Week 15

MANJA RISTIĆ & MURMER – THE SCAFFOLD (CD by Unfathomless) *
GARETH DAVIS & MONIKA BUGAJNY – BECOMING (CD by Moving Furniture Records) *
ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO – TRANSIENT SPACES AS IMPERMANENT LINES (CD by Sublime Retreat) *
LEO OKAGAWA – DENSITY (CD by Dissipato) *
LUNAR PRAIRIE (CD by Intangible Cat) *
FULLY CELEBRATED ORCHESTRA – SOB STORY (CD by Relative Pitch Records) *
TROUM – SYMBIOSIS (LP by Auf Abwegen) *
CRANIOCLAST – ARCTIC SALON (2LP by Auf Abwegen) *
EDWARD KA-SPEL – TALES FROM THE TRENCHES (LP by Fourth Dimension Records) *
ONE DARK EYE – CHRONICLES OF A DEATH FORETOLD (2LP by Input Error) *
ROXANE MÉTAYER – ADAGE VESTIGES (LP by Matière Mémoire) *
INSTAGON – SONGS IN THEE KEY OV Y (CDR by Thee Instagon Foundation) *
STEFAN GOLDMANN – EXPANSE (5CDR by Edition Kymata) *
JON WATKINS & FAIL – REFLECTIONS ON ART AND A.I. (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records) *
PLATONOFF – EVIL SMELLS OIL (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records) *
SAM – NO SIGN OF A RAINBOW BUT IT’S STILL RAINING (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records) *
ROEL MEELKOP – MUDDY PONDS (cassette by Aloe Records) *
TINTIN PATRONE – BOCKLOS AM WEGESRAND (cassette by Het Generiek) *
THOMAS BEY WILLIAM BAILEY – SUPERFLUIDITÉ (audio postcard series by FMOA) *

MANJA RISTIĆ & MURMER – THE SCAFFOLD (CD by Unfathomless)

Off and on I reviewed music from Patrick McGinley over the years, the first one easily going back more than 20 years. In his work field recordings play a significant role and usually have a drone-like feeling. I don’t think I’ve heard of Manja Ristić before, originally from Belgrade. They started working together in the Spring of 2020, when Ristić was isolated, and her “”in-situ“ recordings were reduced to a windowsill, toys and household objects, kitchen and bathroom pipes and utilities, and sound voyeurism of the neighbours I never even met in the poorly soundproofed building.” Of course, McGinley was in a similar isolated situation, but in Estonia and from what I understand, a more rural area. Their two pieces are a combination of local sounds, combined into pieces of music. Listening to these pieces, there is a sense of isolation, perhaps. Also, I’m likely reading too much in the lengthy texts by both musicians. Unlike many other releases by Unfathomless, usually based on one location, we have two locations here. Yet the music sounds like it could have been one place: rain dripping, wind-like sounds and the omnipresence of rusty objects. Maybe these objects see some manual interference from humans or rock back and forth slowly in the wind. Very early on, I stopped thinking about which sounds are by which musician, and enjoyed the slowness of the music and the rural aspect. Because whatever Ristić brought here from her city life, there is a very rural character in these pieces. Even the choir-like singing that pops up, ‘laugh​ä​ä​s; antenna’ has that feeling because it comes to the listener through some distance. Both pieces aren’t a single straightforward snapshot of events, as in both there is quite some mixing and editing going on, moving from one section to the next. An almost pastoral release – I wouldn’t mind a minor holiday now. (FdW)
––– Address: https://unfathomless.bandcamp.com/

GARETH DAVIS & MONIKA BUGAJNY – BECOMING (CD by Moving Furniture Records)

