Although only active for around six years, this Shanghai based noise project already has a sprawling discography that rivals many of the long-standing artists that inspired them, with a multitude of limited cassette and CD-R releases. However, I think this may constitute the band’s first solo, mass produced outing. And with this opportunity, the band does exactly as they should: a 73 minute single track of grating, painful dynamic noise.
Torturing Nurse, and many of their peers in the burgeoning Chinese electronic music scene, have been in a unique position with the evolution of their sound.While the Japanese artists who inspired them evolved their approach over many years (see Hijokaidan’s early brain damaged jazz and Merzbow's tape loop experiments compared to their latter output), the Chinese sound has almost sprung up immediately as a condensed microcosm of what everyone else had done.The cultural barricade against outside influence that was brought down by the establishment of the Internet and its immediate access to music led to a rapid influx of new sounds, all of which were quickly absorbed and digested by the artists active now.
Following the template of classic Hijokaidan albums such as Romance and Modern, this disc is actually one uninterrupted piece of constantly undulating, churning harsh noise.While it mimics the structure, the approach differs somewhat.The mix is somewhat thinner than the other artists in the genre, letting fragments of voice or guitar squealingor whatever to be audible, creating an almost melodic, musical counterpoint to the rushing rapids of white noise atop.
"Relenting" isn’t something that is going to happen here, though:there isn’t any semblance of ambience or quiet reflection, but the single piece retains a dynamic propulsion throughout that never drags nor becomes boring.The opening shrieks and screams give way to deep, over-driven buzzes and pulses, with feedback that is shaped crudely into almost musical elements appearing later.
The vocals reappear later, but so does slew of other noise textures and approaches, such as the filtered, nasal blasts about half way through the album, and the CCCC-like psychedelic flanging that coats the mix at various times, closing the album with a heady blast reminiscent of Astro or other solo works from Hiroshi Hasagawa.
As a whole, it does feel like Torturing Nurse’s sound, at least on this album, is the culmination of the 20-odd year period that has defined modern "Japanoise" to the masses.Influences from everyone involved, including the Incapacitants, MSBR, Masonna, and the other previously mentioned artists can all be heard on this album.However, the result is not simply the aping of known projects, but the full culmination of their sound, that is much more about influence than copying.It’s obvious what and who inspired this band, but they still combine these influences in a way that makes the result clearly their own work, which is what separates the good from the crap when it comes to noise.
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