The Andromeda Society – Live Infant Dissection (No Rent, 2020)

Now here is something I was excited to see come out, and much to my surprise, as I’d assumed it had been shelved indefinitely. I received files of these recordings close to a year ago now, was totally awestruck by their quality, and then heard basically nothing more of them, as releases of newer, unrelated material from the same person (who shall remain nameless, HIPPA regulations and all…) started trickling out. To boot, this incredibly tacky package, with artwork perfectly replicating the absurdly unstylish audio contained herein, boasts a clearer, more bottom heavy mastering job than those raw files, making this one of the best unexpected tapes I’ve gotten in sometime. What is going on with this ridiculously titled, horrendously ugly cassette? ‘Live Infant Dissection’ was described to me as sounding “extremely out of touch” and when you hear its 40-some minutes of toy gun effects, dolphin squeals, awkwardly placed drum ‘n bass samples, and misc. feedback, who could disagree? These sources create a whirlwind of shit that transplants the listener back to a time when Noise was a much less codified aesthetic/lifestyle brand, and more simply shorthand for uncouthly humours bad sound. Now, perhaps I am engaging in nostalgia for a time I never even lived through, but looking back at the catalogs of labels like MSBR or Self Abuse or Face Like A Smacked Arse I can’t help but think there is something to this argument (of course people still make good Noise, but it does often seem as though the glory days for this particular approach are long gone). So that’s what this is anyway, just a great tape of mindfuckingly dreadful sonic garbage, the exact type that really hits the spot for a loser such as myself during the dog days of Summer, 2020 in The Year of Our Lord.

The Conduits – Attenuating Circumstances (Chair Chair, 2020)

Where to begin with The Conduits? This extremely obscure (by design) duo, who go by the pseudonyms Canker and Chancre, have countless releases to their credit stretching back to the mid 80s, though you’d be hard pressed to find the vast majority of them unless you were lucky enough to stumble across a few stashes in various Northern CA thrift stores (randomly dropping tapes in racks is their exclusive method of distribution for most titles) over the last 30 odd years. They are the sort of band that only makes sense within the BuFMS/Bananafish/Tedium House orbit, which is also the one place you can get the few releases they’ve allowed to be distributed via a more ‘traditional’ avenue. Their sound, regardless the various sources used to create it, is always (at least on the three readily available) very, very minimal, with the bulk of ‘Attenuating Circumstances’ swirling around greyscale loops, eerie muted voices and other murky detritus in a fashion not unlike the earliest M.B./Sacher-Pelz. It is almost uncanny; if you played this for me blind and told me it was some random DD. cassette or an obscure LP on Dys or A-Mission I’d have no reason to doubt it. This is not to say one minute of ‘Attenuating Circumstances’ sounds self-consciously “retro” (and for all I know it could very well have been recorded in the early 80s), simply that the sonic touchstones, form and overall ‘vibe’ seem to be coming from a similar mindset. Fine by me, as this is a sound I basically never tire of, especially when done this tastefully. Speaking of which, the packaging is worth noting, forgoing regular cassette case in favor of a pouch of natural cat food (mine is “chicken flakes in gravy,” not sure if the flavors differ from copy to copy) with all kinds of weird trinkets thrown in, as is typical for many of The Conduits releases. Undoubtedly the strangest microcosm of sound I’ve come across in sometime, could not recommend any and everything you’re able to find by these guys enough.

Glands of External Secretion – Do Not Disturb (BuFMS, 2020)

