Walnut Brain is a Philadelphia noise/experimental duo made up of electric guitarist Steve Heise and diddley bow player Alina Josan. Their first full-length, Weird Wire, came out earlier this year on Petty Bunco records, full of jangling half-percussive, half-melodic metallic string vibrations that sounded like blues from outer space. In her review, Jennifer Kelly wrote, “The sounds that Heise and Josan make are far removed from the Delta tradition, consisting largely of staccato banging on strings, a rain of notes from both instruments that morphs and changes in the air, finding strange harmonies, dissonances and complementarities on the fly.” Here's what's in heavy rotation for them right now.
France — Destino Scifosi
We have been playing this one on repeat for many months. A live recording from the masters of the one chord jam with plenty of hurdy-gurdy screeching and shredding. The bass player and drummer show tremendous restraint and never stray from their initial simple groove.
Didona — PIZMA
This is a great Romanian noise pop group that sometimes reminds us of Fugazi in the best possible way. The cassette label it's released on, Beach Buddies, is putting out some really interesting and challenging music from Eastern Europe and beyond.
Nowhere Flower — Heat Dome
Really cool murky songs with distorted drum machines and twangy guitars. The lyrics are pretty much indecipherable which is how we prefer them.
De Vlaamse Primitieven — Lucht Van Een Andere Planeet
You can tell these guys are really good musicians. But they don't overplay. Instead, they use simple riffs and repetition to create these great hypnotic acoustic pieces.
Group Inerane — Marhajan Bianou
Many years ago, I (Steve) obsessed over live videos of Group Inerane on YouTube. Then a few months ago out of nowhere Sublime Frequencies released this album of live recordings from some of those very same live shows. Some of the best guitar rock jams out there.
Bohannon — Disco Stomp
A perfect song that's somehow both mellow and a foot stomper. We listened to it a lot this year. Heey, Philadelphia!
David Nance and Simon Joyner — Bedspring Symphony
David Nance has made a ton of great music since this one but it's hitting the spot these days. Originally released under a different name; one look at the art and you'll figure out what that was. Some of it sounds like soulful singing from the bottom of a well, some of it like raucous one-take rockers: perfect. Really looking forward to the return of his Astute Palate.
Marlen Haushofer — The Wall
This is a novel that we both read in turn this year and loved. Survival in the post cataclysm world while getting to better understand animals is going to be bittersweet.
Lale Westvind — Void Packer
Lale's phenomenal Grip is still one of the best comics I've ever laid eyes on along with her many others. Those beautiful drawings and stories have real power, electricity and humor. It's been a treat to wait for issues of Void Packer (what a great name!), now four in number, and see the main story take shape along with shorter ones that are dystopian and hopeful in turn.
Pat Finnerty — What Makes This Song Stink
Pat Finnerty videos are evergreen for us. We've watched each video many, many times. Pat is doing the real work of dissecting the worst music out there. We eagerly await the next episode.
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Via the always-reliable Petty Bunco label, Walnut Brain's Weird Wire is indeed weird and wiry — and wonderful! Recorded in various cabins, kitchens and basements on the eastern seaboard, the 10 hypnotic tracks here buzz and clang and drone beautifully. The ingredients are simple: a customized diddley bow (played by Alina Josan) and electric guitar (played by Steve Heise). The resulting sounds put Walnut Brain roughly in the same avant-old-timey zone as Pelt and Black Twig Pickers (and going back a bit further to Henry Flynt as well). Strange, sweet and quietly mindbending.
