You know DIY has gone over the edge when the artist braggs that his music was recorded “with one mic made out of cell phone parts and a ball of aluminum foil”. The album titled Arecibo Psycodelic Classics 17: Abortos Musicales by Mu. is a cornucopia of percussive sounds that seem to be dually influenced by John Cage and an army of toddlers let loose in a music store. While there is a temptation to think of Mu as someone who simply wants to find as many sounds as he can get out of the household appliances, he is actually quite imaginative and has some structure hiding behind the noise. Those familiar with avant jazz percussion of the 70s will get this album faster than most but I think the rest will still enjoy this interesting noisefest.

The album is available from the Headphonica netlabel in 320kbps MP3.

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Here is something a little different in the realm of free and legal online music. The noise rock duo Caldera Lakes have placed the rough cut of their new album that is yet to be named or released on the Free Music Archives. I think, in the past , we would have called these demo tracks but nothing sounds demo about this. Rough maybe, as Caldera Lakes is a seething cauldron of noise and abrasive vocals but they are highly crafted soundscapes of the scary industrial type. The music can really haunt you. I do not recommend playing this alone in a dark room. The six tracks are all forbiddingly impressive but the last track, “Arctic Ghost” is a masterpiece of horror and foreboding.You may hate this or you may love it. I doubt if there is any middle ground. But you will be impressed.

I’m trying something a little different myself. Free Music Archives now allows embedded streaming of their archive music. Whenever possible I will be attaching it so you can directly listen or download the music from my blog. This is an experiment. Please let me know if you find this feature helpful.

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Taras Bul’ba is an Italian progressive rock group that manages to put together a strong individual presence after four creative commons licensed albums. Progressive rock may be a slightly misleading term as the band borrows heavily from metal, goth and death metal, often drowning the listener in screams and distorted guitar. Yet when you least expect it, they can throw in some hauntingly beautiful refrains. This ability gives them a distinctly individual sound that will interest any fan of the harder edges of rock.

Secrets Chimiques is their latest and most realized album. The tendency to mix the overwhelming with the sublime is evident with the first track, “Cranioterapia”. But all tracks have a coherent unity making this a good introduction to this interesting group. I have a habit of pairing music with books that I think need a good soundtrack. This album kept me thinking of Dante’s Inferno. Take that however you may.

Incisione is another fine album and have the same intense but atmospheric tendencies. I especially like “Miyuki” with its lightning fast guitar work and machine gun drumming. The following “Hari” is also riveting and has a nice guitar solo that reminds me of a metal version of Santana. This album stays more in the fast paced genre of metal but “Imothep” just manages to slow down the pace nicely. It’s a very nice effort as is the entire album.

There are two older self-titled albums released in 2000 and 2002. They both sound like earlier efforts in which an individual style is still developing. However they have a good solid sound. The 2002 album get a slightly higher nod from me if only because the initial track is named after the incredible Tor Johnson and it features campy dialogue from Ed Wood’s Bride of The Monster.

All four albums can be found on Tara’s Bul’ba’s Jamendo page or be downloaded on the individual album page from the links below. They are available in VBR MP3 format.

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Secrets Chimiques
Incisiones
Taras Bul’ba (2002)
Taras Bul’ba (2000)

Ultrabunny is a full frontal assault of noise. Wavering between comic book and avant garde, this noise-rock band is a no compromise ensemble that is confrontational in both its sound and political stance. They have released four live recordings which you can find at the Free Music Archive. Even I find four albums of this unrelenting sound attack to be overwhelming but one or two will be sufficient to curdle milk or agitate the neighbors. Live @ Cakeshop. NYC, 7/29/06 is a typical example. The first track exhibits a wide range of sound and noise. While they deserve the noise moniker you will also think of post-punk and avant-rock. “Squirrel Attack”, which they laughingly call their hit single, barely has a melody and a vocal. Vocals are not their strong point but they make it up in pure audacity. Give one of these marvels of madness a try.

All four albums are available in 320kbps MP3. If you enjoy their music support the band by buying their CDs.

