Bleak Bliss

Nautical Alamanac

Initially, Nautical Alamanac were a Michigan based duo consisting of James Twig Harper and the seemingly omnipresent Nate Young (Wolf Eyes, etc). Owing much to the Michigan noise scene, they started out as a rouge 'crash and smash' terror band, playing anywhere possible using confrontational tactics. With the addition of Sol Meltzer on percussion they realigned under a non-traditional "rock" motif. In 2001, James and partner Carly Ptak relocated to Baltimore and from this point the (floating) membership centred around the duo with the addition of Max Eisenberg on percussion. In Baltimore, they refurbished a three-storey building themselves and dubbed it Tarantula Hill. It quickly became an essential lynchpin for art, music performance, and the backbone for Baltimore's experimental scene and clubhouse for all traveling noise artists and experimentalists passing through the area. They spent years constructing and hot-wiring countless pieces of found materials and creating fantastic recycled homemade instruments: gutted electronics, rewired circuitry, metal...you name it, it was all thrown into the mix.

In March 2006, whilst Nautical Alamanac were in New York for the No Fun Fest, Tarantula Hill burnt down. In a crushing blow, James and Carly lost years of work and instrumentation, but more importantly, their cats died as well. Their musical community ralleyed around in impressive style, raising funds to help get the couple back on their feet. From here, apart from occasional live performances, I'd thought that the Almanac had folded. James and Carly started putting out solo works...Twig in particular is busy building up a substantial body of excellent releases. Recently, I realised that in the past year or two, Nautical Almanac had been putting out a series of sneakily released lathe-cuts in editions of about 15. I say sneakily because, I was sleeping and missed the lot. Here's hoping for some cdr rereleases!

Nautical Almanac’s sound is somewhere between analog improv and improv comedy. What results from these colliding philosophies is a carefully considered chaos born of technological refinement and cannibalism. In gradually becoming more accessible in form, it seems that the ideas had to be pushed further so the focus of the band was on creating an unpretentiously fucked-up and poetically damaged sensibility.

With Harper and Ptak constantly wiring gear in new configurations and adding new devices to its arsenal, each release is different. They may tinker strictly with machines, but aside from the hardware, Nautical Almanac have far more in common with the free-folk movement than the anti-music industrialists of the noise scene. Beneath the tinnitus tones, broken pitch bursts and malfunctioning oscillator currents, it's the same freeform flux as The Sunburned Hand of the Man, No Neck Blues Band or even Sun City Girls. Only it’s been corroded beyond recognition.

1996 - Nautical Almanac - Nautical Almanac (lp) [hanson records]
1999 - Nautical Almanac & Wolf Eyes & Rubber O Cement (tour cdr).rar
2000 - Nautical Almanac - Transcriptedivisions (lp) [hanson records]
2002 - Nautical Almanac - Rejerks Vol. 1 [heresee]
2003 - Dead Machines & Nautical Almanac - The Twilight Zone (C69) [american tapes]
2003 - Jessica Rylan & James Twig Harper - Rejerks Vol. 2 [heresee]
2003 - Nautical Almanac - Cisum (lp) [heresee]
2003 - Nautical Almanac - We Want War (tour cdr) [heresee]
2003 - Nautical Kites - Herculoids (C30) [unskilled labor]
2004 - Nautical Almanac - Handcut Record Transfers [heresee]
2004 - Nautical Almanac - Live @ No Fun Fest
2004 - Nautical Almanac - Rejerks Vol. 3 [heresee]
2004 - Nautical Almanac - Rooting For The Microbes [load records]
2004 - Nautical Almanac & Vertonen - Split (12'')
2005 - Nautical Almanac - Cover The Earth [heresee]
2005 - Nautical Almanac - Live @ WFMU on Brian Turner's Show 10.25.05
2005 - Nautical Almanac - Rejerks Volume 4 [heresee]
2005 - Nautical Almanac - Something (Euro Tour) [8mm records]

Nautical Almanac - Live In Montreal (2 shows_2 bars_2 nights)

Live @ Santo's NYC 09/21/09

Wolf Eyes with John Wiese - Wheels Of Confusion

John Olson, Mike Connelly and Nate Young with John Wiese. Naturally, these four people should need no introduction. A series of 6 cdrs, split between American Tapes and Gods Of Tundra and released in 2006. Apparently recorded in the van while touring the East Coast of the USA in October 2006.

Volume One
Volume Two
Volume Three
Volume Four
Volume Five
Volume Six

Sunroof!

Sunroof! is the work of prolific, Bradford-based guitar-abuse legend Matthew Bower. What is it about Yorkshire that produces so many incredible outsider artists? He's probably better known for his work as Skullflower and Hototogisu (with Marcia Bassett). Although some Sunroof! releases only feature Matt, it is far from a purely solo outing. The project has included collaborators such as Richard Youngs, C. Spencer Yeh (Burning Star Core), John Moloney (Sunburned Hand Of The Man), Ben Jones and Hasan Gaylani (Jazzfinger), Lee Stokoe (Culver), Mick Flower (Vibracathedral Orchestra; Flower-Corsano Duo), Neil Campbell (Vibracathedral Orchestra), Phil Todd (Ashtray Navigations) and Spencer Clark and James Ferraro (The Skaters).

Sunroof! specialise in high-pitched, airy, shimmering drones, reminiscent of some of Vibracathedral Orchestra's work, filled with flute-like tones, soft feedbacking guitars and restless, metallic percussion. However, Sunroof!’s trajectory shifts from bubbling, transcendental pulses to coruscating feedback, jerky freeform soloing to sweet-shimmering dream-haze, traces of acid-damaged British folk to brain-blitzing high-pitched psychedelic drone. This shimmering, restless fluttering is filled with a holy chaos, a cacophony that incorporates any background noise, no matter how harsh, into part of the music.

