Bastard Noise – Sound Engine
This is a 6 song release that pulls together live material from a couple years ago, with a couple of collaborative pieces and some apparently new stuff. The first piece, “A Pedestal To Support The Invaders” is a live collaboration with Jesus Philben built around atmospheric drones and pulses, sputtering 8 bit electronics and some corrosive feedback elements that all build a nice brooding atmosphere. “Killing Stick-Men” is a brief piece beginning mid and hi frequency fluttering, and then transforming into a snag of said frequencies with some added low end throbs, it’s abrasive but extremely clear in production so every little fragment comes through. “Asphalt Creature Sickness” is another relatively short piece by BN’s standards. This again falls into the abrasive but pristine category, and incorporates some really piercing high end with the addition to some panning atmospheric elements to the stuttering noise. “Destiny Carved By Internal Failures” was recorded in 2001 and combines a tonal ambient foundation with a harsh noise attack and does a bit of a switch off between chaos and calm throughout. However the ambient elements are retained even when the noise erupts. “Human Denial” is a mail collaboration with Guilty Connector recorded back in 2001. It begins with some deep ambient drones, and guttural and screamed vocals emerge from the humming textures before the harsh noise bursts through the door to consume the track. Frantic surges of noise across the frequency spectrum rage above the drones, incorporating rhythmic loops and even distorted beats at times add an additional dimension to the atmospheric mania. “Seeding Interstellar Space” was recorded live on the radio in 2001 and runs a nearly 27 minutes. This track again runs the spectrum explored on the rest of the release, ambient elements, abrasive electronics and harsh noise are all woven through the piece with a nice cross section of sounds and handling of the mix to keep it moving and interesting. There is some goof stuff on “Sound Engine” – intriguing sounds, good combination of moods and aggression, nicely handled evolutions and growth and a clear distinct production. – Scott
PAC REC
Worm Gear 