Label + Distro Update

Just a post to let people who have already ordered the God Destroyer tape know that I haven't received the inserts for the tape yet, but should do so very soon. Most if not all the orders without a GD tape have gone out.

Got some new distro stuff in too. Doomed Beast is an Australian heavy metal band, playing solid riffs with an occult atmosphere. I have a few copies of their debut demo tape available. Along with that, I received some extra copies of Australian experimental/blackened/industrial project Oxygen Abortion. I've haven't quite absorbed their music just yet, so I can't quite describe it. I have copies of their first EP and a compilation release of their first album + EP.

In addition to that, I also have some 7"s available. I won't go into details, but you can read their descriptions on the distro page.

Kronofogden - Rid I Natt

It was only earlier this year that I realised Scandinavian hardcore wasn't left behind in the 80s. Bands like Heratys and the like are still carrying on, perhaps, as some will argue, without originality or the same inspiration that made the style so great. However, like any 'revival' that's taking place, the band's records that are being produced should be judged on their own merits and not so much on whether they are refreshing to the style or just plain derivative. Kronofogden belong to the former - this tape isn't by any means a 'highlight' for me, but there's just a shit ton of Euro raging to be heard across these 15 songs. If you worship Totalitar on a regular basis, this is probably for you. A CD-R version is available because the tape was severely limited, but I do know that Coffin Cut Records still has a few cassettes available.

try
buy

ByVolume #1 - Oct 2011

A new web publication which I have contributed towards has recently released its first issue. ByVolume is a contributor based publication and will hopefully be releasing issues regularly. Currently the PDF will simply be hosted on the site, but a print version may appear for future issues. The first one contains reviews of new material from M83, Wilco and Low as well as a few others, gig reviews and various articles such as an analysis of Thrice and a close look at Aidan Baker's work in 2011. The first issue came out really well, thanks to Adam for putting it all together. Check it out.

ByVolume

Distro Update

Got two new zines in just today, Negative Noise #2 from the States and Downsided #4 from over in Queensland. Only a few copies of each. More info on the content can be read on the distro page.

Violent Pink - The Propaganda of the Deed

Sooo, my gf bought me this (she's awesome) along with the 2x Cassette In Currents. Both rule, and I'd say that In Currents is a little better. I'd upload them both, but my ripping abilities suck ass at the moment. As soon as I get a rip that does the record justice, I'll post it here.

Now, Violent Pink (Tyler Keen) produces some very tight, rhythmic and layered noise. On most tracks, you'll find slowly oscillating drones of static, whirling sine-wave synths that are "syncopated" with jagged rhythmic bursts of feedback. "October 19, 1977" and "Attacks" are the most archetypal examples of this. One stand-out feature of this release are the vocals. Completely distorted beyond belief, wretched, writhing, hateful, desperate; they're simply some of the best screams I've heard in any noise release.

The album is also mixed very creatively. The main components (screamed vocals, voice samples, noise/static drones, feedback, synth) are brought to prominence/buried appropriately across the different tracks. Sometimes the synth and vocals will be on top and most prominent, other times feedback and drones prevail. It definitely keeps things interesting, which is important with a somewhat limited sonic palette.

Point is: get this. Violent Pink is one of the best emerging noise artists in 2011.

Mediafire MP3 320

Since this is from my personal CD collection, I can upload a lossless high fidelity copy that I use for my music library, but I have to split the album into multiple .zip to get around the "free" uploader limit, so I won't unless it is requested.

Total Abuse - Prison Sweat

For those who weren't paying much attention in the hardcore department, Total Abuse's Mutt was an ugly offering of noisy hardcore with stomp, and attitude and all that lovely stuff. At last we are pummeled with their latest Prison Sweat, and will probably be their last offering but who knows we will see. Right from the start we are where last years effort had just left off, it's almost as if we are given Secret Passage III. Once you are oozed out of the noise of "Final Passage" it is up to the listener to survive from then on.

you can stream Prison Sweat in its entirety here
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Auris Apothecary Sampler #2

Hey bitches, this is kitsch. The music I post is different.

Auris Apothecary is a DIY label based in Bloomington, Indiana, USA that releases, punk, metal, avant-garde, noise, drone and the like in very limited quantities and with very unique packaging. Whether you think its pretentious or adds to the aesthetic of the music, one can't deny the creativity of packaging a cassette in a recycled library case with a library punch card that holds the liner notes. In addition to oddball packaging, they also release obscure formats, such as a loop of reel to reel tape, a 17" lathe cut made to be played at 17 rpm, and floppy discs. One such release this summer came wrapped in dried sunflower leaves with mysterious “magical seeds.” Anyway, you get the idea. Its the kind of stuff that hipsters would eat up if they could stomach the auditory “variety” that this label releases. This “variety” is nicely captured in their most recent “Sampler #2.” For every lo-fi indie bedroom jangle and autumn emo anthem there are also jagged and piercing power electronics, shrieking black noise and “samples of torture victims.”