I haven't included Delicate Autobahn Under Construction (a stunning piece of work btw), Silver Bear Mist, Bliss, or Cloudz. The superb VHF Records finally have them in print again after years of unavailability. They are very cheap...$12 for the double cds!!! I think you should support the label and buy them.

The Crippled Rosebud Binding double lp is included in the previous Mouthus post.

1999 - Sunroof! - Peach Fuzzz (7'') [betley welcomes careful drivers, giardia]
1999 - Sunroof! - Slipstream [giardia]
1999 - Sunroof! - Studio Ks (cdr) [self-released]
2000 - Sunroof! - Found Star Sound [vhf records]
2001 - Sunroof! - Reborn In Jets Of Rainbow Water (lp) [giardia]
2002 - Sunroof! - Temple Music Volume 1 & 2 (2xcdr) [rural electrification program]
Volume 1 Volume 2
2003 - Sunroof! - Rock Power (euro tour cdr) [rural electrification program]
2003 - Sunroof! - Splat! [u-sound archive]
2003 - Sunroof! & Vibracathedral Orchestra - Wings Over America [vhf records]
2004 - Sunroof! - USSA [vhf records]
2004 - Sunroof! & Double Leopards - Live @ The Buffalo Bar, London [flac bootleg]
2005 - Sunroof! - Rainbow Electric Sabbath (cdr) [nature tape limb]
2006 - Sunroof! - Goldfoxradianthowl (s-sided lp) [melted mailbox]
2006 - Sunroof! - The Ocean Rooms, Brighton, UK (12 Nov 2006) [flac bootleg]
2007 - Sunroof! - Panzer Division Lou Reed [vhf records]
2007 - Sunroof! - Spitting Gold Zebras [bottrop-boy]
2008 - Kemialliset Ystävät & Sunroof! - Split Series #19 (12'') [fatcat records]
2008 - Sunroof! - Sufi Hate Crime/Zen Atrocity [self-released]

Hai

Yep...I'm gonna be keeping the blog up and running! J and (latterly) I put 1 hell of a lot of work into Bleak Bliss and it seems a shame for it to disappear. Not sure which direction it's off in but the discog style takes a shitload of time and energy, especially for one person. Most likely that a discog style post will drop followed by a series of single or themed releases to keep things rolling whilst I'm working on the next discog stylee. Between discog types, will be trying to post stuff that doesn't appear elsewhere. We'll see...

Gonna be using Megaupload for now for 4 main reasons...I've already got an account; you get a downloadspeed of 300+ on one download; their download manager is pretty ace (and you can use it for rapidshare as well); and I've never had an issue with it when using it for downloads. Things may change...but please, let's not start the filehost debate again because it's dull dull dull. Would rather talk about music tbh...Will reup J's files as they start to drop out if peeps request.

Sunroof! coming on Saturday...

Bai

Due to a deadly combination of Rapidshare turning into a sack of wank and me not having the time due to my job and my label, i'm packing this blogging deal in. I'm not going to delete it, i'm going to leave it here so you can download everything til they expire. Badgerstump might carry it on, it's his call really. Either way i'm not deleting it.

Our Love Will The Destroy The World

Our Love Will Destroy the World is a psychedelic / noise project from Featherston, New Zealand by Campbell Kneale after disbanding Birchville Cat Motel. It forced through and came to life as the artist's sort of "second birth" in 2008.

Personally I much prefer this to most BCM, even tho they're not that different =/

2008 - Polished Glass Autobahn [Dirty Knobby, VBR 256~320]
2009 - Split (w/ Bark Haze) [Krayon Recordings, VBR 256~320]
2009 - Beautiful Monolith Two [Quasi Pop Records, 320]
2009 - Blondesummer Snowqueen [Don't Fuck With Magic, 320]
2009 - Broken Spine Fantasia [Tape Drift Records, VBR 256~320]
2009 - Cursegoback [Don't Fuck With Magic, VBR 256~320]
2009 - Even My Angels Thought Darkly/Yellow Nirvana [Trensmat, 320]
2009 - Fucking Dracula Clouds [Blackest Rainbow, 320]
2009 - Goddess Of Ten [Don't Fuck With Magic, 192]
2009 - Stillborn Plague Angels [Dekorder, VBR 250~320]

Ashtray Navigations

Phil Todd has been recording as Ashtray Navigations for over 15 years now. Originally a solo project, it gradually evolved into a group effort, although recently it's been the duo of Phil and Melanie Delaney. Phil also appears under numerous pseudonyms, and in a swarm of groups and collaborations. He has also appeared as an occasional member of Vibracathedral Orchestra and Sunroof! in some of their best work. His major achievement, however, is his ongoing project Ashtray Navigations. Releasing a cascade of cassettes, LPs, CDs and CD-Rs, Todd has refined a singular take on modern sound construction that references the dynamics of rock, the emotional evisceration of blues and the white-light intensity of noise. For more than 15 years he has blazed his own trail with a unique dedication and passion. Passion is in fact, the first word that comes to mind listening to this music where (over)driven effects drenched acid guitar riffs, concrete sounds, delicate acoustic passages and vintage warm electronics, live in absolute symbiosis. Power to the imagination, breaking down the walls between song and improvisation, structure and freedom, melody and noise. Just like looking inside a kaleidoscope, this will be the perfect soundtrack for your daydreams!