Vital Weekly colleague BW doesn’t like wind instruments, which he calls ‘toothing’ instruments, because they go ‘toot’. My relationship with wind instruments is more complex. I am no particular lover of the blaring saxophone or the sometimes wet farts of the trombone, but I do like the clarinet. There are two on this new release by Moving Furniture Records, seeing a return for Gareth Davis, who worked with Merzbow for this label and also with Elliott Sharp and Frances Marie Uitti; Robin Rimbaud is involved in multimedia works by artists such as Christian Marclay and Peter Greenaway. He plays a regular clarinet, while Monika Bugajny plays the bass version. She’s from Poland, and previously worked with Rutger Zuydervelt’s Machinefariek (Vital Weekly 1392), and soon she will work with Scanner. The information for ‘Becoming’ could be clearer how this music was made. It’s not a straightforward live recording. From what I understand they use fragments of sounds and duplicate these and expand on that. It’s more like a studio work of two people with the clarinet as the source instrument. As such, the instruments are no longer recognisable, and a beautiful density reminds me of Alvin Lucier and Phill Niblock. I recently played music from both again and sometimes found it challenging, the time of the day no doubt being a contributing. There is a big difference between what Davis and Bugajny do, playing a different kind of drone. First of all, there is more difference during these 44 minutes and 44 seconds, but these two composers also employ quite a mellow tone here, almost an ambient, or, dare I say it, a new age-like work. These pieces have a beautiful cadence, like a soft bounce of short loops without the annoyance of listening to loops (or something sounding too much like a loop). Developments are slow and minimal, and here, too, I never had the idea of listening to something that went on too long. It’s both a work of modern classical music as much as it is work from the world of drone music, from the kind of drone music we write about a lot. I think this is a brilliant piece of music, one of the best releases (among so many) on this label so far. It’s elegant, drone-like. Ambient, not too smooth, never even close to harsh, and a work to play at both low and high volume, it still works wonderfully well. (FdW)
––– Address: http://movingfurniturerecords.bandcamp.com/

ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO – TRANSIENT SPACES AS IMPERMANENT LINES (CD by Sublime Retreat)

For me, Portuguese composer Alfredo Costa Monteiro belongs to a group of people who have quite a body of work available and a lot I reviewed, but also I need to learn more about; Bruno Duplant is another one. For instance, I wonder if Monteiro has a preferred instrument; various releases were recorded with an accordion. But just as much, perhaps, use field recordings, such as this new release, which ” was composed as a sonic drift with no other purpose than a mindful wander”, and Monteiro uses found sounds, just s they do in found cinema footage. Where he made his findings is unclear. Maybe in his own archive, maybe in a thrift store, but whatever the case, he uses these randomly. That’s not what I think but what he writes, “This lack of direction, expressed through a hypothetical narrative, shapes an itinerary through different sound atmospheres carried by the materiality of sound and thus creating variable emotional states close to disorientation; exactly as in a psychogeographical drift, which implies a certain renunciation of what to expect, depending on each space where this underlying narrative evolves.” Working with random sounds is a hit-or-miss thing, but it works wonderfully well in this case. There are lots of field recordings, birds mostly, but, also other animals. There are also electronics of some kind, which made me wonder, where do you find these? I’d love to see some of that. These electronics usually arrive in small blocks of drone sounds, which are never much longer, adding to the music’s slightly more broken up, collage-like feeling. I thought that Monteiro processed some of the found sounds with computer treatments and worked that into the music. The work is quite lively because of all the moving around of sounds, the intricate cuts and the briefness of some of the sounds, while others linger on for a while. Quite a mysterious work, of being in various places simultaneously, of dislocation, yet that never gets in the way of the piece’s beauty. You can be in a forest, listening to birds, while also being on a train station platform. Monteiro knows how to pace his music, never going too fast or slow, keeping a delicate balance, making this true cinema for the ears. (FdW)
––– Address: https://sublimeretreat.bandcamp.com/

LEO OKAGAWA – DENSITY (CD by Dissipato)

From the few solo releases I heard from Leo Okagawa from Japan, he likes to take a more conceptual approach. When I write this review, this CD is not yet available on Bandcamp, and this label doesn’t do press texts; also, the cover has no details other than 12 song titles and some basic information. Whatever the concept is here, it could be that there is no concept, and we’re dealing here with 12 independent pieces of music. There aren’tis little relations between the pieces if one only looks at the titles. Whereas some of his older works used field recordings, this new one is about electronic sound, I am guessing, but he’s using a modular set-up in these pieces and no field recordings at all. Okagawa creates some strange electronic pieces with this set-up, which may sometimes remind the listener of Pan Sonic, but without any strict rhythm (read: nothing to dance to). There’s that raw synth approach, the intensity of sine waves and block tones. Even when it’s not music to dance to, it’s still something we recognise as inspired by Pan Sonic, all the more in those pieces with more rhythm, in ‘Apoptosis’, for instance, with its machine-like character. It is a great reminder of how far-reaching the influence of Pan Sonic was and still is; we all tried it. But I admit Okagawa’s music also has something distant here. Maybe because it lacks the element of danceability, the head nod aspect as we used to call it, all that remains angular sounds, which sound alright, but in which mood do you have to be to hear this? (FdW)
––– Address: https://dissipatio.bandcamp.com/

