Various - With Friends Like These: 10 Years Of Pissing In The Wind

It's been a while since I last wrote, but this blog is not dead and I'm back with another review, this time it's a CDR compilation on Gold Soundz. The label celebrates 10 years, and the catalog has now reached GS#99, so that the compilation includes 99 tracks is probably not such a big surprise.

This idea has been used before, so I wouldn't say the concept came as a shock, but what actually did surprise me was the solid tracklisting Mr. Bjerga (label-father) had managed to put together. With this much variation and strange tunes put onto one disc it's important with a tracklist that works. How much time that has actually been put into the final order I have no idea of, but at least it sounds like it's well planned. I expected much more lo-fi, trash, grind/noise-core, scummyness and weird shit on this disc, but it's much more a fine collage than punch-in-the-face music. Each track works well with the next and the contrast between the tracks makes it easy to hear when the next track comes on, but what I noticed quite early was how it also worked as a whole. It's kinda like a cut-up mantra- Absolutely not pretentious in any way, but high standard all the way through, with stuff like Pål Asle Pettersen's noise concrete, NXP's glitchy and catchy loops, Cock E.S.P.'s 5 seconds noise jams, Bjerga/Iversen's noise-drones and Torstein Wjiik (better known as Kjetil Hanssen aka the guy who writes these reviews) with his half funny, full trashed lo-fi junk.

So why chose to go for this compilation? There are so many compilations out there and so many good tracklists, and as mentioned already, this idea isn't new, but what this compilation has that most other compilations doesn't, it's got the feeling of working as a whole, even with it's variations. I found it all to be very enjoyable, never gets boring, and if you pay attention to each single track you'll find some hidden gems that's truely worth the money. 99 copies only.

Jazkamer - Jazkamer

It's July and time for another Jazkamer release in their 2010 monthly series. The last disc being 73 minutes, it was fun to see this one being almost 4 times as short (19 mins). As promised in the promo for the series, Jazkamer has come up with a grind-/noisecore "album", and with 129 songs to choose from I bet there's enough to find the summer hit of 2010.

"129 songs, no index, no life", that’s pretty much all the info we get from looking at the cover. Iver Sandøy on drums, John Hegre on guitar, Lasse Marhaug does vokills as the cover says, and on the last tracks we get Jørgen Træen on drums as well. If you enjoyed their Art Breaker album from 2008 I bet this will make you happy. This time they're a bit cleaner in their sound production wise, but the insensitivity remains and each has their own distinctive sound. Less feedback and a bit more static than Art Breaker but hard to compare to any of the other Jazkamer releases.

It didn't take long from I put it in the stereo and till it was over and it was also hard to keep track on which track was actually playing, but with 129 songs (I haven't counted so it may be a lie) where all sounds more or less the same who cares other than the hardcore nerds like me? But even though I'd love to see a tracklist filled with fun and enjoyable titles the music is still in your face, humorous noisecore with good production value. Another totally different release in the series and of course, another fantastic one.

Jazkamer - We Want Epic Drama

Another month, another Jazkamer. I said earlier on that I originally planned to review all of these monthly Jazkamer-releases, but decided not to. I kinda want to go back on that now, so there may be a few random reviews of the older discs as well in the future, but now it's time to review the June-edition.

"A big-band noise extravagansa. The first studio recording of the Metal Music Machine line-up; two drummers, electronics and three guitars. Artwork by Justin Bartlett." This is what the website says, and I was prepared for something like their classic Metal Music Machine album, but I was wrong. Starts with heavy drumming, and though there has been some intense guitar, electronics, drum sessions on their previous monthly releases this is again something completely new. It's full on trash rock metal noise without being anything other than pure energy, and this disc is also the longest disc amongst the monthly-series so far at least, with two tracks spanning over 70 minutes. It acutally sounds like the second track could've been devided into two separate tracks as well, but that's not the point really. It's often hard to make a good record lasting as much as 70 minutes as it's not enough just to make good and interesting music, but it should also work as a whole, but if there are anyone that I trust could make it it's Jazkamer. With a harsh noise wall-, drone- or ambient-record it's often important to get the length to it for it to work. With more dynamic and organic noise it's harder and especially with rock-noise. I'd say the electronics are more like a mild spice to the whole rock stew on this record than a very dominating sound source, but it's always there.

Now why did I really enjoy this so much compared to other full on rock noise records? I can't really say why, but what hit me was that the sounds of the instruments were allways really clean and it never stopped evolving, though it at the same time were quite static in its sound. Organic and of course something different once again from Jazkamer. Already looking forward in getting the July-edition in my mailbox.

