Labels: mrw44
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Uh-oh. This looks like being a difficult review of things that may well beyond the comprehension of my ears, but what the hey, there is a Polaris track on it. So damned if I was going to pass it on to someone with a proper clue about this kind of thing. Selfish, yes, that’s me.
Death Cat – Well, that’s a nice name to call your band. The cat wanders through a moody and discomforting 3 and a half minutes of various strange noises that I lost track of because I was just doing something for the website.
Opaque – ok, this is some ambient noise, to tell the truth all I have ever heard that remotely is anything like this is the Jazzfinger side of the Orrin De Forrest split. And I did like that. It builds up over the duration. Unsettling, but I enjoyed it.
Hex – aha! two tracks from this lot and I really struggled with their CD that I got for review. This seems far more fathomable to me, the first track squelches around bass-ily and there some darker parts that make me think of DC bands being all arty and post-rock. quality. the second track twinkles ominously at the start and brings the noise later on. overall, i liked this way more than the CD, they make me think of all the underground post rock bands from Leeds that came to play in Leicester a few years ago (Diesel vs Steam, and some other band with a girl from Imbiss? i forget now)
Milgram – two tracks here too, the first one really rolls a long in a surprisingly melodic fashion given what has gone before it. Enjoyable mathy instrumental stuff that has a bit of a Chicago flavour. This made me sway in my chair, I can see the folks in this band rocking back and forth with intense looks on their faces. The second track is jazzier but retains the same atmosphere, and rocks out. Really cool, I enjoyed this band loads.
March of Dimes – this is a bit of a change of direction for this comp, because they aren’t an instrumental band. i am not quite sure what it is really, it’s not particularly peculiar, but on the first song a Scottish guy talks over a very bouncy and simple rhythm which is distorted. The second track is also odd, it is vaguely folky but not in an overly traditional sense. not really sure what to make of these!
Polaris – ah, here comes Polaris. the only band on here i have even heard of, let alone own a record by. anyway, over their 6 and a bit minutes, they indulge in some complex and hideously good instrumental math rock noodling that makes me get the groove on. i haven’t really listened to this style of music for quite some time but i love what they are doing here. all the instruments play off each other to great effect, and the most melodic parts with the twinkly guitars chiming away is gorgeous. just something you have to hear rather than have me fumbling around the dictionary whilst attempting to describe it to you
Serious Naan – ? anyway, back to the disconcerting stuff after all that. more unwieldly noise that weirds me out. Some parts make me think of Doctor Who sound effects. This is tapped.
Fiend – well shit, it’s an 8 minute ambient noise track. whoop. it has slowed down vocals. i think if i did mad drugs then i would probably dig this but i am just some wussy emo bastard who can’t even handle a few beers, ack. There is a sample of some guy talking about the universe in the background (I think that’s what he is on about). i found this lot pretty impossible to make head or tail of.
Nimrod 33 – christ on crutch. i am listening on headphones and i will have to take them off or i am going to go insane. this is 14 minutes long and if the last effort was a bit odd then this one is just on another planet. really weird kind of whispery talky sounds and other weird effects litter it’s ambient noise background and i am in fear for my life. and i sure can’t make sense of when the background music turns into weird 80’s sounding european electro-pop-rock (?). well, this track was recorded by ghosts, i am sure. ghosts who all are busted in the head at that. get me out of here! i should add that i did really like the much ‘safer’ electronica towards the end though – really nice.
Track 13 is untitled, but it sounds like Tim Kinsella fooling around with a guitar but he’s lost his voice and you can’t hear him singing. Nice.
And there we have it. 74 minutes of things! If you like creative, original, inventive music and don’t scare easily, then check this out. I really enjoyed it, even the bits where I was cowering behind the sofa.