- Michael Patrick Brady
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Things get started a little slowly with "Making it Pay" by Dabrye (oneof several pseudonyms used by Tadd Mullinix), a head-nodding hip-hoppiece that is pleasant but doesn't leave much of an impression. Alittle more meat can be found right afterwards in the stormingelectro-disco of Charles Manier's "At The Bottle". Midwest Product thencome in with a pair of chilled and cinematic downtempo tracks—one ofthem a spacey remix by Telefon Tel Aviv—that will put you back on thecouch with a smile and spliff (should you be so inclined). And so itgoes from there, whiplashing back and forth from the cold industro-funkof Kill Memory Crash, to the crisp minimal tech-house of Matthew Dearand Osborne, to the lush and melodic IDM of Outputmessage, to thecompletely unexpected but very cool psych-pop cover of Wire's "Map Ref.41° N 93° W" by Dykehouse. By the time the album comes full circle withthe set-closing Prefuse 73 "megamix" of Dabrye, the listener has notonly been taken on a tour though the world of Ghostly/Spectral, butthey've also been given a more general taste of the current state ofthings in the American indie electronic music scene. If the generalquality of the material on this disc is any indication, things ain'tlooking half bad.
- Charles Manier - At The Bottle
- Dykehouse - Map Ref. 41° N 93° W
- Outputmessage - Bernard's Song
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At the outset, this seems like a very strange matching of artists for an EP. Monster Movie craft more electropop for the shoegazer set while Dreamend concoct droned instrumental music with a very improvisational feel if not creation process. Together on the same EP, they sound worlds apart, with their only common element being drone; but considering the fact that this is the first Graveface Records wide release, it becomes apparent that this is more for them than either of the artists.
Graveface show impeccable detail with Preface, much as they have with any of the limited releases they've put out in the past. Cardboard packaging with detailed cover art and a collage or piece of artwork by one of the two bands as the CD sleeve are just two of the characteristics of this EP that show you what care Graveface takes with their product. As for the music inside, it's a mixed bag, and not just because of the two artists making two different types of music. Monster Movie is becoming one of those "it's almost perfect, but" bands. Their first track, "Beautiful Arctic Star," is a glorious keyboard-based piece. The melody is infectious, the lyrics and vocals complement it well, and it builds just right then fades away. Then the second song goes and mucks it all up for them. "Nobody Sees" is also keys-based, but the vocals are processed through a horrible echo effect, plus they're just off-pitch in enough areas to drive me up the wall. They need to make a leap forward, and soon, because this sound and its cracks are starting to wear. Dreamend's tracks, or "...Ellipsis..." which is split into three tracks, is gorgeous. Drone guitar and bass, solid drumming, and pretty guitar lines over the top push the composition to a very space rock conclusion. Fans of Mogwai would not be disappointed. This is a real triumph for Graveface, but now all I want to hear is more from Dreamend.
- Monster Movie - Beautiful Arctic Star
- Monster Movie - Nobody Sees
- Dreamend - Ellipsis
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This special little nugget is a limited CD-R of rare archival material that was available at Steven Stapleton's recent appearance in Portland, Oregon to celebrate the release of his Beta-Lactam Ring LP. It's also available for a limited time from Beta-Lactam's website. The Musty Odor of Pierced Rectums contains thirteen tracks of never-before-released Nurse With Wound pieces, similar to 1989's odds-and-sods compilation A Sucked Orange. This release, although not unified by a single concept or containing a coherent flow between tracks, once again proves that Steven Stapleton's garbage is way better than 99% of the crap released by modern experimental musicians. There's a lot of different kinds of music here, most of it in the darker, more esoteric vein. Comparisons could be made to Nurse classics such as Large Ladies With Cake in the Oven and the harsher, more industrial noisescapes on early NWW records. Most of the tracks are typically absurd mixes of mutated sounds, bizarre samples, and dislocated audio dementia. Track two reminds me of Pink Floyd's "Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in A Cave and Grooving With a Pict." Stapleton seems to be experimenting with the "glitch" a little more these days. At random points, the sounds will unexpectedly stutter and drop out, leaving gaping holes or "wounds" in the composition. These thirteen untitled tracks make for a very engaging listen. Nobody is going to declare this to be Stapleton's masterpiece, but for Nurse completists, this CD-R is essential. And for the rest of those who are not obsessive Nurse With Wound collectors, what the hell is wrong with you people?
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