Mr. Todd was the head of the gloriously esoteric, now defunct, Betley Welcomes Careful Drivers label and now runs the equally sublime Memoirs Of An Aesthete. Ashtray are staggeringly prolific but i have only included a selection of earlier works. Phil is up on ebay and discogs as randomrevivalzzz, putting out damn fine new releases on a regular basis alongside rereleases and old stock. Go there immediately, metaphorically shake him warmly by the hand, and give him all of your money! He is officially the nicest man in Leeds...he deserves your fullest support!!!

1996 - Ashtray Navigations - The Black Clock (C45) [matching head]
1997 - Ashtray Navigations - Four Raga Moods [betley welcomes careful drivers]
1997 - Ashtray Navigations - Live At The Tehuacán Harvest Festival [betley welcomes careful drivers]
1997 - Ashtray Navigations - Quartz (C45) [muzamuza records]
1997 - Ashtray Navigations - Use Copenhagen 69 Guitars & Park Drive Effects Pedals Exclusively (lp) [siltbreeze]
1997 - Ashtray Navigations & Universal Indians - Split [betley welcomes careful drivers, american tapes]
1998 - Ashtray Navigations - Live At Wolf Central (C30) [freedom from]
1998 - Ashtray Navigations - Those Are Pearls That Were His Eyes [solipsism]
1998 - Ashtray Navigations - Trash Mobile [betley welcomes careful drivers]
1998 - Ashtray Navigations & Gang Wizard - Split (7'') [betley welcomes careful drivers]
1999 - Ashtray Navigations - The Original Wooden Forest (7'') [betley welcomes careful drivers]
2000 - Ashtray Navigations - A Mayflower Garland (lp) [outer orbit]
2000 - Ashtray Navigations - ''End Of The Pier'' Vault (7'') [tonschacht]
2000 - Ashtray Navigations - Plaster Projection Instruction Record (s-sided lp) [menlo park recordings]
2000 - Ashtray Navigations - Tristes Tropiques [betley welcomes careful drivers]
2000 - Ashtray Navigations & Sandoz Lab Technicians & R.O.T. & Toss - Veglia Compilation [veglia]
2001 - Ashtray Navigations - Fast Angels Vol 1 [bake records]
2001 - Ashtray Navigations - When You See The Moon You've Got To Howl [rhizome]
2002 - Ashtray Navigations - Blues And Authentic River Songs [self-released]
2002 - Ashtray Navigations - Last Kiss Amateur Frequencies (7'') [gameboy records]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - Aurora Grease Sweetrocket (3''cdr) [memoirs of an aesthete]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - Electric Cointelpro (3'' cdr) [first person]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - Sinking Seagull (3'' cdr) [foxglove]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - To Your Fucking Feathered Wings [absurd, gold soundz]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - Yesterday's Teeth Cast In Gold [pseudoarcana]
2004 - Ashtray Navigations - You Cannot Tell Cigars By The Picture On The Box [celebrate psi phenomenon]

Thirdorgan

Thirdorgan is the noise music project of the Japanese musician Akihiro Shimizu (pictured right). Since 1986, Akihiro Shimizu under his Thirdorgan moniker has been a constant presence in the Osaka underground scene and a major player in the international 'noise' arena. Along with Government Alpha, Contagious Orgasm, Dissecting Table and Guilty Connector, Thirdorgan is one of the more prominent acts from the "second wave" of Japanoise acts in the middle to late 1990s. His works have been finely honed over the many years and now stand alongside the refined power electronica surges of artists found on the Mego label, mid-period Merzbow or even early Sahko pulse & crunch overload. Shimizu also runs the record label Alienation Records. He has worked with Masonna and Solmania and is most frequently now found collaborating with original Zeni Geva guitarist NP. Expect incredibly digitized blurts, static washes and glitchy mayhem.

1993 - Thirdorgan - Cerebral Cortex (C45) [open wound]
1993 - Thirdorgan - Cyclotron (C46) [g.r.o.s.s.]
1994 - Cock E.S.P. & Thirdorgan - Split (C60) [e.f. tapes]
1994 - Telepherique & Thirdorgan - Robotorsklaven (C45) [drahtfunk-products]
1994 - Thirdorgan - Inorganic Wars (C45) [art konkret]
1995 - Thirdorgan - Alien Lovers (C45) [slaughter productions]
1995 - Thirdorgan - Mechanical Violator (C45) [old europa cafe]
1996 - Thirdorgan - Heavy Metal Battle Fighter (C45) [less than zero]
1996 - Thirdorgan - Mirrorman (C45) [betley welcomes careful drivers]
1996 - Thirdorgan - Pessimistic Cyborg (C60) [self abuse records]
1996 - Thirdorgan - Skrewman (C50) [dreizehn]
1996 - Thirdorgan & Stimbox & Deathsquad & Acerrimamente - Four Ways Of Penetration [bizarre audio arts]
1997 - Contagious Orgasm & Thirdorgan - Split (7'') [sd-image]
1997 - Thirdorgan & Expose Your Eyes - The Axis Powers (C60) [fiend recordings]
1998 - NP vs. Thirdorgan - NP vs. Thirdorgan Ver.2 [solipsism]
1998 - Thirdorgan - Dedicated To Spectruman (C45) [philosophy shop]
1998 - Thirdorgan - Jinzoningen (12'') [harbinger sound]
2001 - Thirdorgan & Hermit - Dead-Tech Machine Gallery [self abuse records]
2004 - Thirdorgan & Xome - Endemoniado [tabula rasa]
2005 - Thirdorgan - Bionic Ambient Music [harshnoise]
2006 - Thirdorgan - Satanico Pandemonium [dead sea liner]

Corrupted

Corrupted is a Japanese sludge/doom metal band, formed in 1994. Their sound is characterized by incredibly downtuned guitars and bass playing slow, minimalist riffs under deep layers of feedback. The vocals are harsh guttural grunts, and the music alternates between long instrumental sections and sections with vocals which go for long periods of time without rest. They are considered by most familiar with the genre to be one of the heaviest and darkest doom metal bands of all. However, they sometimes have long acoustic sections, spoken-word interludes, and other breaks in the style, even other instruments, as on their album El Mundo Frio, a 71-minute song which contains long sections of harp. To this effect, they recently added a keyboardist, Takehito Miyagi, to their lineup, which had previously consisted only of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals.