LUNAR PRAIRIE (CD by Intangible Cat)

I reviewed music by Luna Prairie before, except it wasn’t called Lunar Prairie then, but just J.J. Gregg (see Vital Weekly 1367. Gregg is a sitar player, and his release sounded nice enough, but also something I felt lost with. I do not know much about meditative sitar music or the influence of Raag Todi. I was thinking the same thing with his new release, Lunar Prairie because it’s a duo. It is odd because the sitar is one of those instruments to use within drone music (but, of course, none of which I hear a lot and, subsequently, don’t know much about). The guitar of David van Auken joins Gregg’s sitar. I believe I heard his music before, but never reviewed it. The two have been playing together since 2018, combining the finger-picking style for which Van Auken found inspiration in John Fahey and, well, the sitar is also being plucked. Still, with that slightly metallic ring, it sounds direct and sometimes bending towards the overtones. Even with the sitar making it sound non-Western, there is quite an Americana feel to the music, in so much as I know about these things. Two men finger-picking away on a guitar and a sitar, and this seems smooth and well-spent. The music sounds very much composed and has a strong melodic touch to each of the ten pieces. Lovely stuff, I admit, but I am also at a loss; what’s there to review if one needs to learn more about the whole scene and history of this kind of music? As much as I love to write about new releases, I, too, have my limits in the knowledge department. Nobody wants a uniform review. (FdW)
––– Address: https://jjgregg.bandcamp.com/

FULLY CELEBRATED ORCHESTRA – SOB STORY (CD by Relative Pitch Records)

This orchestra has five members: Jim Hobbs (alto saxophone &compositions), Timo Shanko (double bass), Taylor Ho Bynum (cornet), Luther Gray (drums) and Ian Ayers (guitar). This is the latest iteration of the orchestra started by Hobbs and Shanko at the end of the eighties, on record after 2009’s Drunk On The Blood Of The Holy Ones (a sax trio with Django Carranza on drums). This is accessible jazz music with plenty of room for the experimental side of improvisation, for instance, in The Spider Gates. Ho Bynum uses a lot of extended techniques when he plays his solos. And yes, it all sounds familiar; it’s deeply rooted in the history of jazz. But this is a fun record, finger snappingly, foot tappingly and head bobbingly good. Hobbs sounds like Tom Waits in ‘Overdrive on Grave Merchant’. Nuff said. Definitely Manonfriendly, by the way. Go listen to this record ASAP. The music says it all. (MDS)
––– Address: https://relativepitchrecords.bandcamp.com/

TROUM – SYMBIOSIS (LP by Auf Abwegen)
CRANIOCLAST – ARCTIC SALON (2LP by Auf Abwegen).

