0824 “SGV” (Skrot Up)

 

No one’s ever going to mistake German Army for a techno band. They have techno elements, sure – drum machines, samples, synthesizers – but those sonic miscreants are way more on the industrial tip, and even then they’re often stripping away the heaviness or in-your-faceness of industrial (guitars, vocals) in favor of textures and repetitive components that zone you out as much as rile you up. And don’t get me started on Peter Kris’s work, solo, CCP, or otherwise! You’re really not going to get all four-on-the-floor to a PK joint. And sure, I’m aware that this opening paragraph is a massive oversimplification, but you gotta start somewhere, right? Right.
 
You’re confused! I can see it in your beady little fucking stupid eyes. The “band” 0824 is a duo composed of GT and PK, meaning this is a German Army side affair. The number comes from the “day [GT and PK] first heard techno at our local Tower Records in West Covina.” So there’s definitely some leaning in going on here, some genre appropriation: BPMs are wicked high, siren-y synth magic abounds, and melodies are quick, repetitious, and hooky. The tracks don’t last terribly long – get in, make noise, get out – so the attention span certainly isn’t taxed. Sometimes there are laser noises. What good techno record doesn’t have laser noises?
 
You’re absolutely right – there isn’t one.
 
This is a fun, energetic diversion among the German Army discography. Blast it wherever you can.
 
https://germanarmymusic.bandcamp.com/
 
https://skrotup.bandcamp.com
 
--Ryan

XUNHOLM "Asleep in the Shattered Mirror" C102* (Skrot Up)

So I get this tape in the mail like four or five weeks ago, right? The packaging, art, everything looks great. Anyways, I decide to take a drive down to lovely Burlington, VT to pick up an old head over the weekend in my friend Raz’ minivan and I bring along a little brown baggie for analog stimulation. I gotta say, this is the one I was the most worked up about. It’s got this real sexy Italian horror aesthetic that flies pretty well up here in my native Quebec. I pop this bad boy in and brace myself. The beefy square wave reverie of Xunholm washes over me as we approach the American border. There’s this undeniably sexy tape distortion going on that’s totally winning me and then…

…the fuckin’ thing just fizzles right out on me! Yo Nick, the tape you sent me is missing a cog and there’s just stray tape and shit all over the place. Next thing I know some border pigs are tearing through the car looking for drugs. I’m like, “man. I aint even high right now.” It’s just literally just the ennui of this broken Xunholm tape that’s got me busted and bewildered (for sure). I’ve never heard anything like it.

I’ve listened to the Shattered Mirror tape on bandcamp a couple of times since then but it’s really not the same. The Xunholm tape is, was, forever will be what it’s all about. For the record this stuff is dark, pulsing, melodramatic in a way that the other 2 2014 releases are not. I like the ambient stuff too, but this is a singular cassette for sure and I’m psyched to dig up another copy. Favorite tracks: Wind in her Hair, Running thru her mind. Check it out!

https://soundcloud.com/xunholm

- - Gerry Foxcroft Mandel, signing out

Submissions s/t (Skrot Up)

    Submissions are a band that is hard to grasp. While they aren’t all over the place, their influences seem to be. A lot of the time it sounds like a noise pop band, but it also sounds goth influenced, but then it sounds like a band that saw a krautrock documentary and is into Wavves. It’s pretty confusing to say the least. It even at times just sounds like Joy Division or some other band that sounds like Joy Division. I don’t dislike this tape, but I guess I just have a huge difficulty concentrating on the music. Which could be the most interesting thing about these jams!

    To say the least, this stuff is pretty dark and heavy, which sounds great on tape! It even gets really psychedelic at times and gets you going. The tape looks solid; most stuff on Danish label Skrot Up looks great. It’s got a nice cardstock J Card, and is faux Xeroxed which is pretty interesting. In the end, this band is worth checking out I guess. One of the members is in Best Coast and the others are in German Army. Tight! 

