After 'Farewell,' band turmoil took its toll, and the band saw somepersonnel changes as well as battles with their label. In the end, theShoal needed a change, and joined together with fellow Maine bandTarpigh, who created strange music with Middle Eastern instruments. Theband played a few shows together, at the same time that the Shoal wereinvited to write a soundtrack to two silent films by a friend, TimFolland. In a brave move, Folland asked the band to improvise whilewatching the films, and record their first takes only as thesoundtracks. Cerberus Shoal was up to the challenge, and even broughtTarpigh along for the ride. The resulting album is two pieces, namedafter the films they accompany, and the two bands liked the experienceso much they joined together as Cerberus Shoal. The release marks aserious style shift for the Shoal, one that would affect their soundforever. Some elements are still there from the 'Farewell' era, likeSutherland's low bass, the always skilled drumming of Tom Rogers, andthe droning guitars. But the addition of Tarpigh brought about a newexperimental side to the Shoal. The improvised nature of theproceedings seems like it became almost a blueprint for futureprojects, where the band would just "let go." Eric LaPerna's percussionis a central point here, and on every Shoal release since. Gone are thesung vocals, replaced with something far deeper and more disturbing.Tim Harbeson, multi-instrumentalist who wields trumpet, flute,recorder, and accordion here, is the real star, switching and addingflavors on a whim. "Elements of Structure" starts out fairly tempered,but then slows in the middle only to explode at the end in a sprawlingjam that resolves in a piano/guitar/percussion soother. This is thebest Cerberus Shoal, the evolution towards something better."Permanence," the longer of the two tracks, is also more of a jam thanthe first. Each member gets moments to spread wings and fly, making forsome interesting solos and expanses. Having never seen the film, Iimagine each solo as a new character like "Peter and the Wolf." Orperhaps each solo is a new lament or crisis point. Either way, theapproach is very effective, and the music is moving, indeed. And withtwo tracks at over 57 minutes of music, it's an egrossing listen. Bothof these reissues are defining releases for Cerberus Shoal, andavailable for the first time in years. Don't miss out this time. 

samples:

• Elements of Structure
• Permanence

Too Pure
The majority of buzz surrounding this Welch rock trio has been fortheir latest release and its rough, dynamic energy cast as 'Surfer Rosa2002.' Engineered by Steve Albini, 'Do Dallas' certainly features allthe sonic hallmarks of that seminal influence, with fuzzed-out, franticguitars and a pummeling rhythm section. Rather than Black Francis'verge-of-a-mental-breakdown vocals, we're treated to a sneering AndyFalkous, who is all attitude, confidently convinced that his band isbetter than your band, and more than willing to go head to head toprove it. He delivers with conviction, occasionally dissolving intofits of yelps or slurred syllables in his effort to demonstrate hissupremacy. Mclusky is a tight, energetic group with a guitar that cutslike a serrated knife and their lyrics are almost as sharp as theirlicks, with highlights like "We take more drugs than a touring funkband" and "I'm fearful / I'm fearful / I'm fearful of flying / andflying is fearful of me!" It is a little disconcerting that some of thelyrics seem to crib from other sources, for example, the 'touring funkband' line is from the late comedian Bill Hicks, while a quote from TheSimpsons pops up near the end of the disc. Also, their swagger fails attimes, and Mclusky's bravado comes off as trite, like a confusedplayground taunt ("All your friends are cunts / your mother's aballpoint pen thief") or too cutely ironic and self-referential likethe quiet filler track "Fuck This Band." Straight ahead, surging rocktracks like "Dethink to Survive" show that they can make the familiarsound exciting, while "Clique Application Form," a noisy, shamblingtrack with shouts of "Never been kissed! Never been kissed!" mayforeshadow future attempts to broach new territory. Despite thederivative aspects, 'Mclusky Do Dallas' manages to be exhilarating andentertaining in its brief thirty-five minutes. When Falkous commandsyou to "sing it!" on the standout "To Hell With Good Intentions," youfeel compelled to do something, maybe yell or bark or pump your fist.His band may not be better than your band (In fact, they might haveripped your band off a little), but 'Do Dallas' is a fun, albeitbrainless record. Just don't expect it to stay in your CD player fortoo long. 

samples:

• To Hell With Good Intentions
• Clique Application Form
• Collagen Rock

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This is the second solo release from the guitarist of Union CarbideProductions, Soundtrack of Our Lives and Spain, among others, following1999's apparently well-recieved 'Instrumentalmusik'. There are severalunusual aspects to UPA, all of which are worthwhile. First, upliftingcelebratory music like this is smile and happiness-inducing. LikeShooby Taylor or High Rise, it just works in that way.Next, it is mostly based on unlikely combinations of musical styles: aNotting Hill Festival-style steel band music with heavy progressiverock, Herb Alpert horns with blissed-out space-wah guitar, 80s MORpower ballad with Moricone western and 60s spy movie themes,traditional Scotish dance music with French girl-group harmy vocals,Sweedish folk and kraut rock. The success Olsson has with thesecombinations suggests a rare compositional talent as the tunes gel andjust work as though these styles always belonged together. Quite unlikeZorn's genre-hopping in the 80s, UPA works more as though a master likeQuincy Jones were doing genre set pieces. It's a dazzling, intoxicatingtour that would be surreal if it weren't so natural in appearance.Then, for nerds like me there's some excellent guitar work on severalcuts to be enjoyed, including a storming psychedelic work-out to closethe album. But there's more, the disk has utilitarian strengths too:1.) the post-modern aspect (not that there's anything tounge-in-cheekabout UPA) means that you can enjoy these highly unfashionable anduncool musical styles (that deep down you love and would listen to moreoften if you weren't so self-concious) without fear of losingcredibility among your most sophisticated friends, and 2.) it's so welldone, nice and easy going that straight and square friends are going todig it too.To top it all off, the whole album appears twice on the same CD! The first time around, it is with a polished studio sound while thesecond version is low-fi, apparently having been run through a cassetteplayer with what sounds like a fairly cheesy AGC. With an album likethis which deserves repeated plays, why not have it these two different ways?-

samples:

• Schweinfest
• Hello!
• Tema I

555 Recordings
It might happen that the worthiness of an album becomes gauged onwhether it is able to marry the cacophony of firecrackers with thefrailest of human voices. When this happens (and surely it willhappen), then 'Dark Falcon' will be the first and perhaps only recordwhich will measure up to this standard of excellence. 'Dark Falcon,'the first full length from Lucky Dragons (after two lovely EP's on theEnglish Muffin label), does many other things remarkably well, but thispeculiar marriage is the most remarkable. Although there are clicks andclacks aplenty on this album, the electronics grace the songs ratherthan linger at the center of them.
The more frantic songs bookend the album while a bank of more reservedsongs populates the middle of it, where beats plod along with theexhalations of an accordion, or the pluckings of a banjo, or just thewhimsical humming of band members. Besides the frantic ends and themore placid middle, there are further dichotomies both between andwithin songs on 'Dark Falcon.' These contrasts are often exhilarating,and sometimes even exhausting (in the best possible way). "Cherchez leDragon" starts out stuttering wildly, trying to evince some statementbut only ejecting playful electronic spittle. It is not until theplacating guitar part comes in that the song is able to demonstrateclearly what it is trying to say. The guitar and the voice parts soothethe hyperactive beat better than a bottle of Ritalin; once they calmthe beat, the stutter decreases and the song is persuaded intoobedience. The opener, "Heartbreaker," features a field recording ofkids setting off Independence Day firecrackers with cars driving by insome neighborhood in Providence and the sound culled from thisrecording is undeniably urban. Later in the song, a gentle female voicecomes in and it sounds like it is being sung from the most remote logcabin in the backwoods of Montana, or maybe it was Kentucky. I canpicture the cabin, with one window illuminated by a gaslight in thedark, and the sound of a girl singing as it rises, just barelyperceptible, above the wind moving through trees. Somehow, thisunmistakably rural piece, which is clearly not part of the firecrackerrecording, is able to synchronize with the more urban sample, andtogether they create a perfected hybrid lullaby. 

samples:

• Heartbreaker
• Cherchez le Dragon
• All These Wires Between Us

Temporary Residence
It's very seldom that fans of instrumental rock and electronic wizardryget to hear artists from both genres collaborate, maybe because theresults are often disastrous (anyone hear the Scanner remixes ofHovercraft?). Therefore, it's a rare treat when such a collaborationfares as well as this one. Sonna need no introduction, as their variousCD singles provided that before their critically lauded debut in 2001(stay tuned for it's successor next week). Sybarite, either, whoseoutput has seemed to dim in quality a bit on 4AD, but there's extremehope for the future. Lilienthal may be new to some out there, with onlya few remixes and one CD under his name, but he's already building areputation for amalgamation and an impressive palette. The originalcollaboration, first released as a seven inch on ZEAL, makes up theintroductory two tracks here, where Sonna sent some unfinishednoodlings to both artists for recreation. The results are varied andhair-raising. Sybarite accentuates the melodic side of Sonna on "MakeShift," with beautiful acoustic guitar-picking taking center stage. Asthe steady beat builds and the infectious whistles and backwards soundsswell, you can't take your ears off of it. This is easily the bestthing Sybarite's done lately. Sonna's drone side takes over Lilienthal,as he stutters up "Carousel" towards a complicated and layered climax.He drops out the middle, teasing and taunting with more guitarinterplay, only to return to the same shaky ground on the closing threeminutes, all of which induce toe-tapping and air-drumming in even thetamest lab rats. This is well enough alone, but then we are treated totwo new tracks, credited to all three bands. Here is where the jawsdrop. "Four Way Street" is a slightly remixed reprise of the closingminutes of "The Opener" from Sonna's debut full-length. At just under aminute, it can't really captivate. The final track, "From a Person WeSeam" is astonishing - a real electronic masterwork. The song startsslowly and calmly, with gentle guitar and squelch effects, beforeexercising a labored trip-hop beat and keyboard flourishes with greatsuccess. An open letter to all three particpants: please make a wholerecord in this configuration. The world demands it.

samples:

• Make Shift
• Carousel
• From a Person We Seam

Sub Pop
I bought this album after being captivated by the band name and albumtitle, having no prior knowledge about them. Both had a sonorousquality which made me intensely curious to hear what such a band wouldsound like. To my delight, in doing so, I discovered what was to becomeone of my favorite albums of 2002. Sam Beam, who is almost solelyresponsible for the writing, performance, production and recording of'The Creek Drank the Cradle', creates pleasantly unpolished songs usinglittle more than an acoustic guitar, banjo and his own delicate vocalsthat belie their no-frills approach with a rich, seductive sound. Beamclearly takes influence from Nick Drake and Tim Buckley, but trulycarves his own niche in terms of his folk stylings. This album,however, definitely is not a "folk record," but reaches far beyond,ranging from lullabies to ballads to narrative fragments of memories.The American Deep South features prominently in the lyrical imagery,accented by an eerie romanticism. Beam, who hails from the Miami area,seems to be yearning for a South removed from beaches and nightclubs,on tracks like the twangy "The Rooster Moans" and the haunting "Upwardover the Mountain." There is a purity in the simplicity of Iron &Wine that is so refreshing that 'The Creek Drank the Cradle'unsurprisingly appeals to true music lovers of diverse tastes. As SamBeam's moniker suggests, his music is both weighty and intoxicating.

samples:

• Lion's Mane
• The Rooster Moans
• Up Over the Mountain

If Thousands is Christian McShane and Aaron Molina from Duluth, Minnesota, who having decided to depart from their respective backgrounds in classical performance and punk have collaborated to attempt something quite different. The result is a sound grounded less on performance and based much more on assembly, repetition, and duration. With the help of Alan Sparhawk, who produced and mixed the album, McShane and Molina have built resonant instrumental pieces that sound oceanic in their tendency to roll together different recurring samples with the musicians' work, producing a reverberating blend of fluid sound.

This band is from Texas, and they want you to know it.

Mute
If 2002 has been a generally mediocre year for releases, it sure ashell is not going out without kicking and screaming. '24 Hours' arrivedon Monday, December 22nd, and, while I haven't had the time to pickthrough every last second of music on this 25-CD set (yes, it turns outto be 25 CDs for those who mail-ordered it!), everything so far hasbeen incredible. While the Sex Pistols and The Clash were "dressing"themselves as punks, their music was easily digestible pop/rock tuneswith enough of an attitude edge for the kids to dig. ThrobbingGristle's approach was almost the entire opposite, as the band dressedrespectfully on album covers and played various art halls (in additionto boys schools and rock clubs), but made music with far lesscommercial potential. Every concert lasted exactly 60 minutes,controlled by a timer which would cut the power on the stage at exactly60 minutes no matter what point the band were at. Every show wasrecorded and committed to cassette tape, and for this box, it seems aseverything is here from the very first to the very last second of eachshow.

