Nac/Hut Report - Transmisja Z Przesilenia (Chrunchy Human Children)

Sometimes, massive changes of direction can be a good thing.  However, I'm always glad to hear a new Nac/Hut Report album and find that they've resisted it.  Frankly this duo, based in Poland, create such astonishing things together it's always refreshing to find that a new collection of their stuff consists of hammering out a new set of jarring, challenging noises from pretty much the same template.

As usual, the release comes via the Warsaw cooperative Crunchy Human Children and, as you might have guessed from my preliminary comments, it doesn't disappoint.  I played a track from the album in my Dandelion Radio show last month and this month I'm playing 'Plytki Lek'. 

The album is available to buy on cassette or as NYP download here.

La colonie de Vacances - s/t (Kythibong)

Sometimes the music doesn't match up to the concept but, when it does, it's just about the most wonderful thing in the world.  That's what makes this release from La colonie de Vacances not just a great listen but an essential purchase.

This 10" EP comes from our favourite label - the always excellent Kythibong - and the whole package sounds irresistible from the off.  LCDV consists of members of four bands who, when together, perform on four separate stages, with the audience central.  Four illustrators have joined them to produce a release whose accompanying 100-page book has to be spun while the vinyl , in its turn, can be read over and over.

You'll get the idea if you grab yourself a copy - and you should because, most importantly, the musical content still manages to be the most enticing thing about the whole release.  LCDV dish out four slaps of guitar-led brilliance that are by turns bewitching and crushingly forceful.  It's like having multiple ideas forced into your head via a lightning rod shoved in your ear.   That there are only four tracks here feels incredible given the range of ideas explored in such a short space of time (under 16 minutes).

I'm playing the second track from this enticing release in my Dandelion Radio show this month.   Meanwhile, you can get the EP and glory in its visual and sonic magnificence here. 

Threes And Will - Purge of Genden (Nothing Out There)

I first encountered Threes And Will via a split release they put out through the always wonderful Blue Tapes some time ago.  Ever since then I've been a huge admirer of the caustic, sub-krautrock din dished up by this Estonian band and their latest release, in partnership with French label Nothing Out There, has certainly not diminished my admiration.

If anything, the band crank up the noise levels still more on this offering.  Looping, repetitive guitars dominate, though often to subtly varied ends: the woozy, dissonant fuzz of opener 'Koniec Cywilizacji' opens up over the collection, via the epic spaciness of 'The Conquest Of Zhangzhung' until something more reminiscent of psychedelic rock is let loose on 'Bunkers'.

That in turn gives way to the magnificent 'Erebus', half stoner nightmare and half the sound of something that might well come out from the speedway pits if the mechanics got the pitch and balance just right.  You can hear it in my current Dandelion Radio show, streaming throughout April.

I'm aware I'm already descending to the level of the figurative to describe all this, which kind of gives away the difficulty I'm experiencing in doing so.  Perhaps I should just tell you that the six tracks here collectively bring about the kind of head-shredding thrill we've no right to expect to last over forty minutes but somehow, in the hands of Threes And Will, it does. 

Sadly, the limited edition cassette version is now sold out, but you can still download these six slices of magnificence here. 

Nac/Hut Report - Schism No Symmetry

I was, I admit, getting a bit fidgety regarding the lack of a follow-up to Nac/Hut Report's last album, the majestic Angel-Like Contraction Reverse, which saw the light of day more than two years ago.

Not that two years between albums is an especially long period of time, but that previous collection had offered so many musical ideas such a rich texture beneath its chaotic surface, that you knew there had to be loads more where it came from.  So, when nothing new arrived, I began to worry they'd called it a day.

I needn't have fretted.  Not only were this Polish/Italian duo still alive and kicking, this second collection, when it arrived recently, proved itself a worthy successor.  Frankly it's been well worth the wait, those unexplored possibilities of its predecessor having been mined so brilliantly the gap in between now seems, in retrospect, almost illusory.

