insound - zinestand - Thumb

Thumb record reviews are generally pretty straight forward: this is what it sounds like, this is what i think is good or bad about that. For those of you who are new to Thumb, sometimes reviews are followed by ³Mom¹s review², which is generally initiated by me playing an anonymous song over the phone, or in the car stereo when I¹m visiting my parents and I ask, ³What did you think of that one?² and scribble down some notes. This practice initially began for entertainment purposes, as my mother hadalways offered unsolicited reviews of whatever music that my brother or I were currently playing, ever since the time we had seriously gotten into music. She¹d say things like, ³What is this crap? Sounds like a dying cow.² or ³I like this one. It sounds a little bit like The Beatles.² When we were younger we just rolled our eyes or chuckled, but in later years she¹d comment on records I was reviewing for publications so I decided to add her comments to Thumb, just for fun. Now it¹s standard practice. I¹ve noticed that Mom¹s reviews aren¹t always as straight funny as they once were, as playing her all sorts of strange music has seemed to expand her musical taste a bit (Mom always says she likes Mouse on Mars and asks me which CD she should buy, but I don¹t think she has purchased anything yet.). She likes to read her own reviews too and gets a laugh out of seeing what she¹s said herself. But her reviews have become interesting on another level outside of the entertainment value; it¹s a refreshingly unbiased opinion. She doesn¹t care to further her record reviewing career, doesn¹t have any idea about what¹s down, what¹s cool in the scene, doesn¹t even know the name of the artist or what the album cover looks like. It¹s so simple: she just listens. And that¹s as much as this zine is about as anything else.

due to time limitations the reviews were not properly formatted for the web. for full reviews section consult the print version.

ASPECTS OF PHYSICS: Level 4.2 CDR (AOP) Atmospheric electronic members of what was San Diego¹s Physics. Long, tweaky, sigital space jams, also includes literature on Aspects manifesto, related Freenews Experiment, and interactive CD-ROM, but was PC only. Not overly focused, but has a nice feel, and interesting ideas. JOSH BEESON: Cogcogcog/Thomas Bulbasch CD (Zenapolae) A sharp buzz, crackling and clicking sounds like your trapped in the basement, surrounded by insidiously large gray machines that leak unidentifiable fluids. I¹d compare this to like a lo-fi Mego or Farmers Manual sound, no steady beats, just the sound between synapses of a positronic brain and eerie, foreign soundscapes. BLEK INK: s/t CD (Ba Da Bing) I was quite fond of past instrumental recordings under the name Sanndreyemi, twisting and maze-like in structure, Paul Lydon adds vocals in English (he¹s Icelandic) and calls it Blek Ink. This gives the songs a more "pop" structure, though pop being a Jandek, Alastair Galbraith, or easier going David Grubbs sort of pleasantly dissonant and abstract melodics. F.S.BLUMM: Bettvanille Weiter 10² (Tomlab) Fragile music box plinks, toy tunes, and sparse, beautiful, melodies and you realize why his collaborations with Harald ³Sack² Ziegler work so well! A very pleasant listen, sometimes sad, sometimes like a nap in a sunbeam, adventurous and very enjoyable. BOREDOMS: Rebore V.1 CD (WB) Although it sounds sketchy to give the entire Boredoms catalog to Unkle for an ongoing remix project, this is rather enjoyable. Reformatting and transforming a lot of the spontaneous and creative energy of the Boredoms into something with flow is the very antithesis of early Boredoms, we hear more of the "Super" era Boredoms here recontextualized with ascending Unkle beats and and just enough constant restructuring to give it the pace of a Skratch Picklz live session. My favorite moment would have to be a slow creepy guitar loop from Super Roots 6 given a slick hip hop beat and some light scratching of a an Eye vocal phrase. Rebore V.2 is remixed by Ken Ishii, slightly little less interesting. V.3 with Krush is pretty good too. Mom says: "Sounds like robot music. Kind of interesting but it could get annoying. Real mad scientist type stuff." CHARLES ATLAS: Play the Spaces (Star Star Stereo) Nice sparse cardboard digi-pack folder, holds a nice sparse, pretty tones. Simple guitar mostly, but there¹s a piano piece too with a splash of ambient sounds buried deep behind it. There¹s not too much drone, but spacious and pure melodies like a cross between late Fahey, Low, and Windy & Carl with a touch of classical. CHICKS ON SPEED: The Unreleases CD (K) This is a messier and domestic version of the Chicks debut album God Will