JOSHUA CARRO "Sketches of L.A." (self released)



First of all, the title and packaging on this thing totally set me up to be let down; it's all just so vague and half-hearted, it feels like a school project rather than a statement of musical vision. So it took some effort to put this thing on. But once I got around to listening to it, I discovered that the sounds hidden inside are actually pretty awesome. Each side is a single 15-minute drone/noise piece (so much for those eponymous "sketches"), with one side being mostly harsh angry rumbling analog synthesizer and rhythmic percussion, and the other being mostly melancholy hellverbed guitar and cymbal washes. Each piece is divided up into a number of distinct movements that don't overstay their welcome, and it's all recorded really well in a way that totally captures the energy of the music without sacrificing fidelity. 

Joshua Carro, if you are reading this, you are totally underselling your music! Here are some potential titles for your next release: "Bloodriderz - Saga of the Skull Lord (OST),"  "Ritual Consumption of Doomed Goatflesh,"and "Lonesome Droning Jesus Transmits Demons to my Cellphone." Take any of them you like!


-- Will Griscom