of a 70s Bad Company song, but I can’t place it. If it’s an original, then Twin Trances definitely are hiding some serious songwriting chops in the shed out back where they make the noise that sustains them.

Other than the absolute worst cover art that I have seen in decades, Chains has a lot to recommend it.

Savage Republic – “1938 / Siam” – [Mobilization Records]

Brian Damage   11/7/2022   10-inch, A Library

If you don’t know Savage Republic, you should. True industrial pioneers, this LA band got their start in 1982 and have proceeded by fits and starts in the four decades since.

They issued the 1938 LP in 2007, and when on tour in 2019, stopped by Steve Albini’s Electrical Audio studios to re-cut two of the tracks from that record. The result is a noticeably harder and even more impactful sound than on the previous LP.

Limited to an edition of 500, and pressed on a silver vinyl 10″, this seems tailor-made for KFJC deejays and listeners. Note the inscription in the runout groove on side A.

Recommended.

Ronald, Graeme JD – “Danielle” – [Rock Action Records]

humana   10/11/2022   10-inch, A Library

If listening to a soundtrack and being able to feel what is happening in a film you’ve never seen is the measure of great composition, then Ronald has set the bar high with this album. With only the music and the track titles as my guide, I was surrounded by atmospheric loveliness and a sense of my heart breaking. The tracks are short but full of a gentle sadness and strength that I later learned accompany a short documentary set in the Scottish islands about a woman named Danielle, her son Peter, and how she lives with multiple sclerosis. The music attests to the exquisite nature of a life well lived.

Split In Half [coll] – [Unholy Rub]

whngr   3/24/2022   10-inch, A Library

Astral Butcher (Oakland) swaps split with Goat Rhythm (Ventura).

The former engaging in Speed/Death metal with occasional hardcore cum power-violence leanings; ugly, raw, and disturbed. This furious three-piece unleash hell from a slightly vintage (adjacent) stance. A wry grin and a nod to the forefathers while still sounding unique and of our time to this miserable volunteer’s tattered senses.

The latter, while less down the middle of my lane shares some similar attributes while producing an entirely different sound. Metal from the old-school: riffs, gallops, (protracted) solos, and slightly sardonic samples (Return of the Living Dead), this trio seasons its Maiden with a bit of Purple (sans organ), clean vocs / dirty backing. While a little more gregarious and fun-loving than I (tend to appreciate), these two tracks did grow upon me.

Nor/So CA – 2022

FCC on A2 – Fuckin’, fuck, fuck, and fuckin’ (opening sample only)

Human Failure – “Crown On The Head of a King of Mud” – [Caligari]

whngr   6/25/2021   10-inch, A Library

Werrrrrrroouuuuughhhh…

Downtuned cacophony, appalling aural battery. Fucking rough. No restraint, no fucks given. The chaotic noise death of one Daniel Cornejo of California is an abhorrent expression of sweeping contempt for human existence in these dark and most troubling times. Put down this beautifully shrouded, noose themed split 10″ from Caligari/Sentient Ruin on virgin white vinyl and get back into the jazz closet you fucking neophyte. This is not for you… unless your name is Honey Bear… and in that case, welcome back my Queen.

Larynx Zillion's Novelty Shop – "Southpaws Unite" – [Farfetched]

aarbor   6/16/2021   10-inch, A Library

Another project/persona of Laurence Miller is Larynx Zillion’s Novelty Shop. Here’s how one critic described it: “Mozart meets Beefheart and starts a theatre punk band.” Adam & The Ant’s glam-slam punk pop LP, “Kings of the Wild Frontier” was definitely an influence according to Miller.  Other influences from his past: The poly-rhythms of Charles Ives, the maniacal ravings of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown, Captain Beefheart’s free-flow rhythms, Cheap Trick’s power pop, Killing Joke’s primal perspectives, and Frank Zappa’s unorthodox approach to music and Rock ‘n Roll parody. AArbor

Judgitzu – "Umeme / Kelele" – [Nyege Nyege Tapes]

abacus   2/24/2021   10-inch, A Library

hyper hypnotic rave seizures from punk ethnomusicologist Julien Hairon lacing together soundscapes acquired from years of traveling throughout Asia, Africa, and Oceania (see link below) these tracks are the results of his artist residency in Tanzania, and are reflective of the local Singeli style (see other link below). Umeme opens with frantic polyrhythms reminiscent of much of the label’s catalog, blasted by startling stabs of alert tones over undulating attacks. Kelele is less aggressive but no less mesmerizing, with recordings shining through more overtly about halfway through. this label has been shredding dancefloor vibes internationally, hopefully we can keep up

https://lescartespostalessonores.bandcamp.com/?fbclid=IwAR228hhzkU19FCftXIDUuI12W8QNOSIL3qRFPIRSpecX9HAJxROUW-WY_OQ

