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| Horns Up |
New Horizons
Deathfiend – Beyond Life
Another blistering release from Johnny
Doom, this time coming from the metal spectrum (hell, the name comes from
Hellhammer). With influences ranging from Celtic Frost right through to
Deviated Instinct, this is a remorseless record. ‘Rise From Decay’ begins as an
up-tempo, d-beat style number before slowing down for maximum filth, Autopsy
style. An essential release and I’m looking forward to hearing a full album
from Deathfiend.
The cassette can be streamed and purchased here.
Puce Mary – You Must Have Been Dreaming
One of two releases from Copenhagen’s
finest underground noise merchant (not that the market is flooded in that
regard), ‘You Must…’ is more of a mixed bag owing to the variety of landscapes
evident throughout the tape (ambient, sinister, classical) but they all blend
together to create a lush listening experience with an undercurrent of
darkness, such as ‘Faith Dealers’ hitting the listener with samples of gunshots
over a backdrop of sky surfing etherealness.
The cassette can be streamed and purchased here.
Bleakness – Life at a Standstill
With an impeccable cover reminiscent of the
work of Steve Stapleton, these French punks pick up where The Wraith (RIP) left
off: blending punk rock with gothy post-punk. And you know what? It makes for
an enthralling listen. ‘Mechanism of Death’ leans more on the anthemic punk
side, but a number like ‘Resignation Kills’ almost veers into Fall like
melodies! An eccentric release but highly exciting and, I have to reiterate, an
impeccable album cover.
The album can be streamed and purchased here
Merzbow - Animal Liberation Until Every Cage Is Empty
Once unfairly described as someone who had
taken Boyd Rice’s “…sub-Futurist 'instant karma for kids' noise-racket…” and
turning it into a brand, this album offers up a much more claustrophobic
atmosphere, akin to being tortured in Guantanamo Bay (undoubtedly a deliberate
parallel) due to the use of oscillator knobs creating high pitched frequencies
and the booming, clanging percussion that permeates throughout. One of his
finest releases.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
The Utopia Strong – International Treasure
Former snooker player (and prog rock
aficionado) Steve Davis and Cardiacs member Kavus Torabi team up again for
another sonic exploration. With bagpipes drones, arpeggiated synth lines and
even a guzheng (Chinese plucked zither) thrown into the mix, the end result is
a deeply trippy, sombre yet ritualistic record that pulls these varying strands
together in such a compelling shape. One to be played during a sky burial in
winter solstice.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Kitchen Cynics – Strange Acrobats
Having released albums every year since
1989, Aberdeen’s Alan Davidson has amassed quite the catalogue. Operating in
terrain similar to Current 93 (with much more of an emphasis on the folk side
of things) and Ivor Cutler, this is a darkly intimate album which feels like it
was recorded in a damp forest after a rainfall. Standout track has to be
‘Dropped from the Dark’ owing to it’s intricate guitar lines, backwards flute
and overall ambience feeling like a potential soundtrack piece.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
Plattenbau - (=2021)
Berlin based Plattenbau (real name Aleksandr
Chiesa) indulges in some Richard H. Kirk and Orb worship here by creating a
tape of cerebral dance music that can be as equally appreciated as a soundtrack
to and from the club as well as IDM dancefloor material. ‘Step 4’ in particular
has an intensity about that is reminiscent of Fuck Buttons at their best and
‘Step 5’ feels like a heavier Chris and Cosey number.
The album can be streamed and purchased here.
St James Infirmary – Archipelago
One of two releases this year for the cult
Northumberland group, this cassette (using the term for an area that contains a
chain or group of islands scattered in lakes, rivers, or the ocean for a title)
is as airy and paradisiacal as its title suggests, with songs like ‘Unquiet
Villa’ and ‘Shades of the Parish Hall Dance’ evoking the image of being on a
paradise island, overwhelmed by the beauty and silence on display and wondering
if a storm is afoot.
The album can be streamed and purchased here,
Golden Oldies
The Fireman - Strawberries Oceans Ships
Forest
Made up of Killing Joke bassist Youth and
some Scouser called Paul McCartney, the first Fireman album is a spiritual
companion to the Orb’s ‘UF Orb’ album in that it’s as much a chill out record
as it is a club record, with tracks like ‘Arizona Night’ suggesting a more
pagan, ritualistic side to the music. Comprising of samples from Macca’s then
recent ‘Off the Ground’, not only did it see him revisit his experimental side,
but it also helped solidify Youth’s reputation as producer extraordinaire.
Sweet Exorcist – CCCD
Another collaboration, this time between
Cabaret Voltaire legend Richard H. Kirk and DJ Parrot, this is a record very
much of its time (the bleep techno that helped Warp make their name as THE
label for IDM) and sounds quite simple in comparison to Kirky’s later releases.
Nonetheless, it cannot be denied that the record stands up a lot better than
other releases from that period (like, say, the first Prodigy record). ‘Trick
Jack’ sounds great over whatever PA is available.
Lust for Youth – Perfect View
Although not their most polished LP, ‘Perfect
View’ is the best encapsulation of their modus operandi: to make dance music
for alienated hipsters. Tracks like ‘Breaking Silence’ conjure up images of the
morning sun rising on an all-night party and the scattered vocals suggest
someone trying to articulate the potency of the moment but lapsing into
repeated phrases. The musical equivalent of a faded Polaroid: evocative and
imbued with melancholy.
x
New Order – Complete Music
A collection of remixes and extended tracks
from the 2015 ‘Music Complete’ album, it’s surprisingly effective as a
listening experience (undoubtedly due to the remixes not venturing too far from
the original songs). Songs like ‘Restless’ are given more room to breathe
(allowing for a grander scope) and others strip back the excess and up the
tempo (‘Plastic’). New Order should do this more often. And Peter Hook is never
missed.
⏩ Christopher Owens was a reviewer for Metal Ireland and finds time to study the history and inherent contradictions of Ireland. He is currently the TPQ Friday columnist.
In New Order above Christopher did you not detect a U2 influence from New Year's Day?
ReplyDeleteAM,
DeleteI did not. However, U2 are on record as being massive fans of New Order so I would imagine it's the other way around!
that might explain it
ReplyDelete