I'm not going to get all Greil Marcus on you and talk about the collection stopping time or anything like that, largely because Marcus was always the only person who could get away with such observations without disappearing up his own arse.  I'll merely comment that there are times when you want a band to go somewhere different and times where you want more of what they've given you before. The latter is what I wanted from Nac/Hut report and they've delivered brilliantly.

You know that the moment opening track 'Ah Ah East' grinds into its stride.  I'm featuring it in my Dandelion Radio show this month, an easy choice because it's such a prime example of what makes Nac/Hut Report so great: Brigitte Roussel's sublime atmospheric vocals underpinned by a churning musical dissonance that so many attempt but fail to produce anything like as well.

If anything, there's an ever greater assurance evident in their work than the last time we heard from them.  Since then Roussel has released an excellent solo collection and sounds even more unfazed by the possibility of lazy Nico comparisons, as indeed she should be, striding confidently out into the open on tracks like 'Jewish Son' to confront whatever the hell anyone else wants to make of what she does, and win.  Musical partner Li/ese/Li effortlessly steps up to the same plate, the creaking, haunted soundscapes on tunes like 'Wolf the Saint' offering a vibrant and evocative accompaniment. 

 It's a musical triumph, again, and you can get it as download or CD from their bandcamp site here. 

derTANZ - Vatta

I've written about derTANZ before.  On the one hand, they're one of many Budapest bands who are doing remarkable things with a broad punk mindset at the moment.  On the other, they're completely different from any of the other groups from that city that have been getting airplay on my Dandelion Radio show over the past couple of years.

I don't want this to sound like a put-down of those other bands, some of whom produce a full-on trash/hardcore/noise rock onslaught I love almost to the point of insanity, but with derTANZ you get more.  There's plenty of noise here, but its overlaid with elements of psychedelic experimentation and improvisation that stand above practically anything else coming out of Hungary at the moment.  Last year's Kaktusz album ably showcased their unique aesthetic, and now Vatta has come along to show us more.

There's a more slick feel to the production on this album but thankfully that's not diminished their appeal one bit.  The songs alternate from doom-laden low moans to frantic blasts of anger with many shades of grey in between: sometimes the tempo and mood can fragment and rebuild within the same song - as in the remarkable 'Slow Tilt' - while the near-a capella of 'Elvis Left The Building' illustrates this band's penchant for challenging their listeners' expectations and winning hands down.

I'm playing 'Beginner's Bible' in my April show, which may well be my favourite track on the album, but this is a collection that works best as a whole rather than via snapshots or excerpts.  You can pick it up here: it's name your price and, should you choose to chuck a few coins into their bowl, you can be reassured this band will be putting them to very good use.  To be honest, I'd have been perfectly happy with a re-hashing of Kaktusz, but Vatta has bravely chosen to build on and extend the template and, in pulling it off so brilliantly, derTANZ are more than worthy of the half an hour or so of your time it takes to appreciate this fine album.

Nnevteiga - New Codes of the Unfun

Sometimes change is a good thing and sometimes it isn't.  I wasn't looking for Nnevteiga to make any major modifications to their sound after last year's stunning debut simply because there seemed so much more plundering of that wonderful sound to be done, and these guys were obviously the best people to do it.

I needn't have worried.  New Codes of the Unfun pretty much picks up where last year's self-titled masterpiece left off, weaving further layers of damaged intensity into a beautifully abrasive noise that stands apart from and above pretty much all the other beautifully abrasive noises in my life at the moment.  It's like the soundtrack to an emotional holocaust, covering a ravaged landscape from the warped sludge of 'Forest Fuck', its brooding instrumentation punctuated by howling vocal interjections, through the stuttering tremor of 'Merrick' and right out the other side where the sub-gothic wailing of the title track batters you into a submission you'd admitted well before it arrived.

The longest track on the album, 'Cold You And I', stands as one of the musical high points of 2014 so far, somehow absorbing pretty much all of the above elements into a four minute frenzy you could happily set before anyone who wanted to know what makes this band so damn special.  I'm playing the track in my April show on Dandelion Radio, which continues streaming until the end of the month.  There'll be something else from the album in my May show.

