Been a minute. Iāve been driven back to theĀ ānet by the unfortunate situation the entire world is in. Iām trying hard to keep occupied and keep cool instead of binging news and Instagram, and music, as always, has been a salve. Most of the below titles are just new to me, though not necessarily new - but weāve pretty much all got the time to reminisce or to go back and search for buried gems, so here goes.
Tori Kudo, The Last Song of My LifeĀ LP (Anāarchives) / Tori Kudo & Kayo Makino,Ā Ein Traum FĆ¼r Dich LP (Black Truffle)
Tori Kudoās always been on the periphery of my listening, but aside from the Mu Ji Ge 7ā³, this is really my first time diving into his extensive body of work. His newest solo LP is The Last Song of My Life, where as bandleader Kudo leads a melancholy saunter meditating on one motif for its duration, occasionally pocked by noise, apparently ādepending on their response to the film work that was being projected.ā You donāt need the film to get to the emotive heart of this, and the motif will be stuck in your head for days. Strangely beautiful, and somewhat disarming, even if the errant elbow strikes you in the ribs now and then. My go-to reading soundtrack lately. Beautiful presentation by Anāarchives, as usual. This one flew off the shelves, so be sure to grab it if you see it in the wild.
Last year Kudo released a collaborative LP with Kayo Makino on Black Truffle, and if youāre daunted by The Last Song of My Life, this one goes even further down the rabbit hole. I preferĀ Ein Traum FĆ¼r Dich though; Kudoās on piano, playing Satie on the A-side and some meandering progression on the flip, and Makino digitally distorts and heightens Kudoās playing, occasionally adding spoken word samples and processed noise. The A-side is interesting, both of them playing with the possibilities of this pairing, Makino layering and offsetting Kudoās melody to nauseating effect. The B-side is the reason for tuning in, though: Makinoās static stretches and overwhelms Kudo at points, making for a hypnotic and immersive 20+ minute ride. Itās a trip, the whole album acting as an audial blackout curtain, or the mesmerizing escape we all could use. Grab the LP from Forced Exposure for 15% off now.
Hardijs LediÅÅ”, Tiny Crabs of Deep WatersĀ LP (Musiques Electroniques Actuelles)
Been digging into the NSRD collectiveās work a bit lately, though Iām not gonna pretend like Iām some sort of expert - the Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art published a comprehensive book about the group a few years ago if ya wanna become one, though. Iām partway through the book; my takeaway so far is that the NSRD collective, led byĀ Hardijs LediÅÅ” andĀ Juris Boiko, found ways to subvert oppressive Soviet rule through a freedom of expression and thought seldomly encountered. Part of that expression was of course music, and the Workshop For the Restoration of Unfelt Feelings compilation on Stroom is the best introduction (good luck finding the LP). The music was largely electronic, somewhat ahead of its time and also totally cracked given the relative isolation of Latvia during this time. Tiny Crabs of Deep WatersĀ is another entryway to the groupās music, this time a reissue of an impossible-to-find CDr fromĀ Hardijs LediÅÅ”. The synth-heavy, largely instrumental record should appeal to fans of the soundtrack work of Tangerine Dream or John Carpenter, but the whole thing carries this strange sense that something is a bit off. Cartoonish keyboard effects collide with rich bass tones in a conventional yet dizzying manner, if you lean in close. The LPās been a great shot in the arm when the day gets too sleepy, especially when the beat kicks in on the 13-minuteĀ āLa Danse Binoculaire De Paris.ā Top notch reissue, released at the end of last year, and can still be had on Discogs.
Teitanblood, DeathĀ 2xLP (Norma Evangelium Diaboli/The Ajna Offensive)
Yeah, this one makes sense right now: absolutely blistering black metal from Spain, the 2014 follow-up to modern classic Seven ChalicesĀ that I didnāt check out for some reason until now. Teitanblood is smothering and chaotic, and hardly conventional, but an admittedly complicated method exists behind the screen. Thereās hardly a more cathartic record available to me than Death, especially the duo ofĀ āPlagues of Forgivenessā/āCadaver Synodā that takes up face B. The band released The Baneful ChoirĀ last year, and that one smokes, too. Grab both LPs from Hellās Headbangers or direct from the Ajna Offensive and burn straight out of this reality.
Martina Lussi, Diffusion Is a ForceĀ LP (Latency)
A totally engrossing and absorbing sound world created by Switzerlandās Martina Lussi on Diffusion Is a Force. The samples used - wheezing breaths, dribbling basketballs, roaring crowds - introduce a human element to the rich, warm tapestries. No beats to ride on here, but a track likeĀ āHigher Energyā cuts to the core with a Loren Connors-esque guitar part, which is then slowly displaced by rumbling, punctuated bass. The album feels very light and warm, as if in a fog, and the careful sequencing shifts the mood imperceptibly from track to track. Obviously I am not well-versed in electronic music, and thereās probably a name for what Lussi does so well here, but whatever it is, Diffusion Is a ForceĀ hits me right in the chest while gettinā the synapses firing. Find the LP on Discogs, or support 2 Bridges Music Arts during this time of small business strain.
Reek Minds, s/t 7ā³ (Edger) / Suck Lords, True Lords MusicĀ 7ā³ (Edger) / Pig DNA, Mob Shity MLP (La Vida Es Un Mus) / Pig DNA, Strong ThroatĀ 7ā³ (Square One Again)
Itās inevitable that some anger will boil over from time to time, from the ineptitude shown by governments worldwide to the jackass hoarding hand sanitizer right here in Tennessee. These four records will stomp the anger right outta ya so you can get back to staring at the ceiling and forcing yourself to breathe calmly. Reek Mindsā 7ā³ is new this year, and they blaze through 8 tracks, coming off like the late, great Sickoids while still sprinkling in some mosh-worthy bits (see āA.M.ā). Matt K. at Yellow Green Red thinks Iron Lung will be calling for Reek Minds to join their ranks soon, and I agree. Apparently there are 2 copies of Reek Mindsā self-titled 7ā³ left at Bandcamp as of this writing. They share members with Suck Lords, who somehow play even faster, approaching powerviolence speeds, their drummer giving Jerryās Kidsā Brian Betzger a run for his money. The Lords are a little more goofy than Reek Minds, though you wouldnāt know it if they hadnāt included a lyric sheet and aĀ āGetting to Know the Lordsā insert with last yearās True Lords MusicĀ record. Grab some Lords from Not For Everyone.
Pig DNA, for their part, drop an atomic bomb on the whole thing, their 2015 MLP Mob ShityĀ sounding strangely prescient and utterly unforgiving. From the opening trackĀ āFoire,ā Pig DNA throw down the gauntlet, every track seeming to possess more ludicrous levels of noise smothering the piledriving riffs than the previous one. Thereās d-beat in there somewhere, but Iām not gonna stick my hand in the caustic stew to find it. āScums (City Rockers)ā is my pick, but the whole thing is an unrelenting assault and worthy successor to Kriegshƶgās s/t LP. Hard to handle nuclear material, so itās still available for as low as $6. The band followed up Mob ShityĀ with Strong Throat, possibly the shortest 7ā³ record I own, that continues down the same path. Itās worth hunting down (here ya go) for the B-side, where the drums drop out and the band still gnashes and claws at the walls with all its got. Insane. May their message live on in these chaotic days ahead.
