The Sound Projector

These two mini-CDs, both pretty interesting, are the first catalogue numbers from a UK micro-label Earth Monkey Productions in Cumbria; have a look at their website for further affordable goodies, which will probably disappear quite quickly as their editions are tiny. Clutter vs Susan Matthews have their Slow Corrosion EP (EMC002), which is kind of like noise electronics in places influenced by dub music techniques. Good Noise Bad Noise released Joist Hounds (EMC001), which is a nice combination of two guys with laptops and one other guy with a violin; some of these cuts were originally broadcast on The Download Show for Oldham Community Radio. 80 copies only of these wee gems, and nicely packaged too. The label supports local experimenters in a good way, and the website will also lead you to their net label, where you can freely download some music licensed under Creative Commons.

Got three more CDs from the Majmua Music label, which is an offshoot of Fire Museum Records in the US; so far it’s been very hit or miss in its quality control. Solar Dynasty’s Arrows in the Quiver (MM-4) is four guys blowing noisy free jazz with tenor and clarinet; the seven tracks here sound like they’re cut from the same long session, and were recorded in a closet. Rhythm Kingz of Bushel Finland (MM-5) is a trio of Finnish fellows, mostly playing 12-bar blues or campfire songs on acoustic guitars; some of the recordings have a slightly unusual edge, but the point of this release eludes me. The Sonarchy Trio play Sonarchy 1998 (MM-6), which they recorded in Seattle; Carla Kihlstedt, Gino Robair and Matthew Sperry manage some decent skittery acoustic improv on this, working with strings and percussion. Sperry died in 2003, and the release is dedicated to him.

Cobra//Group recorded Brujas (SICKSICKSICK#30) around Albuquerque, apparently working only in total darkness. I have no idea why they would want to tell us this or how it enhances the music, but it does add something to the mystery of this large experimental band of which even the core membership is unclear. In fact, for this project it seems that total strangers could walk into the darkened room and contribute. If any of this leads you to expect a commune-collective styled freak-out with bongoes and flying hair, you might be surprised by the low-key acoustical offerings on the record – mostly acoustic, quiet, and very uncertain.

Christine Southworth sent a copy of Zap! Music for Van de Graaf Generator, Tesla Coils, Instruments and Voices (NO NUMBER CD). A seven piece of lively players and singers, including members of Bang on A Can All-Stars, play Ms Southworth’s varied compositions (she seems at home with everything from rock to jazz and ambient drone) with brio, while the electronic music components required a man to climb up a ladder to produce lighting and static from the 40-foot generator and coils. Colour photos inside the CD gatefold make it look like everyone was having crazy fun. The music is very amiable and entertaining, but not enough wildness in the electronic sounds for me.

This is the percussive noise made by an amorous hermit crab as it beats out a friendly tattoo on the shell of a potential partner…babababdadadb—also the drumming of Charles Hayward, pounding and singing on this new coloured seven-inch single Out Of Order c/w Beside (DOTODOTDOT005V). The existential pun made by Hayward’s lyrics is along lines of ‘out of order comes forth chaos’, a neat reversal of mainstream theories of evolution and/or entropy. His view is illustrated by varispeeding tapes at start of this fine drum, drone and vocal recording. This and a similar (in physical shape and colouration) object by The New Blockaders, Force Majeure (DOTODOTDOT006V). Hereon, UK’s most distinctive and inexhaustible avant-garde noise project demonstrates a muffled vortex of howling rhythm that actually leaves you wanting more of the same treatment. New Irish record label specialising in limited edition (250 copies of above) is DOT DOT DOT MUSIC. In written prose the trailing three dots suggests an ambiguous pause to be left to reader’s imagination, yet in logo terms the label proposes a striking image of three of its grabbable collectors items lined up in a row.

Yet from Poland we have two extremely surprising objects on the label IMPULSY STETOSKOPU sent by Rafal Kochan in envelope marked PRIORYTET. How amazing to see an official / legit reissue of an album by XX Committee, Scott Foust’s band with Chris Scarpino before Idea Fire Company and Swill Radio occupied the mind and hand of the former. Network (IMPULSY STETOSKOPU 002) is thing with striking red and yellow cover and was recorded 1981-1983 and released on the Thermidor label in the US; rarity of vinyl edition makes this most welcome. Using guitars and electronics, the duo managed a fascinating form of troubling and fear-laden low key grindery, offering a unique strain of USA-grown Industrial music which I think deserves to be more widely heard. Foust has offered snippets on his career-spanning compilation tapes, but here’s their second album in full. (The first, Steel Negro Music, was issued as a cassette in 1982).