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Live @ Cakeshop, NYC 7/29/06
Live @ Ratward Noisefest, Phoebus VA 8/7/04
Live @ The True Vine, Baltimore VA 8/8/04
Live @ Trash Bar, Brooklyn, NY 3/18/05

This self titled one track EP by In Zaire is nothing less than sonic overload. Musicians G.I. Joe and Claudio Roditti man this live recording, a grindcore assault of overbearing guitar, drum, tribal chants and noise. It reminds me of the equally loud and abrasive efforts of the John Zorn & Bill Laswell fronted Painkiller. The 18 minutes track can really get under your skin if you allow it to. My guess is that this album will result in one of three things. An appreciation of the creative interaction of these two musicians, a seriously altered state of mind or one hell of a headache. Your pick.

In Zaire is available from the Vuoto netlabel in 256kbps MP3.

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Depending on your perspective, Canadian artist Brian Joseph Davis is either an innovative musical genius, the most original perpetrator of Found Art since Duchamp, or a total charlatan. I’m sure there are no indifferent opinions about the way Davis makes his music. You may hate or love what he does but there is no middle ground.

Take for instance, 10 Banned Albums Burned Then Played, The concept is just what the title says it is. Ten vinyl albums that were banned at some point are burned then played on a turntable. For the most part they are distinguishable noise. Yet there is a odd magnetism in these tracks. Snippets music appear but are then are destroyed by the hissing and jumping of the burned vinyl. Social commentary or the result of too much alcohol? You can decide for yourself. Personally I was all set to hate this but I found the tracks to be strangely hypnotic and found it worth several listens. Probably the most intriguing thing is that “Louie Louie” doesn’t sound all that different after be burned. I’m reminded of a column by Dave Barry in which he wrote that if you dropped a guitar off a cliff it would play “Louie Louie” as it bounced off the rocks.

Then there is Yesterduh in which Davis took people off the street and asked them to sing the Beatles’ song “Yesterday”. It didn’t matter if they did not know the lyrics, just make them up. Davis took the best of them and mixed them to make this odd and funny album. At times it is funny but at other times, such as on the second track, it becomes haunting and beautiful or more often, just embarrassing. I have a lot of empathy for these poor souls as my own voice is woefully lacking in aesthetic worth. I have learned from secret sources that this is how William Hung was really discovered.

If you can get in the swing of these two bizarre but entertaining albums you might want to check out Davis’ three other albums, all being offered free and online from Ubuweb. Minima Morelalis is a tongue-in-cheek attempt to turn Theodore Adorno’s book of the same name into a punk record. This is a raucous satire of either punk or Marxism…probably both. It is actually darn good punk rock. Greatest Hit takes six greatest hit albums by Whitney Houston, Kenny G, The Carpenters, The Police, The Rolling Stones and Metallica, then plays All of the tracks at the same time. Again, what should have been a mess becomes a fascinating cornucopia of sounds. Finally Original Soundtrack is a live performance using 20 TV sets and DVD players and is of course reminiscent of John Cage’s exercises in randomness with radios. This stuff can grow on you but even if you are shaking you head in skepticism, you should give this a try. The future may look kindly on these experiments. After all, this is now considered a masterpiece.

You can find all of these albums plus some other works by Brian Joseph Davis at Ubuweb or go directly to the album’s download page through the links below.

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Minima Moralia
Greatest Hit
10 Banned Albums Burned Then Played
Yester Duh
Original Soundtrack

The oddly titled 833-45 is a musical project from the prolific sound artist K.M. Krebs, whose works under his own name had previously been reviewed here. The music of 833-45 is a amalgamation of industrial drones, radio signals, and electronic noises that may perplex some but fascinate others. Tunguska is more of a post-modern industrial sound sculpture than a musical composition. The title is taken from the 1908 explosion in Russia, probably caused by a small comet or large meteor, and the recording has a similar post-apocalyptic desolation in its sound. I find it strangely calming. Whether you find it calming or disturbing, it is definitely worth a listen.

The album is available in 320kbps MP3 or FLAC format. If you enjoy the music, you can find out more about this project from Krebs’ 833-45 blog.

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If you are looking for peaceful music for relaxation and meditation, Worrg’s free online album Oone is definitely not the one you will want. The leader of Merde Sur La Mer keeps his unfortunately brief (15 minutes) solo effort on the abrasive and manic side. Bordering on the avant garde, it still manages to remain quite accessible with snappy melodies sidestepping the heavily percussive madness. Think of an industrial Zappa or John Zorn on a rock and roll kick. This is a frantic but immensely enjoyable bit of insanity.