Corrupted has a few notable idiosyncrasies which seem to create an air of mystery around the band. Although they hail from Japan, and their members on most releases are all Japanese, they sing almost exclusively in Spanish, though some songs contain sections in Japanese or English. In addition, the band has never taken promotional pictures nor do any of the albums contain group photos. The only known existing photographs are taken by fans at concerts, and they refuse to give interviews.

Corrupted’s albums typically contain extensive liner notes in the form of bleak black-and-white photographs, which add to the gloomy atmosphere of the music.

1995 - Anciano [Japan Overseas, 192]
1995 - El Dios Queja [Tag Rag, 192]
1995 - Nadie [Third Culture, VBR 128~160]
1995 - Split (w/Grief) [HG Fact, VBR 192~320]
1997 - Split (w/Enemy Soil) [HG Fact, 160]
1997 - Live At Fandango [Bootleg, 192]
1997 - Live On KJFC [Bootleg, 192]
1997 - Live On WFMU [Bootleg, 192]
1997 - Paso Inferior [Frigidity Discos, 256]
1999 - Dios Injusto [Frigidity Discos, 192]
1999 - Driven To Kill/Existence (w/Scarvers Calling) [Gouge, 192]
1999 - Llenandose De Gusanos [HG Fact, 128]
2000 - Split (w/Machetazo) [Frigidity Discos, 192]
2000 - Split (w/Sloth) [Not On Label, VBR 256~320]
2001 - La Victima Es Tu Mismo [View Beyond Records, 192]
2003 - Live @ 20,000V 3.24.03 [Bootleg, 128]
2004 - Se Hace Por Los Suenos Asesinos [HG Fact, VBR 160~320]
2005 - El Mundo Frio [HG Fact, 224]
2007 - An Island Insane [HG Fact, 320]
2007 - Vesana [HG Fact, 320]

Sissy Spacek

Sissy Spacek is a side project of noisician John Wiese and often includes Corydon Ronnau and Jesse Jackson. Based out of LA, Wiese often describes them as grindcore though thier work more often features rapidly spliced samples and blistering noise. Live their performance is more closely related to grindcore utilizing bass/guitar/drum machine in rapid, heavy metal and hardcore inspiried bursts with screamed vocals.

The video below is from No Fun Fest in 2007.

2001 - Hair Control [Helicopter, 192]
2001 - Sissy Spacek [Helicopter, 256]
2002 - Phys Ed (w/Panicsville) [Helicopter, 192]
2002 - Scissors [Helicopter, 224]
2002 - Skroo Spacek [Helicopter, 256]
2003 - Remote Whale Control [Gameboy Records, 192]
2004 - Split (w/Die Monitr Bats) [Helicopter, Hand Held Heart, VBR 192~256]
2005 - Nice Gems [EET, 192]
2006 - Devils Cone And Palm [Misanthropic Agenda, 222]
2007 - Poling [Static Aktion, 192]
2008 - California Ax [Helicopter, VBR 224~320]pt.1 pt.2
2008 - DDT [Chondritic Sound, 192]
2008 - French Record [dualpLOVER, 192]
2010 - Agathocles/Sissy Spacek (w/Agathocles) [Ultra Eczema, VBR 234~320]

Taint

Keith Brewer (aka Taint) is a Texas-based power electronics artist. Keith Brewer is old school. The name might not ring any bells, but if you had your ear to the high-end harsh noise and power electronics underground during the 1990's, you'll have heard of Taint, the notoriously sleazy electronics project that Mr. Brewer was operating under since way back. A kind of juiced up, pure-hate version of Whitehouse on steroids, Taint discharged a vicious stew of screaming high-end feedback, grinding distorted scrape, and caustic ranting vocals that are overlaid with sheets of white noise across a prolific output of cassettes, 7"s, CDs, and LPs. These hostile, antagonistic noise outbursts always came with interesting packaging but the visuals and themes that Taint explored were disturbing to say the least, filled with psychosexual violence and grim, hateful observations on humanity, and the combination made for some of the more intense hardcore noise coming out of the American electronic underground.

This isn’t your average run-of-the-mill power electronics assault though; rather than bludgeoning the listener with totally unbearable noise and excruciating
digital whine, although these elements are there, he creates a subtly unnerving and discomfiting effect, using minimalist and sparse instrumentation combined with voice samples and distorted vocals. It’s the sonic equivalent of the quiet twinkly-eyed next door neighbour who gives sweets to kids and helps out in the community but who actually turns out to be a twisted sadistic serial killer who has a dark secret in his basement....

Keith now operates as Mania and keeps on releasing awesome PE/noise ... including some stellar collaborative work with Sam McKinley (aka The Rita). Keep your eyes open for this stuff and buy it all....

The Misogynistic Lust cd uses the original tape as source material to turn it into a different beast altogether. There are no decent vids of Taint out there as far as I can tell.