The silver thing is in fact wrapped in tinfoil; when I can work out a way to open it without causing too much damage, I’ll let you know. It’s Legnica (IMPULSY STETOSKOPU 003) by Noise-Maker’s Fifes, a Belgian combo of mystery who recorded this at a show in October 1997 when they were touring Poland. I always assumed the Noise-Makers were semi-anonymous along lines of Faust, but name of Geert Feytons does appear familiar from other sources. I only ever heard one record by them but I know their brand of deranged droning has created a large cult following. I suppose a release like this with its unforgettable packaging can only add further fuel to the bonfire of collector’s items! Many thanks to Rafal for sending these; all enquiries to him via impulsystetoskopu@yahoo.com.

1. Christine Southworth, ‘Surge’
   From Zap!, USA AIRPLANE EARS MUSIC NO NUMBER CD (2008)
2. Cobra//Group, ‘Midnight Quinceañera’
   From Brujas, USA SICKSICKSICK#30 CD (2007)
3. Charles Hayward, ‘Out Of Order’
   From IRELAND DOTDOTDOT MUSIC 005V 7” SINGLE (2008)
4. XX Committee, ‘Damarc’ (1983)
   From Network, POLAND IMPULSY STETOSKOPU CD 002 (2008)
5. Hevoset, (Side A Track 3)
   From Hevoset, GERMANY DEKORDER 024 LP (2008)
6. Graham Lambkin / Jason Lescalleet, ‘Soap Opera Suite’
   From The Breadwinner, USA ERSTWHILE RECORDS 052 CD (2008)
7. Hum of the Druid, extract from ‘Braided Industry’
   From Raising the New Wing / Braided Industry, USA SNSE072 LP (2008)
8. Illusion of Safety, ‘Protoplasm’
   From In Session, RUSSIA WAYSTYX 40 CD (2008)
9. Clutter vs Susan Matthews, ‘Slow Corrosion’
   From Slow Corrosion EP, UK EARTH MONKEY PRODUCTIONS EMC002 3” CD (2008)
10. Billy Bao, ‘You Get Me, You Get the Kicks!’
    From Dialectics of Shit, USA PARTS UNKNOWN RECORDS PUR 032 LP (2008)
11. Thomas Christoph Heyde, ‘Memory-Faded (No I-IV)’
    From HCMF, GERMANY PHANTOMNOISE RECORDS PNR 014 CD (2008)
12. Good Noise Bad Noise, ‘Donated Howl Show’
    From Joist Hounds, UK EARTH MONKEY PRODUCTIONS EMC001 3” CD (2008)
13. Daniel Padden, ‘Marseille Tape’
    From Pause for the Jet, GERMANY DEKORDER 026 CD (2008)
14. Junko / Mattin, extract from ‘Too Late’
    From Junko & Mattin, GERMANY TOCHNIT ALEPH 080 LP (2008)
15. Tetuzi Akiyama / Michel Henritzi, extract from Broken Blues, GREECE ABSURD #66 CDR (2008)
16. The New Blockaders, ‘Force Majeure’
    From IRELAND DOTDOTDOT MUSIC 006V 7” SINGLE (2008)
17. Sonarchy Trio, ‘After Sonarchy’
    From Sonarchy 1998, USA MAJMUA MUSIC MM 6 CD (2008)

The Sound Projector radio show,
originally broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM

Five vinyl full-lengths here for your perusal…haven’t heard them yet, this is mainly just to let you know they exist. Got a couple of recent releases from the German Dekorder label, both representing work from the Finnish underground. Hevoset’s eponymous LP (DEKORDER 024) has the brightly-coloured painting of the enlightened magic visage by Jani Hirvonen, who is Uton. He teamed up with fellow Tampere-based musician Jan Anderzen (from Kemialliset Ystävät) to make this LP, which is apparently filled with much ‘rural psychedelia’. Uton also made Straight Edge XXS (DEKORDER 025) and decorated same with an elaborate collage cover.