Listen HERE

Buy HERE

PERPETUAL RITUAL - "Perpetual Ritual" c17 (Skrot Up)

  Perpetual Ritual is the moniker under which Mitchell Saulsberry, a Seattle-based musician, performs with a revolving cast of close friends and other like-minded noisemakers.This is PR's first release for Copenhagen's wondrous Skrot Up label, which has been giving us all sorts of noisy gems as of late.Perpetual Ritual lashes out with five new scorchers, all banging with 70's garage rock swagger,  and soaking with grungy, blown out guitars.The first thing that came to mind, was the rattling cave-pop of Mississippi wild man, Flight.The vocals are similar, with a thick blanket of distortion and chorus effects, laid over top of  Saulsberry's straight-faced, baritone howls.The drums sound huge, and bang away like hammers beating on metal trash cans, constantly crashing through the buzzing guitar attack no matter how loud they seem to get.The verses seem to kind of wander off into choruses almost by accident, steering clear of "the norm", and it makes for an interesting listen indeed.This actually sounds like something that could just easily find a suitable home on garage-worship labels like Hozac, In The Red, or Florida's Dying, and that is absolutely meant to be taken as a compliment.These five songs are catchy, dark, and anything but polished, and I'm already searching the web for more of this stuff.Highly Recommended!
Grab one here.

MBB / RODENT split c50PISTOL PETE "Concentration EP" c45RHAGMAGMA "Silksnares" (Skrot Up)

I received these three tapes from the Danish label Skrot Up, that also appears to have "offices" in Los Angeles. I first heard of this imprint from the LP they put out for Boston WTF? collective Kid Romance earlier this Fall. Here's what I thought:

Miguel Baptista Benedict (MBB) gives us a dose of noise, tape samples, guitar, song and sound manipulation with "Prom Night Wearing Nothing But An Anklet (Airconditioning For Those With Hot Faces)." Takes awhile to get going, but this MBB stuff transverses so many different sonic territories that I was really taken with it by the end. There is some really great processed guitar stuff towards the end and a few random little folk songs too. I applaud this loudly for its effortless flow and large pallet. The B side of this tape is called "Halved" and it's by Chicago's Garrett W. Anderson, who plays as Rodent. I found this stuff not as compelling as the MBB material. The whole thing felt much too reliant on the loop pedal, which never goes over well in my book. There are a few different sound sources at work here: some keyboard, one sing-songy vocal bit that dissolves into eerie looped death cries, but whereas the A side had an organic approach to sound organization, the B side feels too mechanical and it left me bored. I think the connection between the material here is that both of these artists have lived in Ypsilanti, MI. I would say this is worth picking up for the MBB material.

Sacramento, CA's Pistol Pete turn in a double A sided tape with "Concentration." Although the vocals are often buried in the mix, the instruments come out loud and clear. Noisy guitar/bass/drums rock with some decent moves, but not that great really. Some Flipper-esque snot vocals mixed with Sonic Youthicky guitar figures and some Brainbombs-lite heavyosity, then a sudden left turn into some sort of amped up version of Public Image, Ltd., and then finally to '77 UK Punk...weird. I like the last two phases of the tape a little better than the more "indie" first one. I would probably dig these guys live, but I'll stick with the real deal on record.

I was unable to track down any credible information on Rhagmagma, other than that this tape was recorded in Seattle. The music on "Silksnares" is a rather sleazy blend of keyboards riffs and beats. Definitely well-made and memorable. Nothing terribly innovative but I liked it nonetheless.

http://www.freewebstore.org/Skrot-Up

GERMAN ARMY - "Body Linguist" c30 (Skrot Up)

This double A-side from L.A. minimalist duo - German Army, is yet another deep notch in Skrot Up's bedpost.With just nine tracks clocking in at just under fifteen minutes, Body Linguist plays out like an old punk record, but with delicate synth chords traded in for power chords, and scattered machine-drumming instead of straight forward pummeling.It's fairly moody and blatantly minimal, almost to a fault.I'm a big fan of most anything dark and desolate, especially with a vague cold war aesthetic, and these dudes pull it off handsomely on all fronts.The songs are short and sour, and might be completely improvised, but it's hard to say.It kind of reminds me of Portion Control or recent Factums, with less focus on the vocals.Bits and pieces of random dub instrumentals, snagged, stripped down to their skeletons, and spat out at half speed.
Parts of Body Linguist tend to dip into Throbbing Gristle's more subtle and tender moments, with a bit of skittering electronics and noisy interludes, but for the most part this tape keeps it's cool.This is definitely an album made for a cassette release, as their songs aren't really something to be played individually.As a whole, Body Linguist is a consistent and rewarding listen, and should be played front to back.Headphones are suggested.Check out their recent cassette on Night-People, too.
Get Body Linguist here.

