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This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical sound.

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Re: Reviews

Post by FAP »

Echoes (Brazil) - God of Hell EP (2019)


This band is fucking hilarious... to a point.
Their entire presentation and blatant lack of skill is so gloriously inept that I honestly can’t figure out if they’re genuinely delusional or just taking the piss.
You only need to watch one of their many awful, awful music videos to get a good idea of what they’re all about.

I wouldn’t have bothered with them if not for their [tenuous] link to the Brazilian scene & its accompanying history of exceptionally raw, noisy "black" "metal"; Echoes supposedly released a couple of demos back in ’91, though I wouldn’t be surprised if their existence was outright fabricated.

Despite the obvious cringe factor, I was hoping I’d at least be able to enjoy the blown-out sound hinted at by the title track: in reality, the tonal quality of the EP as a whole varies substantially from track-to-track, so what you’re left with are five incredibly rudimentary attempts at songs that could hardly be considered enjoyable in an "ironic" sense, let alone in a legitimate sense.

I’ll give credit to Echoes for remaining largely underground for over [an alleged] three decades, but in practice they’re hardly better than any of the many "parody" black metal """bands""" largely only existing on Bandcamp.
Look, I get it, it's supposed to be le funne edgelord for teh luz xd music: now try to make something substantial, you born insecure motherfuckers.

But yeah, Echoes: good for a chuckle, I suppose.
Then five minutes will pass and it just gets sad.
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Re: Reviews

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it sounds a little childish, I grant you that. I don't listen to metal at all these days, so I couldn't judge how valid their "parody" is, even if it is a "parody".

can't tell if they just have a sense of humour tbh.
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Re: Reviews

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ah it's alright. disgusting if you're not vibing with it I guess.

in all honesty, accusing people making rudimentary songs as "insecure" is a pretty low blow for anyone. Imho.
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Re: Reviews

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The Pyramids - Aomawa: The 1970s Recordings (2022)




In a recent New York Times article I happened upon by chance, the music of The Pyramids was described as ‘Avant-Garde African Jazz.' Of course this piqued my curiosity, as I'm sure it'd pique many of yours. Aomawa collects the group’s three core LPs plus a live recording; while all of this material has previously been compiled and reissued a handful of times over the years, it's the first time they've been made available on vinyl in one big, definitive set.

The Pyramids debuted in 1973, with the full-length LP Lalibela. I personally think it starts out rather rough: there’s some sort of wind(?) instrument on the first track that sounds almost exactly like a car horn, which wouldn't have bothered me if I wasn't listening to it while driving. This same instrument appears infrequently throughout the album, though by then the initial shock wore off for me.
In general, Lalibela is a percussion study structured as an improvisational jam. It's rare for me to hear both ethnic drums and a standard drum set sharing, comparing and contrasting within the same sound space, so it was a welcome surprise to encounter such a novel combination on this record.
While their enthusiasm is admirable on this record, The Pyramids went on to do much better. There’s a few points here and there where style clearly eclipses substance; the implied aim of curated chaos in a vaguely ‘free jazz’ form more often devolves into an arbitrary flailing of bells accompanied by irritating shrieks from piccolos and bamboo flutes
It has its moments, though, and solid moments at that.
Highlights include “Rock Churches” and “High Priestess.”

The band’s sophomore effort would come one year later with 1974's King Of Kings. What a monumental improvement over Lalibela:The Pyramids carry the same energy over from Lalibela, only now it’s far more focused and impactful.
The band's jazz chops are on full display this time, as evidenced by the track “Nsorama (The Stars):” I'm typically wary of longer tracks in general, yet I consider this 18 minute-long epic to be the band's peak.
King Of Kings again starts off a little rough, like it's antecedent did, but “Mogho Naba (King of Kings)” is a far stronger opening track overall. Indeed, King of Kinds is a far stronger effort overall. I just wish they'd turned down that damn flute.