Nice parcel from Basque experimenter Mattin bringing me up to date with his multifarious activities. If you have been following his recent endeavours you’ll know he’s becoming increasingly strident in presenting his extreme Marxist polemic through music, song and noise. The new LP by Billy Bao continues this line of attack, starting with its confrontational title Dialectics of Shit (PARTS UNKNOWN RECORDS PUR 032), and song lyrics such as ‘Get killed by a system that only wants you as a fucking corpse’. There’s also a song about a factory of repression. Mattin plays the guitar, Bao sings, and they are joined by Xabier Erkizia and Alberto Lopez. Haven’t heard the racket made by this two guitars and drum kit set-up, but anything with a song called ‘Basque Blues’ suggests they’ll behave like an avant-garde version of Jon Spencer Blues Explosion.

Mattin’s other vinyl release is a team up with Junko, the Japanese lady who screeches. Junko & Mattin (TOCHNIT ALEPH 080) appears at first glance to have an all-black cover, but this is not the case. Two portraits, both faces registering a rather mirthless grin, are printed in very low-key shades of grey and the LP title and catalogue info are overlaid in ‘clear’ typography. The LP contains two side-long cuts, ‘Stop it’ and ‘Too Late’, both utterances which I anticipate will shortly be in my own mouth when I commence playing this noiseter-oonie. I haven’t heard from the Tochnit Aleph label in some time; they have been home to some of the most obnoxious and vile noise records ever made, which is probably a good thing.

From Kalamazoo USA, Mr Patrick Yankee has sent the LP by Hum of the Druid called Raising the New Wing / Braided Industry (SNSE 072). Hum of the Druid turns out to be a solo turn by Eric Stonefelt, whose work I only know through a single striking contribution to last year’s Untitled box set (jointly released by Public Guilt, Epicene and Underadar). ‘Crackling modern industrial music’ is what we’re told to expect from this release, and the sound was generated from processed acoustic sources (vibrating metals and vocals). The cover art drawing, also by Stonefelt, is pretty fine…drawn in an old-fashioned stippling style which I thought had disappeared in the late 1970s, it makes surreal connections between birds and WWI fighter plane parts which appear to be invading the head of a man, stoically accepting his bizarre arial fate. Nice package for this 400-copy limited LP; there’s a poster and cardstock insert, and the cover artwork is tipped-in by hand. Many thanks to Patrick for sending this.

Nole Plastique’s Escaperhead (NEXSOUND NSP03) arrived from the Ukraine on the reliable Nexsound label. Nole Plastique are a Russian electro-acoustic duo of Roman Kutnov (the founder member) and Aleksei Belousov (a recent collaborator), who have been generating ‘romantic noise’ since 2004. However on this, their first full-length release, they’re apparently experimenting with song-form and a ‘very raw’ production technique. Should be interesting to hear how these two aims match up on a song like ‘Tired fingers, waste your glory’. I’m often wasting my glory with my tired fingers, if you know what I mean. Curious listeners may wish to locate a couple of net releases by this band, housed in the Internet Archive’s Audio section here and here.

Josephine Foster sings This Coming Gladness (BO WEAVIL RECORDINGS WEAVIL 31CD), a CD of ten songs from this Colorado-born singer and string player, on which she’s joined by the guitar of Victor Herrero and the drums of Alex Nielson. I’ve never heard anything by this performer who started life in Born Heller and has since pursued a solo path, sometimes accompanied by The Supposed. It’ll be interesting to hear her personal update on Appalachian ballads here, but she’s also drawn inspiration from gospel music and the blues. Apparently her somewhat mannered soprano voice takes a few unprepared listeners by surprise. Quite a cover painting…it makes her look like Joni Mitchell as rendered by John Bratby.