Save us All. I say messier because it contains all the previous tracks of the off-kilter electro-pop, but is sandwiched between a lot of cut up interview dialogue, noisy bits, and other distorted junk which make it sound more like a DHR release. I like the concise pop version a bit more, although it makes for an interesting change of pace. They can¹t sing on key worth a damn, but you can¹t help but enjoy their goofy, poppy beats, fresh ideas, and energetic approach to making music. Mom says: "This is truly awful too, but in a different sort of way [than Pan Sonic] This next track is a little more tolerable, because it¹s got some beat." THE CHURCH STEPS: Jewelry EP (Dial) Slow spacious beats (courtesy of OST/Rook Vallade I believe) with a sparse electric guitar/vocal melody or chiming electronics and an overall large roomy reverb on everything. The mood is soft and sweet, and it¹s nice if not overly memorable, maybe like a less lush Piano Magic or Low with less pop. Mom says: "Sounds like a real guitar, I recognize that. I haven¹t heard you play anything with guitar in a long time. Sounds nice, nice vocals but I couldn¹t really hear the words. It all sounds like stuff I could actually listen to." CONSOLE: Console Yourself LP (Payola) This collection of Consoles¹s remixes by the likes of ISAN, Tied & Tikled Trio, Barbara Morgenstern, Michiko Kusaki... and it reads less like a compilation than it does a solid Console album. Songs tend to all contain beautiful singing melodies and the poppy, steady Console-style beats, but also a great assortment of string sounds and melancholy. Cool packaging, but other than an ISAN giveaway sprinkling sound, I couldn¹t tell what track belonged to whom. CRUNCH:1 LP (Musik Aus Strom) The MAS ³sound² has been pretty well established, the crunchy beats and reverb soaked keys. But after a spell of no releases they return with an artist with actually focuses less on crunch and more on the mood that the melody and crackling beats can provide. Someone mentioned that this might be Chris De Luca, and that would be believable because this is every bit as pretty as his solo 12 inch. Crunch keeps the beats sparse, while songs develop with patience and lots of attention to detail. D: Untitles LP (Soul Static Sound) Up until, now I¹ve know D only for his remixes/collaberations on his Souls Static Sound label for the likes of To Rococo Rot or Ganger. Untitles deals with beatless pieces that seem to utilize more of a dub sense of production, creating rolling textures and spooky natural sounds. Distant thunder, insects, water sounds, give you the impression that he¹s out at night, somewhere deep in a foreign forest, with a microphone, remixing the sounds around him. DELAROSA AND ASORA: Agony Part 1 LP (Schematic) Lots of fuzzy bits and tiny slices of sound form the structure of these songs, glued with a sparse post-rock style melodic treatment. The sonic palette is large, the artwork is beautiful, and the song structures are always great, but I wish the melodies were given a little more importance (as hinted at in "Wifle") rather than just wispy, wavering notes without much destination. All in all Agony remains a rich and unpredictable album that¹s essential for it¹s production values alone. Mom says: (laughs) RICHARD DEVINE: Lipswitch MLP (Schematic) Lipswitch starts with a dark ascending ambience before erupting, and not really into beats so much as flurries of tones, squelches, and shattered bytes. There doesn¹t appear to be any large scale structure, just fluries of details. This is what "industrial" should mean, as this sounds more like a factory of machines and robots pushed to eleven, without really any melody or even repetition, just a clatter of pistons and hammers that reaches a climax that threatens your sensory intake. DJ NKRYPT: The Art of Sampling CDR (Radio Hack) Nkrypt AKA, Monkey+1 presents a full on essay on the history of sampling, yet presented in the form of eighteen minute down-tempo track that¹s not only well presented and well produced, also a really cool sound collage. Sampling a variety of talk-over voices with his answering machine, Nkrypt creates a seamless flow of beats that illustrates and colors the narration, such as changing sample rates or different types of breaks as suggested by the narration. Very well done. EBLAKE: Limit CD Deluxe) Another attractive, relaxed electronic outfit from Deluxe. Eblake mixes minimal techo, with the textural for something like a slightly more melodic Burger/Ink, but also strays into some darker territory creating mysterious, echoey beat-driven sound scapes. ECUX: Vepau CD (Zenapolae) Sonic disturbances drone on, clatter and skitter takes over for a very chemical feel. Sometimes