Fuck Your Speakers VOL 2 Disc 3 // NMMREM V

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music - V
[TFR366] Fuck Your Speakers Double Header Part I Disc 3

Confusing = Entertaining

I am going to disregard my normal reviewing habits this time and make a double header of reviews solely based on first impressions of MAMMOTH compilation FUCK YOUR SPEAKERS VOL. 2, which has been released by multiple weblabels.

Inspired by Kai Nobukos review in archive.org of Sirona Records MONOLITH compilation Sincerity Is The Key (http://www.archive.org/details/siro300VariousArtists-SincerityIsTheKey, free download *wink* *wink* *nudge* nudge*). I decided to do the same thing but cut out the "i love everything" -aspect and take the ground in my own pessimistic way.

In this first part I am reviewing the record a day after listening and the second part will be a track-by-track review.

So if I will offend you by listening your tracks without the needed insight and deep constellation im sorry. (Actually im not but when you are angry you can pretend you didnt see this sentence). However collections like this tend to be listened only once or twice, after which the listener may or may not pick up a few favourite tracks for more constant repetition.

Fuck Your Speakers 2 - Disc 3 - Orange Nippled Hedgehogs

Fuck Your Spankers?

No, Disc 3 doesn't actually have a name but the title looks better that way.

So I decided to pick up CD 3 and expectactions didn't surely rise when I noted that the tracks are in alphabetical order. After discussing this with an anonymous internet person (anonymous cause im not sure he wants his opinion public) it seems im not the only one who considers that a cheap option. By the way the person was tooth_eye.

With heavy heart I have to admit that I was very pleasantly surprised of the quality. Expecting more pure noisechaos the instant highlight was the wondrous glitchy vibes of Assassins in the Sky by Kanellos.

The variation, interest and weirdly even quality of FYS Disc 3 seemed notable and along with Kanellos top moments include brilliantly promising Godflesh-esque industrial metal by Marc Broude. To go with that Lucky Oddy's Wet Fuzz (2011 Mix), which for me is just plain fun with stupid vocal-performances, making it even funnier. Is the guy really singing the extremely high-pitched vocals 1:08 onwards. Or is it a melody?

Lord of Sp33d's entertaining nintendo-speedcore piece also provides some giggles. A harsh beat with a Nintendo-melody always brings a smile on my face. I will also send cheers to "Umilaj Czas Czy Pedofil To Szum Widelczykowy Kutas", actually mainly cause I fucking love the sound of Polish letters. I cannot really be the only one who finds Polish extremely fascinating, especially when theres 4-5 consonants in a row. And hey the track itself also sounds clearly above average noise with lots of stuff happening.

Im likewise quite sure that mECHONATHEREG's Activate Damage's main riff is stolen from Doom! And I love that riff. Instant kicks! Otherwise the track belongs to the weaker side of the entity mainly because of the annoying vocals. I know, I must be a fucking sovinist as I can rarely stand screaming female punk / indie / vocals sang with attitude. However the male vocalist isn't making things any better. Talking about vocal performances, Machinoir = nice chaotic arrangement, but weak drum sounds and deathcore vocals, no thanks. Another vocal style I cannot stand.

The second mECHONATHEREG, Snipe hunt has a CRUSHING and so professional main riff it sounds like its stolen from somewhere. Unfortunately, this song either, is instrumental. After mechetaeytaqolgrep comes up Mitä? with two oddities. These tracks stand in the midst of the crushing sextet of Marc Broude, mECHONATHEREG and Mortal Void, making them largely inefficient.

Picking up the other weakest pieces is also surprisingly easy. The lovelily disgustingly named Lady Cumdumpster's Mothafucka!!! (Feat. Chasing Stupid) feels to have already reached the stupidity. Do I have to mention that her last.fm profile picture looks awfully out of place for such an artist name? Is that two 16 year old chicks singing Elton John? On second though. if that or similar indeed is the case the picture suddendly became fucking amazing.

Out of the blue. Mortal Void The Great Pretending sounds fucking solid on the second go, but on the first I got too overwhelmed by again, Last.fm. Just look at this artist-description (I cut the samples freely this is not the whole text):

"What is a mortal void?
It exists within a soul

It creates and destroys.
It loves and hates.
It lives and dies."

Seriously. Only the French can come up with artistic shit like that and Mortal Void isn't even French. Funnily, not seeing the Last.fm, my girlfriend commented that Mortal Void sounds like bodybuilding music imagining a big guy lifting weights and grunting. Not a far fetched image though im not sure if the body building-type can relate to Mortal Void's poetic imaginary. Probably they can as I cannot and im skinny as fuck.