Scumearth - Deranged Prototype

So the story goes: I had 20 minutes to kill with some sound and figured I should take a dive into my pile of unheard 3"es. There should be no reason for saying this, but for those who don't know the format, it's just a smaller CD(r) than the regular 5" discs that rooms up to 22 minutes of music, and from a random pick I ended up with a 3"CDr housed in a mini DVD-case with two 10 minute tracks, released on R.O.N.F. Records. It was from an artist I hadn't heard of before called Scumearth with a convincing title, "Deranged Prototype".

The first sentence I noticed were "Played and recorded live with no overdubs or computers", something I though would be interesting to fill my time-gap. Only a few seconds after I pressed play I was into it. It sounded very controlled, but still chaotic and improvised. Dark and heavy with an intro to take you slowly into the first piece, but it didn't really take long before it was a full blast. No overdubs but still very composed in a way, with enough layers to keep the interest up all the way through, and before I knew it the first track was over. A great piece that made me happy it was one more track to come.

And then the second track started with full on noise, but it's not what I would call a classic harsh noise wall track, but rather space-industrial harsh noise. Too much variation to make it a wall, and to be honest I did actually like this second track even better than the first. If it's so that this is live material, not edited nor fixed I'm really impressed with the steadiness of it. I like nothing more than to find harsh noise records that I feel I could put on over and over, and with this I did that. I actually walked over to the stereo while writing this review to put it on again, and now I'm back on track two. Reading a bit more within the info from the cover I see who directly or indirectly (as it says) has inspired the artist on this release, and with references like Pain Jerk, M.S.B.R., Merzbow and more pure gold artists, you've set gold’s that are almost impossible to reach, but this time I'm convinced. It's happy noise all the way through, a pure euphoric journey with loads of energy and interesting sounds.

If you're into noise, trash, grind core and other great stuff you should check out R.O.N.F. Records' website. There should be something for everyone there. And by the way, I also have a tape compilation with fresh-idea-experiments coming out there soon as Torstein Wjiik.

Bjerga / Iversen - Time Lapsed & Short Circuit (Two floppy discs)

These two reviews were written on discogs a while ago. Decided to rewrite them a little and put them here. Both releases are strictly limited, but rumours says they will be re-released sometime in the future as part of a box-set. More on this later (maybe?)!


TIME LAPSED (Originally written April 13. 2009)

Classic format, strange music. This is some of the strangest work I've heard from the fantastic duo, Bjerga/Iversen. It's only just over 1 minute long which made me think I was gonna get a short drone/ambient-piece, but it seems to be a speed-up of a longer track or something, which makes it hard to get a hold of. It's also short on the low frequencies, something I think would be better for a longer track. But it's definitively interesting, as this is one of the most on the side releases from this hyper-productive duo. Never have you heard them like this before!



Short Circuit (Originally written January 25. 2010)

Ok, what is this?

First of all we have the format, which is excellent in its way of being very little accessible. Then we have the "problem" that most people can't even get the file out no more as floppy-drives are no longer the most common thing on the modern computer. Then there's the size of the disc which does not allow very much of either playtime nor quality as it can only store 1MB which compared to the modern MP3-players would usually be 250.000 times less storage room. Needless to say it's a pain for most people, but for format fanatics, like myself, this is pure gold. And when it comes to the music… The last time I heard this duo on a floppy-disc it was something strange which almost sounded like a speed-up version of a concert or something. This time it's a static noise-drone with some people talking over. Sounds like a recording of someone talking during a very static sound check where the mic is being moved around. It's really hard to get into, but when you've heard it once it's hard to put it away without wanting to spin it again just for the fun of it. And glad I did 'cause the more I played it, the more I got out of it. It's not what I would concider a high quality release, but damn is it a great one! Fun, unpretenceaus and it's so damn short you can't get tired of it before its over. Another great floppy from the duo. Please keep 'em coming!

FNS & Svarte Greiner - Sound Of Mu 28 March, 2010 (Concert)

As you probably know if you already know me is that I'm usually to be found at almost all concerts held in Oslo within the experimental scene, and most of the time with a recorder in my hand. I finally decided to start writing reviews of memorable concerts as there's not many of those to be found no more, and my first concert review will be of the release concert for the new album of FNS (Fredrik Ness Sevendal).

This concert was held at Sound Of Mu on March 28th to mark the release of his new self-titled album "FNS" which was released on Miasmah. This is actually a re-release of the debut album which was originally released on CDR by Clearsnare in 2005, but this time it's a remastered and pressed CD and there's even a bonus track on it for this new release. Anyways, the guy behind Miasmah is the man behind Svarte Greiner, Erik Knive Skodvin who also played.