a steady pulse sets in, with a vapor of keys far away from the minimal popping beat. Not the most developed compositions, with a sort of live feel, but some interesting excursions. THE 8-BIT CONSTRUCTION SET 12² (Beige) I¹ve been waiting for someone to put this out! A battle record of sorts, that contains only 8-bit video game sound effects and music from the Atari 2600 and Commodore 64, as well as several locked grooves of blippy apreggios and grooves. But that¹s not all, they also threw on some Commodore programs at the end, so you could actually load up a program from the vinyl if you outputed it to your old C-64. A bit of a gimmik, but supposedly a first in history, so you have to appreciate the concept of it - or else just use the tones for scratching. A fun release. ELECTRIC BIRDS: Panorama CD (Deluxe) The 2nd full length by EB finds more of the lush, spacious sounds in a cohesive mix of the experimental, ambient, and mellow grooves. Even more so than before, this album also flows together well in a relaxed, naturalistic way. A good chill album, but with enough upbeat parts and adventurous sounds that it won¹t put you to sleep. TORE ELGARØY: The Sound of the Sun CD (Rune Grammofone) This CD seems to be made entirely with electric guitar, ranging from dense guitar waves that dive and roll, to tinkling eerie sounds. It didn¹t really even occur to me that it was all guitar until my second or so listen, as his playing style is so unique. Sounds more like the early electronics of the Forbidden Planet soundtrack with squeeling and ominous hissing or like Earth¹s dirty sonics. Later in the CD there are some points which are more ³guitar solo² sounding, but they come and go before they¹re around long enough to let you find your bearings. EMPEROR PENGUIN: Damn EP (My Pal God) This four song EP showcases the EP as it appears in live band form, complete with live drummer. They remain the nuts they are, laying down the Dre style jams, complete with vocoded hooks and plenty of over-the-top keyboard solos. Remember why Mr. Roboto was so fascinating as a kid, what if they had some good breaks? Well this is all the cheesy American guilty pleasures done too well to be ironic anymore, so you just roll down your window, turn up the stereo, and enjoy the ride. Mom says: This has kind of an ominous feel to it, something spooky. He¹s saying "We call the police, neighborhood watch?" What¹s that about? JOHN FRUSCIANTE: To Record Only Water for Ten Days (WB) Mom says: More futuristic at first, but when he starts singing its more traditional rock; with actual singing and lyrics that you can understand. It sounds like he has a pretty good voice too. FUMBLE: s/t LP (Karaoke Kalk) Fumble is perhaps best known for his work under the monikers Senking or Kandis, but Fumble goes a more playful route. Not as much deep spacious clicks and bass to be Senking and without the thumping, fuzzy regularity of Kandis, though touches on some similar aesthetics. Rolling understated melodies and a happier outlook set Fumble apart from previous monikers, especially on the final track "Sleepy", with it¹s pleasantly tooted organ melody and a sound somewhere between a creaking door and a laughing giraffe that somehow serves as the songs biggest hook. GLIESE: 2076-2096 CDR (Agrolights) Stapled in a pocket of corrugated plastic and transparencies. Crunchy stuttering beats, noisy blasts, and sizzling soundscape pieces for tracks 1-8, 8-35 are fraction of a second sound blips. Unfortunately, it¹s not as focused or clean as his the excellent track that appeared on the Lily of the Valley comp. NEIL MICHAEL HAGERTY: s/t LP (Drag City) This album threw me, maybe I was expecting a ³Trux Trux Lite² experience, but instead it recalls Skip Spence or John Frusciante, in that it¹s such a rare, unique twist on making a pop record that isn¹t at all ³pop². Nice bopping moog or organ bass, some fun noisy bits, clanking percussion and no real rock and roll postures in sight. Sometimes the freaked guitar solos go on longer than I¹d like, but what¹s really great is Neil¹s personable dadaism presented through his lyrics. Very cool. Mom says: Sounds like he¹s singing in a closet or something. It¹s kind of nice. HAUSMEISTER: s/t CD (Karaoke Kalk) Laid back poppy numbers with emphasis on melody, built upon clacky programmed beats that seem to contain the spirits of Raymond Scott inventions and even sunny electro-Brazilian optimism. Playful and mellow like older Schlammpeitziger, or Moebius. Mom says: I was enjoying this, but now it¹s getting annoying. Sound like a robotic petting zoo. HOLLAND: Drums EP (Pulcec) Trevor Holland kicks of his new label with a seven song EP. Smooth electro-synth-pop, with the warm pristine