NO-CORE

I’m sure this has already been posted all over the internet, but I still can’t resist putting up this video. Brian “Narwhalz (of sound)” and Jonathan “Shams” (also a member of infant-core band Adult Moan) face off against some Baltimore scene kids, including Kate Levitt of Teeth Mountain, on TV’s JUDGE JUDY. (By the way, looks like Shams plays this Saturday in Brooklyn at Death by Audio!)

No need to feel bad watching this, I have a strong feeling that no cats were actually killed in the making of this case. (I can believe that some TVs were smashed) And check out those nice, new leather jackets that Narwhalz & Shams are sporting! The actual show sequence is a little slow, Her Honor Judy doesn’t allow for much improv (Narwhalz tries) but the closing interviews are great.

You’ll want to check out the comments too, some of which are also hard to judge as real or fake. Highlights include:

“They are a tribe of sickos and should not be allowed to have a cat, and definitely not televisions.”

“Quit trying to promote your stupid band, and find a new acting coach”

and of course: “DEWD SHES HAWT. UR GAY LIEK THOSE DUDES LOL”

Captain Ahab: the Captain Ahab of, um, music?

Since this falls vaguely in the same category (weirdo musicians appearing on TV shows) I thought I’d throw it into the same post. Except that this news item, cool as it is, is completely appropriate and UN-strange, considering how uber-PRO-fessional Captain Ahab are in their approach to music. Captain Ahab, who are on the Deathbomb Arc label and are like some kind of Ween of electronic music, have a new song of theirs prominently featured in the latest episode of the SciFi (I refuse to call it “SyFy”) show Caprica. I’m embedding the clip below, but if it gets taken down, you can watch the full episode HERE.

You can also hear the track and download it free from Captain Ahab’s Bandcamp page. (Haven’t I heard that beedley-deep-beep sample in another Ahab song?) A little browsing on Youtube also reveals plenty of examples of Ahab tracks appearing in other shows.

Alright, I may as well close things out with a classic, which the above Judge Judy unavoidably brought to mind. Joe, (ex- of The Fugue)’s closing comments on the People’s Court. Enjoy.

* Okay, okay, I know neither Narwhalz nor Shams are really “noise” but I enjoy bugging serious harsh-noise dudes by polluting “their” genre with goofballs.

Realicide - Detroit 2009

Everyone loves free mp3 albums right? So maybe you’ve already found these, but it can’t hurt to spread the good word. The gabber/noise/omni-core group Realicide have made a whole bunch of music available for you. They’re frequently compared to Atari Teenage Riot, which is not far off the mark, except they often make ATR sound like, I don’t know… Jesus Jones?

Anyway, you can get no less than THREE collections of stuff, a mega-mix of samples from the latest album with live stuff and b-sides here:

http://www.lunaticfringe.org/~schizoid/dtrashrecords/digitaldownloads/135.html

and a 20-minute tape of misc. live material turned digital release, directly linked here:

http://ia311020.us.archive.org/1/items/Wild063-Realicide/Wild063-Realicide-DigitalScraps2008.zip

and basically a whole live album, with interviews and photos! This one’s pretty awesome. Here:

http://www.digitalvomit.com/dvr048

Rose for Bohdan

And next up, Brian of Foot Village/Deathbombarc pointed out in the comments to another post that his band Rose For Bohdan’s last album was made available as a free download, but since I figure few people saw it there, I’m reiterating it here. 3 members of Foot Village, recently reviewed, were also in this band. Get it here:

http://deathbombarc.com/sound/r4b/creepingmoraldecay/creeping.htm

I really admire consistency of presentation. Dave Smolen’s album is called “Flannel Injection,” the disc has a flannel plaid pattern on it, it comes packaged IN flannel, and I am pretty sure Dave himself was wearing a flannel shirt when he handed this to me.

Strangely however, I cant find anything flannel-ey about the sounds herein. In fact, I’d be far more likely to liken the sound to things metallic, electronic, or alien. This conjures up H.R. Giger settings in my mind, much of it sounding like what you’d expect to hear as you made the descent into the heart of some kind of scary, bio-mechanical mothership.