I don’t return to much older music as much as I would or need to, but I remember Troum had a previous release called ‘Symbiosis’ and here’s the reissue of that. It was previously a 3″CD by their Trangredient Records label, released in 2003. The duo arose from the ashes of Maeror Tri in 1997 and quickly gained a lot of fans and they were active with releases in the early years. I reviewed this release in Vital Weekly 372 and wrote: “At the same time, Troum releases on their label a 3″ CD, which contains solo tracks by the two Troum members Glit[s]ch and BarakaH. Here, we find them in their ‘older’ style, strongly emphasising guitar sounds. These five are relatively short pieces for Troum standards but with their usual sense of drones. Played with bows and e-bows, drenched out in sound effects they are all quite enjoyable, but they would have made more sense if they were a bit longer. Now, they end abruptly before the drones stick in your mind. Maybe the 3″ format suits one Troum track and not five. They shouldn’t be afraid of doing just one or two for such a length.” I am sure my final line didn’t lead to the ten-minute bonus piece that now graces the LP reissue, but it proves my point that these pieces work better in a more extended version. In the original, numbers two and three were already more extended, showing an intense atmosphere than the sketch-like one, four and five. While the guitar always played an essential role in their music, it almost became a solo instrument with additional effects. It’s a damn fine manifestation of atmospheric drone and a reminder that I should be playing more of their older releases again; at thirty-one minutes not a very long record.
Which is quite the contrast with the double album by Cranioclast. These LPs must have been pressed by the same people that do those long LP sides for Vinyl On Demand, as here they are between 25 and 27 minutes, much like their previous record (Vital Weekly 1157, where I expressed similar amazement about the length). When I recently reviewed various reissues of previous Cranioclast releases (Vital Weekly 1428), I noticed that I didn’t review this one, which came out at the end of last year. Aud Abwegen doesn’t mind waiting and saving, quite rightly, something on the postage. The overall theme for this record is an expedition to the North Pole. They had an idea for a long time but realised this in recent years. The albums are almost transparent, and there is a cocktail recipe on one of the labels. After all, it’s an arctic salon. Cranioclast’s music has very little to with polar drones, none of that Thomas Köner stuff. Still, in these pieces, they use synthesisers, guitars, percussive sounds used in a non-rhythmic way, maybe voices or field recordings and all of that is used to play eerie atmospheric music. Slow-moving and minimal, this is a journey indeed. Slowly, new instruments are introduced, and before you know it, we’ve crossed a snow-covered mountain, and a new vista can be seen. Sometimes I am reminded of earlier Zoviet France music, such as towards the end of the second side, ‘Cryosphera-Whiteout-Kreise’; one could see it as a three-part piece, so perhaps I am referring to ‘Kreise’, with its loops and heavy guitar sound. The fourth side has a slighter, lighter sound, or maybe an opener is a better word. Much like the other recent record quite complex and dense music, showing quite some development from their earlier work, and yet still something we recognise as Cranioclast. A band with much mystery, atmosphere, complex story-telling and perfectly executed work. This journey is another trip, and that word is intended to mean more than one thing. (FdW)
––– Address: https://aufabwegen.bandcamp.com/

EDWARD KA-SPEL – TALES FROM THE TRENCHES (LP by Fourth Dimension Records)

Ah, Ka-Spel again. If one thinks of anniversaries, I think it’s 40 years since I first heard The Legendary Pink Dots and the voice of Edward Ka-spel and ever since I listen to anything new (and repeating anything old from them, as a group and solo). In their massive catalogue, I have favourites, some of which are from the very early days; I had a lot of time to hear them repeatedly, but in recent years, some works have stood out (Ka-spel’s ‘One Last Pose Before The Ruin’ for instance I recommend). While there are similarities between a ‘standard’ Legendary Pink Dots song and a Ka-spel solo song (the voice being prominent), there are also differences. The guitar plays an essential role in the Dots and is absent in Ka-spel’s solo music. That’s not to say that Edward Ka-spel’s solo is a stripped-down version of the Dots. It’s, at times, a more intimate version of the Pink Dots and, at times, a more experimental version. Heavily on the lyrics, Edward Ka-spel is a storyteller, and his songs are like radio plays. His music is the atmosphere in which it all happens. Sometimes, the music takes on the form of a song, such as in ‘1919’, with some rhythm, synthesisers and voices. In the long ‘Archetype – Charcoal Estates – Votes For Pinocchio – No Gateway’, we get various pieces in a 12-minute suite, and here, the experimental side shows more, with spacious drifts and bending tones, such as he does in ‘No Show Tomorrow’. The seven pieces on ‘Tales From The Trenches’ are very accessible, and the experiments are within reason – for those who don’t like that side of his work. It’s an album that easily meets the best of his solo work, say ‘Tanith & The Lion Tree’ (a personal one for me), and it’s interesting to see how Ka-spel keeps evolving with new technical developments. The main difference with his earliest solo work is the richness of the sound; perhaps that’s one of the similarities it shares with the music of the Dots. I am a fan, so don’t take my word for it, but another damn fine record. (FdW)
––– Address: https://fourthdimensionrecords.bigcartel.com/

ONE DARK EYE – CHRONICLES OF A DEATH FORETOLD (2LP by Input Error)