production that we¹re come to expect from past Holland releases. Songs are quick, warm new wave-like synth tones, mid tempo beats or drums, and poppy vocals and then the CD is over much too soon. Makes a nice companion with his other singles, so you could throw them all on the same CD changer and pretend it¹s a second Holland full length. HOOD: Home is Where it Hurts EP (Aesthetics) A nice 5 song EP marks the return of Hood since their side projections that range from Remote Viewer, to Steward, to Famous Boyfriend. Mixing post-rock style instrumentation with subtle electronic beats, treated guitar, as well as loose vocal parts for something that stretches itseld, kind of like when "indie rock" bands still experimented. The most electro sounding track is the one that jumps out for me - "The World Touches Me Too Hard" is like a slow, sparse Remote Viewer song with some soft guitar picking, a wave of strings, and thoughtful, emotive vocals. KIM HIORTHØY: Hei CD (Smalltown Supersound) One of my more recent favorites for sure! Kim¹s music programs lots of found sounds into melodic, well composed and pop electronic tunes. Personable real-time melodies made with strings, keys, claps, chimes, (or whatever he can get his hands on) are reconfigured like a poppier Childisc style of electro-acoustic computer music, E*vax, or the prettier side of Richard D. James with a slight ethnic leaning. Kim is already one of my favorite graphic designers, as he¹s the one responsible for the Rune Gramophone artwork. Highly Recomended! Mom says: "That¹s nice. Are all of these artists electronic? It¹s very fast moving and upbeat with interesting sounds." IF.THEN.ELSE/NUDGE split 12² (OMCO) Another edition in the OMCO split series, both artists have a knack for downtemp, slightly off kilter electronic beats accented with nice spacey melodies, and real-time instrumentation as well. My favorite track has Nudge giving a more fragmented approach, starting more electro and stretching into free territory with live drums, followed up with a remix by Solenoid. IQU: Teenage Dream single (K) The original "Teenage Dream" has some skittery hi-hat, over a solid techno kick, washy keys, and some funny samples. A nice stand up bass line serves as the hook in a way, sometimes giving into an overdriven chorus of distorted electric guitar wash. Some good moments here, but not quite organized enough to reach the anthemic dance or pop quality it seems to strive for. Good remixes by Lexaunculpt (that takes it more into adventurous territory), Looper (which makes it more dance), and Sonic Boom (who stretches it out into a slow wash of sound with assorted electronic creature chatter), but I kind of wish they¹d given a variety of songs for remixing. JOAN OF ARC: The Gap LP (Jade Tree) Joan of Arc step ahead with the production, cutting and pasting with added ambience, but the main elements still remain sparse: Tim Kinsellas¹s voice and guitar. Augmented with strings, live drums, bass, keys and effects, songs are more emotionally charged than most Chicago avant-rock outfits. This album is JOA¹s Ok Computer, more challenging than earlier albums, less composed and more conceptualized, but doesn¹t expand their sound with added instrumentation as much as more challenging production values. KINSKI: Be Gentle with the Warm Turtle CD (Pacifico) As often as I am left cold by most avant-rock bands these days, bands which often give the soft/loud dynamic a workout, this one is enjoyable. Kind of like earlier Bardo Pond, but more sober as songs take their time to develop, lay dormant and then release an energetic mean streak, or an occasional vocal. LANGUIS: Unithematic CD (Simball) Languis combines space rock ambience with textural electronics and relaxed post-rock leanings with pleasant effects. Songs are very laid back, often to the point that I push it all into the background when I put on the CD. Parts come drifting in and out; analogue synth washes, and airy guitar, feeding back into space like a logical follow up from shoegazer meets Seefeel meets Fuxa. LIGHTNING BOLT: Ride the Skies CD (Load) In their press releases Lightning Bolt state that their music will advance the world to the next level of evolution. "Listen to this record and enter the ground floor of the revolution of sound." And a cacophonous and raw sound they make with just drums and bass pounding and pulsating, making God Head Silo look tame. Mom says: Sounds like Hendrix on a toy electric guitar. Pretty crazy. LILIENTHAL / LUSINE ICL / SYBARITE / LANGUIS: Zealelectronic 7² series (Zeal) An ongoing series of smartly packaged 7²s showcasing the melodic side of indie electronic artists, this has been a series that I¹ve enjoyed from the start. Lilienthal