#025 – #048

#048
“Necro Acoustic 4 – No Edit”
Wherein Kevin Drumm finds various and sundry uses and abuses of (what appears to be a) guitar on the cover, in ways you might not have imagined possible, over two long tracks, with the second seeming to push the envelope even further than the first, resulting in glorious noises.  (Note: This is the fourth item of five from the acclaimed “Necro Acoustic” box set. You can read about the other three if you scroll down to entry  #031 on this very page or pop over to items #002 and #018 on this page.)
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#047
“Imperial Distortion”
This one was named to Wire’s Top 50 releases for 2008, and after listening I can see why; there’s so much good stuff here. “Guillan-Barre” sounds like a distorted steel drum that is slowly decomposed and then reconstituted, wringing out every sound available. “More Blood And Guts” is a drone symphony with distinct movements. The sounds of “Snow 1” suggest the monster is near. While “Snow 2” put me on a ghost ship, “Romantic Sores” put me at the bottom of the ocean. Finally, “We All Get It In The End” took me to church and then out to the graveyard (with a bit of a surprise ending). This is spectacular.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#046
“Split with Pita”
At three tracks and a total time of 10 minutes, this is the shortest release so far; it’s Kevin’s half of a split LP. Brevity doesn’t diminish the sound, though. All three tracks are relatively minimal. “I Like the Idea of a Power Trio Where…” has a bit of knocking, electricity and assorted noises that, when  I closed my eyes, felt like what I would hear if I was doing some sort of mechanical work under water.  Closer “I’ll Never Go to Mass Again” features a bit more clanging around and fingers sliding on guitar strings, but way in the background there’s some serene synth music – maybe it’s the church off in the distance while we’re banging around in a shed.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#045
“TRIANGLES”
I was fooled. The first track starts off with a similar concept to “Don’t Ask” (see #011 on this page); minimalist with lots of silence punctuated occasionally by a short noise. But about half way through the complexion of this track changes as some buzzing drones come in, and the evolution of the track begins as it changes its feel and sound several times over the remaining minutes. A similar thing happens on “Side B” as it starts with some amazingly mellow manipulated electric guitar, then evolves to acoustic, then the changes keep rolling. This may be one of the best tracks I’ve heard on any of the Drumm releases so far. Is it worthy of another 5-m rating? Yes it is.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#044
“I HAVE A COMPUTER”
Wow – after several quieter releases, we have this monster. Originally a 3 CDR Christmas day release. (Were you a good boy or girl who found this in your stocking Xmas morning in 2011?) It’s the longest Drumm I’ve listened to so far; at 23 tracks and a little under 3 hours of music it’s quite an odyssey. In a random confluence of events, I am currently reading “Ulysses” by James Joyce, which is also quite an odyssey in several ways. Inspired by this book I decided to try my hand at a Joycean description of “I HAVE A COMPUTER.”

What might the listener hear?
IHAC, white noise, spacey tones and drones, space morse code, minimalist glitch with lots of silence, backwards bells, scuzz drone, static noise and mixed voices (seagulls?), layered circuits and noise, layered noise, electronic pulses, pulsing buzz saw cutting metal, low level static and random machinery percussion and a loud dial up modem, including some unusual (for Drumm) sub-one-minute interjections. ARGHH!, multiple layers of noise (mostly harsh), short harsh collage, quieter with varied sinister sounds, nature sounds perverted, layered harsh and quiet, short, dialing in the signal, fluttering engine, blast off! Rounded out by Rotten 90’s Computer Muzik of calm after the shore, high pitched noises (that eluded me but described by family members throughout our abode), rattles, quiet war, adagio.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#043
“October (Early Warning)”
It’s always nice when a good cause and good music come together. This was released in late September 2017 and, per the note that’s still on the page for this album, “Sales of this release will go to United for Puerto Rico.” (unidosporpuertorico.com/en/ – – now closed)  You may recall September 2017 was when Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria. This long track is made up of melancholy drones that perfectly capture the appropriate mood.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#042
“The March Flog”
Kevin’s comment on this one is “Snore Away!” I don’t know about that, I might suggest “Relax Away!” I’m lucky enough to be sitting on a screened-in porch near some water as I listen to this (and, fortunately, at a much nicer location than the cover photo for this album), and this music served as the perfect palate cleanser for my brain. Drumm’s ambient music mixed perfectly with the ambient noise of my surroundings. Ahhhhh.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#041
“.,..”
This enigmatically titled album seems to be about taking holidays. The first of two tracks, “Don’t Picture Your Perfect Beach” actually seems like the opposite of the advice I’d give for this one. Soothing drones with some unidentifiable sounds bubbling slightly underneath (Machines? Treated breathing? Distorted nature?). Meanwhile, “A Better Vacation Spot” is similar but a slight bit more unsettling; the drones are a little quieter and the underlying noise is ever so slightly louder…that is, until about two-thirds of the way through when the sound drops out and a slow build begins to the loudest drone moments of the set. None of this has helped me plan my vacation, but at least the music’s good.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#040
“Old Connections”
This is almost a “back to nature” piece…almost. It starts off with some nature sounds and what could be an enhanced recording of someone walking through tall grass. Over time you’ll continue to hear these noises, plus what is probably an audio generator creating a bit of a vibrating noise, some “droney” electronics, and desolate wind sounds, all of which dip in and out in different combinations. Absorbing.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#039
“Sunday”
First things first, in case you are concerned: The title of this one checks out; it was, in fact, released on a Sunday (November 18, 2018). Obviously a very important detail.  Anywho, as for the music…The first two-thirds of the half-hour track are a mix of a humming and buzzing circuit mixed with a cleaner, higher-pitched drone.  Then around the 20 minute mark some additional drones are added into the mix bringing in a bit of a haunting element to the overall feel and, frankly, a welcome dose of excitement.
Rating: Kevin Drummm