Andrew King is an English folk singer who has done some amazing things during his sporadic recording career. An intelligent and well-informed scholar of English folk song (its sources, its singers, its history and its recordings), he has cultivated certain long-vanished mannerisms in his own voice to express some sort of continuity with the past, and show solidarity with those singers whom he admires. In June he sent me Thalassocracy (EPIPHANY 05), which he describes as ‘my new, rather “difficult” album with Brown Sierra’. As the maritime cover will clue you in, all 13 songs are sea-faring ballads such as ‘Banks of Green Willow’ or ‘The Dark Eyed Sailor’, mixed with sea shanties and broadsides based on historical events, such as ‘Nelson’s Death’ or ‘HMS Advance’. (The title is a little-used Greek word which approximates to ‘the rule of the sea’). I’m expecting some pretty heart-rending tragedy when this is spun, and I’ve no doubt that Andrew King’s unadorned singing will do justice to the task; in traditional folk song, all the emotion should be within the content, not the performance. It’ll also be interesting to hear what Brown Sierra, who I normally associate with live electronics, contribute to this collection of traditional music. NB: this self-released record is only available from Andrew King via PayPal (price £10, plus £1 for non-UK customers); email him at andrewstewartking@hotmail.co.uk

Benjamin Wetherill’s CD Laura (RED DEER CLUB RDC 014) is another release in the ‘folk idiom’. This Leeds-born guitarist and singer has been performing for ten years and was recently noticed by the songwriter from A Hawk and A Hacksaw; through that contact, this record was enabled, and was recorded outside of Budapest, with the help of the Hun Hangar Ensemble.

The Mute Socialite CD arrived from America. More Popular than Presidents and Generals (DEPHINE KNORMAL MUSIK DKM09) features the drumming and guitar work of madcap US enthusiast and polymath Moe! Staiano, whose solo percussion record was noted in a previous issue; from what I recall he’s extremely energetic and athletic, but his music didn’t quite measure up to all the bravado and boasting. I’m prepared to give his music another chance though, as Liz Allbee plays trumpet on this, and I have enjoyed her very weird solo record for Rescipiscent Resipiscent and her work with Mark Gergis. This five piece, also featuring Ava Mendoz on guitar, have been performing around the West Coast area since 2006, and their debut CD was released by Mr Staiano on his own imprint.

Toshimaru Nakamura and English (ie Joe Foster and Bonnie Jones) made One Day (ERSTWHILE 053). The back cover features an intriguing drawing (by Erin Womack) of an old man holding a large cabbage and poking the ground with a green stick. The ground, presumably dry and dusty, is cracking open at an alarming rate. Yet he appears largely unmoved by the strange resultant phenomenon. Foster is a Portland-born improviser who has lived in Korea the last six years; conversely, Bonnie Jones was born in Korea but was brought up in New Jersey. Presumably her circuit boards will make the perfect instrument to accompany Toshi’s no-input mixing board feedback work.

1. Black Meat, ‘Writer’s Block’
2. Cotton Museum, ‘Untitled’
3. Strotter Inst., ‘Treibjagd’
4. C. Draheim, ‘Hidden Grotto’
5. Teeth Collection, ‘1 Untitled Track’
6. Verzerren vs Bubblegone, ‘vb2004_2′
7. Skullcaster, ‘Bone Conduction’
8. Mammal, ‘Acid Bath’
9. Iovae, ‘Saturn Plunge’
10. Gravity vs Antimatter, ‘Spaced Out’
11. Hum of The Druid, ‘Antler Caught in Storm Drain’
12. Electric Bear, ‘D.A.S.’
13. Forbes Graham, ‘Day 4′
14. Black Tent, ‘Tired of Being God, part 0′
15. Gerritt, ‘Untitled’
16. Frankie and The S.E.M.M., ‘Slogslump’
17. OP Rechts, ‘Passiv Negativ’

All odd numbers from V/A, Untitled, USA UNDERADAR UR 10 / PUBLIC GUILT PG 007 / EPICENE SOUND ESS010 / ESR050 3 x CD BOX (2007)

All even numbers from V/A, Mitten [State] Transmissions, USA TOP QUALITY ROCK & ROLL TQR&R 020 / WHFR.FM 4 x CD BOX (2006)

The Sound Projector radio show,
originally broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM

NO-FI is an English micro underground label who caught my attention due to judicious use of vinyl pressings and of course the wide range of quality music on offer from it. Not had time to fully explore these goodies in the auditionary mode, but the potential for ear-based yocks and jimpy-jollies through both lug-canals bodes well. In this batch we see an LP by Mouthus and Yellow Swans, Live On Conan Island (NEU010), which as far as can be made out is not a split LP but a recording of all four of these American maniacs playing simultaneously. Recorded on tour during Autumn 2006, this promises to be a powerful belter of nasty guitars, nasty electronics, nasty voices and extremely nasty drumming. Snork! Also from the American weird-beard brigade, we got a 45rpm EP by Sunburned (this appears to be the band formerly known as Sunburned Hand of the Man) called Weekend at Burnie’s (NEU005). With ‘Smokescreen’ on the A side and seven short tracks on the flip, including the promisingly-named ‘Zampled, The Feather Code’, this might just be the vinyl artifact that’ll restore my faith in this crew. Jazkamer and Mark Durgan made a split 7-incher (NEU006) of which ‘Tonal Protest’ from the Norwegian trio of noisesters has been spun, and revealed itself as a flat grungy slab of turgid noise. Bing-bing-bong! Finally, we’ve got the singing of Cath and Phil Tyler on their Dumb Supper CD (NEU008). These English vocalisers seem to have absorbed elements of folk and roots music from all over the world (including Sacred Harp singing) and from many types of source; their claim to originality for these 13 songs is ‘We changed some of the words and wrote some of the tunes’. Early indications look good; their voices have an untutored and rustic rough-edge which appeals, while their unorthodox approach to their material seems to be as much informed by the aesthetic of the “mash-up” as it does by Cecil Sharp or Shirley Collins. Cover art for this one is an amateurish charcoal sketch showing a country vista packed with mystical symbols flying in the sky and crawling on the face of the earth. Ignore them or die! Summer is Icumen In. Many thanks to Lee for sending these.

This is to let you know the ESP-Disk’ reissue programme, and new issue programme, continues with unabated force. In this last batch I’ve gotten three examples of ‘classic’ mid-1960s underground jazz reissues from the catalogue, namely Henry Grimes Trio with The Call (ESP 1026), The Giuseppi Logan Quartet (ESP 1007) and the Milford Graves Percussion Ensemble with Sunny Morgan (ESP 1015). In the case of the excellent Henry Grimes record, it’s noteworthy how original executive producer Bernard Stollman has provided a new sleeve note and sympathetically highlighted the contributions of clarinettist Perry Robinson, a little-known player whose work remains eerie and strange. Stollman has a startling story to tell about the Giuseppi Logan session, too! I also like the digipack packaging of these reissues, which in many cases is very close to the original vinyl sleeves; only the modern computer typography on the back covers disappoints.

The Holy Modal Rounders – always great to have another copy of Indian War Whoop (ESP 1068) in the house. All the stories you’ve heard about this incredible record are hard to believe, but then you could say the same about the record itself. Originally recorded in 1967 by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber (incredibly joined by the young Sam Shepard on drums), it exudes a freakish atmosphere and drug-fuelled exuberance in a way that many so-called “psychedelic” records do not. Equally amazing, and a delight to this listener, is the discovery of some 1965 live tapes of The Holy Modal Rounders playing in Detroit. I think Stampfel himself (according to a recent interview in Bixobal magazine) has rather mixed feelings about the release of Live in 1965 (ESP 4045), but I’m massively looking forward to hearing live versions of concert faves like ‘Flop Eared Mule’ and ‘Fishin’ Blues’.

Besides exhuming their esteemed back catalogue, ESP now have a wing devoted to releasing contemporary art-music. Two examples here, not yet played by me: Totem> with Solar Forge (ESP 4046), and Yuganaut with This Musicship (ESP 4044). Totem> are a trio playing guitar, bass and drums, and this record was made in Brooklyn last year; all I know is they look like formidably tough guys clad in their denim and street duds as they pose ‘neath a girder of what I take to be the Brooklyn bridge. Yuganaut are another trio, again recorded in Brooklyn, who have a slightly less aggressive demeanour; at least two of them wear glasses, in any case. With track titles like ‘Time Cycle’, ‘Channeling’ and ‘Whacked in the Head’, I’m expecting some sort of urban update on the mystical themes of Astral Weeks.