In the meantime, get the album here or e-mail the Tendresse label for a cassette copy: tendresserecord@gmail.com.   Just four euros plus shipping for an album that'll keep you company for the rest of the year and well beyond that.

Drive With A Dead Girl - Alma Ata II

During December, I tend to indulge myself in the retrospective pleasures of the year's releases more than is usual, or perhaps desirable.  That, along with the pastime of listening to Xmas tunes while getting pissed, can get in the way of discovering any great new releases if I'm not really, really careful.  That would be a shame, particularly in the case of December 2013, where an unusually high number of excellent releases managed to negotiate the pre-seasonal obstacle course outlined above and make their way into my life.

Although a good case could be made for the excellent Guerilla Toss album, the best of these releases for me was unquestionably this, from French band Drive With A Dead Girl.  Hailing from Lille, fortunately the band bypassed my naturally indolent state and got in touch about the release, which managed very quickly to oust those nostalgic afternoons spend listening to Merry Christmas From Fortuna Pop or Ya-Style Christmas from my schedule.  

No doubt they'll return at some point, but for now Christmas has long gone and I'm still listening to Alma Ata II, six slabs of entrancing noise that are filling the long winter evenings with unfeasible regularity down our way, and probably annoying the kind of neighbours who need to be annoyed.  Among them sits the unquestioned centrepiece, the seventeen minute plus 'Fabulous Tank', a multi-faceted beast of  track of such textural variety that it can take over your life without you even realising how long you've been listening to it.

But it's unreasonable to ignore the other delights on offer here, all of which take a common template, where rampant guitar and drums underscore Alexia's enigmatic vocals, and yet manage an appeal very much of their own.  I'm playing opener 'Deseado' in my January show on Dandelion Radio, which should give you some idea of what I mean.  But don't stop there: you can get the whole album as NYOP here.  

Best Albums of 2013 - Number 19: derTANZ

19. Kaktusz - derTANZ

As in 2012, there was plenty coming out of Hungary to get excited about this year.  One of the very best was this album from Budapest experimental punkers derTANZ, an album of blistering yet meticulously channeled noise, recorded entirely live.  Probably best summed up by the comment Sand left on the album's bandcamp page: "Strange album, after many listenings I still can't pinpoint it well, but I like it a lot.  It is strangely easy to listen and captivating."

Well put, Sand.   The album's available as CD or NYOP download from here.  

A timely reminder, too, that there are now only ten days left to vote in the offiical festive fifty at Dandelion Radio.  Tell us your three favourite tracks of the year here.  

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Them Wolves - German For Duke

 

As if we didn't already have enough to thank 2013 for, bewitching our ears, THIS arrives in my inbox, courtesy of It's Just Noise/Distorted Tapes.

Regular readers will know that it's rare I crash on the old Caps Lock key, but this is a band for whom a splurge of capital letters is most fitting.  'German For Duke' is an EP by Them Wolves on the aforementioned label and it's the kind of thing that's shaken me out of my habit of listening to music while the muted Ashes test match plays out before my eyes.

While the occasional Kevin Pietersen blast back over the bowler's head might provide rare synchronicity, generally speaking this is not music to watch cricket to.  Counteract magazine called it 'brain-frazzling'; Rock Sound deemed it a 'snarling monster'; Echos and Dust called it 'Deranged Rock Lunacy'.

For once, the so-called Rock press have a point.

For my part, I would merely add to these observations that what we have from this Birmingham-based outfit is nothing less than the aural equivalent of Spaghetti Junction exploding under an extreme noise barrage let loose after Black Sabbath went on a binge of suspicious waste from the Tyseley Energy Plant.  The EP spits and burns out of whatever you play it on (it's available as download or CD) and you'd better make sure whatever you do play it on is up to the job.

