SWANOX / SCRAPS OF DOGS "untitled" (Caligulan)

Never heard or even heard of either of these bands before so here goes: Swanox does slow-picked guitar against heavy stalker breathing and absently tapped tambourine, real miserable and disturbing. It probably wouldn’t work as well as it does if the guitar notes weren’t played with such hypnotic depression…but they really spiral into yr brain, and then this heavy bass rumble plummets on to the scene deep in the track, which seals the wasted alchemy for me at least. Points too for calling yr song “Forests of Pluto” like a real maniac. Scraps of Dogs puke in a different kennel, more indistinct and recorded down the hall and lapsing in and out of consciousness. Blurry, roiling noise with some occasional keyboardtones poking through the haze. Not bad, but not too memorable either. Tape looks killer though, Caligulan puts a lot of effort into every packaging detail and it makes a world of difference in this underground era of flimsy Photoshop J-cards and thoughtless spraypaint.

DHOOM “Tlachtga” (Caligula)

Blazing C20 of spazzy bass/drums prog-punk from this Pacific Northwest duo. The riffs range from tentacled NoMeansNo fretwork freak-outs to half-time metal breakdowns to little league Lightning Bolt blur frenzies. It’s all over the place, but it’s 95% instrumental, except for some scattered lo-fi puke-screaming buried in the background. The music would probably feel a lot heavier if the snare drum wasn’t so ridiculously tight…the sticks hitting it sounds like amplified popcorn popping. Which is sort of how Brian Chippendale’s kit sounds too. Or 311’s. Somewhere between the two. Tape comes in an awesome thick box covered with photocopied graffiti.