1993 - Smell & Quim - Taint - Split (7'') [red stream inc]
1993 - MSBR & Taint - Scopotophilia (7'') [msbr records]
1993 - Taint - Killing For Company (C90) [open wound]
1993 - Taint - Strange Feeling, Shit Coming (C50) [g.r.o.s.s.]
1994 - Black Leather Jesus & Taint - Sex Acts On A Child In A Full Body Cast (cass) [deadline recordings]
1995 - Taint - Indecent Liberties (lp) [praxis dr. bearmann]
1995 - Taint - Justmeat (C45) [slaughter productions]
1995 - Taint - Piece-Meal Dissection [taint entertainment]
1996 - Taint - Perverse [taint entertainment]
1996 - Taint - The Untimely Silence (C45) [sounds for consciousness rape]
1996 - Taint - Whoredom [praxis dr. bearmann]
1997 - Taint - When You Meet A Stranger (7'') [self abuse records]
1997 - Taint & Strict - Split (7'') [the ajna offensive]
1998 - Taint - Misogynist Lust (C45) [taint entertainment]
1999 - Taint - Dau Ghter - Victimilogy 2 [freak animal records]
1999 - Taint - Where Are The Whores (7'') [spite]
2001 - Taint - Harmed Live 2000 [biteworks]
2001 - Taint - Harming Obsession [freak animal records]
2001 - Taint - Vice (lp) [self abuse records]
2001 - Taint & Skin Crime & Sickness - Behind The Smile [self abuse records]
2002 - Nicole 12 & Taint - Candyman [freak animal records]
2002 - Taint - ...I'm A Whore (bcard) [pacrec, troniks]
2002 - Taint - Hel-lo (bcard) [pacrec, troniks]
2004 - Taint - Misogynist Lust (CD) [freak animal records]
2003 - Taint & Grunt - Schoolyard Bruises (lp) [antihumanism records]
2007 - Taint - Sex Sick [the ajna offensive]

Taint - Recycled Music (cass) [rrrecords]

Mono

Mono are a post-rock group from Tokyo, Japan formed in 1999. The songs, all of which are instrumental, are usually focused on layered guitar melodies. Strings and pianos are also prominently featured in some songs. They are known for their powerful live shows and their complex guitar work.

The band's style of instrumental rock music is influenced by the genres of experimental rock and shoegazing, as well as by both the classical and contemporary classical periods of classical music, and also by noise and minimalism. Mono's sound is characterised by the lead and rhythm guitars of Goto and Yoda respectively, both of whom make extensive use of reverb, distortion and delay effects. The band's live performances are noted for their intensity, both in the playing and in the dynamics.

The video below is a (brilliant) performance of 'Ashes In The Snow' recorded on the bands 10th anniversary at the NY Society For Ethical Culture in Manhattan on May 8th 2009.

'New York Soundtracks' is actually a compilation album with various artists performing a selection of Mono's songs, but the release was credited as Mono's.

Music:
2000 - Hey You. EP [Forty-4, 128]
2001 - Under The Pipal Tree [Tzadik, 320]
2002 - One More Step And You Die [Music Mine Inc., VBR 233~320]
2002 - Session, 02 [Medicom Toy Corporation, 192]
2004 - New York Soundtracks [Human Highway, VBR 207~320]
2004 - Peel Session 2004.09.11 [128]
2005 - Split (w/ Pelican) [Temporary Residence Limited, 320]
2005 - Palmless Prayer/Mass Murder Refrain (w/ World's End Girlfriend) [Human Highway, VBR 192~224]
2006 - Live At The Triple Rock 2006.06.09 [VBR 160~320]
2006 - Live At The Great American Music Hall 2006.05.31 [Bootleg, VBR 210~224]
2006 - Memorie Dal Futuro [Vinyl Films, 200]
2006 - You Are There [Human Highway, VBR 204~224]
2007 - Gone - A Collection Of EPs 2000-2007 [Temporary Residence Limited, 320]
2007 - Live At 40 Watt Club 2007.10.02 [VBR 224~256]
2007 - Live At First Avenue 2007.10.21 [VBR 197-256]
2007 - Live At Richards On Richards 2007.10.24 [VBR 197~224]
2007 - The Phoenix Tree (Travels in Constants Volume Twenty-Two) [Temporary Residence Limited, 320]
2009 - Hymn To The Immortal Wind [Human Highway, VBR 189~224]
2009 - Live At Corporation 2009.03.24 [VBR 236~274]
2009 - Live At Ebisu Liquidroom 2009.03.14 [VBr 196~320]
2009 - Live At Patronaat 2009.03.28 [VBR 208~320]
2009 - Live At Stereo 2009.02.23 [224]
2010 - Live At Doornroosje 2010.03.21 [183~320]

Couple of side projects here, Left is more nice instrumental post-rock and DSCO is more electro-based music, not the usual stuff you'd expect from Mono.

Left - ???? - I Could Stand Alone Here [VBR 160~256]
DSCO - 2001 - Indian Winter [192]

DVD: (You need to download all parts and extract together for it to work)
2008 - The Sky Remains The Same As Ever [Temporary Residence Limited, AVI]
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

2010 - Holy Ground - NYC Live With The Wordless Music Orchestra [Temporary Residence Limited, MP4]
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Hair Police

Hair Police were formed in Lexington, Kentucky, in January of 2001. The original line-up included Matt Minter and Ross Compton, but the group soon settled on Mike Connelly (guitar, vocals, tapes, noise), Robert Beatty (electronics), and Trevor Tremaine (drums, vocals, tapes).