TONGUE AND TEETH "What Have We Done To Your Quiet?" c30 (Skrot Up)

I've really been digging on SUT's last few releases, and this one only continues my obsession with this fantastic label.Tongue and Teeth are a young band from Copenhagen, and they make quite an eclectic brand of noise.This thing is pounding, confrontational and overtly brash from the very first note.It's vaguely familiar, and yet totally fresh, with more than a few nods to Penis Envy era Crass, and your favorite Riot Grrrl bands, only a bit weirder, as it teeters on post-punk's deep grooves and no wave's clever absurdity.The powerful female vocal attack is equal parts pissed and woozy, as the words just seem to spill out of her mouth quite effortlessly, creating heaps of unexpected, and possibly accidental vocal hooks.The rhythm section is loose and jagged, sounding like they could fall apart at any second, but never quite get there.Funky, crawling bass lines slither throughout tight and rigid guitar scratching, and the dizzying drum patterns are hanging on by a thread.It all seems to work out very well for them.T&T's timing falls somewhere between flawless execution and pure luck, sounding air tight and improvised all at once, and it makes for a very interesting contrast.Their stumbling, yet witty sound isn't so different from The Fall, or more recent post-punks Divorce, but it's hard to pin them to any one genre.They are doing wondrous things to your quiet, and I will definitely be keeping my eye on this band.Edition on 100.Get one from Skrot Up.

GREM - "Esme" c30 (Skrot Up)

I really can't stop listening to this tape.It's nothing terribly unique or unheard of, but the songs are well written, and after hearing it on from both my computer and my ipod, it's one of those rare recordings that actually sound spectacular through Walkman headphones.Grem is a solo project of one Mr. Shaun Durkan, a core member of San Fransisco band, Weekend.With a lack of any real information about this release, I'm going to have to assume that he plays all of the instruments on the songs, which is quite impressive.This has a heavy 90's alternative vibe, and that is a very good thing in this case.It sounds like an early AmRep band trying to play melodic indie pop tunes, but also like a modern folk band playing messy grunge jams.It's somewhere right in the middle.Fuzzy, blown out guitars create walls of riffing, with some insanely catchy melodies and heavy chord structures.Dirty acoustics strum along quite often, coupled with dense synthesizer buzzing, making for a glitchy, eclectic sound.Most of the songs are mid-paced bangers, with heavily processed guitars making for a heady ,shoegaze vibe.Durkan's voice howls away beneath the murky swells, but there's a few moments of slow and muddy balladry, where the vocals burst through a bit more, and they are quite nice and tuneful.The highlight of this tape, is the ultra-slowed, downer cover of Chris Isaak's mega hit, Wicked Game, if you can imagine anything more of downer than that.It's fantastic.Black Skull is a deep closer, and Durkan shows that he knows how to track an album properly.A perfectly gloomy ending to this awesome piece of music.

WATER BORDERS - "Drippings" C30 (Skrot Up)