and Lusine do some moody synthy stuff with snappy, more complex electro beats, Sybarite gets mellower with treated guitar and wistful melodic loops, and Languis gets more textural with gently pulsating beats and a spacey guitar. ANGUS MACLAURIN: Glass Music CD (Bubblecore) All tracks on this record were made using tuned glass without computer aided manipulation, with surprisingly varied and beautiful tones. Track one is more bell-like without any real steady rhythm. The next track follows with more spooky, ambient singing-glass tones. Track three also more ominous, with smaller background sounds reminiscent of forest-dwelling animals, etcŠ Pretty cool record, it reminds me of the 70¹s Sonambient series of sound sculpture recordings. Mom says: I thought this was a nice intro with the bells, but then it kept going and getting on my nerves. Buddhist bell torture! It just goes on and on and onŠ I like the next track, no noise, no music, no nothing. Just peace and quiet after that last track. JAKE MANDELL: Love Songs for Machines LP (Carpark) Love Songs finds Jake visiting a more 80¹s style of electro-machine music, pulsating techno beats, arppegiated new wave bass lines, and scattered reverb-soaked synth melodies. He does it well though, especially on tracks like "Tender Growth from the Random Seed" which have the bits of vocal samples to give it more melody. Otherwise I have to play it loud enough to get the signal to break up a bit and give the little added extra physicality that the sound wave provides. MAPSTATION: Sleep, Engine Sleep CD/LP (Staubgold) Patterns and marching tones, with just tiny pieces of melody and a bit of textural squeaks and chirps; Stephan Schneider¹s solo project is reminiscent of the earlier, more abstract To Rococo Rot, and very good at that. So simple and calm, you know it¹s great spatial music. Sleep Engine is even better than the Mapstation¹s debut on Soul Static Sound because the melodic elements fill the songs out that extra inch. MATH: Inkling¹s Minute CDR (Crippled Ninja) Math¹s deconstructs Inkling¹s "minute" into tiny shards for reconfiguring into this remix CDR to rather interesting effect. I have no idea what the source sounded like, but I¹m guessing it¹s a hardcore/noise thing, and math¹s interpretation is more like the Nintendo "dungeon level¹ version of that, all jerky pixilated sequences. MATMOS: A Chance to Cut is a Chance to Cure LP (Matador) Although I haven¹t decided yet if their choice of subject matter is merely a gimmick or actually interesting as a concept, once you realize what the subject is it definitely changes your perception of the happy-go-lucky beats and pieces. This is easily their most developed work production wise and song-wise, as well as the most enjoyable and playful. There¹s some very wacky and absurd things going on, but everything is constantly dissected and re-constructed and, oddly enough, really flows. Mom says: (laughs) I like this one so far, but I can¹t tell you why. [a few minutes later] Is this still the same song? Hmm. MICROSTORIA: Model 3, Step 2 CD/Improvisations LP (Thrill Jockey/Sonig) The next installment in Jan St. Werner and Markus Popp¹s collaborative exploration in digital manipulation retains a lot of the watery digital glitch of earlier works, but Model 3 also goes further in it¹s exploration. Sounds are more likely to step forward in the mix, hit higher octaves, and stand above the nice gurgling and computer chatter. This expanded palette does make it less suited for ambient and low level everyday listening, and at times, less "pleasant" than the first two regular albums (but what¹s the point in repeating yourself?) There is a wider variety of sounds besides the small squiggles that step out with high-end scratches, deep rumbles, and an overall more "live" feeling record. Improvisations on the other hand was recorded ³Live in Koln in 1998², finds a less polished, more sparse version of the earlier Microstoria sound, but it¹s also very calm and quite beautiful. Mom says: Sounds very space age experimental. It¹s out there. MINOTAUR SHOCK: Motoring Britain EP (Melodic) Nice sparse, melodic guitar work over looping beats and textures create a good mood, with great artwork, and includes a remix by ISAN - You can¹t lose! Ml: Pajama Party CDR (Toast & Jam) Extremely high production values for a CDR release, programming more of the tech, complex beats, crunchy sounds for a darker, dramatic idm sound‹with the exception of a "Take that, Pants" which carries a big part of the song with fart sound effects. MOUNT FLORIDA: Arrived Phoenix CD (Matador) I don¹t have a problem with people making "chill" lowest-common-denominator loop music if it¹s well crafted, has a good beat and