#tim goss

Darksmith, Imposter CD (Throne Heap)

I don't think CDs ever went away, but they've remained a staple of noise acts. For most, it's a question of economics; for Darksmith, it appears to be a matter of fidelity, because Imposter gets the most out of his grinding, murky brand of noise he's been perfecting for 15 years. I think he's only gotten better with every release, so I favor his recent tapes on No Rent and Regional Bears, or the Hatred of Sound LP on Second Sleep, but Imposter is on a different level. If you're unfamiliar, Tom Darksmith utilizes field recordings, tape loops and radio to create these thick, viscous recordings that writhe and, owing to the field recordings I guess, seem to attempt to communicate with the listener in an uncomfortable but completely arresting way. The two tracks on the CD each have two amazing titles, suggesting that these are all ideas developed separately but sewn together as naturally as possible. On "Looking For Idiots / Problem With Everyone," slow tape loops run into John Wiese-ish bouts of errant scraping and pig noises, only to be submerged under loops of white noise and gentle bells for the last half of the track. The second track, "Personal and Embarrassing / Hold Everything," is a rumbling HVAC assembly gradually increasing in intensity, gradually shorting out and sparking the low, slow burn of melting plastic and metal. My words hardly do the album justice, but these 30 minutes feel like they deliver on the promise of noise/tape music without utilizing any of its extremes. Perfect car soundtrack while you're out running errands and pretending that everything's not on fire. Best $10 I've spent this year.

Tim Goss, Afterfly LP (Penultimate Press)

Gotta agree with Nic at Repressed Records: Tim Goss' post-Shadow Ring project Call Back the Giants "stirred up my most uniquely strange and transcendent listening experiences of the last decade." Now he steps out under his own name, and though Afterfly feels more accessible than anything he's ever done, there's a definite fever dream-quality to the proceedings that places this squarely in line with his work in CBTG. (So much so that I've recently re-bought a previously sold copy of The Marianne, a thankfully rare occurrence.) There's a little less overt fantasy at play here, at least lyrically, than with CBTG, though there is a pretty wild story included with the LP, meant to be read along with hallucinatory album centerpiece "Fly IV." The album opens with something I'd expect to hear on a modern compilation of independently produced and released '80s synth, but the speed is slow enough to trip the listener headfirst into the brittle metallic "Fly II," complete with the enervating taunt "You have the face of an old man, catch me if you can." While there are several straightforward moments - notably "Fly VI"'s gorgeous layered stairway note assembly - for the most part familiar effects and chords are stretched and pulled and littered casually, not in an act of sabotage but in an attempt to uncover feelings not easily accessible any other way. Or, it could just be a low & slow build-up to the lush and patiently driven closing track; who knows? Whatever the case, it's hard to deny that Afterfly takes me elsewhere for its duration, the kind of psychedelic that is complimentary without losing its grip on, or outright denying, reality. Lessens the burden for a bit, and in a smart package to boot. Brilliant record, highest recommendation. Penultimate Press is on a roll.

Hissing, Hypervirulence Architecture LP (Profound Lore)

It took about five seconds for someone on Bandcamp to call Hissing the States' answer to Portal, the mysterious and dizzyingly complex death metal band from Australia. It's a characterization I reject - their black/death hybrid runs closer to Ulcerate's - though for a few brief moments, you can see a resemblance: the drumming is absurdly precise, the vocals are often gruffly intoned reverberations, and both bands can tie the fretboard into a knot. Aside from the obvious differences in costuming, Hissing, from Seattle, WA, is a three piece primarily interested in the horrors of the everyday. Their last album was titled Permanent Destitution, a title that would work even better in today's ever-widening wealth gap, and their latest record tackles the slow kudzu-like growth and interference of technology worming into every aspect of all lives. While the more outlandish aspects of metal make it an undeniably entertaining genre, the grime and smog Hissing bring to the table cut close to the bone. The added noise and reverberations give a fog machine-type effect to the record, but the sound is surprisingly clean overall; parts of the record, like the closing minutes of "Meltdown," sound like Primitive Man stripped of a few layers of caustic noise. For me, the last few listens to Hypervirulence Architecture brought to mind the Jesus Lizard more than any death metal band, due to the booming and clear bass guitar amidst the onslaught. You can hear the influence of Sims and Denison in the closing minute of "Cells of Nonbeing," sheets of guitar (and bass clarinet!) anchored by the bass and hammered down by the drums; taken to a logical extreme at points on "Operant Extinction"; and channeled throughout most of "Intrusion," where the album's heaviest moment is teased out into an unruly finale. These parts, where Hissing pulls back and lays bare their ferocity, lend added heft and depth to match the ambitions of their lyrical content. While most bands operating on the same technical level often offer little to no concessions to the listener, Hissing allows enough of a peek behind to curtain to keep the listener engaged throughout. Yeah, I will concede that the ten minute "Operant Extinction" sags in the middle and doesn't quite claw its way back to the ferocity of the first few minutes, but that's about the only gripe I could level at Hypervirulence Architecture. Amidst the revival of boneheaded campy death metal (no hate), Hissing feels like a revelation, splitting the difference between the technical and the visceral in a way that's sure to disappoint fans firmly in both camps. Metal's slow to change but it doesn't mean you have to be the same; strap in and let Hypervirulence Architecture crush, rip and devour like the well-oiled machine it was built to be. Challenging, to be sure, but also best metal record of the year so far.

RRR Band, s/t CS (Petty Bunco)