San Fransisco's Water Borders are by no means a new thing, their recent ep on Hungry For Power, along with some much deserved attention from 20JFG and Fact magazine, has made them somewhat of a household name, if you r house full of introverted neo-goths.Their wonderfully terrifying video for the Akko remix has been strewn about the web for the past few months, as well.Good, good stuff.This tape was released in 2010, just before their ep, and contains three lengthy songs, or movements, rather.The first being "Ararat " ", a dark and rather brooding tune, full of swelling synths, both analog and digital, and deep, baritone vocal passages.This song hardly resembles anything beat driven, or new wave, having little to no percussion at all.It slowly crawls through a handful of key changes and tempos, and keeps it's gloomy swagger, without a single thump.Water Borders is one of those rare acts, who don't rely on clicks and clacks to create something completely moving.Instead they fall back on dense, low end keyboard rhythms, or pulses, like the synth bass, and use them to make driving, beat-less rhythms.Their music is organic and artificial all at once, like a liveing, breathing, machine.This clever dirge, along with layers of dreamy synths, and carefully crafted arpeggios, make up most of Drippings music.
The most memorable song, and definitely the most full-bodied and driving of the three, is the last track."The Man With Fish In His Hands", comes off as some sort of busted Xiu Xiu scraps, playing from the bottom of an old well.The vocals come courtesy of Lynette of Bestial Mouths, and her scratchy squealing voice makes for an interesting contrast, up against WB's stern, deep moans.They mostly take turns spitting their venom, but at one point they overlap each other's tortured vocals, and it's purely black magic.This song is the only one of the three that features percussion, and they really give to you here.Swarms of tattered snare cracks and other various clicks and thuds are brought on harshly.There's no subtle head nodding, that's for sure.The staggering beats carry their wild voices and crushing synth patterns perfectly, as things just seem to grow and expand as the seconds pass, until everything drops out, leaving only a muffled whirring sound, tucked beneath what appears to be a very haunting, continuous choir chant.Completely enthralling, and full of wrong turns, this tape is fantastic, and anyone who's unfamiliar with Water Borders should get on it, asap.
Edition of 100.Get a copy from Skrot Up.

AFTER AFTER AFTER - C46 (dbl A-side) (Skrot Up)

This one was a total mystery.The insert doesn't tell you much about the tape, or about this group.All I know, is that their called After After After, their Swedish, and this is their new 8 song cassette.Skrot Up has been releasing wild electronics, harsh noise and no wave gems for some time now, and their catalog is quite an expansive one.AAA begins things with a sort of blank, no-wave vibe, nothing too catchy or memorable, and eventually grows into something much deeper as it plays out.Sharp keyboards and stiff guitars are laid over minimal dance beats, and there's a less than enthused, yet strangely tuneful vocals here and there.It's pretty varied though, the song " Kranky", is a slow burning instrumental, with a steady snare roll that points towards a big finish.It's coupled with some ethereal synth sprawls and various electronic sines and pink noise."Dancing in a Mist" really stuck with me.It's got this French new wave vibe, with icy synth repetition, and minimal guitar jabs.It's kind of a danceable, in that "I don't dance" sort of way, and the vocals,although rather incoherent, have a cool, almost sexy tone, and it all works pretty well for AAA.There's a ton of different styles going on here, and this tape goes from scathing electronic dirge, to dreamy euro-pop in a flash, without being overly contrived or scattered.As much Adult as they are Air.Good stuff.Edition of 100.
Get it here.

BLOOD WING - "6 Song Cassette" C12 (Skrot Up)

Sometimes a joke is so brilliant and clever, that it takes you hearing it at least 5 times before actually getting it.Such is the case for Washington's Blood Wing.These 6 subliminally awesome songs come via- cassette from the killer Skrot Up label.They always have something good going on it seems,and this one takes the cake for me.So here's the rundown..Their myspace claims that they are a 3 piece consisting of Tall Bear, Black Salmon, and Runs With Sky.Whether or not any of these members really exist is irrelevant.But for the sake of this review,we'll say that may be the dirty work of Sean from the Spits.What matters here,is that you get six killer, 80's throwback metal jams,that are doused in a hazy lo-fi bedroom-punk fule, and set ablaze like a pile of scalped palefaces.And that's actually pretty accurate.
Blood Wing has a comical(?) Native American theme that runs rampant like the wolf throughout this tape.Maybe they are totally serious..I can only hope.Aside from great song titles like "Proud Eagle, "War Cry", and "Your Turkey is a Fool"..you will also hear funny samples of things like pow-wow chants, civil war chatter, and what appears to be some sort of John Wayne dialog.You also get an insert with a picture of a Native American man holding a rifle,and the words "Free Leonard Peltier,Fuck The FBI" above..Fuck yeah.
The awesome headbangin' riffage fits perfectly over the pounding drum machine beats, and gruff, Danzing-like howling.I'm not sure why, but some of it reminds me of older Killing Joke..maybe the phased-out vocal parts or occasional busted-organ mocking the riffs..Anyhow,this tape is short and sweet.A musket loaded full of fist pump-able anthems,and catchy chorus lines.A week ago I was laughing about this,and today I can't put it down.Red Red Blood in the Snow will never leave your head.Fingers crossed for a follow up.

Skrot Up