Working with the traditional rock trinity of guitar, bass and drums, as well as power electronics, tape manipulation and oscillators, Hair Police build a demonic wall of sound straddling the boundary between thrash metal and industrial noise for a result reminiscent of Throbbing Gristle, early Black Dice, and Wolf Eyes. With a dose of Black Flag. Fuck the hyperbole, they really are that good!

”It’s not necessarily about technique, but it’s about attaining this kind of emotional high and sustaining it, sustaining it, sustaining it. Once you sustain it for a certain period, it becomes something else entirely. Hair Police just build and build and build and build, and it’s undeniable at some point. It’s not a put-on, it’s not bullshit. … They put themselves out there.” - Peter Kolovos

I'm pretty sure all of this is out of print. I've not included some of the more recent stuff...you need it! Go and buy it!

There is so much great Hair Police footage out there (including Hair Police on stage with Sonic Youth and Wolf Eyes) I couldn't resist posting two of them. The first is Hair Police at Florence American Legion in Florence, Ma on 08.01.08. It's basically a full set running at nearly half an hour. That will give you something to do whilst your waiting for your nails to dry! The second is a 10 minute part of a gig at the Savage Garden in Toronto (08.07.08) that is more straight into your face.

2001 - Hair Police - History Of Ghost Dad [gods of tundra]
2002 - Hair Police - Blow Out Your Blood [freedom from]
2002 - Hair Police - Mortuary Servants (7'') [freedom from ,gods of tundra]
2003 - Hair Police - Movies (Live '01 - '02) (C30) [animal disguise]
2003 - Hair Police - Probe Cutting (C30) [gods of tundra]
2003 - Hair Police & Crystal Fantasy - Split (10'') [liquid death records, hello pussy records]
2003 - Viki & Hair Police - Split [load records]
2004 - Hair Police - Dune Sores (C30) [rampart tapes]
2004 - Hair Police - Obedience Cuts [freedom from]
2004 - Hair Police - Rattlers Echo [chondritic sound]
2004 - Hair Police - Your Skull In The Gutter (C30) [gods of tundra]
2004 - Hair Police, Kites, Prurient - Live @ Edinburgh Castle, San Francisco (04-09-04)
2005 - Dead Machines & Hair Police - Illegal The Raw Live [fag tapes]
2005 - Dead Machines & Hair Police - Speech Of The Eyeless Infants_The Hills Have Eyes (lp) [american tapes, gods of tundra]
2005 - Hair Police - Beyond Leech Pit (C60) [fuck it tapes]
2005 - Hair Police - Constantly Terrified [troubleman unlimited]
2005 - Hair Police - Drawn Dead [hanson records]
2005 - Hair Police - Live @ Victoriaville, Canada (21.05.05)
2006 - Hair Police - 030505 (C10) [mountaain]
2006 - Hair Police - Live In Lex [american tapes]
2007 - Hair Police - Blind Kingdom (1-sided lp) [ultra eczema]
2007 - Hair Police - Live @ No Fun Fest (17.05.2007)
2007 - Hair Police - Live at the Asylum Inn (7'' & CDR) [american tapes]
2007 - Hair Police - New Mutations (euro tour cdr ) [gods of tundra]
2007 - Hair Police - Strict (7'') [troubleman unlimited]
2007 - Hair Police - The Empty Quarter [harbinger sound]
2007 - Hair Police & Pengo - Virus Thoughts (1-sided lp) [gods of tundra]
2008 - Hair Police - Our Minds Problems Vol. 1 [gods of tundra]
2008 - Hair Police - Our Minds Problems Vol. 2 [gods of tundra]
2008 - Hair Police - Our Minds Problems Vol. 3 [gods of tundra]
2008 - Hair Police & Dead Machines - ''Snow Front'' Live At The Half Ass [american tapes]

John Wiese

John Wiese is an artist and composer from Los Angeles, California. His ongoing projects include LHD and Sissy Spacek, but is known for his collaborations with many artists as diverse as Sunn O))), Wolf Eyes, Merzbow, Smegma, Kevin Drumm, Cattle Decapitation, and C. Spencer Yeh as well as his work as a solo artist. He has toured extensively throughout the world, covering Europe, Scandinavia and Australia as a member of Sunn O))), the UK as part of the Free Noise tour (a tentet including Evan Parker, C. Spencer Yeh, Yellow Swans, etc.), the United States alongside Wolf Eyes, and recently performed in the 52nd Venice Biennale with artist Nico Vascellari. While releasing albums on a variety of international labels, Wiese often releases work on his own label, Helicopter.

Video was filmed in Rotture, 2007.

