Devoted followers of cult obscurantist acts like Nurse With Wound havebecome accustomed, over the years, to their favorite music being issuedin absurdly limited "special" editions, created to be hopelesslyobscure within a month of their release. I couldn't recount all of theinstances when I have heard of a new release being offered in alimited, numbered edition of 100 handmade copies on transparent vinyl,with unique art objects, the first 10 orders including an exclusivebonus 7" smeared with the artist's bodily fluids, and one extra specialcopy containing a golden ticket entitling the holder to visit theartist's home and take liberties with their pet. As frustrating asthese ultra-limited releases can be, ardent devotees still hold out thehope that with vigilance, cunning and a fair amount of cash, they canpossess their own piece of the dream. Now, the lovely, talented andextraordinarily perverse folks at Bronson Unlimited Records have justupped the ante and blown all hope into the stratosphere with therelease of one of the more unique limited editions in recent memory. Goat Woundis a tribute to the work of Nurse With Wound - 25 artists from aroundthe world anonymously contributed an original untitled piece as anaudio tribute to Steven Stapleton. The tracks are divided among six 3"compact discs with individual, reversible interlocking puzzle panelcovers, a Goat Wound postcard and a pewter goat statue, all ofwhich is housed in a handmade, art inlaid wooden box. The catch: Thisis truly a one-of-a-kind tribute to Steven Stapleton, and only StevenStapleton. As unbelievable as it sounds, Goat Wound is limitedto only one copy, which was shipped directly to Cooloorta Farm upon itscompletion. No one, not even the label itself or the artists involved,will ever be able to own a copy of the set. In addition, the 25 artistshave each relinquished all copyright claims to the work on Goat Wound,freeing Steven Stapleton to use the music as raw materials for futuresound sculptures, should he choose. The only relic that remains for thecurious public is Bronson Unlimited's fantastic Goat Wound website,which in addition to photographs and information on the unique project,contains one minute MP3 extracts from each of the tracks, as well as an"exquisite corpse" patchwork of all 25 one-minute samples sequencedinto one long track. The sounds on Goat Wound traverse astaggering number of techniques, from the haunted mental echoplex ofthe first track to the murky, industrial soundscapes of track six.Elsewhere, artists use minimal electronics and dusty drones,primitively recorded vocal ululations and Negativland-styleplunderphonic radio broadcasts. Many tracks take a cue from Nurse WithWound, focusing on surrealistic sound design and ambient soundsculptures which are by turns cold and clinical, whimsical and amusingor tense, hallucinogenic and frightening. Track 22 is a highlight,utilizing recordings of what seems to be the voice of Mr. Stapletonhimself, snatches of conversation that segue into a vibrant summersound collage of barking dogs and children at play. I admire theartists and creators of Goat Wound, and the enormous amount ofcare taken in anonymously producing such amazing sound art that theyknew no one would ever hear, save one oddball farmer in Ireland. If youcan't live without your own copy, I suggest you start planning a covertoperation to liberate it from Cooloorta Farm. Just imagine how muchmoney you could auction this for on E-bay.Read More