This variety makes for quite an uneven listen. Just when you get in the groove of a nice indie song by The Constants or Fair Fjola, the next track blasts in with a scream of feedback from the likes of Dante Augustus Scarlatti or Torture Corpse. The tape isn't completely random, however, the label did a nice job of establishing a flow with the extremely eclectic array of material at hand. The poppier stuff tends to be at the beginning, and the more noisy and experimental songs populate the latter half. There are some nice transitions, too, where the minimal synth of Pendra Gon fades nicely into the layers of noise in Rob Funkhouser's track.

The point is, most of the material is excellent stuff. If you are familiar with the kind of label that has the tag line “We exist because fuck you” you pretty much know what you're getting yourself into with this compilation. Everything on the label can be purchased (cheaply, I might add) on their website aurisapothecary.org.

This sampler is available to download there for free.

Slays for Days Issue #2

The second issue of S4D is complete - I have approximately 25 copies sitting next to me, left over from the gig I was selling them at last night. I mentioned before that Jeroen of Antediluvian was designing the cover, and you can see his work above. I've got to say, it looks fucking fantastic. I've even printed off extra copies of the design on separate sheets, to be sent out along with the zine. I'll be printing the rest of the copies later this week - as it stands, I'm aiming for a press of 150 copies, though that might extend to 200 depending on how quickly they go. I still have people asking me for copies of #1, so I'm hoping to keep some stock for at least a while. Anyway, information on the content can be read on the zine's page.

The Aeolist #1

I'd like everyone to welcome our new contributor, kitsch. I'm not really too bothered with posting links and shit like that on here anymore (though obviously it's still gonna happen), but I thought kitsch's posting would add a little extra flair to the blog.

Kitsch has recently made a zine that features essays, poetry, short stories, photography and illustrations from various contributors around the world, including myself. The best thing about it, other than the material being fantastic, is that it's free - all you have to pay for is the shipping. If you're in the US, visit kitsch's blog Modern Lies Media to order one.

If you're in Australia I'll be doing the same thing, or I'll simply include a copy with any order if requested. Alternatively, if you have the means to print it yourself, the PDFs are available on MLM - the only condition about printing it yourself is that you have to print as many as you can and pass it around.

Willing Feet - Willing Feet 7''

I could only count down the days until this nasty little seven inch would surface on the interweb. I've been spinning this destruction since it was released and due to my incredibly poor ripping abilitys there would be no way i wouid degrade one of my favourite releases this year. Willing Feet are a local band from here in Winnipeg and i've had the pleasure to see live many times. Two re-recorded songs you've heard from the demo and the sound is more menacing then ever. Right from the start you are whirled into the punk-y stomp of Deep With the Dead, and not much bands these days seem to be pulling off this style without coming off as tired and recycled.

buy here
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Otro Mundo - Jellied

Hailing from the scorched psychadelia of Arizona, Otro Mundo is stuck in an acid-laced and highly fuzzed out time warp. Jellied is essentially an exercise in futility - a lot of alternative and noise rock bands covered Otro Mundo's chosen path two decades ago, but this doesn't make Jellied any less involving. Recalling elements of bands like Sonic Youth, Butthole Surfers or even punkier forms such as Husker Du, Jellied consists of 5 songs awash with distortion and catchy melodies.

Yuck put out a record earlier this year that attempted to recapture the particular 90s vibe that a lot of 20-somethings are now nostalgic for, and it succeeded in various ways - Otro Mundo is much more of an experimental take on the style, leaving the listener with very little pop sensibility to grasp. In fact, the lo-fi aesthetic of the record is one of its defining elements, and sets the standard for a lot of the songs.

The title track, for example, is an addictive yet simple indie rock song in the vein of Built to Spill, but it gives off an almost claustrophobic vibe from its subdued production and lower-mixed vocals. The anxiety that it invokes is something which can be found on most of the songs, and in my opinion sets it apart from the usual revivalist deadheads. The highlight of Jellied for me is undoubtedly Heart-Thrush - it's one of the less punky songs on the demo, and in an almost anthemic way totally epitomizes the mood of the record.

As far as I can tell, there is a hotbed of interesting acts currently residing in Arizona, such as Pigeon Religion, Avon Ladies, Nihilism, Acid Dawgz, and Naive - Otro Mundo has members of all of them. You can purchase this on cassette directly from the band on their blog. If you aren't convinced of this demo's quality, then please, sample the download and let me prove you wrong.

Prosanctus Inferi Red Streams of Flesh

For all those who have been waiting for more viscous enthropic ennui, Prosanctus Inferi returns with incestuous genuflections in presenting their newest EP, Red Streams of Flesh. Those who preferred the band's demo over their LP (as many apparently do) should be immensely pleased with this opus, as the guitar tone and overall production have become much thicker. Also of note is the new drummer's contribution to the band's sound; what used to a messy flurry of battering toms and cymbals giving something of a "machinegunning a beehive" effect, is now a uniform march of incessant hatred. The intensity here is off the charts, and the songwriting has changed in a similar way as well; composition is tighter than a nun's asshole and has largely moved away from the grindcore-like random stringing of riffs that characterized Prosanctus Inferi's previous approach. There is still plenty of fury, and plenty of chaos, but it has now become focused and directed into a singular vial of decadent sadism. As if to highlight these changes, the work closes with two older songs. Of the six on display, "Bent in Genuflexion" in particular is mind-fuckingly violent. Buy here.

download (VBR, 297-320kbps)