The original 24 Hours box consisted of 24 cassettes (IRC 2through IRC 24 and IRC 26—see the web sitefor more specific details) plus two additional tapes of radiointerviews. (Look for it at online auctions for over a thousand dollarson average!) For the CD box release, 25 cassettes were remastered byChris Carter (the original master of IRC26 was lost but later recoveredafter the project was underway with IRC29 in its place). It'sfascinating to actually hear Genesis in his role as entertainer,front-man and stand-up comic, going from a jaded youngter in theearlier recordings, poking fun at the same-ness of Johnny Rotten songsto a more clever prankster by the end, leading crowds on, completelybullshitting them with an honest composure. The music also evolved overthe few years captured here, from the earlier years of making tons ofnoise to cold-calculated compositions, where band members Chris, Coseyand Sleazy would pay closer attention to each other, opting to remainsilent to let other parts shine through. The mastereing job by ChrisCarter is far better than I have even dreamed of, with many recordingsin stereo, either with different instrument assignment on either sideor a true stereo recording, most likely depending on what type ofmixing desk was available at the show. The included tidbits are alsonice to have too, but since this box cost so much, frankly I'm afraidto lose any of the stickers, pins, pictures, or patches. At theapproximate $220 price, however, this is something almost exclusivelyfor the fans. If I were to have any complaints at this point, it wouldbe for the lack of inclusion of the radio interviews, but there's stillmore live recordings yet to get the Chris Carter remastering attentionand resurface, so I'll be patient. This is enough music to hold me fora long time.

samples:

• Introduction/Very Friendly (from IRC04)
• Five Knuckle Shuffle (from IRC15)
• Weapons Training/See You Are (from IRC20)
• The World is a War Film (from IR26)

The plan was to record an EP of cover songs. The coolest singer in rock music wanted to pay tribute to some of her influences, including Nina Simone, Patti Smith's epochal Radio Ethiopia album and Neutral Milk Hotel's "Comely." Then she changed her mind and instead recorded three new songs, an old Uzi number that never made it onto the classic Sleep Asylum and a couple of covers. The fans lucked out, as her songs are drastically superior to the ones she did eventually cover.

Gravity / Sub Pop
Yet another in a recent onslaught of bands with names beginning with"the", The Rapture are a noisy three-piece post-post-punk outfit fromNew York City. The Rapture are riding a wave of trendy postpunkrevivalism, but have managed to emerge with a fairly unique identityand an engaging, dynamic energy on record. Judging by this first album,their recent SubPop EP, and the current underground hit 12" single "TheHouse of Jealous Lovers" on DFA, The Rapture have enough of their ownto add to their obvious early-80's influences to make their musicworthwhile. Bolstered by the strength of their DFA dance single, theirfirst album 'Mirror', which was originally released almost two yearsago, has been re-released on the Gravity Records imprint. This firstalbum finds The Rapture trio in a nascent form, producing gloriouslylow-fi noisy shit most closely resembling The Pop Group's 'Y' albumsodomizing an early Cure record. The album opens with the short, darkpiano dirge "in finite clock!" This quickly segues into the sound ofpolice sirens and a wall of scratchy, fuzzy garage noise on"NOTES>>>". The angular guitars and driving beat support thethroat-stripping lyrical screams, with the repeated chorus "I'm takingnotes from the underground..." The next track "OLiO" takes a cue fromearly Cure, with its goth-as-hell bassline and plaintive lyrics.Although I realize that doesn't sound like a recommendation, this is anawesome song. The next couple tracks utilize keyboard effects and drummachine, adding textural elements to The Rapture's spare, grittygoth-punk anti-songs. After another dark, atmospheric piano melody, thelast track is an appropriately hyperactive and chaoticremix/interpolation of "Notes" by Kid606. 'Mirror' is an impressivelynasty slice of raw punk-funk, and I would highly recommend like-mindedfolk waste no time in seeking it out.