First off were Svarte Greiner (translates Black Branches) which is, as said above, the solo project of Erik K. Skodvin. Skodvin is hard to describe as anything but a truly nice guy, but as soon as he starts playing music, everything becomes darkness. It's all in the music as well, because what you see is a usual concert with the musician sitting there playing his music and using his ears and intuition to decide where to go next in the soundscape. He started out quite easy with only his guitar fading slowly into his line-up of pedals. Within the first 5 minutes I'd become part of the music and it sounded like it was the soundtrack of a slow and dark film (without any specific references here). It evolved and evolved and I enjoyed the whole thing, although I think the last part worked best, but that also may be because I had had the time to digest the previous material presented as well. It was dark and beautiful, but the amp used seemed to have a bad response to the lower frequencies played sometimes, so I'm afraid I lost my concentration a couple of times at the beginning, but as said, after 5 minutes I was part of the music through to the end. Lovely performance!


Then it was the headliner of the night, the man the release concert were held for, FNS. I've seen and heard his music many times before, so I was prepared of a good show, but this just blew my mind. In just a few weeks I've seen tons of concerts, but this took the cake and will be one of those memorable concerts I will look back at with a smile. Also here were it a bit too much amp-distortion in the very beginning, but that was quickly fixed. From playing hands at his acoustic guitar he went to use a bow, and as soon as the bow touched the guitar it was pure magic. This means that the last 90% of the show could easily be described as one of the most pleasant concerts I've ever been to, and I how well he manages to use the loops and keep evolving slowly but steady is just amazing. If you've heard either the FNS-album or his No Foly Bow from 2007, you should know what I'm talking about when I say he has control in his music, and it also worked live. I could've listened to this guy playing for many more hours, and hopefully it's not the last time I see him do a concert. I'm not sure, but I don't think I know any guitar players who does folky sounds as good as Mr. Sevendal. A true evening of joy.

Take a listen to some extracts from each of the concerts:
Svarte Greiner
FNS

Jazkamer - Musica Non Grata

I originally planned to do a review of the whole 2010 monthly releases series by Jazkamer, but after hearing the difference between all the three first releases I figured it would've been too much to write about, at least for now. I decided to go with the february release this time and why would that be? Well, I have a good experience listening to Jazkamer. I've heard almost all their released music so far and they are probably the band I've seen live the most, and after hearing their classic Sound Of Music, I didn't think they stood a chance making a new release that I would like better, but they proved me wrong! Not just is it my new favorite Jazkamer release, but I'm pretty sure it's among top 5 noise releases overall for me as well, and probably the only one not being classic harsh noise. Here it is feedback and not much more, but it never gets too much. Exhausting, yes, but never does it make you wanna turn it off. It's pure bliss! I didn't even get to play it at a good volume because I played it at night and wouldn't wanna wake anyone up, but damn, it blew me away.

What you get here is not the common feedback noise we've heard so many times before, but a very well produced composition where feedback is used more as a tool than an effect. It's extremely variated, but at the same time drony with a feeling of ambience to it. Not at all ambient, but space like. Not sci-fi space, but a feeling that makes your head float around the room and try to pick up everything that's happening. It may be because I was quite tired the first time I heard it I experienced it this way, but I would compare the feeling with the exploration of the album in the same way I experienced the film 2001: A Space Oddyssey (again not the sci-fi part of it). It's a simple idea, but it's so well done. I can't really explain it. Take a listen and judge for yourself.

Sound clip on youtube

Francisco López - Nowhere Short Pieces 1983 To 2003 (10CD Box)

Francisco López should be a well know name for most people who has listened to noise for a little while now. I have to admit that I haven't heard too many records of his, so I decided I should get me the Box set "Nowhere Short Pieces 1983 To 2003", released on Blossoming Noise and Gender-less Kibbutz in 2008. The release comes as a standard 10 CD box, but there's also a special edition limited to only 100 copies where you'll get a pin + a 5" vinyl as extras. I do have the special edition, but I decided to review just the CD's as it covers a wider audience and more importantly, I have an auto-return on my turntable so I haven't had the time to enjoy the vinyl yet.