some hooks. This, on the other hand, strikes me as underdeveloped and just freakin boring. Matador is usually pretty on top of it too. MOUSE ON MARS: Idiology LP (Thrill Jockey) Of course, Mouse on Mars bring things to a new level with another full length and there¹s really so much going on that I don¹t expect to be able to soak it all in for at least a few more weeks. The first single ³Actionist Respoke² is a hyperactive dance number, more bombastic and fuzzy than anything they¹ve done before and charged with crazed, anthemic cartoon vocals. There¹s a lot more vocal play throughout the album than usual and a looser feel that¹s highly unpredictable. I can¹t stop listening to the final track ³Fantastic Analysis² which resembles the first track of Niun Niggung with it¹s pale guitar tone and sparse rambling piano melodies, one of four somewhat beatless numbers to counteract the rapid hyper-activity of the album kicker. Mom says: That¹s interesting, kind of robotic sounding. [³presence²] That¹s very nice, pleasant vocals. OCTANT: Car Alarms and Crickets LP (Up) The second full length from ³the band with the robotic drummer² finds them going farther out with manipulated, strange, circuit-bent sounds--but also shaping them more into structured pop songs. Favorite track might be ³Mince Up², which scrambled samples over a solid groove crossing back and forth between the chaotic and the danceable, while the pretty, treated vocals bring it back again into the pop realm. Mom says: Sounds like a robot band. PAN AMERICAN: East Coast Bugs/Esso 12² (BSI) Very ambient dub directed side project of Labradford¹s mark Nelson, this 12 inch is created with the help of field recordings of, yes bugs, and water sounds. You get a low steady drone, augmented nicely by loops from the field recordings, as well as a pulsating, minimal kick dominated beat on either song which adds a nice, slightly Cologne techno twist to the usual Kranky fair. PAN SONIC: Aaltopiiri LP (Mute/Blast First) Sure, I¹m a fan of Pan Sonic, but I didn¹t really get excited about another album; we all know what they sound like, right? Minimal electronics tones and buzzes. But I threw it on one morning just because, and ended up listening to it for a week straight. Pan Sonic use simple elements, but it¹s a masterful ear that can continue to make something so good from such basic elements. These guys are sound scientists, but they¹ve also managed to keep making interesting and enjoyable music without hiding it behind a wall of false complexities. Mom says: God-awful! This is relentless. Just when you think you can¹t stand it for another minute it goes on for another minute. It¹s like those artists who paint canvases in all black or white; this is all annoying. PHONOPHANI: Genetic Engineering CD (Rune Grammofone) A solo work of Espen from Alog, Phonophani keeps a similar sense of calm, weaving sparse melodies and gently pulsating textures. There¹s some interesting pieces composed with computer generated vocal sounds or found sounds that go to similar regions that you hear from more the abstract side of Lithops or ISAN, which is to say a very nice place. Mom says: I hope that¹s not ISAN, because I found it a little boring and I¹d hate to say that about them again. It sounds lik East Indian¹s who¹ve meditated too long. (Dad says: It sounds like a fishing reel.) And what¹s more boring than fishing? Might be alright if you¹re into meditating. PULSE PROGRAMMING: 1/2 of 2 in 1000 12" (Aesthetics) A new direction for PP, that moves away from the ambient, towards blissful melodic electronics. And a great turn it is, keeping the warm spacious qualities of their ambient past, and adding programmed beats, gurgling samples, and manipulated vocal pieces that stretch a full lengths worth of material over a pair of two separate twelve inches. They still wander into beautiful ambient parts, but always have a more engaging rhythmic element that comes into play, bringing the music into the foreground, and making the pieces far more song-like. Very nice! RE: Mnant CD (Constellation) The first track hits you pretty hard with a sonic assault, harsher, noisy blasts, but then the record mellows out, lets you breath, and gets really pretty nice. More of a process oriented project, I would guess, built on loops, drones, and sound fields, with some strumming, picking, buzzing, and a couple fuzzy beats to give it some more standard musical context. A pleasant surprise. RETINA: Volcano Waves LP (Hefty) Loopy textural, kind of dark digital adventures, with crunchy sounds. Some interesting sounds (is that a Jew¹s harp?) with fairly minimal techno compositions, but not overly memorable. RIBBON EFFECT: Slip CD (Room Tone) Textural loops, found