“Cautionary Tale” by G’Odd
Even for a rap album, this feels quite wordy, starting with the actual full title of the album: “Cautionary Tale or: The Cautionary Tale and Fluctuating Luck of G’odd: The Ultimate Male, The Ultimate Fuck.” Over mostly minimal beats embellished by all sorts of sounds, both common (piano) and less so (buzz saw?), the songs are crammed with ideas; they’re by turns lethargic, lysergic, enigmatic, and entertaining. So many fun moments, including the duck on “Can’t Be a Gangsta” and the rapid-fire vocals on “Big Picture Guy,” which sound like someone reading a legal disclaimer at a million-miles-an-hour at the end of an advertisement selling you something you surely need.
And like any good sales pitch, I can say “Wait, there’s more!” There’s a whole story on the album page that explains the journey of this album, which may or may not enlighten you. And beyond that there are other related elements, including some experimental films and what is described as a short book (which, in reality, seems to be a video and had me wondering when is a book not a book?) called “Lochness Mess in the Wilderness.” The video for “Lochness” sounds like it could have been lifted right off an album by The Residents, another inscrutable artist. I guess what I’m trying to say is, if you’re up for a cryptic aural and visual adventure, let G’Odd lead you.
“ENSUEÑO” by EL ZOMBIE ESPACIAL
Sometimes it all suddenly makes sense. I was listening to this half hour track from El Zombie Espacial and marveling at the moods and transitions, but was unable to really put my arms (ears?) around what I was hearing. There are several layers of guitar and a variety of drones and exotic sounds as the styles pass through cinematic score, experimental soundscape, psychedelia and other zones. As the track unfolds, though, it becomes more spacey and disordered for a good chunk of time, then it slowly winds down over the last couple minutes. After experiencing “ENSUEÑO,” I hit up ye olde online translator. The artist is the Space Zombie, and the title suggests it all relates to a dream. Of course! And that cover art puts a befitting bow on this artful reverie.
“Når Solen Dør EP” by Broken-Form
If it is the end of the world as we know it, you’ll feel fine after listening to this captivating entry from Denmark. The title track of this 2-song EP consists of slowly developing drones with subtle noise washes, and it has a pleasantly ominous and dark ambient sound. When I finally got around to translating the title, I found it meant “When the Sun Dies” so, yeah, that tracks. And yet, I felt a slight uplift in the last couple minutes that gave me a more hopeful feeling that maybe, when that time comes, we move to a higher plane. “Tomrum” (translates as “Void”) continues in a similar vein sound-wise, but here it seemed there were different moments over its 10-minute length where we tune into the imagined reverberations of nothingness.
“the sounds in my head on that cold april night” by i have no mouth / i must scream
What we have here is a little industrial percussion a-go-go. Over ten minutes of wild, driving rhythms; mostly heavy drum machine, enhanced at times with some clean cymbal work (the only sound here that could be described as “clean”). There are also some vague, distressed noises and voices buried underneath, but they don’t stand a chance competing with the ferocious beats of a demonian drummer.
“i see more stars – improvised and algorithmic music” by saneLIV
Algorithmic music can take many forms, although generally it involves a machine doing its own composing. Of course, there’s always the question of how a computer can really be completely free of human influence since it would ultimately be programmed by one of us persons. This latest album from saneLIV says it’s improvised and algorithmic music, so perhaps that computer/human line is blurred purposely on “I see more stars…”
The different sections here all have different feels. “Second Species” is divided into bite size morsels of spacey and minimalist electronics. There’s a short industrial interlude with two “Tiger Mom” tracks, and then we hear “The Just Passions” with their electronic orchestra feel. Next, the “Das Ist” numbers feature a bit of a stop and start collage feel. “Ma Russia Reject” is an outlier from a length perspective (at over 14 minutes) and meanders through many different noise permutations. “Timmy & Jimmy’s Quiet Resolve” has a live performance room feel, while closer “Captured Stars” brings us back to the sound that started this whole album. Ultimately, I can’t tell who or what is doing what on these tracks, but that’s OK; we’ll just chalk up the interesting sounds being generated to the Man/Machine.
“eureka, never had one” by selman
This is a dense and gooey concoction of noise; so thick you could cut it with a knife. The sixteen pieces here have a real fast paced feel. Despite the general racket, there are lots of well-placed components that pop up to keep it interesting, including squeaks, percussive elements, and space lasers. This album never gets tedious; it seems to maintain energy and excitement from beginning to end. If noise is your bag, this deserves a spot in it.
“Alone in a poppy field” by Alina in a Poppy Field
This relatively short collection of dark ambient feels like a recording of the nightly supernatural summoning of specters from across the globe. Whether it’s from open fields (“Alina”), through metallic drones, keyboard sweeps, and hailing horn; from the city (“Scivolare”) with traffic and the subtle thumping of a vibrant downtown; or near the ocean (“Attrito”) with water sounds and ghostly chorus, they are gathering. This is an alluring collection, even if you’re not a shade.
“meowsick” by MISTR REY
Your childhood memories may never be the same. The opening track “bingo” sounds like a chip tune version of the old nursery rhyme that you surely know (“There was a farmer had a dog and Bingo was his name-o…”). Well, it sounds like that for at least a few seconds until it gets totally abused by harsh noise elements. The rest of this EP-length release has the types of rough sounds you know and love, including electric distortion, undecipherable guttural voices, some occasional odd rhythm elements, and even a pleasing sound reminiscent of internet dial up days. If you want to scare unsuspecting adults when they hear what’s coming from the baby’s room, this may be the wild rumpus for you.