Capping off their [in some circles] legendary trilogy in 1976 with Birth / Speed / Merging, arguably their most iconic album, The Pyramids took by far their most experimental approach to date.
I didn’t care much for the opening, nor for the title track, but “Reaffirmation” is just insane: loud, heavy African chants one moment to virtuosic saxophone the next, then straight into fast, almost grindcore-like drums… and that’s only the first two parts. In particular, the third part is very texturally pleasing.
Following that, “Jamaican Carnival” is more on the goofy side, though good in its own right.
The album closes with “Black Man and Woman of the Nile,” a somewhat slower and more contemplative track, but one rich in moods and timbre. Disappointingly, the last couple or so minutes are uncharacteristically lethargic; for me, it was like savoring a fine dessert only to be sucking on a penny by the end of the meal, and that was the last the world would hear of the Pyramids until their reformation circa 2011 (as an aside, for the sake of full disclosure, I haven't heard any of their material past this date).

In-between the last two albums, sometime in 1975, The Pyramids performed live on KQED Open Studio Television: this set was recorded and preserved here with the predicable title of Live at KQED.
Overall it’s a pretty good set with decent sound quality. Tracks of note include “The King He Comes,” which appears to be a shorter reworking of “Black Man and Woman of the Nile," and “Theme for Margaux and Kay,” a composition eerily similar to that of early 20th century avant-garde pieces (not to mention a real nutty way to end the Aomawa collection as a whole).

In summary, while some of The Pyramids’ improvisational and compositional choices can be grating at times, they can certainly be credited for a solid run of three very unique-sounding albums. With the promise of ‘Avant-Garde African Jazz,’ I came into Aomawa expecting something similar to Mtume Umoja Ensemble’s Alkebu-Lan: nothing The Pyramids ever did comes anywhere close to the quality of that album, so I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel a little let down. But given the truly authentic African instrumentation and undeniable jazz stylings of the band, I can't say the NY Times’ description of them wasn’t too far off the mark, either.
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Re: Reviews

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Jon Hassell / Brian Eno - Fourth World Vol.1 - Possible Musics (1980), &
Jon Hassell - Fourth World Vol.2 - Dream Theory In Malaya (1981)



These two came highly recommended to me as underrated classics within the broader canon of new age music, a genre which occasionally yields some genuinely great pieces of electronic art. In retrospect, the Fourth World series has more in common with Eno's style of ambient music than it does with the later new age movement. Both entires have some interesting ideas, but none of them really take form beyond mere repetition.

In fact, Vol. 1 is so repetitive I’d dare say it’s a one-trick pony. Whatever effect Hassell and/or Eno is/are using here––I’m guessing a pitch shifter––they sure as fuck get a lot of mileage out of it… too bad their wheels are spinning after they already crashed in a ditch. This same effect is used on every single track, and while novel in some places, it does little to make up for the underlying lack of substance.
To be fair, its use can be effective at creating an uncanny atmosphere (such as with the track “Ba-Benzélé”): it’s just milked to death to the point where it no longer is effective. Take that away and what’s left are a bunch of percussive loops that sound rather haphazardly arranged.

Vol. 2 is arguably even more monotonous than its predecessor. The pitch shifter is noticeably less prominent than it was in Vol. 1, but fear not! Each track sounds just similar enough to the next one to make the whole thing boring. Again, I’ll give the album credit for conjuring the sensation of being in a semi-lucid hallucination with the track “Datu Bintung at Jelong,” however this feels less like an intentional artistic direction and more like a side effect of the seemingly arbitrary selection of sounds.

