Warp
Released to coincide with Warp's recent European label tour, 'Magic BusTracks' is a collection of exclusive and rare cuts from its currentroster, as well as tracks from related artists like Luke Vibert andHecker. However, it is important to keep in mind that "exclusive" and"rare" songs tend not to make it onto full-length artist albums for areason. That being said, 'Magic Bus Tracks' is a widely lacklustereffort from a label that hasn't been consistent in terms of qualityreleases lately. Part of this stems from many of the "new breed" ofWarp acts, whose releases have failed to impress me. Richard Devine isone such culprit, and his rather monotonous "Mov Macros 7" reflectsthat accurately, with a bland rhythmic pattern that inevitably degradesinto DSP fuckery. The same goes for Mira Calix, whose "Simple" is inline with the rest of her uninteresting back catalog. But undoubtedly,the worst thing here has to be Russell Haswell's three minute pisstake,apparently taken from a live gig. The recording quality is crap, butthat's pretty irrelevant since "03:01:21 2002 Schirn KunsthalleFrankfurt" is just pointless and dull. There are a few tracks that savethis collection from being a total waste. Former Skint Records artistReq both shows and proves on the previously released "Soul Plot," acut-up hip-hop track sprinkled with vocal snippets and just the rightamount of sampled funk. Chris Clark surprises with a post-electro jamentitled "Spinning Spines (Aldi Edit)" that comes off like aFunkstorung outtake. Rephlex's new great white hope, Astrobotnia opensthe album with a catchy Satanic ditty, but sadly sets a highexpectation that the remainder of the compilation never delivers.Considering how enjoyable Warp's previous compilations have been, I wasdefinitely let down by 'Magic Bus Tracks'.
Released to coincide with Warp's recent European label tour, 'Magic BusTracks' is a collection of exclusive and rare cuts from its currentroster, as well as tracks from related artists like Luke Vibert andHecker. However, it is important to keep in mind that "exclusive" and"rare" songs tend not to make it onto full-length artist albums for areason. That being said, 'Magic Bus Tracks' is a widely lacklustereffort from a label that hasn't been consistent in terms of qualityreleases lately. Part of this stems from many of the "new breed" ofWarp acts, whose releases have failed to impress me. Richard Devine isone such culprit, and his rather monotonous "Mov Macros 7" reflectsthat accurately, with a bland rhythmic pattern that inevitably degradesinto DSP fuckery. The same goes for Mira Calix, whose "Simple" is inline with the rest of her uninteresting back catalog. But undoubtedly,the worst thing here has to be Russell Haswell's three minute pisstake,apparently taken from a live gig. The recording quality is crap, butthat's pretty irrelevant since "03:01:21 2002 Schirn KunsthalleFrankfurt" is just pointless and dull. There are a few tracks that savethis collection from being a total waste. Former Skint Records artistReq both shows and proves on the previously released "Soul Plot," acut-up hip-hop track sprinkled with vocal snippets and just the rightamount of sampled funk. Chris Clark surprises with a post-electro jamentitled "Spinning Spines (Aldi Edit)" that comes off like aFunkstorung outtake. Rephlex's new great white hope, Astrobotnia opensthe album with a catchy Satanic ditty, but sadly sets a highexpectation that the remainder of the compilation never delivers.Considering how enjoyable Warp's previous compilations have been, I wasdefinitely let down by 'Magic Bus Tracks'.
samples:
- Astrobotina - Untitled
- Req - Soul Plot
- Chris Clark -Spinning Spines
Cor Gout is no unknown Person in the Dutch leftfield arts & musicscene due his main job as singer, lyricist & composer withTrespassers W, a unfortunately often overlooked outfit when it comes toremarkable independent music. Here, various sidesteps are compiledcarefully - some live, some studio, most are sung in Dutch but a fewalso in English. The recordings, made between the late 80's and thelate 90's, are all remastered and mostly remixed for this limitededition of 200 CD-Rs and packed neatly in an oversized artprint folder.
