This time we give you the ‘live, improvised fractal music, layering fuzzed-out noise, electronic drones motorik percussion and hypnotic bass lines’ of Autohaus, the Progressive rock, experimental, avant-garde jazzcore of TERMS. The blown-out guitar wails and jet black psych noise of Dead Sea Apes and the chaotic and precision engineered electronic music of Mandy, Indiana.
AUTOHAUs – Schlecht Zum Chatten
Ombrelle Concrète
This release is three twenty odd minute tracks of live improvisation, and the over riding feeling is of krautrock repetition and drone layers, but if you can find another record as influenced by the best and in my mind untouchable debut single from Bauhaus I will eat my turntable. Now I’ve got that off my chest I need to say that this is ace. Now I’ve got that off my chest I need to say that this is ace. Steady drums, a wibbling bassline and a low drone entwining the sound underneath. It’s hugely Goth in attitude, until it turns into Robotic Overlords planning to usurp humanity. It finds a groove and settles into it, to be clear, when I say settles in, I mean continues for the rest of the morning. The second track is even more Gothically inclined and when it settles into its massive stride it is mesmerising and hypnotic. I reckon the Arch Drude himself would love it. There are subtle changes to keep you focused but even then occasionally you realise that the track has moved away from what it was into something a little different. A feeling of moving fast over and through darkness only seconds away from a fiery death. The third track is faster, it flows along rapidly, swirling guitars, rim shots or snares on top of everything and changes more than the other tracks. It shifts quicker and more obviously. Again it’s mesmerising and hypnotic as it settles into a pattern and carries on and on and on, changing and shifting as it goes until it eventually decays to just discordant noise.
Terms – All Becomes Indistinct
SKiN GRAFT Records
Terms recorded this during lockdown and to “…bridge the thousand mile distance between us to create an ongoing musical collaboration we are extremely proud of; and we believe our new album expands and refines our musical concepts”. To listen to this you will have to accept that hard core punk and free jazz are cut from the same cloth and can coexist together, loudly and incredibly strangely. Think of John Zorn or Nomeansno, both of which do what this record does, mix up styles and make them their own. There’s a massive amount of hardcore here, but it’s spiked into, around and on top of idiocratic spasms of jazz punk guitars and drums. It’s completely incoherent on first listen but it takes some effort for patterns to appear as the madness continues. It breaks and comes back together. Falls apart spasming and then gets back up, dances around and drinks a beer. It’s music but it’s not easy. I like it a lot.
Dead Sea Apes – Rewilding
Cardinal Fuzz
This begins with the sound of confusion, a massive wall of guitars, bass and drums to jar you out of whatever state you were in when you put this on and make you wake to hell up. This subsides into gloriously stoned riffs and drums. Slow, mountainous and very cool. Like the alarm waking you for work and you realising you’ve got the day off, the sun is shining and the trees look beautiful outside. The music carries on slow and glorious, like walking through the streets at dawn towards the edge of the town where the hedges grow and the brambles are tumbling out over the tarmac, feeling the sun’s heat on your face.
The music slows and shimmers, it feels vulnerable, disjointed and as it gets louder it retains the edge of loss. Then the fast clean ‘Truther’ blows away any last wisps of cobweb and you are moving fast through blue skies and clouds feeling the wind blow back at feeling powerful and full of joy. But rewilding brings you back down to the ground with a teeth jarring bang. It’s slower, focused and powerful, with a menacing undertone. It’s a massive song. To end with Dead Sea Apes get slower and even heavier. A dark, dust choked song. Finishing with the emptiness that comes to us all.
Mandy, Indiana – I’ve Seen A Way
Fire Talk Records
This starts with the sound of cold rain and the morph into electronic sound doesn’t warm the track up at all. The bursts of static make the clear sections resonate more and the luscious shine over the top is very slightly scratched and tarnished as the sound continues. The synth sounds flow and the feel is of a symphonic work performed in a huge ice cave.
When the beat comes in, muffled and hard it controls the groove completely. Your hips are moving, you can’t sit still as it plays out. There are muffles sections, clear fast beats, low static drenched bursts of techno and moments of calm. The vocals are mostly spoken, creamed, ranted and are not in English.
The music was recorded in a variety of locations including a shopping centre and cave. This reflects in the sound and emotions inside the music. Making it lighter and darker as it moves forward. An excellent electronic construction.
–
AUTOHAUs are on Facebook, Instagram and have a Bandcamp page.
TERMS have a Bandcamp page.
Dead Sea Apes’ website is deadseaapes.wordpress.com, they are on Facebook, Bandcamp and Tweet as @deadseaapes.
Mandy, Indiana are on Facebook, Instagram, Bandcamp and Tweet as @MandyIndiana.
All words by Adrian Bloxham.
One Comment