[mt94cs] Werewolf Jerusalem – ‘Hand Of The Gallows’ C40
Richard Ramirez returns for his first Monorail release in nearly ten years — one which sees him pushing this established project into exciting new realms of noise minimalism. The familiar static overdrive and crackle of WJ is segmented here by long passages of extreme lowercase sound that unfold with great patience through Ramirez’s trademark stream-of-consciousness approach to composition.
[mt95cs] A Week of Kindness – ‘In Shadow’s Country’ C42
Sean E. Matzus is a Houston-based artist regarded for his solo projects (Red Hook, Thewhitehorse, The Secret Geography, etc), while also known for his work in several Richard Ramirez projects (Black Leather Jesus, Priest In Shit, Last Rape, etc.), and operating the Unlimited Drift label. A Week Of Kindness acts in contrast to his other mostly harsh noise / wall material. Distant, filtered vocals and manipulated junk metal weave in and out of field recordings and subtle tonal shifts. A dark and surreal journey of expertly crafted experimental soundwork. Highly recommended.
[mt96cs] Vat – ‘A Pile Over There / Spoiled Milk Panties’ C30
Previous Vat efforts have focused on the classic ‘americanoise’ approach of scrap metal through distortion overload. ‘A Pile …’ sees Chris Conroy merging elements of that aesthetic with ideas normally reserved for his other project, Lungwash. Layers of metal abuse and feedback are processed through gritty fuzz and hiss signals, gaining intensity throughout the duration of each side.
[mt97cs] Developer – ‘mt97cs’ C30
Midwest hero Matthew Reis is one of a select few contemporaries who are taking noise forward by merging aesthetics with tape music, sound collage and musique concrete. mt97cs is one more pearl in a large body of work — extremely active and dynamic stereo cut-ups of ‘everything but the kitchen sink’ collide into one another with great precision and attention to detail throughout. ‘
[mt98cs] Sterile Garden – ‘ryta’ C30
Industrial sound research. A direct lineage from such Colorado essentials as Architect’s Office, Jeph Jerman and Eric Lunde’s “Colorado Terrain Investigation.” Tapes as composition; sounds are re-approrpriated and broadcast from deep underground, filtered through generations of grit and process, leaving only the important elements at the forefront.