NEWAGEHILLBILLY + PLAKE 64 & THE HEXAGRAMS “April the Ninth” C60 (AGH Tapes)

 

Two sides of the same coin. Two freaks of the same freakout. Newagehillbilly and Plake 64 & the Hexagrams, Alex Strama and Alex Homan, respectively, two Alexes in perpetual search of the most elusive sound. That sound, like bigfoot, stumbles through the forest yet is on the air, blurred and obscured, but felt as a presence nonetheless. The Alexes share a cassette tape and try to reenact what they’ve experienced. Is this real or a fakeout? Why must it be either?
 
April the Ninth reminds us that the artists are “born in America,” yet it also reminds us “death to the confederacy.” How intriguing! The Newagehillbilly side pumps hot missiles of gratuitous noise in consistent bursts, the experience an experimental excavation with no spark of inspiration left unexplored. The Plake 64 side is not so bombastic, but spends its time coaxing frequencies from freakier dimensions. Freakier than equal freaks you say?
 
Never.
 
The juxtaposition of the two artists makes for a wild comparison, and going back to back as they do makes them the perfect counterpoints for each other. And who can argue with that? Seriously, take a listen, and you’ll stop your arguing instantly.
 
https://newagehillbilly.bandcamp.com/
 
https://alexhoman.bandcamp.com/
 
--Ryan