samples:

• NOTES>>>
• OLiO
• Kid606 'In Love with the Underground'

The Rapture's new EP, out recently on SubPop, bears little resemblenceto the aggressively dark and abrasively gothic trio that recorded'Mirror'. They have a new bassist, and two years down the line theyhave dropped the Bauhaus posturing and stripped their sound down to aleaner, meaner brand of art punk, influenced by Wire and Gang of Four.Gone are the moody dirges and dark dance anthems. They have beenreplaced with upbeat, politically charged songs with a tight drumming,clipped guitars and repetitive lyrical rants. The songs have gotten abit longer and some contain abrupt tempo changes and otherself-consciously artsy techniques. The production is much cleaner, aswell. The title track opens the EP with its high-strung rhythms andear-splitting guitar. The zealously screamed vocals recall MarkStewart's clipped verses in The Pop Group's first two albums. In"Modern Romance" the vocals are pushed to the background as theear-splittingly non-melodic guitar lines take precedence. "Caravan" isa tense track, with a rhythm section that keeps phasing in and out ofexistence. The only song with anything resembling a melody isappropriately titled "The Pop Song", but the cacophonous andrepetitious refrain of "You're growing older/You're growing older"keeps the song from approaching any kind of mainstream aspirations."Confrontation" closes the disc, with a relentless, distortion-heavybassline and tribal dance rhythms recalling 23 Skidoo. This EP is asgood as 'Mirror' and points to a new direction for the band. I can'twait to hear their upcoming full-length.

samples:

• Out of the Races and Onto the Tracks
• Caravan
• The Pop Song

Staubgold
F.S. Blumm begins his second full-length album with measured, confidentguitar strumming and fretboard squeaks in a decidedly jazzy numbercalled "Folge." Despite the confidence, the song ends up feeling alittle hollow by the end, as if it never really reached the point whereit had intended to go, a disorientation which is symptomatic of thewhole album. Frank Schultge's polyinstrumental improvisations tend tomeander, sometimes aimlessly. The mood of 'Ankern' is largelyimprovisational, not directional or determined. F.S. Blumm createscompositions which rely on repeated melodic statements that change andflow into other statements. The repetitions between these statementsare like the sips of coffee between bites of morning toast (whole wheatwith the strawberry jam): moderately enjoyable and somewhat necessaryto drench the palette, but once the coffee sits around for awhile, itneeds refreshing. Blumm's music feels lighter on this release than onhis debut 'Mondkuchen.' It hops and it skips without ever reallyplanting its feet firmly in the ground to take a stand. The songs withthe most substance to them, like "Sprung," "Tal," and "Fehlsprung," allshare a cello which gives them some body, some voice, some resonance.These three songs get better with each listen, whereas most of theother songs have a tendency to be too playful and less focused and theyeventually evanesce like vapor. Of the more playful songs, "Abgebildet"is the most memorable with its brilliant guitar lines unapologeticallyending with a sudden cessation. The most delightful sound I heard onthe album was in the background of "Fehlsprung" towards the end, where,if you listen closely enough, you can hear what sounds like thecroakings of a castrated bull frog whose bellows skim across the pondlike a skipping stone. Despite the title, 'Ankern" does not feelanchored enough to hold much ground against Blumm's previous strongwork.

samples:

• Abgebildet
• Fehlsprung
• Sprung

Eskaton / Black Sun Productions
'The Plastic Spider Thing' is the name given to a sexual/ritualperformance art piece performed by Black Sun Productions. Black Sunappears to be primarily the duo of Massimo and Pierce—two pierced,tattooed fetish models, avid Coil fans and ex-rentboys. I have neverseen a performance of 'Spider Thing' in person, but from the extensivephotos and video clips on the Black Sun Productions site, it looks likequite a decadent form of theater—live gay sex and bloodletting occursin a room filled with taut plastic webbing. The sex act is turned intoa sadomasochistic, predatory dance of sorts. It looks fascinating, andmore than a little arousing. Massimo and Pierce have also done someon-stage interpretive nude dancing during many of Coil's recentEuropean live shows. Now comes this new release on Threshold House, a"soundtrack" for the performance piece, constructed by Black Sunassociate DraZen and consisting entirely of remixes and mutations ofCoil's recorded output. I would like to report that this CD is asadventurous and perverse as its performance counterpart. However,listening to this release several times, I feel that I may be missingsomething. Working from a palette of colors as vivid and diverse asCoil's, I really feel that something more interesting should haveresulted from a remix project such as this. The 15 tracks herecompletely remove rhythm and structure from Coil, and focus on longambient, droney material. A lot of cheap "Wave Studio" effects areapplied to the music, such as excessive echo, reverb, backwardsmasking, etc. In short, I don't think these remixes were very hard tomake, and I don't think much time or care went into this. DraZen hasslowed down and extended a lot of his "pet sounds" from the Coilarchives, and in the process the songs have completely lost theiroriginal meaning and genius. There are some extraneous heavily delayedvoices added into the mix that just seem rather annoying in thiscontext. The best moments are when Coil's music reaches us relativelyuntouched, as with the "Bee Stings" sample on track six. This releaseis somewhat useless for Coil fans. It doesn't really work as a "partymix", and it doesn't really serve to underscore any new facets ofCoil's original works. Separated from its performance context, itdoesn't work at all, except as a mediocre dark ambient release that youwill listen to once and then shelve.

samples:

• The Spider has to paralyze the Victim
• When the Victim is undressed, the Spider sets him in the desired position
• Hello Victim! Awake! The Victim gets back his freedom

Mantra
I became intrigued with the idea of hearing Dot Allison's new recordwhen I read a quote from her citing Psychic TV as a band she reallyenjoys. I already owned her debut solo album, 'Afterglow,' which Ifound to be a guilty pleasure of a sultry, yet simple, pop record. So,the notion that she takes influence from PTV left the impression on methat 'We Are Science' might bear a reflection of the cult legend. Well,I didn't really notice such an influence, but I can report thatAllison's new record is a step away from the mainstream, radio-friendlyleanings of her last album. It kicks off with "We're Only Science,"full of low, throbbing beats, exotic synth-y touches and sexy vocals,and based on this, I was actually expecting a lot from the remainingtracks. While not a complete let down, the rest of the album is not aswell-developed as the opening cut. "Substance," which seems likesomewhat of an attempt to cash in on the current "electroclash" trend,is nonetheless catchy. "You Can Be Replaced" and "Strung Out" embracesome of the same straightforward pop aesthetic found on 'Afterglow,'and remain enjoyable, but unfortunately, the six other tracks arelargely forgettable. They're either slow and sappy or just plainboring. The US version of the album comes with two remixes, one of"Substance" by Felix da Housecat and one of "We're Only Science" byKeith Tenniswood of Two Lone Swordsmen (who also assisted in thealbum's production), both of which turn the originals into cheesy housemusic and are borderline tacky. Dot Allison strikes me as a genuinelytalented vocalist (she formerly fronted early '90s trip hop outfit OneDove) and songwriter. 'We Are Science' is a demostration of thedevelopment of her own style, but she still seems to have a long way togo.

samples:

• We're Only Science
• Strung Out
• Substance (Felix da Housecat remix)

Cold Spring Records
Cold Spring might be more recognized as a distributor of dark ambient,neo-classical, death industrial and japanese noise music than as alabel, but as this compilation shows, this is unjustified. 'Chamber' isa fine selection of various neo gothic & post industrial sub genredmusic. The songs are culled mostly from recent releases but there arealso some exclusives like "Hail The Queen," the last track everrecorded by Folkstorm, a remastered version of the haunting"Mitternachtsberg" from Von Thronstahl and a preview of forthcomingalbum by The Days Of The Trumpet Call. The inclusion Mark Snow (knownas composer of the X-Files Theme) and Benedikt Middler is surprisingbut not necessarily unfitting, as their contribution is the title songfrom their score of "Nekromantik," a German splatter movie. Kerovnian,Schloss Tegal, Band Of Pain, Toroidh (the new project of the Folkstorm/ MZ.412 founder), Endrva and Von Thronstahl represent various shadesof dark and black ambient while Ignis Fatuus, The Days Of The TrumpetCall, A Challenge Of Honour dive more into the martial neo-classicalfields once explored by Laibach (and In The Nursery). Laibach are evenpresent with a version of "Die Liebe" from the soon to be officiallyreleased 'Neu Konserativ' bootleg album. The sincerity and powerfulrealization behind the ultra deep traks by Novatron and Sleep ResearchFacility distantly separate them from any 2nd or 3rd-generation "darkambient" cliches. This compilation is more than just a mid-priceintroduction, as it is carefully arranged to be enjoyed as a whole andcomplete piece (especially on rainy days or in the darker hours of theday). There lies much unexpected beauty and love hidden within—and outof darkness there comes light.