sounds, guitar and organ compositions drift and sway like soundtracks and Fahey¹s later work. Very relaxed music in a lonely, distant, late night kind of way. I like it, he even sneaks in a couple treated Casio beats that work! ROLLERBALL: Trail of the Butter Yeti CD (Road Cone) I bet Rollerball could do some good horror movie soundtracks as they¹ve got some pretty fearsome music on here and you never know what¹s going to jump out of the closet. One minute some scratching ambience and plucky thumb piano, next minute some scrawling horns, a free groove, or ominous vocals swirling into the outer limits. Rollerball always seem to be revolting against some sort of musical authority, piecing together anything they can get their hands on that will make a sound towards the revolution. SACK & BLUMM: 2x5 10²/Shy Noon CD (Staubgold) A twist on the normal Sack & Blumm release, 2x5 is actually a split with each artist residing on a separate side. The music is even stranger than together. Delightfully bizarre, songs pop in and out consciousness, like we¹re getting portions of each persons¹ daydreams. Mtybe the inexplicable songs twists can be attributed to the fact that if you play both sides of the 10 inch simultaneously you create an entirely cohesive, new song? I haven¹t tried it yet. Shy Noon is a great follow up to the first s/t CD, with the same sense of imagination, going from small abstract meanderings to grandiose cinematic exhaultations. Increasingly recognizable instrumentation, suh as vocals, whistles, and bongos make me think more of soundtrack music. JANEK SCHAEFFER: Above Buildings CD (Fat Cat) There are few reference points for Janek Schaeffer¹s sounds. Slowly moving resonant tones that move in and out of the foreground of your listening conscious, seldom as jarring or noisy as I had expected this CD to be, but more like strange field recordings and soundtracks to quieter moments of 70¹s sci-fi movies where the hero is alone, doing some repair work in the voids of space. At these moments there is an uneasy calm and we assume that someone (or something) is observing, and waiting... SCHLAMMPEITZIGER: Augenwischwaldmoppgeflote LP (A-musik) Undeniably Schlammpeitziger melodies - the happy-go lucky and imaginative, but with an added urgency and complexity to the beats this time around. Always a pleasure! Mom says: It¹s very interesting and musical. There¹s a nice beat, but no recognizable sounds. SCRATCH PET LAND: Solo Soli iiiii LP (Sonig) Much more cut up and abstract than tracks that have appeared on past Source comps, Scratch Pet show the flip side of the smooth French house production with staccato plinky, lo-fi guitar sounds, buzzing melodies, sound toys, and many treated found sounds. More concrete than I expected, sometimes with a child-like improv mood at times; doing things like stuttering tapes of drums sounds across a hiccuping baby and a wandering chiming sounds. Other times the buzzing and zapping overpower the mix and make it much more difficult to listen to. SENKING: Trial (Raster-Norton) Jens Massel¹s Senking moniker focuses more on smaller sounds, clicks and pops with dubby bass lines, a very similar sound palette to Pole, but often more upbeat and perhaps poppier. This is my favorite release to date on Raster-Norton as I found myself coming back to it often. They still keep a very antiseptic approach with simplified conceptual packaging, this time packaged in an blue anti-static bag. It looks nice, but is annoying due to odd size, and doesn¹t wear well with repeated access. SENOR COCONUT: El Gran Baile (Emperor Norton) The pre-Kraftwerk Coconut gets a domestic pressing. An even wilder ride of electronic mariachi than El Baile, throwing skittery beats and rushes over up-tempo sambas and rhumbas, horn samples and vibes. Perhaps not as essential as El Baile, but wacky and unique in a more straight electro direction. Mom says: Sounds like he has one of those toys that change your voice like you bought in China town. SOLENOID: Reversesender LP (OMCO) let us r ejoice the fact that Solenoid has finally had a full length release see the light of day! Organizer of plenty an experimental-electronic showcase in Portland, he¹s recorded too many numerous comp tracks and remixes for everyone from Neo Ouiji, Diskono, OMCO, Worm Interface, EmanateŠ And an attractive release it is, highlighting his old school programming skills with a high regard for the new wave and electro of the past, while pushing the medium, and his hardware sequencers to their modern limit. My favorite track would be the poppy, album kicker, "Mental Picnic" showing Solenoid¹s knack for complex beat structures as well as snappy, happy melodics that come out between the darker songs.