All the above sent by Thomas Ekelund from Gothenburg in Sweden, sound artist and graphic designer whose excellent project Dead Letters Spell Out Dead Words released a CD on the iDEAL Recordings label, reviewed in TSP16. Cassettes, CDs, split singles, fanzines include Fall Fall Falling (on both cassette and CD), issue #7 of Peter Henning’s Namenlos art zine, a promotional CDR and booklet package for Thomas’s work called Dread!, a split seven-inch he made with with Modern Art, an ‘old school ritual industrial’ cassette by Trepanneringsritualen, plus a poster, buttons, etc. Nothing here has been heard or read by me at time of writing, but fortunately Thomas included a three-page summary of everything. Allow me to précis just two of his descriptions:

“The sub-underground in Gothenburg is bustling with activity. It might be a reaction to all the happy-go-lucky, let’s-hug-and-be-friends, hippy attitude that’s run rampant on the “scene” for the past few years. There was bound to be a reaction. Cutiefuck (split cassette with Trite Meat, Swastika Lollipop / They Are Diseases) might seem cuddly and fun, due to their healthy obsession with Sanrio in general and Hello Kitty in particular, but believe us when we say that is far from the truth. Too lazy and/or stoned for harsh noise, their side of this cassette presents some fine slacker drum machine through guitar amp scum noise…Trite Meat seem to go for benzo pills and rohypnol. Their side is a dark, menacing misery (as opposed to joy) ride through a collapsing psyche. Sonically that means an unholy mess of harsh noise, classic Swedish industrial and the weirder side of black metal.”

“Marhaug / Bad Kharma, Red Tape Rot 6 cassette. This release manifests the reunion of the undynamic duo of Marhaug and Norway and Bad Kharma of Sweden. The Red Tape Rot project was initiated in 1999 when [Ronnie Sundin] was spending an academic year in Trondheim…the original plan was to record 10 cassette albums over the course of that year and have them released on different labels all over the NOISE globe. Each album was to sound different from the others or were based on a singular concept: full blast, only turntables, use a Sony Playstation as sound source, silence, etc. After five albums were completed (of which the last one – the silent one – was never officially released) the duo got a bit tired and hungry and agreed on a lunch break. After lunch they decided to take a nap…now after some nine years or so they are back with the hope to complete the series before it’s time to take a break for tea!”

1. Tivol, (an unplanned fragment)
   From Interstellar Overbike, USA LAST VISIBLE DOG LVD 079 CD (2006)
2. Zukanican, ‘Ringa Roga’
   From Horse Republic, UK PICKLED EGG RECORDS EGG 60 CD (2006)
3. Greg Malcolm, ‘Mob Job’
   From Swimming In It, NETHERLANDS K-RAA-K³ KED01 LP (2005)
4. Yannick Dauby, (Track 12)
   From TW04-05, FRANCE è®e NO NUMBER CD (2006)
5. The Moglass, ‘Revisited with K.’
   From Sparrow Juice, UKRAINE NEXSOUND NS45 CD (2006)
6. Civil War, ‘The Brutality of Fact Part I’
   From The Brutality of Fact, USA LONGBOX RECORDINGS LBT037 CD (2005)
7. Earzumba, ‘Waiting on a Tear’
   From Simulando un Refugio, USA OLD GOLD NO NUMBER CD (2005)
8. Ben Reynolds, ‘Cracks Swoon Moon’
   From Outmospheric Arts of the Outmosphere, USA DIGITALIS DIGI028 CD (2006)
9. Tivol, ‘Tivoloid part 2: Raivaajat’
   From Interstellar Overbike, op cit.
10. Éric Cordier, ‘Mes chaînes seront brisées’
    From Breizhiselad, BELGIUM EREWHON CDWhON011 CD (2006)
11. Porest, ‘Mother of All Mistakes’
    From Mood Noose, USA RESIPISCENT RSPT006 CD (ND)
12. Hugh Davies, ‘Celeritas’
    From Tapestries, ITALY ANTS AG04 CD (2005)
13. Supernatural Hot Rug and Not Used, ‘New World’
    From Supernatural Hot Rug and Not Used, JAPAN EM RECORDS EM1055CD (2006)
14. Still, ‘Need’
    From Remains, USA PUBLIC GUILT PG004 CD (2005)
15. uncle e, extract from ‘Deeper’
    From Deep in the Bushes, AUSTRALIA ANTBOY MUSIC 08 CD (2006)

The Sound Projector radio show,
originally broadcast on Resonance 104.4 FM