samples:

• Von Thronstahl - Mitternachtsberg
• Endrva - Theme for an Imaginary Obsession
• Novatron - Angel

Antifrost
A unique restriction was given to the artists for this compilation; allartists were only allowed to use a limited bandwidth of 200hz for theircontributions. Subsequently, Francisco Lopez, Zbgniew Karbowski, KimCascone, Coti, Ilious, Philip Samartzis and others work their waythrough frequency ranges from 0 to 17002hz. Most remain in the lowerrange from 0-200hz up to 490-690hz (Lopez, PG 13, Karkowski, Coti,Kawasaki, Ilios) while a few step into the middle 991-2298 hz (AS 11,Samartzis, Yoshida) and only Cascone and Jason Kahn work in the highestranges, from 14000hz to 17002hz. While the goal was -not- meant as a"tonal experiment for studio technicians," it requires a very goodstereo system to pick up the barely audible parts some pieces mainlyconsist of. What's lacking, however, is a sense for the extraordinarylike some of the Ash International releases have. Furthermore, theminimal nature of the pieces is puzzling, as they sound like they mighthave originally been completely different tracks simply run over with afilter, cutting out all but the desired 200hz spectrum. It's thislimitation that sometimes prevents a track from ever really gettingexciting. 'Suffer / Enjoy' is theoretically a success but in fact notan album to please anybody other than the hardcore sound experts.

samples:

• Philip Samartzis - Untitled
• Francisco Lopez - Untitled #131
• Jason Kahn - Untitled

Hidden Art
If I could leave this year with one thought for each reader to hold, itwould be to consider how lucky you are. How lucky everybody readingthis is to have access to a computer and is literate enough to read,because, even if you're not reading these words on your own computer,you're probably living in a society where you can voice your opinions,vote, read, work, and educate yourself. It's ironic that after threeyears in the making, Grant Wakefield's project is finally availablejust as the USA and Great Britain are making plans to wage war again onIraq. Facts, samples, quotes and narrations alone usually end up in asea of public radio, where the words rarely fall on ears that aren'talready somewhat aware of some of the tragedies that have been carriedout through bombings or years of sanctions and inescapable radioactiveaftermath. What Wakefield has done is piece the words together withexclusive music from Aphex Twin, Bola, Speedy J, Orbital, and a numberof others. The story is arranged chronologically, from the pre-Europeanhistory, through the early 20th century, through events that lead up tothe Gulf War and its aftermath, the music underlines the narration andclimaxes at appropriate points of tension. While the messages at timesfeel somewhat force-fed through hip techno music, it almost feels likeit needs to be at this point, since the gung-ho messages from thewar-mongers is being even more force-fed through the media as news. Itsgoals, as described by the full title, are "deconstructing the GulfWar—a permanent record of the fate of Iraq and a guide to the languageof mass media propaganda." The story is, unsurprisingly more horrificbeyond imagination, with an angle not entirely unlike Michael Moore'sin "Bowling for Columbine," where the media is clearly exposed forbeing manipulated by superpowers and driven by capitalism rather thanfocused on facts and humanity. But don't rely on Wakefield's wordsalone: guests include President Bush (senior), Madeline Albright,Oliver North, comedian Bill Hicks, and numerous world leaders,unidentified soldiers and victims in their own words. It succeeds as acommentary and should be recognized as such. Wakefield isn't crying outagainst evil Western empires nor is he providing solutions forindividuals who do not wish to support the campaigns of their owngovernments. Thankfully, we're fortunate that one of the benefits of USmilitary funding gave us the internet, and Firethistime.orgpicks up where the recordings have left off, providing more informationto read and links for people to get involved. If you love the bands butfeel this is a glorified public service announcement, a second CD hasbeen provided with instrumental versions. Hopefully you will take thetime to hear the first disc out and make up your own mind for yourself.