But let's get started, and as a contradiction to the Hijokaidan box, I'm not gonna do a one and one CD sum up here. The reason why I decided to do it as a whole is because I think it should be listened to that way. I know it's a collection of various pieces from a time period of as much as 20 years, but still, I think it works as whole. I usually have a hard time listening to "concentration music" on records and especially for many hours at a time. I think it's much easier to put on some of that good ol' harsh noise and sit back and relax and let the noises wash away everything else. I like combining the listening experience with other activities, and I find that hard when I feel I have to pay more attention to the music that takes away my focus from what I do on the side. Francisco López makes music that could easily have been a focus-stealer, but it's not. I have no idea what the average dB on this record is, but it spans from complete silence to the very opposite, and I had a few episodes where I had to check if the disc was still playing or not. It's a situation that you may find absurd, especially if you're not used to silence being used as an effect to intensify the listening experience even more, and most of the times I hear silence for as long as this I fall out of it. But here do we have an artist who can really master the most important tool in any noise, namely silence. I didn't get bored once during the ten hours the box lasts, and even though the truth is that I had to walk up to the speakers once in a while to see if I could hear anything at all, I think this was a fantastic listening experience. The intensitivity and excitement of every minute of this box made me really happy, and I couldn't wait putting the next disc on the stereo as soon as possible after each disc was over.

Before you now think that I'm contradicting myself on the statement that I don't like records that takes away the focus of any other activities, this is not what I've tried to say here. I had no problem doing other stuff while listening to the music. In a strange way I feel that I managed to absorb all the elements in a subconscious way and listen to the easier parts as I usually listen to music. And also since so many of the silence-parts (most of which has more lurking in them than you would know) lasts for quite long periods, I learned quickly to work with it.

Well this has been quite a scratch at the surface, and maybe more of a look into my personal feeling while listening to the music rather than a review of the music itself, but what should I say if I decided to do just the music. With a few exceptions on the latter discs there's not much more to say about the music than it's a combination of silence and different pitched white noises, and if that's all that would've been said I don't feel I'd get the message across on what it's actually like. 'Cause it's good. It's really good, and I don't think this is a release that would just be sitting in the shelf gathering dust in the future. I'm looking forward to listening to it on a headset, on a different stereo, but most of all, just to get through it again. And when I get some good speakers on my computer, I'll definitively load all discs and take a full day's listen. It's like a ten hour piece, but never is it too long. ...and most importantly, there's nothing to get. I'm tired of explaining people who try to "understand" noise that there's nothing to get. Just sit down, enjoy, and listen like any other record. Just let your ears adjust!

Kobi - Live in Japan & Earplugged

Live in Japan | Earplugged

Kobi should be a well known name for people who knows their Norwegian experimental underground-music now. It's a project by Kai Mikalsen, usually joined by various friends. This time he comes with a solo studio album (Earplugged) and a live album from his Japan-tour in 2007 (surprise surprise, Live in Japan). I've never heard Kobi as noisy as this before (with the exception of the album's release concert in Oslo), but at the same time I would not say it's complete noise either. This could be said about both albums, but let's try to separate them as they're quite different from each other.

Earplugged: You'll find a good combination between low and high frequencies, and though its loads of variations on the release it's also a good example on how important a tracklisting is. It works very well as a whole and the thirteen pieces on the album floats through each other smooth as silk. Kai shows us here that he has the ability to very well control what he does and it gives me a feeling of being both a very composed, but at the same time improvised album. It's very organic and it's just enough material on there. I hear an album every once in a while where if I didn't have a clock near me I couldn't tell whether I had listen to music for 10 or 80 minutes, and this is such a release. It gives me just the right amount of music to want to maybe wanna put it on again as I could've listen to it for a little longer, but at the same time it's not at all too short. It's perfect, and I love finding records that gives me this feeling. It's also produced very well, and being packed with many high pitched tones all the way through, I think the final master has come out very well. It could easily have been an exhausting listening experience, but at least to me it was not. It may be because of my hardened hearing (to say it like it is, I'm not quite earplugged), but I think the balance is done very well here. I may have just repeated myself here with different ways of saying the same thing over and over, but I wanna get it through that I truly enjoyed the production value of the record as I hear loads of albums based on similar ideas that really doesn't work that well. It's in a way very minimalistic and I would rather call it a musique concrete album than a noise album. It's a total different listening experience than what I get from regular noise releases, and also very different from the rest of Kobi's discography so far.

Live in Japan: Here you'll find three live recordings from Kobi's Japan tour in March, 2007, that he went on with Love Hz and Crazy River. Here we get Kai joined by others as we're used to and on the first two tracks he plays with Petter Flaten Eilertsen (now a member of the regular live constellation of Kobi, and also the guy behind Love Hz) on two very different tracks. The first could hardly be classified as anything else but noise, while the second is more, well... Kobi. Its noisy ambient music and I have a hard time trying to explain what I mean about it being Kobi-sounding, but that's what it is! The same could be said about the third and last track where Kai is joined by Kelly Churko. It's a bit more noisy again and maybe a little more space sounding than usual, but Kobi nevertheless. It's way more variated as a whole than Earplugged, and more a documenting release than an album, but I bet the pieces chosen for this disc are carefully chosen, 'cause it sounds good, and never does it get too much.

Both are available from LOOOP.