There is the old adage that "brevity is the soul of wit" which, in some cases, may be true.  However, in the case of 16 minute EPs such as this, brevity is more of a frustrating tease than a positive quality.  This four track EP, recorded while Bailiff was touring Europe is such a purely compelling piece of work that it makes me wish it was a little bit longer. 

While this review may seem a bit out of context to most Brainwashed readers, a closer listen to the seemingly pop elements of this demo reveal a greater depth, indicating the potential for great things.  

 

Sound Nutrition

There is something to be said for Michigan and scuzz rock. Of course there is the obvious MC5 and Stooges, and the more recent Wolf Eyes, and then there's this odd little 7" single. 

Public Eyesore 

On this very brief pink/red marbled vinyl 7", the two artists collaborate on a rather subtle work with both sides showing a very distinct character.  "Properties" is all stuttering electronics, field recordings, and other near-impossible to place sounds.  Squeaks, bangs, and a bit of guitar abuse sound like damaged childhood toys put out to pasture in a suburban parking lot to deliver their dying breaths.  The flipside, "Ribbons" is somewhat more conventional, based around guitar textures, electronic tones, and field recordings of birds and insects.  It's a bizarre set of recordings, but very compelling in their oddity and definitely worth checking out.

Another of the current crop of US noise projects, Yellow Swans focus more on establishing mood and texture as opposed to full out sonic assaults, and while still an acquired taste, here it's a bit easier to swallow.

A short little burst of spastic drum machines, pop vocal loops and goofy samples are just primed to bring out the Great Cornholio in all of us.  And how can you NOT like an album with chicken and sheep sounds?

Creaig Dunton was born in 1979 and grew up in a small town in Central Florida.  Always wanting to be a computer programmer until actually faced with the task as a college junior, he switched to psychology and then graduate work in criminal justice when the dot com burst of the early 21st century made gainful employment impossible.  He now is finishing his dissertation for his doctorate in criminal justice at the University at Albany in New York, and is a full time lecturer and program coordinator at a small upstate NY university.

More relevant to music, he started writing reviews on his personal website around 1996 as a way to get “free CDs and meet girls”.  The former worked, the latter didn’t.  His reviews were then carried over to the short lived (but nonetheless awesome) False Prophet Campaign webzine, which he founded with friend James Quirk.  He joined Brainwashed in early 2007 to review music once again, based on the unquestionable allure of free music.

In what little spare time he has, he adds to an embarrassingly large classic video game collection, pretends to be a musician, and runs his own micro experimental/noise vanity label.  Feel free to contact him at creaig [at] gmail [dot] com.

Top Albums of 2015 (subject to change)

Big Freedia – Just Be Free (Queen Diva)
Black Spirituals – Of Deconstruction (SIGE)
Burial Hex – The Hierophant (Handmade Birds)
Consumer Electronics – Estuary English (Dirtier)
Godflesh – A World Lit Only By Fire (Avalanche)
High-Functioning Flesh – A Unity of Miseries, A Misery of Unities (DKA)
Interpol – El Pintor (Matador)
King Crimson – Starless (DGM)
Edvard Graham Lewis – All Over (Editions Mego)
Klara Lewis – Ett (Editions Mego)
Parashi – Pilot Salt (Retrograde Tapes)
Pinkcourtesyphone – Description of Problem (LINE Segments)
Sleaford Mods – Divide & Exit (Harbinger Sound)
Swans – To Be Kind (Young God)
The Tobacconists – A Secret Place (Fabrica/A Giant Fern)