Lost over time, at least, I do no longer recall. Many years ago, I was in contact with Joseph Roemer, the man behind Macronympha. That was his noise project, but he diversified with other musical prject such as OVMN and One Dark Eye. I no longer know that one of these (or his other projects) was described as more ambient. I thought it was One Dark Eye, but I may be mistaken. Not being so actively in the noise scene might cause this lack of knowledge. Listening to ‘Chronicles Of A Death Foretold’, I can safely say there is little ambient music here. The 2LP is a reissue of a double CD 2000 by the Non Mi Place label. Something also almost entirely lost, not completely, however, thanks to the beautiful working archive on Vital Weekly’s website, is the review I did of the 2CD in Vital Weekly 251. I wrote, “Roemer started one Dark Eye to investigate darker, harsh ambient music. So far, their discography is relatively small (and enclosed in this package). This double CD isn’t the dark ambient but a heavy cut-up style. Roemer took sound material from Macronympha and added extra sound material supplied by others to create a collage work of noise. I think this is by far the most interesting thing I heard from him. It reminded me of the 2LP by Merzbow (“Scissors For Cutting Merzbow”, in which Merzbow closes his first period by recycling sounds from his first period before entering a new phase in his career. I am unsure if Roemer has the same intention, but nonetheless, his sound collages are fresh, open, and constantly changing. Less rigid noise, but space.”
I had already heard the music before looking up the old review, and that Merzbow reference popped up in my head again. What I didn’t know at the time is that those supplied source material were Alan Lee, All Brentnall (aka Mlehst), Kimihide Kusafuka (aka K2), Liz Fox, R.H.Y. Yau, Rodger Stella and Tim Oliveira (aka Simbox). While I may not be as heavily involved with noise music as I once was, I still enjoy the occasional odd blasts, especially when they are made with some thought. There is, perhaps, something randomised about the organisation of the music, the way Roemer cuts and pastes his sound material. Still, the continuous cutting of sounds is a true joy to hear. Think of this as a brutal form of musique concrète, including cut-ups from a documentary about a slaughterhouse. At the same time, this is not your traditional noise release, as none of this stays too long in the noisy place, a far cry from the world of HNW. Only the fourth side containing ‘Aegri Somnia (Live Excerpt)’ (all sides have one piece only) is one to explore the continuous noise end, but here, too, sounds keep bursting in and out of the mix. I didn’t remember from the 2CD that it was this good, but I love it. (FdW)
––– Address: https://input-error.bandcamp.com

ROXANE MÉTAYER – ADAGE VESTIGES (LP by Matière Mémoire)

Roxane Métayer is a French musician and visual artist based in Brussels. This is her sixth solo release. Two single tracks, each around sixteen minutes long. Passerelles fossils (fossilized gangways) and Présage d’après-midi (presage of an afternoon). She uses violin, voice and percussion instruments, and many effects to create a unique sound world. She treats her voice in a distinct way; to me, it recalls the best instances of the pioneers in electronic music. Each track consists of numerous vignettes that flow organically from one section into another, with sometimes a more extended section of silence. I listened to them many times; there’s something new to discover each time. The sound design is excellent: although the music is layered, everything is identifiable, even with the many blend of sounds. There’s a sense of space and directness to the music. Shorter and longer melodies are scattered throughout the vignettes and are treated experimentally (with effects). For me, this whole release is a joy to listen to. There are percussive sounds, treated voices, treated violin, mimicking a cello or at least a viola at some point, or a violin making a buzzing fly. And at the end, there is no real sense of what one has heard, and one is obliged to listen to it again. This is highly recommended. (MDS)
––– Address: https://roxanemetayer.bandcamp.com/

INSTAGON – SONGS IN THEE KEY OV Y (CDR by Thee Instagon Foundation)

From all the work I heard from Instagon, I learned one thing: I have no idea what they do, why and how. I wrote before they are like Doc Wör Mirran: you never know where they are with their next release. Sometimes more noisy, or jazzy, or rocky, or… well, something in between. LOB is the instigator, and he invites friends to join in. On ‘Songs In The Key Ov Y’, there is a cast of nine players, on drums, bass, guitar and maybe keyboards, violin and flute. Sometimes there is a voice. Instagon is here in the whole rock and improvisation modus. That brings us some free folk rock improvisations: a bit jazzy and much freaky. I can almost smell incense burning (sadly, I’m not too fond of it). I have never played in any band that required musical skills (mostly because I don’t have them), so I don’t know the feeling of communal jamming and playing music, but I am sure it’s a great feeling. That’s the main thing about this CD that I enjoy: the energy they have at performing music, how strange and experimental it may sound to the untrained ear, i.e. those enjoying traditional forms of rock music. I don’t know much about the traditional or alternative ones, but I prefer this one. Scratchy and vulnerable and full of fun. (FdW)
––– Address: https://instagon.bandcamp.com/