Mutant Beatniks' drift also drifted largely past (lamest pun of the day) me as the huge volume difference to Mortal Void ate its power. Again, after second listen sounds like it could grow to be a fine track.

However none of the weaker tracks are without merit and some in their weakness actually provide a giggle to us fine folk who enjoy our bad music with the good. Entertaining entity with lots of variation, could even work as a background music for beer-drinking. For an open minded person wanting to have a mindfuck this CD is a great place to start. Mind expanding drugs may come next but don't ask me where to get them.

Overall score: 7/10

Overall ranking so far

1. Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls
2. Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split
3. Alex Spalding - Amos In Flames
4. Fuck Your Speakers VOL 2 Disc 3
5. V3Rb tH3 N0un - Th3 dUbsT3p d3m0

Alex Spalding - Amos In Flames // NMMREM IV

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music - IV
[Siro177] Alex Spalding - Amos In Flames

A few months ago I noted quite a lot of cheers and satisfied listeners of Alex Spalding's effort Amos in Flames, which is why I decided to give it a real chance. Alex Spalding is the owner of the label Noise-Joy and has been actively releasing albums and committing to the underground music scene since 2006.

First impression, the refreshing cover art, gives Amos In Flames a headstart. Amos in flames equips my favourite kind of underground cover style, a blurry image. To make things better, the image is stylishly topped with cool oldschool font and lines.

It is only natural that also the music impresses instantly. Amos in Flames is quite a varied album and gets an ambient and promising start in Golden Ships, followed by oddly shortly ending, but extremely pretty, Funeral Flowers which leaves you hungring for more. Turns out this track seems to shape out much of the album in an unfortunate way. Many tracks, for example Succor and In Essence seem to either end too soon or sound like sketches in need of a few more layers. And amongst them there are a few jewels which sound a lot more ready than the rest.

My clear personal favourite is the 4th track, Glimmer. It is packed with an hypnotic beat and excellent varying ambience making its 6 minute length feel like 3 minutes. It would be a perfect track for a demo (demoscene, "non-interactive multimedia presentation made within the computer").

After the wonderful first 4 tracks Bluelids / Breaking Apart isnt a worthy successor and Succor, while having interesting variety and a beautiful background melody sounds like an unfinished track. It could become a fine one if worked on though.

Disappointing and and in essence are made of similar fruity loops -reminding sound and not much happening under an okayish background. Where did all that glimmer go so soon? Amongst the way to the end, Crushing Spirit brings more bread to the table with a danceable rhythm, making the biggest peak in the "just ok" mid-album 25 minutes.

Just when you think the record has said everything, the 13th track Nazca flows into psychedelic oddbeat. The track starts off with dreamlike enticing ambience and turns on a wicked and odd beat, giving you some examples what Alex Spalding can do when he is on his game. Unfortunately unlike Glimmer the beat doesn't hold its ground and lingers along a bit too much (probably cause its odd and when you've listened to for a while it stops being odd and loses catchiness), making this track good instead of great.

Following its name the 15th and last track 5th Cup - Divinorum has an extremely druggy feel. Starting a buildup it sets out its ground ready to explode... But instead keeps tripping up and down on acid and turning up new melodies and oddness. As a sistertrack to Nazca it closes up the album in a memorable manner. 

All in all Amos in flames is an interesting piece of work and if you can find your way through all sketch-like tracks it delivers some fine nighttime music. With more self-criticism, it could have been an excellent ep. Had Alex Spalding read my mind and only released the 7 clearly better songs Amos In Flames would surely be a contender for my top 10 albums of 2011.

Overall score: 7½/10

Download the release: http://www.archive.org/details/siro177AlexSpalding-AmosInFlames


Overall ranking so far (Hell, do I actually like anything else than nighttime music?)

1. Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls
2. Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split
3. Alex Spalding - Amos In Flames
4. V3Rb tH3 N0un - Th3 dUbsT3p d3m0


Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Being an avid underground rock/metal listener and huge fan in finding new music and genres I stumbled to TRASHFUCK Records, RedSK and their noise in 2009. A lot of their releases at best make me bored, scared and entertained at the same time. This impressesed me to try out more of the weblabel scene and introduced me to Sirona Records' Arnaud. I decided to start reviewing electronic music records after I realized Im really not sure what is going on in half of Sironas' releases.

Im trying to give my humble opinions on some new music, whose genres, I may or may not have any familarity, but sure thing is they are far from my normal music grounds. I have a feeling, if by chance I happen to stumble to albums with genre titles like "rave" "deathcore" or "techno", I might have a hard time saying a single positive thing, but nevermind that. You can always bypass it by the fact that im just narrow-minded metalhead reviewing experimental music.

