Bumped into Matt Wand of Stock, Hausen & Walkman as he was hawkingthe new Rip Off Artist CD to the Manchester shops. Opening his box ofHot Air to reveal brains aplenty: "You can have one for a fiver if youwrite a good review!" Thus bribed I went home to ruminate on whetherthis Rip Off Artist was some kind of scam since my first impression wasthat this could feasibly be a follow up to Stock, Hausen &Walkman's wry techdance appropriator 'Oh My Bag!' Hot air has neverbeen proven magnetic so maybe it's just a case of like attracting like.Whoever he's ripping off, the bribe was not necessary. The Rip OffArtist is said to have recorded this in Southern California. There aresome quirky Matmosian shuffles in there, or am I just hearing thisbecause I played this right after the 'California Rhinoplasty' EP? TheRip Off Artist, or Matt Haines as his mum probably insists on callinghim, uses a smaller range of sounds, or at least his sources seem lessdramatic, mostly relying on good old frazzled bleepery, but he has alighthearted foot shuffling fluid beat organisation technique which isexactly what you might expect from Hot Air, if indeed you expectedanything at all from this slightly odd and idiosyncratic label. The RipOff Artist is alleged to have helped out Uwe Schmidt with recording andhas thus been accused of ripping off Atom Heart. I haven't heard enoughAtom Heart to know if that's so, but this is certainly a rapid motionmelodic addition to the ever expanding quirky sampled cut up beatsglut. Is the cover picture of a brain just a ploy to get a glowingwrite up on this Brain? No, it's not, but how can an album that openswith a track about how 'Asparagus Spears My Artichoke Hearts' possiblybe less than soupy?Hot Air website: www.simplesampling.com
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Moblin is Chris Ragnar Bergen, multi-talented artist and apparentproprietor of thistownisdoomed.com. Bergen has an obvious predilectionfor old school computing and gaming, namely Dos and 8 bit Nintendo, asevidenced from the moniker (a character from the NES "Legend of Zelda"series), title and artwork. Perhaps it's this love of fun and engaginginteractive machines that provides his penchant for likewiseelectronica. The 11 cute and/or oddly titled tracks that make up the38+ minutes of "CPrompt" draw upon the playfulness of those classicvideo game themes and the influence of fellow modern electronicswizards such as Kid 606 and Matmos. Moblin's sound set is predominantlywarm tones, bass and beats with similar samples and the occasionaloutburst of static or noise. At times it's a chaotic barrage of splicedsamples and at others a markedly restrained ambient walk in the park.But it's Bergen's skill in data sequencing and attention to precisedetail that makes these tracks special ... test tones, ripplingglitches, minuscule loops, fuzzy melodies and appropriated rhythm bitsseemingly fall into place rather effortlessly. This is really highquality stuff that bears repeated listening. Judge for yourself withmp3s of four full tracks at thistownisdoomed/moblin. Next up for Moblinis 2 tracks on a 7" for the Itcfwak label and a new EP entitled "TheWar On Drugs is a Joke."
Mogwai are back, but are they better than ever? Fans of these Scottishlads and their music tend to be rabid, so this is one of the mosteagerly awaited CDs of the year. Much more concise than their otherreleases (read: shorter), Rock Action is Mogwai's most musicallyambitious release in terms of arrangements and their finest effort todate, warts and all. Gone are the 16 minute epics that marked "YoungTeam" and later releases; here to stay are killer melodies and lovelyarrangements. Yes, there are a few let downs. The opening track, "SineWave," while scary and malicious, sounds a bit too much like "A WarmPlace" by Nine Inch Nails/"Crystal Japan" by David Bowie. And "RobotChant" sounds like what Mogwai ends their shows with: distortion pedalson stun + volume on 11 = fuck the audience! The high notes leave thesemissteps in their dust. The finest track, "2 rights make 1 wrong" willthrill fans everywhere with it's melodic beauty, and "you don't knowjesus" sounds just like the title suggests, destroying your faith atits basic levels. There's even vocals on four tracks, including a fineguest appearance on "dial:revenge" by Gruff Rhys from Super FurryAnimals singing in his native Welsh. On "Take Me Somewhere Nice," it'sclear just how much guitarist/vocalist Stuart Braithwaite's deliveryhas improved, and the lyrics are far more understandable this time. Allin all, a great release for them and you. Earplugs are recommended,even with your headphones on.