#038
“Alku Tape”
A live guitar recording, but you’d be forgiven for not realizing these are all guitar sounds you’re hearing. There’s all kinds of noise here – bleats, squelches, taps, static, feedback –and it’s kind of fun listening to Kevin explore the unusual sonic possibilities. But look at the poor instrument in the cover photo for this release. My god it’s been abused; I guess guitars were harmed in the making of this music.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#037
“1983”
Two quiet albums in a row. This is one of those ambient pieces that initially blends in so well with your surroundings that it’s difficult to tell what’s Drumm and what’s the general noise around you. The first track sounds like airplanes flying way off in the distance, but as “1983” progresses the drones get ever so slightly louder while still maintaining their serene feel. I found it all extremely soothing. I declare it “excellent.”
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#036
“June”
This is downright ambient and peaceful. A calming presence for early June and just what the doctor ordered. And there’s another reference to the book “Frost” by Thomas Bernhard (which I discussed in items #010 and #024 on this page). KD takes a line from that book for the title of the third track “Deadly Stasis of an Entropic Vehemence.” I feel like I’m putting a puzzle together.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#035
“BOLERO MUTER”
Slow and steady are the words for this one long track [actually titled “Bolero Muter (Alpha)”].  Lots of pulsing metallic drone and table saw sounds. It’s slightly too harsh to be easy listening, but has a certain industrial ambient charm.
Rating: Kevin Drummm

#034
“CROWDED”
A short two-tracker, “REPETITIVE ALGAE” is exceptional with its bubbling, rattling, rapid sounds. There’s a little bit of a water (makes sense) and nature feel, but to me it felt a bit dense and claustrophobic by the end. Exceptional. Oh, wait, I already said that; I’m being repetitive. “REDIKI” is a bit more eerie and has three slightly differing sections; it often straddles that line between almost and actual feedback. The sounds get stronger later in the song with some nice hum and buzz elements.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#033
“The Loop”
A short EP, by Drumm standards, featuring three distinct tracks. “A” has a short spoken word intro before mixing mellow tones and bird sounds. It’s a little different than what I recall hearing so far, but is a welcome addition. “B” has the more “traditional” machine noises and somewhat buried field recordings of birds and humans. The third track (can you guess the title?) might be breeze but slowly morphs into relatively gentle noise. At the half way point it stops and repeats with a similar pattern. This is a really cool mix of tracks.
Rating: Kevin Drummmm

#032
“May (Part 2)”
This is one (relatively) shorter track (actually titled “Deep Breathing Doesn’t Work”) that is filled with very quiet sound creating a mellow ambiance. It’s barely there but nicely done. Instruments listed include “window” and I suspect that was sounds coming in through vs. created on. Another interesting note is that “curses” (as opposed to “thanks”) are offered to “The Carrot Dangler.” Presumably this is the person whose hand and arm are part of the cover photo for “Artificial Organ” (see #026 below).