On the bright side, both albums are fairly well-produced with some neat stereo effects going on. This could very well be once of those instances where the experience is not only enhanced by drugs, but requires them. If that sounds like it's up your alley, then by all means. As for myself, I’m of the belief that great art should stand out on its own: this art was simply disappointing.
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Re: Reviews

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Grain Belt - Midwestern Companion (2022)


If I had to sum up this release in one word, it’d be “adequate.”
Not terrible, not great, not good, not bad, just adequate; it delivers in some places and drops the ball in others, but overall it’s fairly solid.
For that fact alone, I feel like I should cut it a little slack: Midwestern Companion is made up of several previously released (and unreleased) tracks from various sources, and typically compilations like this don’t lend well to the kind of cohesiveness one might expect from an album or other singular, focused entity.

Coming off from a somewhat spartan, utilitarian distortion fest of an opener (“Drastic Measures”), one of the first things I notice is how tame the volume is, relative to some other stuff I’ve heard recently.
“Devil’s Whip” turns up the intensity at the very end, which makes me wonder why they didn’t turn it up to that level for the entire track (let alone the entire collection) if they clearly had the ability to do so.

After that we get an alright live recording (creatively titled “Live”), followed by some tape noise that sort of reminds me of my own work.
I don’t know whether to be flattered that I’ve created material of a similar caliber to Mr. Stoxen and Mr. Brummel’s, or feel embarrassed for them that such a comparison could be made in the first place.

Funny enough, the best track is also the briefest: “Slow Screw” compacts a masterful balance of texture and harshness in one short, superb package.
I’d love to hear more stuff like this, though sadly the closing track “Dragline” is almost the exact opposite: the loudness is pretty good, but its long and the composition just feels so arbitrary and purposeless.
Compare this to something I listened to recently, Macronympha’s Ongoing Orgasm (1996): I admit it’s an unfair comparison, but listen to it back to back with this one and you’ll hear what I mean.



Of particular note is the cover art, which bothers me for several reasons.
It’s obviously meant to look stupid-–the third arm coming out of Sam Stoxen’s neck hole looks like a penis for christ’s sake–-but what pisses me off is how the lighting and skin tones are so inconsistent.
They also got the wrong font for the oh-so-funny Parental Advisory sticker in the lower-left corner and, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t those usually in the lower-right corner of an album cover anyways?
I mean if you’re going to do a parody like that, then at least make sure it’s consistent with the thing you’re parodying.

If it sounds like I'm being too harsh on this record (no pun intended) it's only because I know these guys can do better.
And to be fair, I think it's a solid choice if you need a slab of noise to get your fix; if you're a fan of Grain Belt and want to collect more of their work, then all the better.
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Re: Reviews

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FAP wrote: Sat Nov 12, 2022 10:20 am Grain Belt - Midwestern Companion (2022)


If I had to sum up this release in one word, it’d be “adequate.”
Not terrible, not great, not good, not bad, just adequate; it delivers in some places and drops the ball in others, but overall it’s fairly solid.
For that fact alone, I feel like I should cut it a little slack: Midwestern Companion is made up of several previously released (and unreleased) tracks from various sources, and typically compilations like this don’t lend well to the kind of cohesiveness one might expect from an album or other singular, focused entity.

Coming off from a somewhat spartan, utilitarian distortion fest of an opener (“Drastic Measures”), one of the first things I notice is how tame the volume is, relative to some other stuff I’ve heard recently.
“Devil’s Whip” turns up the intensity at the very end, which makes me wonder why they didn’t turn it up to that level for the entire track (let alone the entire collection) if they clearly had the ability to do so.

After that we get an alright live recording (creatively titled “Live”), followed by some tape noise that sort of reminds me of my own work.
I don’t know whether to be flattered that I’ve created material of a similar caliber to Mr. Stoxen and Mr. Brummel’s, or feel embarrassed for them that such a comparison could be made in the first place.

Funny enough, the best track is also the briefest: “Slow Screw” compacts a masterful balance of texture and harshness in one short, superb package.
I’d love to hear more stuff like this, though sadly the closing track “Dragline” is almost the exact opposite: the loudness is pretty good, but its long and the composition just feels so arbitrary and purposeless.
Compare this to something I listened to recently, Macronympha’s Ongoing Orgasm (1996): I admit it’s an unfair comparison, but listen to it back to back with this one and you’ll hear what I mean.