Further exploring theories behind the track of the same name on souRceresearch recordings 2000 compilation 'Emre [Dark Matter]', 'Netmörk'the disc expands the piece to a 34+ minute movement in three parts. COHponders what might be hiding within the intricate infrastructure of thetelephone network. What becomes of the digitally encoded emotionalresidue? Perhaps there's an accumulation of energy yet to revealitself? Conceptually it's very intriguing right from the start. Partone asks the fundamental question is it "dark inside the telephonewire?" It might be but there's certainly a lot of life in the organizedchaos of the system. COH's signature tone-drones and other laptopgenerated gestures seem to perfectly imitate electromagnetic energies.Part two, "Love as Hate" approximates the aftermath of a concludedconversation. At first the touch tones at the tail end of part onesimply carry over then slowly morph into beautiful, elongated chimes.By the seventh minute a loping digital dirge sets in and later, nearthe end, the chimes return accompanied by a cute rhythmic march. Therumbling pulse of part three, "materialize: m=E/c^2" (dedicated toproducer Giorgio Moroder and the Khari Kelvin character of "Solaris")gathers and dissipates energy as it ripples through time and space.Then, with an abrupt sputter, it suddenly ceases to be. The final track"Undercosm" fills out the near 40 minutes of the disc. Sound wavesreminiscent of a lift-off and distant transmissions are befitting ofthe MIR space station to which it is dedicated. Up next from COH is aremastered reissue (with bonus tracks) of 2000's 'Mask of Birth' LP onCD courtesy of Mego.
David Marhana, known for his work with his brother Andre as the duoOsso Exotico, here presents a new composition that seems equally asinformed by Swans and Godspeed You Black Emporer! as by minimalistclassical music. Throughout the "Lullaby"s hour (nearly) of music,several patterns cycle over and around each other. The content of eachis taken from (melo?)dramatic rock music; a steady bass drum kick,three succinct high-hat hits, a peel of guitar feedback. There's nomistaking the oppressive death-rock gloom that hangs over the work,with rhythmic bass thud anchoring it to an unchanging pace. Images ofguitar distortion pedals (most notably a DOD pedal, conspicuouslymarked "Heavy Metal"), 1/4" guitar cables and a snare drum serve tohammer home the RAWK connotations. Yet, despite the many references towhat might be percieved as an energetic or cathartic genre, the musicdoes not evolve or build to any climactic noise; rather, all of theelements present at its beginning of the CD make appearances severaltimes, and then "Noe's Lullaby" simply ends. The composer includes thephrase "to play LOUD" (caps are his) in the sleeve text, but the musicisn't loud-sounding at all. So volume doesn't seem to affect the musicvery much (I resent a composer telling me how to listen to his or hermusic, anyway). Neither is it particularly narcotic, as its titleimplies. I tried going to sleep to it, but the threat of a big loudclimax, while never actually arriving, seemed possible at every moment.
If Cex is the laptop incarnate of Kool Keith, then Gold Chains must bethe equivalent of Sisqo. The first I heard from San Franciscan TopherLafata (the brains behind the chains) was "Burn Babylon" from theTigerbeat6 Inc. compilation last year. It featured sung vocals from amiss Nina Oppenheim and actually had no rap on it. However, theundeniable sass pulsing from that fat, pumpin' jam made me long formore. If that's your only exposure, do not expect a similar club smashon the first two EP releases from Gold Chains, do expect that rawkusattitude and some phenomenal programming. On the self-titled EP, Topheris accompanied by the production assitance from Joshua Kit Clayton,scratching from DJ Bre-Ad (who's credits include work with Mick Harris)and the occasional backing female vocalist. The result is far moredense than any Kit Clayton records and the rhymes are witty,entertaining and after a number of listens become drilled in the head,busting out when singing along. From the thunderous opener, "I ComeFrom San Francisco," to the closing nod to Stereolab, "Rock the Parti",there isn't a weak moment. With each listen, there's actually somethingnew to discover: "Did he say ebonic karate?" Jessica asked me during"The Wonderful Girls of Hypno" before the bombastic chorus sounds in,"San Francisco USA / to Berlin in Germany / Tokyo to Paris France /Hypno babes rule my pants". The self-titled EP came out last Octoberand is a bit of a task to locate but it's well worth it. 