The album starts and ends with more rhythm-based tracks, the first one almost sounding like a drum machine run through effects, the last based on a fast pulsing sound that goes through some very Mincemeat or Tenspeed-like changes. (You might note that, both Smolen and MMOTS coming from the same Philadelphia scene, the influence likely runs both ways) In the middle, the album comes closer to soundscapes, filled with grinding machines, lasers, dripping goo, and mechanical reverb. Rhythmic elements still crop up throughout in the form of pulses, flutters, and very loosely looped sounds. Like the soundtrack to a surrealist, industrial, sci-fi/horror film.

I really like how this is composed as an album, many different tracks with a different sound to each, just less than 30 minutes altogether, opening and closing with the more “catchy” tracks. Makes for great repeat listening. Dave Smolen’s performance at I.N.C. was also fantastic, based on many of the same sci-fi sounds, but gradually layering them up into a complex mess.

CDR from Malleable Records.

http://www.malleablerecs.com

Dave Smolen live video!

I’m not even going to attempt a proper “review” of this event. Not only would it inevitably overlook the majority of amazing acts, it would almost seem to contradict the spirit of this gathering. Each year, freak-noise godfather Rat Bastard puts on this 3-day festival in his hometown of Miami. No one is charged a cent, no one is payed a cent. By design, it is a showcase of bands who love making noise and acting like freaks for the pure love of it. There are really no genre restrictions and what ties all the performers together more than anything is a shared ideology.

This year may have actually been slightly less insane than last year – but you still get to see at least 30 of the best performances you’ll see all year, inside 3 days. A number of acts seem to have dropped out, including some of the heavyweights, though I didn’t really notice until I’d gotten a few nights’ sleep back at home and started to think things like “Weren’t Sword Heaven listed originally?” Perhaps the economy is to blame? I hope they (and some others who were missed) will return next year, but there was still way, way more great stuff than any one person could hope to catch. No one catches everything, except maybe Rat.

Here are some links to some INC2009 documentation that should keep you busy.

First of all, to see (almost) all the photos I took, click on this pic of some noise kids at the beach:

I also took a bunch of videos and stuck them on the NO-CORE YOUTUBE HERE – but there are far more and better videos that Breathmint Records got and put on Vimeo!

Laundry Room Squelchers – live during International Noise Conference at Churchill’s – Miami, FL – 02-12-2009 from Breathmint on Vimeo.

Check out the rest, seriously.

There are also some great photos on Flickr from “That Bad Larry” like this one of Head Molt killing it:

Some more great ones from “Gold Pony” like this one of Noumena:

And perhaps best of all, the dudes who do Zradio (probably the best podcast and radio show in existence right now) were there and recorded a whole bunch of acts. When they got home they assembled a 3-hour podcast of what they got, which sounds great and provides a nice cross-section of the styles. (maybe leaning a bit toward the noise-rock?) The first recording, of Undrskor, sets the mood nicely and demonstrates what happens if you choose to let Nondor be your drummer. GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD IT. Notice also that the previous episode has a bunch of recordings from the Philadelphia pre-INC show.

Got more? Add a comment and share your link!

I am at the International Noise Conference in Miami right now. A more detailed write-up will follow, but I will share some photos and videos as I upload them. More photos at http://www.flickr.com/photos/nocore and more videos at http://www.youtube.com/user/xNOCOREx

This is a really enjoyable tape from Virginia’s scum-noise royalty Head Molt. Enjoyable that is, if you’re into exciting and dynamic noise music.

If you’ve seen Head Molt live, you know they’re a pretty ferocious act, with lots of rolling around, screaming, basically taking cues from the Cock ESP school of noise performance. So it’s pleasantly surprising that their recordings sound so planned and well-composed. “Police Dhajaal” starts out fierce with overblown fuzz noise and shrieked, almost black-metal-style vocals (something like the style both Wolf Eyes and Hair Police now employ), but from there it moves through a nice variety of crazy sounds. A synth bass-drop sound keeps things heavy with some BOOM… BOOM… Either some post-editing went into this material, or the four credited band members showed impressive restraint and organization because often all but one sound will drop out before new noises emerge.