Electronic artists which I can say im a fan of are few, but some. Including Venetian Snares, Scorn, Nothing, Boris Clitoris / The Amoeba, Master Toad, Godflesh, Slagsmålsklubben. P.S. I know its hip to hate dubstep nowadays, but some dubstep can be mindblowing.

V3Rb tH3 N0un - Th3 dUbsT3p d3m0 // NMMREM III

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music - III
[Siro187] V3Rb tH3 N0un - Th3 dUbsT3p d3m0

My First Wub Wub Re cord/view

I've never dag deeper on dubstep except a few uninteresting tracks, Scorn's majestic Stealth -album and occasional Skrillex track (from which Scatta is the only one that i've listened outside of beer-infused-moments).

However lately, from a reliable source, I came to realize there indeed are a few categories!

Take a look: http://www.explosm.net/db/files/Comics/Rob/intervention.png

The actual review record The Dubstep demo falls heavily to the wub wub category. And that is just fine as it is where Scorn belongs too. First thing that cames to my mind after encountering the record is why sane people still use numbers in their titles? It does not look cool for people 15+, in fact, vice versa. Secondly, the cover photo is pretty damn cool. A bit 2000s (probably cause of the paint shop pro reminding text) but cool, glitchy. Love it.

The beginning of the first, rather randomly named track, dooF esenihC, gives an image that the music is produced better than it actually is. Anyway promising beginning, but after a while it becomes obvious this basic beat isn't going to hold for a long time. The drop lacks the unexpectedness and doesn't fill the soundvoid like a supreme drop is supposed to. Varying background noises don't make it significantly better (even though they are much more interesting than the drop itself), nor do the dapdapdap dabadada breaks. Thank god the track progresses into a nintendo-like intermission at 3 minute mark because the constant repetition makes it drag badly. Much more interesting. Then we "progress" back to the oh-so-boring wubwub drop. Allright, brains off.

My brains turn back on itself as the second track type03, inflates me with some Scorn-like darkstep sounds. So much better! Atmospheric. Unfortunately the track takes a hippier aspect with the 1 minute break. Then on comes the next break, furthering the downward spiral into another less interesting part. The package ends like it started, only now it sounds uninteresting and off-place. The structure of the song is in need of serious finetuning.

Third track is finally something fresh! Hungryshima is CHAOTIC with lots of breakcore edge and filled with cool noises and distinctive melodies! First part ends to a rather sick random break. This drop has so much more than the previous. OUCH THE TREBLE! Not dubstep for the masses thats for sure but for a noisehead this is pretty amazing. The end is absolutely sick too. Maybe a bit more volume-balancing should have been done with the obscure sounds? When listening this with headphones it is generally advised to turn the sound down so the trebles won't bust your eardrums.

On the next track, dubstep with a mario clip, the perverse chaotism of Hungryshima is long gone. This track takes a a basic wub-wub approach, sounding unfinished. Same goes for the last track, which has nothing more than an interesting title. It is just screaming for some proper south london grime vocals. At least it made me google the genre grime to see what the hell it is.

All in all, the release has a feel of being "my-first-dubstep-record" as it delivers a very random package and odd unfinished tracks. Thus the name "Dubstep demo" suits it well and you can't really expect the quality of a normal ep from a demo.

I have no will to put most of the tracks on my playlist but the throughoutly entertaining Hungryshima is for sure going to visit it regularly. If I have to pick a throughoutly mediocre release or mostly uninteresting release with one great track, I'll pick the latter any time.

Overall score: 5+/10

Download the release: http://www.archive.org/details/siro187V3rbTh3N0un-Th3Dubst3pD3m0


Overall ranking so far (I listen to enough dubstep to have MORE than 2 sub-categories!)

1. Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls
2. Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split
3. V3Rb tH3 N0un - Th3 dUbsT3p d3m0


Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Being an avid underground rock/metal listener and huge fan in finding new music and genres I stumbled to TRASHFUCK Records, RedSK and their noise in 2009. A lot of their releases at best make me bored, scared and entertained at the same time. This impressesed me to try out more of the weblabel scene and introduced me to Sirona Records' Arnaud. I decided to start reviewing electronic music records after I realized Im really not sure what is going on in half of Sironas' releases.