Less than a year later, a second EP has surfaced from Tigerbeat6.Coming from such a strong, stunning debut, this release seems somewhatanti-climactic. The rhythms and tunes here are produced entirely byTofer this time around and, while the songs are still punchy andenergetic, are somewhat flattened by the lack of content. There's farless rap, and more repetitious vocals this time around. The sex anddrug obsessions are way more explicit than the other EP, with trackslike "Mountains of Coke" and "I Treat Your Cootchie Like a Maze" ("Lickthat cootchie, lick that cootchie, lick that cootchie,..." —okay, weget the point). The titles seem more promising but maybe I wasexpecting a little more meat. 'Straight from Your Radio' isn't terribleby any means, and can still provide an entertaining 25 minutes, but isnowhere near as over-the-top as the eponymous debut. Slap all 11 tracks(and "Burn Babylon") onto one CD and you've still got a pretty strongfull-length albm!
Fez Dispenser is Matt Thorne, one of two brothers that make up PsychicEnemies Network. With this project he dissolves the darkness andartfully expands upon the eclecticism already found in PEN's work.Fifteen instrumentals freely juxtapose played and programmed genreelements within tracks and track to track. But in the slick guitarriffs, vibes and grooves a jazz influence represents throughout. Thorneseems to be striving for songs that mix things up so much as to defyall pigeonholing and, more importantly, are just plain fun to play andlisten to. Drum and bass backdrops the busy jammin' of "Thank YouWould've Done Nicely" while horn-y dub and hazy dub make up "CastillianFennel Dub" and "Really I Do", respectively. "Smoothin'" slips intooverdriven overdrive with a stompin' spy thriller theme and "Watch forFalling Doors" percussively jazzes it up, both reminding me of BarryAdamson's recent imaginary soundtracks. Hip Hop beats and breaks addflava here and there, especially in "Everything Works", while the titletrack sets up camp near Muslimgauze territories. "He Speaks" dips intoelectronic whimsy a la The Orb with cute samples of helpful Englishphrases. "Lake Placidyl" offers a short-term treatment for insomniawith a slow moving quasi-psychedelic lullaby. And just to makeabsolutely sure I walk away happy, the lovely Stars of the Lid-like"And Fade" conjures up similar tired sounds as a finale. A little bitof everything goes a long way.
Radar Brothers create slo-core guitar music with almost saccharinevocals and harmonies on top, songs that explore a variety of subjectswith aplomb and spirit. Members Jim Putnam, Senon Williams, and SteveGoodfriend have been in or worked with bands as diverse as Medicine,The For Carnation, Matmos and Maids of Gravity, and the music theycreate now makes them out to be a modern version of The Band.Everything is rooted in a melancholy beauty, but everything has a hopeor dignity to it that breaks through and keeps you warm. In otherwords, these songs are not full of complicated arrangements or densesubject matter that will be lost on you. So the trick is to not borethe hell out of the listener, and to not sound entirely formulaic.Radar Brothers do this admirably on this, their third full-length andfirst for Merge, sounding familiar but not like they're copyingsomeone, and making the most of their slight sound. Keyboards are addedfor effect, guitars fuzz and wail, and all while the music just lopesalong. They do manage to be pretty chilling here, as well, as at leasttwo songs deal with murder or savage killing: "They've been missing fora week/but here the weapon looks clean/too bad the older sisters aretaking it home" on 'Sisters' and "for you are still evil in my swordyou'll be caught" on 'Still Evil'. It's very cohesive, mostly quaint,and beautifully executed music from a band that has no business beingbased in Los Angeles. It is worth your time, I assure you.