I'm playing 'The Wild Girl of Champagne' from the EP in my Dandelion Radio show in August, streaming at various times throughout the month.  It's probably not in my own interests to say this, but you don't really need to both with the airplay: just go straight to itsjustnoise and get yourself a copy now.

Papaya - Tennis

The Kythibong label is shaping up nicely for a serious stab at the accolade for best album of 2013.  Barely had I had a chance to digest fully the excellent release from The Healthy Boy & The Badass Motherfuckers (reviewed some time ago on this blog) than I received the second album from Papaya.  Not being familiar with what the first one sounded like, I had few clues to what to expect which is always the best way to approach anything.

Now, having had time fully to appreciate the lavish brilliance of this second album - which goes  by the rather unrevealing title of Tennis - I now find myself wishing I did know what the first release sounded like.  But not yet, because for the moment Tennis gives me quite enough to be going on with.  

Generally speaking, it's an album of instrumentals, but these are not instrumentals of the kind offered on the recent Antony Harding album (also reviewed on this blog) or those sweeping, guitar-led masterworks proferred by the much-loved Matt Stevens, Tom Sanderson and others.  No, these are instrumentals of an entirely different ilk altogether - where those other artists are smooth, Papaya are decidedly jerky; where they, at least in places, sooth, Papaya are about as soothing as something dragging their nails down a chalkboard, if rather more satisfying to listen to; where those other artists can quite easily make me happy by providing a neat backdrop while I do other stuff, Tennis demands attention in the way a torturer demands answers.

Not that the experience is comparable with that of torture.  If it were, I wouldn't be reviewing it here and nor would I, at the end of the album, be eagerly seeking to listen to it again.  I've since found out that Mric, who kindly keeps me up to date with what his fabulous Kythibong label are up to, actually plays in this band, which only serves to make me even more excited about what this excellent label might have for us next. 

You can hear 'Grapes' from the album in my May show on Dandelion Radio.  It can't really be said to be represenative of the rest of Tennis because it's got vocals on it, but then as this is an album that delights through its ability to deliver the unexpected, it's probably as good a place to start as any,

Get it and other Kythibong releases here.  If you've not done so already, I'd strongly recommend you check out that Healthy Boy album and much of the rest of their back catalogue while you're at it.

Music For The Muted - Zeit

This is exactly the kind of thing you want to find in your inbox when you get home on a Friday evening - a slab of uncompromising experimental noise that blows all the shit of the day out of your head and leaves you with the unusual feeling that everything's as it should be on planet Earth.  

Music For The Muted are, their Soundcloud page tells me, a duo consisting of Maximus and Daedalus from Germany.  I'm guessing those aren't their real names, but the music they make is the kind that gives you the right to call yourselves whatever the hell you want.
 
Their EP consists of five heavy drones that slug away at your brains until your mind gives in to their intoxicating atonal moans.  If that sounds unappetising, you either have the wrong musical diet - in which case you're probably not worthy of them anyway - or else you're wrongly imagining that such stuff has no room in it for subtlety, variety or intricacy.

As it is, Zeit has all three and plenty more besides.  This is not noise as a blunt instrument as wielded by, say, those wonderful Finns Whitewater Orgasm, but rather a woozy cocktail that mixes a whole pile of ingredients together so that what on the surface might look like an unappealing brown mush contains a brilliantly devised mix of stimulants and flavours that, while clearing all that crap out of your head, give your synapses a massage and manicure all your other bits while they're at it.  The EP as a whole comes across like some creative demiurge found his way into God's toolbox and hammered together a world that, while imperfect, is a whole lot more interesting than the real thing.

The five tracks all have numbers as titles, which is fitting because these are tunes (?) that words can have little part in describing with any success, as you've probably guessed by my exasperated attempts above.  Among their interests Music For The Muted number heavy drilling machinery, secluded drinking spots, hairdress lounges and the nightsky, along with sign language and the tactile alphabet.  That probably gives you a glimpse into what to expect better than anything else, but this is something I'd seriously advise you find out about yourself.  Get along to that Soundcloud page now and feast your ears.