samples:

• From the Cradle
• The Whore of Babylon(Pan Sonic)
• Say Hello to Allah (Aphex Twin remixed by Black Lung)
• ...To the Grave (Amba)

Those unfamiliar with the comic genius that is Bill Hicks will never get a chance to hear anything new from him. Unfortunately, he died of pancreatic cancer in 1994, never quite achieving the acclaim he so richly deserved. Only after his death has there been an increase in interest about the man from both big personalities (Radiohead and Tool have dedicated albums to him) and regular folk. Hicks wasn't so much a comedian as he was a social sermonist. He would lecture about the many futilities in our twisted, twisted world, about the Kennedy assasination, about US drug policies, and about Sonic the Hedgehog and Clam-lappers Volumes 1-90 (his Blockbuster video receipts showed these as his most frequent rentals). Some of his routines have seemingly been borrowed or flat-out stolen by other comedians (Denis Leary's routines about smoking are dangerously close to Bill's) but no one did them as well as Bill. Unfortunately, there has been very little available from Hicks that truly show the genius of this great loss to comedy. There's a few bootleg videos floating around of him, and a few official ones on Sacred Cow Productions and BBC Channel 4 Video. The best evidence continues to be issued by Rykodisc, who have released seven Bill Hicks CDs, two just recently.

Kitchen Motors
Some of the lucky few reading this might remember Gudmundur VignirKarlsson as the polite Icelandic guy who opened up for Múm on theirNorth American tour earlier this year. His debut album is the firstfull-length by a single artist to be released by Kitchen Motors. Itmight seem somewhat odd for a label whose prior releases have consistedof live and often improvised multi-act collaborations to choose aone-man studio nerd for release, but, for an electronic record, it hasan almost undescribably improvisational feel. While the album openswith beat-friendly glitched up numbers, it's not long before piano,looped and manipulated spoken word, and light environmental sounds(like cows) find their way to the mix. Karlsson isn't satisfied enoughwith the proverbial beats which line nearly every other laptopmusician's albums, so a variety of other tempo-keepingdevices—including a metronome and what sounds like metal cans andpans—are introduced and take over when the electronic beats run theircourse. The melodies are pleasant and unobtrusive, with very littlesurprises, making this a very safe album to have playing on the walkmanwhile enjoying a hot beverage and watching all the crazy holidayshoppers rush in and out of hectic downtown shops. It's peculiar enoughto keep the mind active, making up original stories about where peopleare from, what they do for a living and how couples met. Kippi Kaninus(latin for the muscle that controls the smile) never feels like it'strapped by the rules of chin-scratching glitch or snooty moderncompositional piano, and Karlsson isn't afraid to bring sounds in andout as he feels. He's got an amazing ear for the balance of sounds andwhen progressions need to change and evolve, his only obstacle now isto break free from 3-5 minute passing thoughts and fully develop hismelodies into wonderful, full-bodied, buxom songs.

samples:

• Örbrot
• Livingroom Piano
• My Friend the Trampoline

Synaesthesia
In a blind taste test, 4 out of 5 people said this was a new RyojiIkeda album. Subtitled "an abstract electronic compilation fromAustralia & New Zealand," here we find various characters churningout digital mulch for your vibrational pleasure. From Xenakis-stylemicromachines to feedback clock chimes, to the VST sausage grindersthat are so popular these days. Speaking of which, there is an alarmingtrend among many musicians of this genre to put out a product thatcould be sold under anyone's name. It is an unfortunate by-product ofmodern audio software that a lot of music emerges with the same zipperysheen. Unlike previous comps coming out of the underside of the world(such as the "set reverb unit to 20, touch your guitar haphazardly andmoan" —a.k.a. "NZ noise" output so widely revered a few years back)this one doesn't establish a regional flavor to the glitch. That said,what we have here is an enjoyable collection of volume swells, feedbacksqualls, clipped rippage and single-ball-bearing-inside-a-water-towermoments. Standout cuts for me were Candlesnuffer, Oren Ambarchi, andNetochka Nezvanova.

samples:

• Oren Ambarchi - Kozel
• Netochka Nezvanova - Poztgenom!knuklearporekomplekz
• Candlesnuffer - Bathe Him In Paper