The b-side is more restrained, or at least less dense. It’s just as loud, but walks a razor-thin line between tense drone and piercing harshness, tipping back and forth throughout. The track ends before the side is finished and there’s a long period of silence (or sounds too quiet to be heard while listening on headphones at the Laundromat) before a brief, fierce squall of noise closes out the side. (bonus track?) The whole tape makes for a nicely paced listen and feels like a complete album, despite the 22 minute length, some of which is silence.

This would make a perfect sample and introduction to Head Molt, in my opinion one of the most exciting and consistently rewarding bands making noise today. I am always surprised by how well their recordings hold my attention and reward repeat listens. Highly recommended for fans of early Hanatarash or Gerogerigegege (Perhaps a giveaway, one of the lead Head Molters, Gary, goes by Garygegege) as well as more “song-based” Wolf Eyes. The tape is on Gary’s anti-everything label and has nice rainbow-pop-vomit cover art.

Aww shoot, it’s sold out! Don’t sweat it, just grab some other Head Molt release, it’s all quality. I guess in that case I can tell you that the “Police Dhajaal” track is a free download at their last.fm page! Grab it now!

http://www.last.fm/music/head+molt
http://ratward.blogspot.com

Scissor Shock is an interesting mix. It’s mainly a one-man project (Adam Cooley is the man responsible) which on the one hand sounds almost like a laptop band. The drums sound synthetic and programmed, the vocals are usually effected, and there’s some digital fuckery throughout. However, the playing style is closest to loose-knit multi-member ensembles who specialize in semi-improvised chaotic rock. Think of a digital version of Fat Worm of Error, or a Caroliner from the future instead of the past. It’s not quite as tightly choreographed as U.S.Maple (I think!) but each song definitely has a plan.

Scissor Shock is really prolific and this full-length release follows right behind an equally full-length release which seems like it came out less than 6 months ago. From what I gather, Scissor Shock started out doing something more like the usual kid-with-a-laptop style of grindcore/8-bit. I’m glad that the project has evolved into this more challenging and interesting style.

The arrhythmic beats are accompanied by some equally off-balance guitar manglings, trombone, miscellaneous, and some Wicked Witch of the West vocals. There are also a couple of tracks to break things up with only some acoustic guitar noodling, which actually sounds quite skilled and even pretty. These tracks are called “Ghost Fahey” and “Fahey Ghost” and while I’m not really familiar with John Fahey’s music, I’m guessing these tracks are some kind of homage. (maybe also an homage to the band Ghost?) I really respect that actually. If you’re going to try to play like a favorite artist, just call it like it is, don’t try to pass it off as your own invention. In the same vein, this album also includes a track titled “Blood Infinitive” and yeah, there’s definitely a link between this and Royal Trux’s “Twin Infinitives” too. Strangely, while being far more honest about who he’s stealing from, Scissor Shock has also created music that is far more unique than most other bands.

P.S. Adam is also very generous about giving his music away online. Poke around a little bit and you can find plenty of Scissor Shock for free download, but you’ll want to buy an album too!

“Synonym for the Word Decay” is to be released September 26th on Laser Seizure Records.

http://www.geocities.com/scissor_shock/

http://www.myspace.com/scissorshock

You couldn’t be blamed for expecting Hagony to be a rather goofy and lo-fi affair. This is a project featuring Emil Hagstrom of Cock ESP and Jason Wade of the notorious Minneapolis band Faggot. When I first saw this project appear on MySpace, I think they claimed to exclusively play amplified empty beer cans, a statement which seemed perfectly believable. This CDR comes in an economical plastic sleeve with paper insert and no attempt has been made to cover the standard branding on the disk itself. Then there’s the cover art. You can see it here. It’s not terribly offensive, but it’s not safe for work. Emil’s face and those of some political figures are pasted onto a group photo of… nudists? The back cover has Wade’s face inserted into a newspaper article about a man who ate his underwear in an attempt to beat a breathalyzer test.

Okay, I think I’ve painted a picture for you. You would now probably be just as surprised as I was to find that this album is actually carefully crafted, detailed, and intricately-layered noise. Seriously. This is every bit as good and worthy of repeat listens as any noise record pressed onto 180 gram vinyl this year.