The EP is available from Terminal Station in 320kbps MP3.

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I wish there were classes like this when I went to college. Harvard students attended a music class taught by Damon Krukowski called “Noisy Art”. They explored the concept of noise art as represented by the theories of John Cage but also applied it by attempting to make their own art from noise. They went to the local Goodwill store and chose their “instruments” which could be anything that made a sound. Their guide for cacophony came from the British composer Cornelius Cardew who had similar ideas in the makings with his Scratch Orchestra in 1969. Hence the name of The Itchy and Scratchy Orchestra as a salute to Cardew as well as to our own modern culture.

This is a curious recording. It is a single track session of their Harvard concert. The works are from graphic scores rather than musically notated ones and require no musical experience. The sound is poor and inconsistent. A hand on the volume control is strongly advised as it fades in and out. More importantly, it can be argued whether these students are performing good music, bad music, or even music at all. I must admit it is difficult for me to sit through even the 17 minutes duration of this recording. So why did I bother to feature this work? Because it is good to hear that which confounds our expectations. If anything, this work will cause us to discuss what is music, what is art, and what is just noise. I do not pretend to have the answer.

The work is available from Ubuweb in 320kbps MP3.

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If this doesn’t trip you out, consider yourself untrippable. Japanoise artist Isuzu Kochiwa has recorded 18 short pieces, each representing a famous visual artist, and packaged them into an online album titled Disassembling The Molecules. He uses voice, computer, samples and pretty much anything he can get his hands on to make these miniature sound sculptures. The results are pleasantly weird and often borders on the psychedelic. Whether “Warhol” sounds like a Andy Warhol painting or “Duchamp” is similar to a Marcel Duchamp masterpiece is immaterial. (Actually, I think the Duchamp piece is the most accurate sound representation of the collection.) It’s best to see these odd pieces as a peek into Kochiwa’s strange but wonderful mind.

It is available by separate tracks or a full album zip in 64kbps MP3, VBR MP3, or Ogg Vorbis.

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The five person improvisation group Zloty Dawai likes to live on the edge. Their albums are recorded in one take with no editing and no overdubbing. Their previous album on WM recordings received raves from Free Album Galore and from just about everyone who listened to it. Their new album Dada Work Chant is another amazing sound experience.

As with the last album, Zloty Dawai intermingles ambient soundscapes with long doses of avant-garde jazz and noise. Their effortless ability to go from dreamscapes to chaos is fascinating. There is a special empathy between the musicians. This type of music always runs the risk of sounding indulgent and meaningless. Yet there is a clear communication of structure and meaning in this improvisatory feast. This is an experimental music album that begs for repeated listenings. There is so much going on that each listen will reveal new layers.

The albums is available by either separate tracks or full album zip. The files are 192kbps MP3.

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Furious Pig was a vocal experiment by four youths in Devon, England. It included Stephen Kent who went on to be a major contributor to New Age and World Music through bands like Trance Mission, Lights In A Fat City, and his own solo CDs. Their only recording was an EP, I Don’t like Your Face, on Rough Trade Records. Again, we have Ubuweb to thank, this time dubiously, for making this available as a free download.

Furious Pig’s sound can barely be called music. It is syncopated screaming and yelling. It is also utterly captivating. The Pigs shout, shriek, and moan through three tracks for almost 14 minutes leaving the listener in a form of shock but with a smirk that says “I can’t believe they got away with this”. I love this EP for its sheer audacity. I am glad Furious Pig made this one record. I am also glad they didn’t make another.

It is available in 192kbps MP3.

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Nagoski himself can explain his music better than I can: “I make recordings of single sounds, over and over again. Each track is slightly different but each is part of a set of that single sound. Then, rerecording that tape down a bunch of times in various mixes and at various speeds with the idea of tuning them to each other in mind onto multiple CDs, I play the CDs back together - sequentially and simultaneously - along with the source tape through a mixer, which then becomes the performance instrument. Controlling the tape speed and EQ of like sounds as I project them back into a room, I play the entire sound with equal attention to the interferences as to their related source-elements.”

Uh, yeah… whatever. I’d just say it’s gradual, buzzing, dark ambient music, and curiously, it’s a thrill to listen to.

The 4 tracks (46 minutes) are available as 160kbps MP3s.

No longer available