“reference#1” by The Auroch
Is there a musical subgenre called “whimsical noise”? If so, this fun little entry from The Auroch (a project from Adrià Bofarull) may be the perfect fit. It packs a lot of absorbing sound into its relatively short run time. You’ll take in piano, odd electronics, beats and some speech generator spoken word. But I also heard things like prepared guitar and piano strings, typewriters, and accordion, but that may be all coming from a machine. Regardless, it adds up to a relatively lighter mood for a noise piece. A couple highlights include “aura” with its constantly shifting beats and noises (it feels like the slow breakdown of an old computer) and “shhh” which sounds like an attempt to send a Morse code message from another galaxy. This whole package feels like it would be a pretty good entry point for a novice trying to get into noise music, but there are also many aural pleasures for you veterans.
“Big Escape” by Nastrom
The moment I heard the opening scuzzy guitar chord on “Mooncult Backyard Ritual,” the word “doom” came to mind. And indeed, as I worked through the five tracks on “Big Escape,” the feeling never left. Heavy bass and low end guitar are dominant features on all the songs, along with vocals delivered in a somewhat flat affectation. There is one instrumental (“Time to Quit”) that’s slightly more upbeat, but it still brings the heavy. Overall this is a sludgy, codeine hazed collection, and it’s fantastic.
“Deeper-Sea Creatures” by Philippe Petit
With this compelling sequel to “Deep-Sea Creatures,” Philippe again takes us deep into the ocean. Where last time I experienced that trip mostly from inside an imagined submarine, this time I was definitely out among the fishes. Overall you’ll hear lots of beeps, blips, squiggles (sorry for all the technical jargon) and many other glorious electronic noises. While this album is a bit more sparse compared to the last one, it makes perfect sense as it’s largely representing a dialogue among the water beasties.
Aside from enjoying the sounds, if you’re not careful you may also learn a little something about things like the dumbo octopus or the vampire squid. And how can you not like something which includes the wonderfully titled “The Rime of the Ancient Swim Bladder”? You can’t not like it, that’s how. I’ll take this dive with Philippe Petit any time.
“Val Ter” by Vostok
Join Vostok as they use their FX-laden guitar (Vince Cory) and electronics (Daneel Olivaw) to lead us on a spacey trip over the four longish tracks of “Val Ter.” This improvised music floats with elements of space rock, psychedelic, drone, noise and other experimental sounds. Give it your attention and you’ll find yourself transported to the outer reaches.
“Euphoria” by Ardais Evilásio
When opening track “Delirium” started up, I thought I was in for a bit of a free jazz ride with this album. The song meanders a bit but then, with about a minute left on the track, it settles into an unexpected funky groove. “Brainstorm” is next up, and we’re back to the relaxed free jazz sounds…until the rock guitar riffage kicked in, along with some subtle electronics, both of which reappear periodically. Okay. At this point I have no idea what to expect. The third track, “Baby Pinks,” opens with a cool drum and bass groove, but adds in lots of other noises and a vague Howlin’ Wolf sounding vocal sample down in the mix. This tracks goes many places and gets chaotic at times, but maintains that cool groove even when the other musical elements are coloring outside the lines.
The rest of the way Ardais (guitar and sound collages) and Evilásio (drums, bass and sax) throw everything they’ve got at you. It’s got all the elements mentioned above, and can be anywhere from disordered to delightful at any given moment. It’s all quite fascinating.
“Presencia” by Nicolas Tourney
It’s a bit difficult to sum this interesting album up in just a few a words. A lot of it is peaceful, but there are moments that are a bit more unsettling; “Inspira, Espira” features both elements, with wind sounds mixed with a higher pitched screech like a subway train braking. Many of the earlier tracks feature a sound comparable to Tibetan singing bowls, putting you in a zen-like space even when there are some subtle industrial noise elements mixed in. Some of the later tracks are longer and push the sound into a bit of a more experimental space, but there are also moments mixed in that are barely there. I guess I can sum it up by saying if you like both noise and ambient music, I think “Presencia” will have you covered.
“Journey to the Infinite Space” by Sadness of Pluto
Sadness of Pluto certainly delivers on the promise of their album title. I ran a feature once on a different version of my website called “Mission to Mars.” I imagined a long, lonely trip in space and suggested favorite music that my astronaut could listen to as a way to pass the time. This album, “Journey to the Infinite Space,” feels to me like it creates some of the ambient sounds that Mars traveler might encounter.
The band does a nice job of using scuzzed up drones and other noises to create an interesting and, at times, desolate atmosphere. The “almost” title track (but for an “in” instead of a “to”) is a good example of how the sounds are mixed to create a melancholy reflection on the vastness of space. Meanwhile, “Microcosmos” presents a more unsettling noise, while “Quantum” seems to offer the comforting sounds of the humming engine of our spacecraft. As I got deeper into the album, I found “Radiation from Ancient Nebula” to be a mind bending trip into deep space, or perhaps another dimension.
“HAVE A NICE DEATH! + 5 SONGS” Split EP by Death to All Politicians and Periuk Api
This is, to say the least, an energetic split for you grindcore/noisecore fans out there. Death to All Politicians is up first with an epic (at least for this style of music) 5:27 blast of stop/start guitars and squeals. In fact, you could set this song on repeat and the feedback would let it loop seamlessly. The second track is the more expected five songs in four and a half minutes style. Periuk Api cranks out some beautiful ugly. These representatives from Malaysia have something to share with you and it’s loud.