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/dec/17/this-cuts-across-society-how-singeli-music-went-from-tanzania-to-the-world

Dimitri From Paris – “Sacre Francais” – [Yellow Productions]

aarbor   11/18/2020   10-inch, A Library

Dimitri  (born Dimitrios Yerasimos) is a Turkish-born French music producer and DJ of Greek descent. His musical influences are rooted in 1970s funk and disco sounds that spawned contemporary house music, as well as original soundtracks from 1950s and 1960s movies such as Breakfast at Tiffany’s, La Dolce Vita and The Party, which were sampled in his album Sacrebleu. Dimitri fused these sounds with electro and block party hip hop he discovered in the 1980s. Sacre Francais the track remixed here is from the Sacrebleu album. The remixers are Bob Sinclar a/k/a The Mighty Bop and Chris the French Kiss (label boss of the Yellow label), Dim/DFP [Dimitri himself], and Konishi Yasuharu of the Pizzicato Five. Yasuharu’s track is  hysterical and not to be missed! AArbor 

Satanique Samba Trio – "Mais Bad" – [Rebel Up Records]

Thurston Hunger   4/22/2020   10-inch, A Library

Bass lines, like tiny black holes, just devouring everything in front of them. Thick and dense. If vocals appear they are kind of Patton-esque, squishy and guttural. Gyorgi? Little retches. Covid cough on #30, but the whole album is infectious. Feels more like a one-man project than a trio made up of five people who’ve been funking around since 2002 in Brazil. Their first album was called “Misantropicalia” which clues you in on their approach, sadly “Mais Bad” is the first album that has nested in at KFJC. Is that clarinet on #05 and #26? Sides split into odd and even tracks, but they’re all odder pop flavors melting your mind away. 10 tracks on 10 inches, so each excursion into BadTripTronics flies by…if these are too long the main Satanique conjuror, Munha da 7 has a one minute full album with single second spasmic cuts. I guess you could dance to pieces here, but I’ll refuse to watch. Sonic fidelity is kept down to enhance your experience and get the “Trio” hopefully evicted from the ProgArchives where beards are mandatory. This has more glitter prog/punk flair and should be loved by the cuica and the undead. Personally it’s nice to see Satan branching out a bit musically.
-Thurston Hunger

Drums Over Afghanistan – [Tempo]

aarbor   12/18/2019   10-inch, International

This record is from the era before Ethnomusicology turned recording of ethnic and folk musics into cultural documentation and preservation. There is an element of that here, except the liner notes are anything but scholarly. They describe the journey of the recording expedition to Afghanistan. The red vinyl is wonderful but hardly scholarly. The drumming is wonderful be sure to work it into your set. – AArbor  

Dope Feat. Fuck Authority – “666” – [Environmental Studies]

atavist   10/22/2019   10-inch, A Library

First side is minimalist, with chanted lyrics in German. Mostly two bass notes bowed repetitively with a smattering of other instrumentation. Sonically, it’s a 10-minute death shuffle back and forth across a gray, frozen courtyard. Second side is generally a bit more psychedelic. Longer-form textures. Distinctly electronic noises careen back and forth, high-pitched waves approach uncomfortable levels. There might be a guitar in there and some organic-sounding percussion. Overall a nice eight-minute space-out anxiety trip. For extra fun, play at 33rpm.

Action Beat + G.W. Sok – “A Remarkable Machine” – [Ernest Jenning Record Co.]

abacus   8/16/2019   10-inch, A Library

aka the noise band from Bletchley, UK trance punks? or maybe the call to action undoing the trance? that minimalist repetition of grit and discontent definitely induces reflection, as do the relentlessly nihilistic poems ranting militant contentment to extinction. this is the first album they did with GW Sok, former frontman of The Ex, and i definitely feel the political connection. the somewhat title track seems to give a fishbowl narration of our modern end times and with the meticulous carelessness of their musical delivery you can’t help but feel fine, cuz the world is fucked anyway. pity this busy monster, manunkind, not. Progress is a comfortable disease (ee cummings)

Haters, The – “Forti” – [Influencing Machine]

lexi glass   7/23/2019   10-inch, A Library

This double 10″ release commemorates the 40th anniversary of The Haters, one of the earliest and loudest progenitors of noise in the United States. Formed by G.X. Jupitter-Larsen in 1979, The Haters is a performance art project exploring physical and sonic destruction in endless forms. On Forti, Jupitter-Larsen pulls previously unheard material from performances throughout the project’s history and reworks the sounds into new compositions.