The first track is mostly varying layered tones, somewhere halfway between drones and piercing feedback. The way the tones almost harmonize here and there creates an unsettling mood, a tension builder that leads into the second track, which explodes in a dense squall of noise. Things proceed from there with these two properties, harsh/dense and subtle/ominous, more carefully intertwined. No recognizable instruments or sound sources emerge, although I’m pretty sure those are some kind of horror movie screams submerged in the mix. And then best of all, it ends too soon! This is definitely an album and not one of those 3-minute Cock ESP releases, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome.

I am 100% behind artists who do not take themselves too seriously. Sometimes however, such artists’ work deserves to be taken seriously itself, and this is a fine example. Now, someone repress this thing in a deluxe vinyl format already.

http://freenoise.org
http://www.myspace.com/hagony

In my book, this is a noise record which does lots of things right. First of all, I like to hear a mix of organic and digital sounds, especially when the lines get blurred. This starts out with some guitar work that would sound like speed-metal scales if it weren’t so aluminum-treble shrill. This repeats, but quickly gets cut up, chopped and blended into coarse digital noise. Or maybe the digital noise is produced separately and it just sounds like processed guitar, because like I said, the lines quickly blur. There are sounds that might be that squealing harmonics sound that metal guitarists do, but it also might just be noise, or feedback, or who knows.

Another thing I like is that there are no obvious loops running. Sounds come back but they continually vary and get layered up in shifting combinations. I never feel like I’m listening to something on repeat. There are elements of musicality throughout, but there is never a song that appears. There is just one big track on this album, perhaps with different sections or movements, but all tied together by common sounds and textures. This definitely sounds like one coherent piece, while at the same time constantly changing.

CSection is the work of Alex Nagle, also the guitarist in the Philadelphia band Satanized, who is credited in the liner notes with playing “Guitar, CSound.” I found that CSound is a music programming language, but I’m not sure if it has another meaning. If this is actually some kind of combo of pseudo-metal shredding and ultra-nerdy computer programming, then I am seriously impressed. No idea if this could be performed live, but I would really like to see such a thing.

This is on cool Philly noise/etc label Malleable Records, and comes in a very nice gatefold cardboard case with silkscreened art. (by markpriceisafactory.com)

http://www.malleablerecs.com

http://www.myspace.com/thetruecsection

No, not THAT Kevin Shields. This is (obviously?) the one-woman noise project named “Kevin Shields.”

I’ve seen some debate over this naming choice bouncing around the internet. Is it brilliant? stupid? funny? deceitful? Apparently down at SXSW there were at least a couple of indie rockers who saw “This Kevin Shields,” thinking they were going to be seeing Kevin Shields, the My Bloody Valentine front-man. Is this a case of poking fun at indie rockers’ know-it-all attitude, or a case of trying to one-up their elitism? After all, to get the joke you have to not only know all about The Kevin Shields, but the more obscure This Kevin Shields too. While I am FOR confusion and anarchy in the music world, I do have to wonder if it’s setting low expectations for yourself to make the assumption from the get-go that your project will always remain obscure even compared to an already-rather-obscure (to 99% of the world) musician.

But that’s more than enough about that. This IS an album after all, so part of what matters ought to be how it sounds. Here we’ve got several slabs of good, solid harsh noise broken up with some quieter interludes to keep it all in perspective. Opening up with some light plunking on a keyboard, no doubt intended to trick you into turning up your stereo, you quickly get dropped into harshness territory. That thick stuff, Incapacitants-style perhaps, the rumbling and shrieking and grinding, borderline-white-noise kind. There’s plenty of changes happening throughout to keep noise fans listening (despite the title, “The Death of Patience”?), even if some of the moves might seem familiar. You’ve got your brief moments of high-pitched feedback tone, your pulsing buzzes, your waterfall-of-broken-glass sound.

It’s all rather nicely paced, with quieter moments of some more keyboard fiddling and what sounds like echoey contact mic fiddling breaking up the harshness. The fidelity is a little more cassette-tape quality than the digital brightness of Merzbow releases, but I think any harsh noise fan would be totally pleased to give this some listens. On CD and co-released by Deathbombarc, Entropic Tarot, and EMR Records.

http://kevinshields.tk

http://deathbombarc.bigcartel.com
http://entropictarot.com/home.html
http://www.emr-records.com/catalog.html