Some of you may have Merzbow fans pegged as masochists. Sure, serfsloyal to the noise king may find his prodigious output hard on both theeardrums and the wallet. And true, he has played with S&M themes onseveral of his releases — the 18 CD Merzbox is wrapped in kinky blackrubber, for crying out loud. But the pleasure of Merzbow is not justthe extreme volume and frequency with which he attacks—but the varietyof sounds he sets his cat o' nine tails to. To the casual listener, thecollective work of Merzbow may sound like a solid block of steel wool.I admit there are a couple of Brillo's in the pile, but no singleMerzbow release can represent the whole catalog. Take Amlux, forexample. While the trademark violent squall is still here, much of thisalbum has a more gradual pace, built heavily on samples and loops."Takemitsu" starts off as a ride inside a phonograph needle across ascratchy jackhammer lock-groove, while someone shovels snow in thebackground. It ultimately gets sucked through a jumbo jet engine, whichproceeds to jam up and disintegrate. The warm tar guitar lines of"Looping Jane" get whipped by sharp digital wires into a driving rockfrenzy. "Cow Cow" is Satan on CB Radio squelch through a teapotwhistle. The final track, "Luxurious Automobile," pits swirling loopsagainst chain rhythms, crickets, Star Trek consoles and Asteroids fuzz.It's almost danceable. If I had to pick out a good starting point forthe uninitiated, I might very well recommend Amlux.
Merzbow's split release with Kouhei Matsunaga finds Masami Akita takingup a slightly more aggressive posture than on Amlux. Pensive piano on"Nakasendow" is repeatedly interrupted as the man in charge tears metalphone books in half with his bare hands, then decides to start blowingnew pockmarks into the moon with his laser cannon. The poor piano hasno choice but to turn into a dot matrix printer. "Earth Nazareth"mangles a death metal riff with phased drum beats into an oompah band.Screechy violin joins in at about repetition 2000, just as a washingmachine starts pumping through the wah wah pedal. The sub-bass swellsand drums of "Shadow Barbalian" find a staticky midpoint between therhythms of Tortoise and Brise Glace, with an abundance ofstrangled-tape samples popping up and getting punished. Very fun andquite catchy, if such can be said for Merzbow. A good counterpoint,Matsunaga's half of the disc spans many locations and elevations. Atriptych entitled "Garden of Earthly Delights," the sounds here take onan almost spiritual feel. From quiet studies of steam-powered robotinsects, to plodding machine bursts, to dramatic swelling drones andclipped sighs. Both pure sound and musical themes are explored andsuperimposed, and the three pieces work as one in an easily flowingseries of movements. Certain moments here could be compared to the workof Merzbow, Christoph Heemann, Tetsuo Furudate, and others. But it'sthe successful marriage of such diverse elements into a cohesive workthat makes it uniquely Matsunaga's. I will be keeping my eye out formore of this man's work in the future. A solid listen the whole waythrough, this disc will definitely enjoy more time in my stereo.
This song could easily be one of my favorite songs from one my favoritealbums of last year: the fuzzy music of Dntel's rumbling frequenciesand distorted beats matched with the timid, wistful vocals by BenjaminGibbard of Death Cab for Cutie (thankfully included as the first trackon the EP) in a vividly visual story as surreal and dreamlike as thetitle suggests. This CD EP is set up like a traditional 12" single offour remixes sandwiched in between the A and B side of its own 7"single. While this approach works great for DJs or fans making theirown mix tapes or CDs, listening straight through can be a bit ofoverkill. The first reinterpretation is probably my favorite: it comesfrom Safety Scissors, with the Kings of Convenience singer (Erlend Øye)slightly adjusting the lyrics into a moderately altered story. Themusic is bumpy and reminds me well of that Kings of Convenience remixrecord I adored last year. Barbara Morganstern almost uncomfortablyforces a duet on her take while Superpitcher leaves the vocals just asthey are, but transforms the song into a modern techno anthem a'la theKompakt style. Lali Puna finish the job off by completely removing thevocals and softening the music into something more languid, laid backand cool. Rounding out the EP is the track "Your Hill" which was on thecompilation 'The Asthmatic Worm' (reviewed in June), which would saveany Dntel fan from having to buy an entire compilation for one songpreviously unavailable elsewhere. At the end of each listen, I cancompletely appreciate all the attempts at reinterpretations, but safelysay that none can really touch the brilliance of this song in itsoriginal LP version.