Because of my random reviewing process for Kevin’s catalog, I’m hitting “Part 2” before “Part 1.” There are several other “May” releases in the catalog which may or may not be related. ”May 1” for example (see #016 on this page) is a bit of a quieter work like this one. Maybe that’s coincidental. Maybe I’ll figure it out eventually.
Rating: Kevin Drummm

#031
“Necro Acoustic 2 – Malaise”
This is almost an hour of malaise spread over twelve tracks. (You’ll laugh at that cleverness of that last sentence if you look at the song titles.) It’s really a master class in noise. The opener comes out of the gate with a fingers-on-the-chalkboard type of abrasiveness, but cycles through many different sounds. “Malaise 2” is one of the longer pieces and it starts out almost (almost) as nature noise but gets a bit more harsh. Then it’s on to a number of shorter pieces that rapid fire different noises and textures. The highlight for me is the fifteen minute “Malaise 9” (the first of two tracks named “Malaise 9” which I cannot explain). In any case, it’s a buzzing, humming drone piece that almost morphed into a bagpipe drone as I zoned into the sound. It is sublime and calming and I wouldn’t have objected had it gone on for much longer

This is another of the five discs in the original “Necro Acoustic” box set.  So far I’ve discussed two others (#002 and #018 on this page); one I liked, one not so much. In any case, this is a really, really good one and I’m starting to see why Wire rated it so well.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#030
“Trouble”
I’m never so aware of my tinnitus as when I’m listening to something like this. Kevin says this 54 minute track (originally released on Editions Mego) is “intended for quiet listening.” That is understandable as this is barely there, subtle and slightly haunting sounding drones. The issue for me was I literally could not hear anything until about 22 minutes in, and then it faded in and out the rest of the way. What I could hear sounded beautiful, so please don’t be scared off by my rating; I just couldn’t hear enough.
Rating: Kevin Drum (but probably Drummmm for those with good hearing)

#029
“Basic Combustion”
This is a pretty straightforward piece of music; one track of slightly vibrating drones that get close to feedback at times. Overall, though, it’s a somewhat calm listen.  Even the artwork is serene.
Rating: Kevin Drummm

#028
“Sheer Hellish Miasma”
As I write this during the COVID-19 “situation” the world is dealing with, my son Sphere is staying with us. As I listened to “Hitting the Pavement” on this album, he asked (somewhat concerned) “What is that noise coming out of your computer?”  “Music” I said, smiling. “Okay” he said, in a tone that really said “Whatever.” Maybe I can convert him to a noise lover by the time we’re not all stuck in the house.

But, if he doesn’t appreciate this one, I have no chance. This is a great record (and I believe probably one of Drumm’s better known works). It’s over an hour of music (there’s that word again) spread over five tracks. For the most part it is ever evolving, introducing new noises and patterns frequently. Opener “Turning Point” is different than any of the other KD music I recall hearing so far with its chaotic rhythm pattern.  But even on songs where some of the noises are more familiar, there are many interesting elements added in. I’ll also mention “Cloudy” which has humming metal drones throughout; it’s almost ambient but has a bit of an edge, so it’s not quite easy listening.
Rating: Kevin Drummmmm

#027
“The Whole House”
A lazy day spent around the home, recording, apparently. Two tracks of solid noise. The first is a slow build over its 20 minutes. There’s a thick stew of jackhammer and construction sounding elements that evolve and get louder as the piece unfurls. The second track is a bit more violent sounding. Along with the usual noise suspects (circuits, buzzing, feedback), our old friend water makes a few appearances.  I’m guessing HGTV will not be using this to soundtrack any of their home improvement shows; their loss.
Rating: Kevin Drummm

#026
“Artificial Organ”
I was going to say this is one long track, but everything is relative. At a bit over 23 minutes, this is probably a mid-length track in Kevin’s catalog. It’s a nicely done, slow moving piece featuring drones, buzzes, pulses and feedback. About half way through things get a little louder, and some of the machine noises actually start to resemble nature sounds. Then, about 2/3 of the way through this piece, the sound stops suddenly and is replaced by some very quiet industrial drones that slowly become a bit more assertive. The notes make a simple reference to “Krohn-Hite, Mac power adapter, Patient People.” Krohn-Hite Corporation makes industrial test and measurement equipment, so KD apparently found an “off label” use here. A lesson: musical instruments are everywhere you look.
Rating: Kevin Drummm