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Sudden Infant, "Psychotic Einzelkind"
Having been in the field of abstract and noise art for some 19 years now, Joke Lanz is definitely not a neophyte. This album makes that readily apparent in its highly structured, controlled noise elements, but is also willing to step outside of the boundaries of what is expected from him and instead is happy to toss in elements of punk, traditional industrial, and something that is often lacking in this genre: humor.
With roots in his native Swiss Dada movement, it is almost expected that Lanz would have an absurd bent to his art, which is a breath of fresh air in a genre that, for the most part, takes itself entirely too seriously. On “Trees Are My Friends” this is beautifully apparent: while the backing track channels classic Neubauten chaotic metal drumming and noisy, rough bass guitar work, Lanz delivers lines like “These dogs are pissing on my tree all the time and I don’t fucking like that!“ in a classic power electronics delivery right out of Whitehouse albums like Buchenwald, but is far more fun and jovial.
Few of the songs on here actually have that “traditional” noise feel. “Deep Cuts” does have its share of unidentifiable processed screams and some pure noise elements, but exercises more restraint and focuses more on textures rather than terror. The massive “Slomono” is similar in its construction of guitar cable noises, ultrasonic high-end tones and feedback. Rather than blasting, it is more content to simply lurk all creepy-like in the darkness.
Other tracks show an obvious influence from other artists, but it is just that, influence. “Boy In A Wheelchair” definitely has traces of classic Throbbing Gristle and especially SPK in its deep bass thump, audible vocals and noisy blasts of static and feedback, but also demonstrates that sense of careful construction that those artists were also known for. “Tandoori Chicken Scooter III” has a structure more in line with the punk influnced bands of today, such as Wolf Eyes, but has a percussion track that sounds like its built from old kung fu movie fight samples and that almost-not-there level of controlled chaos. Others are more than happy to be overtly punk in nature: “Somniphobia” has a traditional, though metal, percussion and traditional bass guitar over looped Middle Eastern elements and the occasional burst of noise. It has a familiar, conventional feel, but is still in its own galaxy entirely.
Finally, a few tracks are just completely “out there” in the most brilliant way: “Bamblood” is built on the most unnatural sounds that can be made with the human mouth, and no, not just the voice. Put over a backward bass guitar track and, though entirely bizarre, retains a rhythmic, captivating feel. “Dies Irae” opts for a different level of weirdness with its almost techno synth sequence, bouncing bass line, and a snare drum coming together as almost a jazz piece. I say “almost” because the white noise outbursts that pop up are decidedly un-jazz, at least in this context. Finally, the “true” album closer, “Zipper Ripper” is exactly what it sounds like: layered recordings of zipper sounds that are mostly untreated in nature, other than the occasional pitch shifting.
What follows are three remixes that, while mostly well done, feel superfluous on an already well conceived, diverse recording. The fact that my copy had a sticker outlining the contributions by Z’EV, Lasse Marhaug, and Thurston Moore leads me to believe their inclusion is more for marketing, rather than artistic, purposes. While I can appreciate the fact that it might make Sudden Infant a more well known name and gain some additional attention for this brilliant album, and the fact the artists included are probably fans of Lanz, it does feel blatant. Z’ev takes Slomono and condenses the 11 minute abstract sprawl into a denser, 4 minute mix that shows Z’EV’s subtle appreciation for atmosphere, and manages to take a track that already had one and put it in a somewhat more tense mood. Marhaug’s take on "Tandoori Chicken Scooter III" strips away the chaos and instead keeps it held back, the noiser bits are filtered and reversed to create a building level of tension that unsurprisingly is released at the end in pure noise orgasmic chaos. Thurston Moore’s take on “Somniphobia” is somewhat disappointing, because rather than utilizing the already odd mix, he instead is happy to just add distortion and noise it up, making it less memorable overall.
By looking at the remixes as simply bonus tracks, it's easier to appreciate the first 11 tracks as the full album with the extras just tacked on at the end. Impossible to pigeonhole, Sudden Infant has created a disc that is the culmination of all of those years of experimenting and perfecting his craft.
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