Of particular note is the cover art, which bothers me for several reasons.
It’s obviously meant to look stupid-–the third arm coming out of Sam Stoxen’s neck hole looks like a penis for christ’s sake–-but what pisses me off is how the lighting and skin tones are so inconsistent.
They also got the wrong font for the oh-so-funny Parental Advisory sticker in the lower-left corner and, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t those usually in the lower-right corner of an album cover anyways?
I mean if you’re going to do a parody like that, then at least make sure it’s consistent with the thing you’re parodying.

If it sounds like I'm being too harsh on this record (no pun intended) it's only because I know these guys can do better.
And to be fair, I think it's a solid choice if you need a slab of noise to get your fix; if you're a fan of Grain Belt and want to collect more of their work, then all the better.
No comment on the music as it's been a minute since I last heard it, except to say I received it as an extra item in an order and it was definitely "serviceable harsh noise', and perhaps only just. It is not ideal at a lower volume, which a lot of HN isn't (much of it just sounds too weedy at subdued volumes due to the common over-reliance on extreme equalization, compression and sheer volume for impact). But that's bordering on nitpicking for this kind of music. Why should good and proper harsh noise try to substitute for "ambient" noise?

No comment on the self-aware cheeseball "rap-ist" (not to be confused with "RAPIST"!) Photoshop artwork either. My main reason for responding is to say that I don't think there is "really" a correct or "usual" (not to be confused with "OFFICIAL"!) orientation for the PA logo as far as I can remember. I have seen it on both the left and right, at least for as long as I've known about it, which is about as long as it's been worn as a badge of honor printed directly on inserts (and slightly before people started adding their own ironic spins like "JUNK NOISE" on it, amateur typography and all). I'm no expert on this, but I've seen more willfully printed logos on inserts than I have seen stickers pasted onto the jewel cases/shrink wrap of new releases throughout the years, and the printed logos are often on the lower left corner, if only a bit less commonly than the right.

Can't find pictures now, but I used to own a big-ass PA logo poster. I got kind of embarrassed of it later on because I'd always associated it with the nu metal music I'd outgrown/become ashamed of liking, but now I wish I had a picture handy!

Here's a pic with 100% zero context which has no relation whatsoever:
Image
Keepin' it real chaotic, yo.
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Re: Reviews

Post by ¾ dead »

PS: TBH, the most grating thing of all to me about the artwork is that they just blew up an angled shot of the same amplifier image in the bg to make it seem like a mountainous landscape of amplifiers. With a random white void awkwardly visible beyond in one corner for some raisin (not to be confused with "REASON"!).

No kidding. I have legitimately looked at the cover and had this thought long before reading your commentary. It's maddening!
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Re: Reviews

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Short review, no samples available this time:

Lingula - Static Fuzz Drill (2020)
https://totalblack.bandcamp.com/album/static-fuzz-drill

The fuck is this shit?
Supposedly an early Dave Gilden & Richard Ramirez collab, but if you look at the waveform you can tell they just looped the same ~10 minute section four or five times, set it to the left channel, then copied & reversed it for the right channel.
Why?
Was this how it was recorded, or was this the result of editing it down from source material that was either too short or not very good to begin with?
Either way, it shouldn’t have been released in the first place.
And that's just the first 45 minutes: the rest is serviceable but lackluster.
I’m not the biggest Ramirez fan to begin with, but this is a new low of laziness.
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Re: Reviews

Post by FLORIDA MAN »

FAP wrote: Sun Jan 01, 2023 8:56 am The fuck is this shit?
For me the real crime is with Total Black not putting up an audio sample
I think you're being a little hard on Gilden and Ramirez, considering this is from the early 90's Texas, the fact it existed at all is of value.
It's maybe more appropreate for a cassette rip on arcive dot org than a 10 euro cd(r)
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