1997 - Cat Woman Is A Cat Vampire [Helicopter, 160]
2001 - Split (w. Lefthandeddecision) [Troniks, 320]
2001 - John Wiese/Aeon Eon (w/ Aeon Eon) [Sir-C/X-Sar, 320]
2002 - Pyramid Suites (w/The Cherry Point) [Troniks, 320]
2002 - Guilty Connector/John Wiese (w/Guilty Connector) [Ataxie Disques, 320]
2003 - Ghost Call [Hardisty Disk, 192]
2003 - Bubble Pulse [Kissy Records, 320]
2004 - Foret [Chondritic Sound, 192]
2004 - Magic Crystal Blah [Helicopter, Kitty Play Records, VBR 231~320]
2004 - Pyramid Suites Vol.2 (w/ The Cherry Point) [Troniks, 192]
2004 - Split (w/ Thurston Moore) [Troniks, 192]
2005 - Free Piano (w/ Merzbow) [Misanthropic Agenda, Helicopter, 320]
2005 - Multiplication (w/ Merzbow) [Misanthropic Agenda, 320]
2005 - Arrhythmia Wave Burst And Panner Crash [Helicopter, 192]
2005 - Magical Crystal Blah Volume 2 [Helicopter, Kitty Play Records, 192]
2005 - Magical Crystal Blah Volume 3 [Helicopter, Kitty Play Records, 192]
2005 - Spectral Hand [Meudiademorte, 320]
2005 - Teenage Hallucination 1992-1999 [Troniks, 192]
2006 - ...Trick Satanism (w/ Hive Mind) [Chondritic Sound, 192]
2006 - At A Loss For Words (w/ Dave Phillips) [Blossoming Noise, 320]
2006 - Exoteric (w/ Metxlux) [Load Records, 160]
2006 - White Gold (w/ The Cherry Point) [Troniks, 320]
2006 - Haas Campaign [Troniks, 256]
2006 - Fronts (w/ Bruce Russel) [Helicopter, 256]
2006 - Live @ No Fun Fest 19.03.2006
2006 - Soft Punk [Troubleman Unlimited, 256]
2007 - Live In Nottingham (w/ C Spencer Yeh) [What The...? Records, 192]
2007 - Hzcollective - Richmond, VA 23.10.2007 (w/ C Spencer Yeh)
2007 - Terrazzo (w/ Pain Jerk) [Harbinger Sound, 320]
2007 - Mental Peace Liberation Front (w/ Pain Jerk) [Meatbox Records, 224]
2008 - Dramatic Accessories [Ultra Eczema, 256]
2008 - Inside And Out (w/ Ju Suk Reet Meate & Olivia) [Helicopter, 160]
2008 - New York/Atlanta (w/ C Spencer Yeh) [Helicopter, 128]
2009 - Cincinatti (w/ C Spencer Yeh) [DroneDisco, 320]
2009 - The Void (w/ C Spencer Yeh) [DroneDisco, 160]

Zebra Mu

I'm hopeless at writing bios n stuff but it seems to be how things go now so i'm gona take a stab at it, so with a little ctrl+c...

Like the Dada artist Kurt Schwitters who used found objects to build up his Merz works, Mike Ridge utilizes and modifies unwanted consumer items in the creation of noise and sound based recordings. This project is heavily centred on circuit-bending and hardware hacking: the creative modification of existing items to produce the unexpected from the familiar. Other items such as glass, metal, contact mics, tape heads and simple handmade electronic devices are also used as part of this project.

(Info stolen from here)

Mr Ridge is also the bloke behind a certain DIY noise label i'm sure i've made you all familiar with, Quagga Curious Sounds.

The video at the bottom is from some noise show back in March '09 with Gokkun.

2007 - Childhood Destroyer [Catch23 Recordings, VBR 128~224]
2007 - DDDD-77 [Dadaist Audio, 192]
2007 - Glass Material Action [Catch23 Recordings, VBR 128~320]
2008 - Analogue Anal (with [unitauf]) [Sewer Records, 320]
2008 - Cock Gallop! [Quagga Curious Sounds, 192]
2008 - Lavatorial Hardware Bondage [Love Torture Records, 64(!?)]
2008 - Unfold / Enmushubi [Smell The Stench, 320]
2008 - Unreleased Curiosities Oddments And Piffle [Super Terror Z, 192]
2009 - Antitheoretical Manipulated Kaleïdoscope (with Bruital Orgasm) [CNCCR, 192]
2009 - Split (with Boar) [Hoarse, 320]
2009 - Extinction Vol.1 [Quagga Curious Sounds, 192]
2009 - Extinction Vol.2 [Quagga Curious Sounds, 320]
2010 - Extinction Vol.2 Remix (by RedSK) [Not On Label, 320]
2010 - Exticntion Vol.3 [Feeding Cotten Records, 320]
???? - Small Talk [Catch23 Recordings, 192]

Daniel Menche

Daniel Menche has established himself as a musician with a sense of focus and determination uncharacteristic in a genre known for its randomness and chaotic structure. Rather than creating "noise," he strives for order and cohesiveness. His presentation of sonic structures is similar to the way a writer depicts a story, an allegory seems to arise, which uses confusion as a symbol for the imaginative process of total sound purity; aural intensity is not a representation of confusion or the chaotic, but a concerted effort to provoke and stimulate the listeners imagination by generating intensely powerful sounds and music.

Subtle and patient compositions rely on long, dense layers of droning sounds, while abrasive pieces rely on sounds amplified and processed to extreme levels, pushing the full spectrum of frequencies to the most threshold of limits. Other explorations are intense percussion work that resonates primal chaos displayed gracefully without ever being just "noise".

The video is the Dissonanze 2006 Live Set music by Zbigniew Karkowski & Daniel Menche with live visual art by Philipp Geist.

MEA CULPA! Hands up...I fucked up!!! Really should have done my research. I've removed a load of links that are available on the label sites or are available here or here. Go and buy them!

1994 - Daniel Menche - Dark Velocity (C40) [banned production]
1994 - MSBR & Daniel Menche - Multi Layering Termination (7'') [msbr records]
1995 - Daniel Menche - Vulgar Scratch (7'') [gender-less kibbutz]
1996 - Daniel Menche & Small Cruel Party - Split (7'') [msbr records]
1996 - John Hudak & Daniel Menche - Husher (10'') [flenix]
2002 - Daniel Menche - White Wing [poweracoustics.org]
2004 - Daniel Menche - one hour as The Sky's painted red: the Earth's painted black and She's painted white

Black Boned Angel

Black Boned Angel are Campbell Kneale (Birchville Cat Motel, Our Love Will Destroy The World, Ming, With Throats As Fine As Needles, etc) and Antony Milton (Mrtyu, With Throats As Fine As Needles, The Stumps, etc) and James Kirk (Sandoz Lab Technicians and The Stumps). To say this is doom metal or black metal is lazy lazy lazy...it's all about the drone. Ecstatic!