STEFAN GOLDMANN – EXPANSE (5CDR by Edition Kymata)

Here we have five CDs in a neat slipcase; it looks good, but there’s a thing that needs to be added: a booklet with some information. The sparse words on Bandcamp make us not much wiser. This is the inaugural release of this label (which I suspect is run by Goldmann), and about the music, it says that it builds on Goldmann’s “earlier reverb-only work ‘Call and Response’ (2022), the capacity of reverberation to enable the experience of impossible architecture is further explored – possibly in its clearest form to date. The five zones of intangible aural sensibility compiled in this box set range from soothing to menacing, inviting to a unique critical listening situation in which the listener’s perception is the dynamic side of the exchange while the stimulus persists in profound permanence” and “The properties of the five enclosures – boundless in the time domain, distinct in their spatial characteristics – reveal themselves completely and can be precisely described in statistical data, allowing for multiple levels of access: a brief visit, long-term contemplation, exclusive ownership.” I think this is a wordy text that tells me what, exactly? I don’t know what it means.
I didn’t hear that particular work by Goldmann, but I reviewed his ‘Acustica’ release (Vital Weekly 1410), and I wasn’t overly optimistic. I can say much the same about the five discs in this package, even when the music is different. Each disc contains a single piece of music, and the length is exactly one hour. Each piece is an exercise in drone music without a move or change. Sounds that are perpetually captured in stasis. That could be a great, very meditative thing, but Goldmann chooses to use sounds with a more machine-like character, so the drone is like a machine hum in a factory. Even at a lower volume, this remains a slightly annoying hum. Times five hours. This is what I meant last week when I wrote about the traps of dark ambient and easily generated dark drones. This is one such example. (FdW)
––– Address: https://macrorec.bandcamp.com/

JON WATKINS & FAIL – REFLECTIONS ON ART AND A.I. (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records)

Inner Demons Records is a label that through the years got several recurrent artists in their roster. That this leads to friendships and recognition is not a surprise; There are a lot of labels or communities where you see this happen. But with the mutual respect and recognition also come collaborations which you might not have held for possible or even viable. So what do you do? You try it out and thank Gawd Jon and Dan did.
Jon Watkins I’ve written about a few times before and he uses mainly his guitar to create music, and FAIL, well, that’s the brainchild of label-owner Dan Fox. And FAIL is noise in all its facets which you will read about soon again in VW. But Jon and Dan almost couldn’t be further apart from each other and yet, still they tried this collaboration entitled “Reflections on Art and A​.​I.”. Two 9 minute tracks with Jon doing guitar sounds where it seems untreated on the first and more manipulated on the second. And there is some chemistry / synergy going on here for sure.
“We Were Warned…” has a lush feeling with some fingerpicking and minimal chards and in the background heavily manipulated samples and sounds creating an uneasy feeling. Towards the end it gets more chaotic when Dan’s layers are pushed into the front. Opening the canvas for “…And Now is Too Late”. This track has a definite ‘end-of-the-world’ angst feeling. Less coherent, chaos, feedbacking guitars and solos that aren’t solos in any way anybody ever thought they should be. And with A.I. and all the bots, it’s too late. Seen the gazillion shit postings in your favourite social media? Too late for sure. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

PLATONOFF – EVIL SMELLS OIL (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records)