The brand new full-lengther from former Throwing Muses vocalist/lyricist/boss is undeniably her greatest solo achievement. The rocky road Hersh has endured over the last few years has surfaced into an explosive collection of gut-wrenching songs. After fifteen years of hearing her voice, I can safely say there is absolutely no comparison to this one-woman powerhouse of skill and talent - her voice, playing and writing styles are all part of the package deal.
I must admit at the first few listens I wasn't quite blown away by the latest release from yet another instrumental rock band of Germans who refuse to admit they're influenced by Neu! 'Profane' is their fourth full-length album, and first release to be issued in Europe, North America and Japan simultaneously (as opposed to 'Fantasy': out on Kitty-Yo in 1999, surfacing on Matador USA and Japan in 2000).
A fictitious bio describes Hank & Slim as a 60+ year old duo fromTexas who collaborated and then had a falling out, moved their separateways and never spoke again. In actuality it's Robin Storey (of Rapoon)and Nigel Ayers (Nocturnal Emissions) and the fictitious story is themost entertaining aspect of this disc. 'The World Turned Gingham' is asomewhat sparse and limited version of KLF's timeless monumentalclassic 'Chill Out'. It's laden with old western tunes twanging away ingated echoes, meshing in with a sparse Angelo Badalamenti-wannabekeyboard background, mixed with radio broadcasts which could be real,but probably fictitious. While the disc worked for unobtrusivebackground noise while filing taxes and recovering from a fatteningEaster dinner, I honestly couldn't stop thinking of how I'd rather belistening to "Chill Out."
"Substancia 3" gathers mostly exclusive/forthcoming tracks from 11artists on Belgium's Quartermass roster: DJ Wally, Bisk, Benge,Freeform, Shudo, Fisherofgold, Mash'ta, Bump & Grind, Rip-OffArtist, Richard Thomas & Jon Tye and Tal. Now I know why I don'town anything from the Quartermass roster. There is variation -illbient, electro funk, breakbeats, sample mania (think Coldcut, onlynowhere near as cool) - but not much of anything of interest. Justtired and tedious sounds, samples, effects and sequences and songs thatgo nowhere. Freeform's "Cantho" wins the coveted 'sucks the least'crown by trading off atmospheric thumps with cacophonous outbursts ofpots and pans percussion. Benge and Fishertogold's space technoofferings grow dull quick. Shudo's "Bringing Together the Best" failsto do that in its mess of drum loops, drone and cliche scratch sample.Richard Thomas and Jon Tye do something a bit more experimental withvarious samples, but in the end it sounds like a funeral march througha pet store. That's it. I can't take anymore. I want to wash my earsout with something good now.
While listening to the Trifid Project EP, it became known to me that anumber of email list members have been wondering what Jimmy Plotkin hasbeen up to lately. While the man hasn't been releasing material on thebigger indie labels, a few things have managed to surface. The TriffidProject is a collaborative effort with members of Ant-Zen superstarsCelluloid Mata and Ultra Milkmaids which takes the form of a shortsix-track CD and clear 10" record (limited to 400 copies). It's beenreleased through the young Vacuum label through some unknown agreementwith Ant-Zen. The music is abrupt and attention-grabbing, with quirkysamples, spinning tapes, distorted aggression, processed vocals andchunky beats. While it only stretches about 22 minutes, these are someof the finest electronic manglings I've heard recently — combining awonderful atmospheric makeup with unobtrusive guitar, live bass guitarand coldly calculated, crunchy, intelligent, overprocessed beats.
Atomsmasheris a new group which features Plotkin, DJ Speedranch and David Witte ondrums. While we wait for a full-length release, a pre-release CDR-EPhas managed to find its way into a small number of shops, courtesy ofthe Boston-based noise-loving label, Hydrahead. Atomsmasher, unlike theTriffid Project, is almost pure aggression, with speed-metal resoundingriffage, drilling distorted vocals, and tons of computerized electronicreprocessing. Strangely approaching jazz-like in the way everybodywished Praxis would pursue following their 'Sacrifist' LP. This disc isfairly short too, three tracks and under 10 minutes, but for thesticker price, it's a must-have. Unfortunately its scarcity (limited tosomething absurd like 100 copies) has given this release the potentialto become inflated far beyond the musical value on future onlineauctions. A new full-length should have these tracks. Speaking of thefull-length album, when I looked at this label's website I find nothingon this release or a full-length. What gives, guys? Now you know whatPlotkin's been up to.