Im trying to give my humble opinions on some new music, whose genres, I may or may not have any familarity, but sure thing is they are far from my normal music grounds. I have a feeling, if by chance I happen to stumble to albums with genre titles like "rave" "deathcore" or "techno", I might have a hard time saying a single positive thing, but nevermind that. You can always bypass it by the fact that im just narrow-minded metalhead reviewing experimental music.

Electronic artists which I can say im a fan of are few, but some. Including Venetian Snares, Scorn, Nothing, Boris Clitoris / The Amoeba, Master Toad, Godflesh, Slagsmålsklubben. P.S. I know its hip to hate dubstep nowadays, but some dubstep can be mindblowing.

Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls // NMMREM II

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music - II
Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls

Dark Ambient with a sense of melody

However clicheicly titled, this free to download ambient release is a real jewel in the weblabel rough. It was released in 2010 by TRASHFUCK Records and Kitty on Fire Records as a webrelease and a cd-r. When an album is co-released by two such brilliantly named weblabels it cannot be all bad! In fact, it turned out to be one of the best Dark Ambient records' I've listened and one of the ones that really got me in the genre, along with NOTHING (best known as a side project of JWW from Agalloch).

All the songs are freely listenable and downloadable from last.fm which is linked to the title of the track when first mentioned. For whole packet, scroll to the bottom of the review.

Master Toad starts the split with 4 tracks, and 3 are instant hits. The vaguely hearable I Stood Upon The Beach of Lost Souls has a scary atmosphere and an unexplainable dark tower vibe, somehow still manages to stay interesting. If I was you I wouldn't tune up the volume, as Dark Insects of the Catacomb whirrs right in with a dark egyptian atmosphere about 20DB louder. Extremely solid and gloomy, and fitting to the title! Curiously, the track delivers an atmosphere alike Mythological Cold Towers' release The Vanished Pantheon. A massive doom record that has been on my regular playlist again lately. Similar atmosphere continues with Frail Raft Through The Rivers of Hell and if possible, it fits its title even better. A grim journey, but stays pleasant by growing up to a wonderful guitar melody in the end.

Unicorn Dreams finishes up the first half with a lighter tone and a beautiful melancholic melody.

What stands out in Master Toad's side is that is so organic. As nighttime music goes, it is hard to top tunes that combine an interesting Ambient wall with a tangible story and as a cherry on the cake, a guitar melody.

Pollux's side is less organic, but it still delivers great melodies. Black Hope has a big Braid -vibe. As Braid happens to be one of the best indie games of all time, this is very pleasant, though again, quite unexplained. Blue Hope is, if possible, the best track on this album with a light piano and very pleasant pulsing soundwave. The album finishes up Ghosts (Eternal Version), which is an interesting dark ambient wall, with a similar scary vibe than I Stood Upon The Beach of Lost Souls, concluding this album in fitting manner.

In free download weblabel releases, you rarely hear such well crafted passion and skill packed in a compact packet without any fillers.

Overall score: 9+/10

Download the release: http://www.archive.org/details/kof078MasterToadPollux-OfferTheirSouls

Overall ranking so far (Clicheic album title inflation)

1. Master Toad & Pollux - Offer Their Souls
2. Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split








The text was originally released as a part of last.fm journal "Great albums you've never heard of I" http://www.last.fm/user/Takkeri/journal/2011/12/12/58q703_great_albums_you%27ve_never_heard_of_i_-_mythological_cold_towers%2C_blueprint_human_being%2C_pollux%2C_master_toad


Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Being an avid underground rock/metal listener and huge fan in finding new music and genres I stumbled to TRASHFUCK Records, RedSK and their noise in 2009. A lot of their releases at best make me bored, scared and entertained at the same time. This impressesed me to try out more of the weblabel scene and introduced me to Sirona Records' Arnaud. I decided to start reviewing electronic music records after I realized Im really not sure what is going on in half of Sironas' releases.

Im trying to give my humble opinions on some new music, whose genres, I may or may not have any familarity, but sure thing is they are far from my normal music grounds. I have a feeling, if by chance I happen to stumble to albums with genre titles like "rave" "deathcore" or "techno", I might have a hard time saying a single positive thing, but nevermind that. You can always bypass it by the fact that im just narrow-minded metalhead reviewing experimental music.

Electronic artists which I can say im a fan of are few, but some. Including Venetian Snares, Scorn, Nothing, Boris Clitoris / The Amoeba, Master Toad, Godflesh, Slagsmålsklubben. P.S. I know its hip to hate dubstep nowadays, but some dubstep can be mindblowing.

Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split // NMMREM I

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music - I
[Siro195] Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split

An emotional drone/ambient/dark ambient release by a Polish artist Golden Cloud and Swedish O.S.I.S., whose other projects include for example The Musk-rat Cult. Luckily the savvy title "Split" doesn't indicate that the music suffers from a lack of imagination. Both tracks succeed well in creating a specific atmosphere, but unfortunately for a listener wanting a full journey rather than individual listens, there is a big gap between the two counterparts.

Starting Golden Cloud track Clearlight flows brilliantly combining ambient with a steady bass beat. The ambient flows between noise and melody so effortlessly it has a severe relaxing effect. On first listen it even promises to become a vast explosion into brightness, but it never reaches that. Listening further I become quite satisfied that it doesn't have a genuine peak, its strength is the flow and the balance.

Some of the peaks for me are the 12 minute 20 second pleasant noise waves electrofying and fastening and the ambient in the end which almost transforms into a distinctive melody but stays distant enough to not quite reach you. The constantly varying background noise produces many similar satisfying effects and keeps you alert the whole time. Strongly recommended for headphone listening while falling asleep and strongly not recommended for hitting the freeway on a 70s' bus.

The O.S.I.S. Trismegistus, doesn't reach the emotions or beautiful melodies Clearlight does. On the other hand it isn't supposed to as it weaves it's path with grim atmosphere instead of brightness thus being a lot harder to listen upon. Also very hard to review as i've never liked too gloomy pc-games, and this kind of silent hill-esque horrorsound reminds me of just those. Very psychotic, has even a small background melody among the drone/dark ambient wall, but it doesn't blossom, being more of a murky wind chime. The track nears harsh noise but even more it is pure horror.

It's name Trismegistus is likely taken from the ancient Greek god Hermes Trismegistus who lead souls into afterlife. The O.S.I.S interpretation hints that the afterlife isn't a very pleasant place, or at least the way there is murky. If you feel like trying having a crack at your future afterlife (before it hits you) or just enjoy hellish tortures in general Trismegistus might be your kind of thing.

As stated previously, the split is pretty hard to listen in one go as it really turns out two sides of a coin. Clearlight is a bright track and Trismegistus a dark voyage. However both have enough length to be long enough listens on their own.

Overall score: 8/10

Download the release: http://www.archive.org/details/siro195GoldenCloudO.s.i.s.-Split

Overall ranking so far (Yeah... I stole this idea from Top Gear)

1. Golden Cloud & O.S.I.S. - Split

not much use yet, eh.







Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Being an avid underground rock/metal listener and huge fan in finding new music and genres I stumbled to TRASHFUCK Records, RedSK and their noise in 2009. A lot of their releases at best make me bored, scared and entertained at the same time. This impressesed me to try out more of the weblabel scene and introduced me to Sirona Records' Arnaud. I decided to start reviewing electronic music records after I realized Im really not sure what is going on in half of Sironas' releases.

Im trying to give my humble opinions on some new music, whose genres, I may or may not have any familarity, but sure thing is they are far from my normal music grounds. I have a feeling, if by chance I happen to stumble to albums with genre titles like "rave" "deathcore" or "techno", I might have a hard time saying a single positive thing, but nevermind that. You can always bypass it by the fact that im just narrow-minded metalhead reviewing experimental music.

Electronic artists which I can say im a fan of are few, but some. Including Venetian Snares, Scorn, Nothing, Boris Clitoris / The Amoeba, Master Toad, Godflesh, Slagsmålsklubben. P.S. I know its hip to hate dubstep nowadays, but some dubstep can be mindblowing.

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Narrow-minded Metalhead reviews experimental music, why?

Being an avid underground rock/metal listener and huge fan in finding new music and genres I stumbled to TRASHFUCK Records, RedSK and their noise in 2009. A lot of their releases at best make me bored, scared and entertained at the same time. This impressesed me to try out more of the weblabel scene and introduced me to Sirona Records' Arnaud. I decided to start reviewing electronic music records after I realized Im really not sure what is going on in half of Sironas' releases.

Im trying to give my humble opinions on some new music, whose genres, I may or may not have any familarity, but sure thing is they are far from my normal music grounds. I have a feeling, if by chance I happen to stumble to albums with genre titles like "rave" "deathcore" or "techno", I might have a hard time saying a single positive thing, but nevermind that. You can always bypass it by the fact that im just narrow-minded metalhead reviewing experimental music.

Electronic artists which I can say im a fan of are few, but some. Including Venetian Snares, Scorn, Nothing, Boris Clitoris / The Amoeba, Master Toad, Godflesh, Slagsmålsklubben. P.S. I know its hip to hate dubstep nowadays, but some dubstep can be mindblowing.