PInner Demons Records is a label that, through the years, has several recurrent artists in their roster. That this leads to friendships and recognition is not a surprise; There are a lot of labels or communities where you see this happen. But with mutual respect and recognition also come collaborations you might not have held for possible or even viable. So what do you do? You try it out, and thank Gawd, Jon, and Dan did.
I’ve written about Jon Watkins a few times before, and he uses mainly his guitar to create music and FAIL, well, that’s the brainchild of label-owner Dan Fox. FAIL is noise in all its facets, which you will read about soon again in VW. But Jon and Dan almost couldn’t be further apart, yet they still tried this collaboration entitled “Reflections on Art and A​.​I.”. Two 9 minute tracks with Jon doing guitar sounds where it seems untreated on the first and more manipulated on the second. And some chemistry/synergy is going on here, for sure.
‘We Were Warned…’ has a lush feeling with some fingerpicking and minimal chards, and in the background, heavily manipulated samples and sounds create an uneasy feeling. Towards the end, it gets more chaotic when Dan’s layers are pushed into the front. Opening the canvas for ‘…And Now is Too Late’. This track has a definite ‘end-of-the-world’ angst feeling. Less coherent, chaotic, feedbacking guitars and solos that aren’t solos in any way anybody ever thought they should be. And with AI and all the bots, it’s too late. Seen the gazillion shit postings on your favourite social media? Too late for sure. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

PLATONOFF – EVIL SMELLS OIL (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records)

People who follow the Inner Demons label for a bit longer have more often seen the name of this Russian project. I couldn’t find many releases on different labels, so I see IDR as his ‘home’. This release has some languid beats and shitloads of noise and samples in combination with those beats. If it had more guitar, it would perfectly fit into the perspective of doom & sludge metal or slow post-industrial stuff like Colossloth, or even a bit of Author & Punisher but with the emphasis way more on the noise layers than the rhythmic layers.
The 3″ has two tracks of around 9 minutes, so the 3″ is again a perfect medium for this. The first track is the title track, and I love how the noise creates a whole new reality in the stinky oil business in this world. The second track is called “Looming Shadows of the Past” and starts a bit more sci-fiish; at least, that’s how I interpret the rattling sounds. The slow beats also hit the composition, and the metal clanging induces a Godflesh feeling. That’s no punishment.
There is not much to be found about Platonoff, and the promo text on the IDR website only states, ‘Freedom for Navalny and all political prisoners of Russia!’. Sadly, we lost Navalny two days after the release of this little gem. Sadness, anger, or injustice will likely be the conceptual approach for the next Platonoff. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

SAM – NO SIGN OF A RAINBOW BUT IT’S STILL RAINING (3″ CDR by Inner Demons Records)

This is a weird one to me. I’ll explain why after the introduction. SAM is Marcin “Sam” Kaczmarek from Poland, and he uses guitar, loops and effects to create a noisy, bluesy, avantgardistic style of music that does or does not fit Vital Weekly. I don’t know. But while listening, I was struck by the minimalism of the composition. It reminded me a bit of Hugo Race and other swamp-induced guitar heroes from the past and the soundtrack of Paris Texas, which Ry Cooder wrote. Now, Race and Cooder aren’t names you see a lot in Vital Weekly, but as it is part of my personal background, having listened to swamp blues in the past and being a movie aficionado… Well, because it’s on Inner Demons, I’m just doing it.
But having written all of this, I’ve already mentioned most of what I can say. “No Sign of a Rainbow, But It’s Still Raining” is an 18-minute soundtrack for an unwritten movie about a guy sitting near the water, maybe holding a fishing rod without bait because he doesn’t want to catch anything. Listening, I get the hopelessness of that situation.
As SAM said in the promo text about constant rain and getting wet: “Then there is hope that the rain will stop, the sun will come out, and a rainbow will appear. So, everything will change, and it will be wonderful. But for now, it’s wet, and you’re waiting…” I missed that ‘hope’, but for a soundtrack, this is an excellent depiction of the moment before Hope enters stage left. (BW)
––– Address: https://innerdemonsrecords.bandcamp.com/

ROEL MEELKOP – MUDDY PONDS (cassette by Aloe Records)

