LUSH WORKER – ‘Immunosuppression / Preacher / Cygnus / Consort’ 2xCS
Lazy is certainly not a term used when discussing Mike Vest’s musical output. The man should have ‘prolific’ as his middle name. Bong, 11Paranoias, OZO, Melting Hand, Blown Out, Mienakunaru are just a handful of the bands he’s given his trademark sound to – and let’s face it, his interstellar mind-expanding psych-out guitar-style is unmistakable and instantly recognisable, branding any project he involves himself with. Lush Worker is Vest’s solo project, first surfacing in 2015 with ‘Gone Out’ and a steady stream of releases following ever since; many of which have made the jump from digital to good ol’ analogue physical format via Cruel Nature Records. The latest Lush Worker offering from Cruel Nature is a quadruple whammy! Four – yes FOUR!! albums – have been compiled and presented on a chunky double-tape for your aural pleasure. ‘Immunosuppression’, ‘Preacher’, ‘Cygnus’ and ‘Consort’ were all recorded during 2019 and 2020. Each standing out as individual works or fusing perfectly as a 2 hour 20 minute trip. Some tracks are fairly short by Vest’s standards, whilst other build on lengthy drones, working up the atmosphere and tension. All though, command your attention.
SARCASTIC BURN VICTIM – ‘Blood & Stomach Pills’ CS
16 tracks of Harsh Skronky Jazz Grindcore in just under 30 minutes. Like John Coltrane quadruple booked on the same stage as Extreme Noise Terror, Swans and The Incapacitants.
ZEBULARIN – ‘Semantic Radiation’ CS
Zebularin is an ever-changing and shapeshifting instrumental collective hailing from Stuttgart. Besides the mutual interest in improvisation, science, alchemy and the social implications of music, all of its members have different and sometimes even diverging musical backgrounds rooted in ambient, jazz, noise, classical music, postrock or freeform electronics. There is no focus on a specific genre or aesthetic whatsoever, but rather on the constant interplay of tension and release as an intuitive playground of joined forces. Sounds are prone to aggregation and coagulation, structures pile up and explode/implode, deteriorate and vanish. Sometimes they reappear. Uneventfulness and density are always interconnected. Openness is the key.