New Glands! Who doesn’t love ’em?! Hopefully no one reading this, or you would be asked to leave the premises immediately. The long running duo of Barbara Manning (28th day, S.F. Seals, World of Pooh etc.) and Seymour Glass (Bren’t Lewiis Ensemble, ‘Bananafish’ magazine…) are always welcome around these parts and ‘Do Not Disturb’ is their latest seepage into all our hearts ‘n minds. Composed from several soundtracks to video screenings, live appearances last year on WRCT and at Skelton Dust records in Dayton, OH, lyrics lifted from old soul songs, amateur photography anthologies and recountings of dreams printed in the debut issue of Andy Bolus’s ‘Barbeque’d Humans’ zine, all wrapped up in their own sun stroked tapes/electronics/objects haze, it is just the type of spittle soaked puree we’ve come to expect (no…DEMAND!) from the duo, and it does not disappoint. In addition to C-SPAN samples, disorienting cuts that’d make Orgel Fesper proud, and a tale of “steak vapor” permeating the airspace of an early performance on account of Seymour grilling during their set, there is a fair bit of vocals/spoken word by both members, bringing to mind something akin to Intersystems fed thru the grinder of the last five decades of post-psychedelic slop they helped inspire. Thanks Mummy and Daddy! Nobody needs to be told how extra shitty everything is right now, but there’s nothing like a new BuFMS-related release to remind you that there are still fine people dedicated to making the most bizarre nonsense imaginable, almost solely for their own amusement, scattered around the world.

Masimba Hwati – Lakenights (Alien Passengers, 2020)

Masimba Hwati is a Zimbabwean artist currently residing in Ann Arbor, MI, who has been active for sometime mostly in the fields of sculpture and performance, though his multidisciplinary works often feature sound. This tape is the first I’m hearing of him, and also the first physical document of his sound art (if the all knowing Discogs is to be trusted). The bulk of ‘Lakenights’ is taken up by the side long “Insomniac Barrier” (feat. Infinite Resources), a minimal, echoey piece that seems to be sourced from a live recording (it certainly sounds like everything is played in real time, and there is a bit of applause towards the end). Maybe knowing of Hwati’s background in sculpture is influencing my perception, but it does seem like massive, other-worldly objects are being manipulated to create many of these sparse sonic textures. Although there is a lot of space and patience (and occasionally noisy flare ups) throughout the performance, it has more of that surreal, dread-inducing feel of something like ‘Merzbild Schwet’ or ‘The Curfew Recordings’ rather than anything I would call intentionally “ambient”. Around half way in there are some odd vocalizations and distant rustlings that tie everything together in a very mysterious and pleasing way. I’d love to have been in the room as I imagine the visual element would’ve been nice to see as well. The B-side is much shorter, an all vocal track, again heavily echoed and backed with what sounds like pre-recorded choral humming. Its abrupt ending serves as a nice coda to the main show. Top marks to Mike Collino at AP for putting this out, and of course the artist himself, who I really hope is just getting started with the releasing of his music.

Lewsberg – In This House (no label, 2020)

Now let me clear, this is a column about experimental music. This is so because most of the music I am interested in (current stuff, at least) is experimental/not song-based in nature, and honestly quite a narrow expression of such. Every so often, however, I do catch wind of an artist or band existing outside my blinkered purview that resonates for whatever reason, and this LP by Rotterdam (do they know How To Get Rich?) based Lewsberg, their second after a S/T in 2018 and string of self-released singles and cassettes, is the most recent example. As of this writing I’ve not listened to any of their previous recordings, so as not to taint my reaction to this one, although I did notice they share a member with the excellent neo No Wave-ish band Sweat Tongue (not at all apparent given the sound of ‘In This House’). The components here are as simple as can be, a standard bass/drums/guitar Velvets-type strum backing English language lyrics delivered in a deadpan Dutch accent (a friend accurately summed up one of the tracks as sounding “…like Robert Ashley singing “Lady Godiva’s Operation”). You might think this would get old fast but there is just enough nuance and variation in the songwriting (and also occasional sung female vocals) to keep things interesting. Not really sure why but it just works. As the early Tyvek singles were to Desperate Bicycles/UK DIY, Lewsberg could be thought of in relation to many of the more song oriented VU-appreciating underground bands throughout the ages (Vacuum, 39 Clocks, first Screamin’ Mee Mees 7″ etc.), which is a fine tradition in my book. Walking the tightrope between twee and disaffected with grace. This is likely the most enjoyable new rock record I’ve come across since Yuzo Iwata’s ‘Daylight Moon’ a few years back.

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Do you record marginal music to keep yourself from going insane? Would you like for it to be reviewed? If so, e-mail crisisoftaste [AT] gmail.com. Only physical releases will be considered, and reviewer reserves the right to discard upon unsatisfactory listening experience, but if what you send is good then that shouldn’t be a problem.

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