The pond Meelkop refers to in the title is near his house, and one day, he went there to record frogs, and he learned the recording contained a lot of extra sounds next to those beautiful frog sounds. The ear is a funny thing! It made him think about his music, and he works with sparse sounds in much of what he does. He is inspired by the muddy pond near his house to create some muddy music. It’s great he informs us of this, as I wouldn’t have guessed. Maybe I wouldn’t think of his music as ‘sparse’ that much. Quiet, yes, and minimal. That may amount to some sparseness, but I always believe some of his work is quite dense. On ‘Muddy Ponds’, he has three pieces and works with various sound sources. These days, Meelkop belongs to the modular clique, and some of that we find in these pieces sitting next to sounds derived from percussion instruments. These may be from his practice working with Tibetan bowls or drum parts he borrowed some from his son, with whom he sometimes plays. The two pieces on the first side contain a mixture of these ingredients, along with field recordings (the frog pond?), and throughout have that true Meelkopian character: ominous, dark music, collage-like in combination with drones. Of the two, ‘Minor Particles’ has a slightly improvised character, which was quite fun. ‘Medium Pleasure’ fills the entire second side with a more electronic character. It could be electronics being triggered by acoustic sounds. Towards the end, there are a lot of drum sounds along with loops of sounds from toy cars. This piece has a lovely break, which made me grab the remote to check if the failure was on my part.
The big question is, of course, how muddy is the music? Hardly, as Meelkop has a straightforward approach to his sounds, and nowhere it’s getting cloudy; even in the album’s darker corners, individual sounds can be noted, not consistently named, but that’s another thing! (FdW)
––– Address: https://aloerecords.bandcamp.com/

TINTIN PATRONE – BOCKLOS AM WEGESRAND (cassette by Het Generiek)

From Hamburg hails German-Filipino performance and sound artist Tintin Patrone, whose sound work is called ‘minimal’, and her performances have a long duration, both influenced by her studies in microtonality. Ignore what I say elsewhere about trombones, as Patrone’s trombone is more in the long form tradition. Maybe she uses her playing against pre-recorded tapes of the same material, or she uses loop devices or other electronics, exploring the minimalist and microtonal aspects. There are also voices on here, shouting but not easy to uderstand. I guess that’s the performance aspect of the music, which is hard to judge. Here, the visual element is missing, and that’s sad. Patrone sometimes plays long-form tones, but it’s not the same kind as, say, Niblock created his pieces. There are four pieces, two on each side; one is long (11:37 and 11:38), and one is short (1:30 and 1:38), which I’m sure has some meaning, as yet uncovered. Quite a strange affair, not unpleasant to hear, but I couldn’t help thinking I missed out on something, and yet, I don’t know what that ‘something’ was. The performance aspect is something missing, but beyond that, maybe something else. The titles could be more’Aufmucken’, ‘Klatschen’, ‘Stiefeln’ and ‘Abhauen’, all relatively very ordinary things, but not revealing something. Even when I enjoyed the music, I could not resist the thought of uneasiness here. What’s it all about? Or, as it goes in Starship Troopers, ‘Do you want to more?” Well, yes, I do! (FdW)
––– Address: https://hetgeneriek.bandcamp.com/

THOMAS BEY WILLIAM BAILEY – SUPERFLUIDITÉ (audio postcard series by FMOA)

I got two postcards of this release with different Bandcamp download codes. FMOA stands for Fifteen Minutes of Anonymity and it’s a postcard, double-sided, and one side is silver foil-stamped. The musical piece is a twenty-minute piece by Thomas Bey William Bailey, whose presence on the scene has extended periods of absence; he’s also the author of a book ‘Unofficial Release’ (see Vital Weekly 843), one of the first to document the history of cassettes. Bailey uses computer technology in his music, in the best tradition of acousmatic composers (he mentions Francois Bayle, Bernard Parmegiani, etc.), but his results are different. Bailey’s music has a denser character than the serious composer would do. Somewhere in the late 1980s, many so-called industrial musicians discovered musique concrète. They started working along similar principles without losing their noisy background, essentially doing a different, non-academic take on it. I think we should see Bailey’s work in the same historical context. It’s hard to say what kind of sound sources he uses; I sometimes thought these were heavily treated percussive sounds using analogue and digital means, but I might be wrong. Once the piece goes, there is no turning back, and it’s massive presence never gets lost. That’s not to say there aren’t any details in the work of Bailey In the middle of his massive use of reverberated drones, small sparks are flying around, microscopic but present. A heavy work, weighing down on your shoulders like a rock, but a most enjoyable one too. Take your time, sit back and listen without engaging in anything else. Only then the true beauty will be revealed. (FdW)
––– Address: https://tbwb.bandcamp.com/