Side A features a recording of a 1989 performance in Denver, where a calculator installed with amplifiers was repeatedly drawn over sandpaper, creating persistent pulses both vicious and vibrant. On Side B, from a 1999 San Francisco performance, we hear Jupitter-Larsen’s original instrument the Untitled Title Belt – a wrestling championship belt fitted with microphones, distortion pedals, and noise generators – belting out pure buzzsaw bliss. Side C draws from the 2009 work “Audiothecary,” where noise emanates from a balancing scale fitted with amplifiers. From this seemingly simple setup comes a massive sound: screams and strings, a full orchestra of horror. Side D comes from a 2019 performance featuring another original analog instrument, the Totimorphous Ubiety Guide, a contraption made of springs and rods played by two musicians; a divining rod leading through a dark mine to metallic drones. This excellent retrospective arrives in advance The Haters upcoming 40th anniversary show in Oakland next month.

Monkey Power Trio – “The Ballad of Christian Wolfcock” – [Pocahontas Swamp Machine Recordings]

Max Level   8/28/2018   10-inch, A Library

MPT have their way with the expanded 10″ format this time. The five-member trio is back with recordings they laid down in 2014 and 2015 –OK, so things don’t move terribly swiftly in The Land of MPT– and it is one of their best releases in a while. If “Left Behind” was MPT’s “Exile on Main Street”, and I think we can all agree that it was, then this new one is their “Let it Bleed.” One surprising song style after another, yet it all hangs together somehow. Highlights for me: “Gordon Muir, Time Traveler” must be heard to be believed. Remember “Kraken” from a few years ago, with its grinding guitars and weird falsetto vox? Well, this is its geeky cousin. “Deadhand Button” is an uptempo, knee-slappin’ little ditty about nuclear holocaust. The drugged-out funk of “Black Wig” moves nicely into “Under the River”, a country-ish strum-along reminiscent of the Glimmer Twins after several too many bottles of wine. “Hello Cleveland” ends the record and this song is so pretty it would have been at home on “eMPTy”, the band’s prettiest record to date. Even the weird (w)rapping toward the end can’t derail this one. We never do find out who Christian Wolfcock is, by the way. I give this record four and a half fingers, maybe five.

Mills, Alan – “Folk Songs of Newfoundland” – [Folkways Records and Service Corp.]

humana   11/5/2017   10-inch, International

Released in 1953, the folksiness of this 10″ slab is timeless. Newfoundland summons images of cold, ocean, fishing, and Northeast Canadian heartiness. Alan Mills pleasant voice accompanied by a gentle guitar spins yarns fit for a campfire. If you appreciate sailor stories and coastside ambience, you’ll love this.

Vibracathedral Orchestra – “Live At Total Inertia” – [Vanity Case Records]

billiejoe   10/4/2017   10-inch, A Library

Side one is skronky improv. Side two is more springy and fairly-like. They have been jamming together since the 90s with founders being Neil Campbell, Michael Flower, Adam Davenport and others coming in and out. Real trippy pleasant sounds. This was live at the Total Inertia Festival in Leeds last year which is an experimental music festival. I can’t tell if it’s annual or not but last year the festival also had sometimes VO collaborator Bridget Hansen as well as Richard Dawson, Apostille, and FCKN’BSTRDS among many others.
– Billie Joe Tolliver

Menche, Daniel – “Radiant Blood” – [Drone Records]

Kai Sync   1/4/2017   10-inch, A Library

This is a 2005 release from Drone Records, the label’s goal was a concept to embrace the prospect of infinite possibilities for artists, especially noise artists to embrace various forms of expression. In this case this drone music release has mild noise terror even if the A side has a solid wall with various shredding frequencies intersecting, is slowly increasing in volume with a sudden unexpected short end. The B side is more like taking a trip to the local cemetery where noise artists do an improv on the spot four in the morning. Consider this gothic noise about the unknown.

Brrwd Love- Vol. 1

cadilliac margarita   6/29/2016   10-inch, Hip Hop

A creative collab between friends REPEAT PATTERN & TA-KU,

This collection features both of them on a few traks along with other friends

And emerging artists. Dreamy bedroom beats, samples, loops.

Incoherent lyrical content. The most abrasive track is A4???s Divison,

filled with scrapes, cuts, and heavy breathing. Mostly it???s pretty mellow sound

snapshots with many layers and elements. You will catch something

new with every listen. All tracks a pretty cool, but Primm (B3) is my

personal favorite because of the 1970s easy listening flute intro

and underlying current.

<3<3<3 Caddy

Houser, Jim – “untitled” – [Free News Projects]

mouthbreather   6/14/2016   10-inch, A Library

philly multi-media artist (painting, collage, sculpture, music, installation) instrumental layering loops/ lazily longing. beats and treats of a sweet variety, next to noodling stringed thangs. all tracks worth a listen and addition to your set to slow things down.

feels like a long interlude, waiting for something/ on a street corner, daylight, buzzed and smoking a cig, waiting, waiting.