I've included "You Should Have Slain Me" because it appears all over the place as BBA. It's not. It is Campbell Kneale tho'. Taken from the name of a Hammers Of Misfortune track...it takes the riff on a wild loop ride...drops in the drums and leaves...brilliant!

Buy everything there is on Celebrate PSI Phenomenon and (sister label) Battlecruiser. Support our Kiwi brothers and sisters. It's the law!

OBEY THE LAW!!!

2003 - Black Boned Angel - Supereclipse [celebrate psi phenomenon]
2004 - Black Boned Angel - Eternal Love [battlecruiser]
2005 - Black Boned Angel - Heavens Blaze Forth The Death Of Princes [battlecruiser]
2005 - Black Boned Angel - Live at Instal, Glasgow, 2005
2006 - Black Boned Angel - Ashes (3xcdr) [celebrate psi phenomenon]
part 1 part 2
2006 - Black Boned Angel - Eternal Hunger [battlecruiser]
2007 - Black Boned Angel - Dashed Upon Stones [celebrate psi phenomenon]
2008 - Black Boned Angel - The Endless Coming Into Life [20 buck spin]
2008 - Black Boned Angel & Nadja - Christ Send Light [battlecruiser]
2009 - Black Boned Angel - Verdun (cd version) [riot season]
2009 - Nadja & Black Boned Angel - Self Titled [20 buck spin]
2010 - Black Boned Angel - The Witch Must Be Killed (lp) [conspiracy records]

2004 - You Should Have Slain Me - You Should Have Slain Me (3''cdr) [battlecruiser]

Out now on Quagga Curious Sounds!

QCS_023-suburban howl / taklamakan: split s/sided C60, edition of 12
Both artists deliver lovely and varied lo-fi textured noise on this excellent split! Cassette is packaged in custom made purple or yellow card packaging with vivid full colour artwork Each copy comes in a hand-stamped brown paper bag.
UK/Europe: £3.90
Worldwide: £4.90

To buy items via paypal please email Mike:
mike-ridge@hotmail.co.uk
All prices inlcude p&p
Trades are also welcome

http://www.myspace.com/quaggacurioussoundsandoddities

Crank Sturgeon

"Crank Sturgeon, ordained minister and usurper of plateau monoculture; Husolandija progenitor, dada-mainliner/international trianglewear peddler for the prototype alpha new millenial dirigible-parable concrete discourse found-object assembly (with pants)."

Yeah, that's what i was just gonna say! Imagine if The Resident's had injected drugs into their eyeballs instead of just wearing them. Crank is normal...it's us that haven't got a handle on it! I think you should touch the inflatable man; he can be your guide...

1994 - Negro & Crank Sturgeon - Split (C60) [fusetron]
1998 - Suppression With Crank Sturgeon & Misopsychia - Bloated To Full Capacity Bloodsucker/DNA Programed To Unlimited Violence (7'') [nat records]
2002 - Crank Sturgeon - Motion Pictsaur [xv parówek]
2003 - Crank Sturgeon - Hubris Huso Whoso Antebellum
2003 - Crank Sturgeon - Upon My Discovery Of The Huso Dead Pan Lair (lp) [rrrecords]
2003 - Crank Sturgeon & Tote Stadt - Split [scrotum records]
2004 - Crank Sturgeon - Barely Parable (C30)
2004 - Crank Sturgeon - Crank Sturgeon Builds Dream Home Inside The Hogan Molar-Ray (A Vestibule Build For Tube)
2004 - Crank Sturgeon - Crank Sturgeon Has A Combover Landscape Tapir
2004 - Crankst Urge On - E-Z Voice Over Box-Top Living Solutions (7'') [humbug]
2004 - Crank Sturgeon - Miss Latimer's Gift (C30) [gameboy records]
2004 - Crank Sturgeon - Old Cholk Codger Hereparts [audiobot]
2004 - Crank Sturgeon & XV Parówek - Dixieland [xv parówek]
2005 - Crank Sturgeon - Explanation Bias [obscurica]
2005 - Crank Sturgeon - Ottoman Empirical Raga & Other (Almost) Lost Stories [tochnit aleph]
2005 - Crank Sturgeon - These Middling Men FishWill Be Salve For The Neverolution_Seisureoverseasyore
2005 - Pop Culture Rape Victim & Crank Sturgeon - Abe Lincoln Towncar (C90)
2006 - Crank Sturgeon - Codger Balks for No Eel (C30) [deal]
2006 - Crank Sturgeon - Glory Tape And Trough Of Beslubbering Fish (C47) [spacelessjam]
2006 - Crank Sturgeon - Mollify & Roger, The Matter Of Course For Baptists (Worn As Pants) (C50) [scrotum records]
2006 - Crank Sturgeon - My Endangered Expressive Soil
2006 - Crank Sturgeon & Eric Boros - 20.08.2006 On Boat Deck At MS Weltfrieden
2006 - Crank Sturgeon & Gastric Female Reflex - Live At Radio Centraal [beniffer editions]
2006 - Noggin & Eric Boros & Crank Sturgeon & Id M Theft Able - Split [manufracture]
2007 - Crank Sturgeon - Bark King Haggard (C16) [barfing dagger recordings]
2007 - Crank Sturgeon - Fuchs-Octubre (C20) [psycheform records]
2008 - Crank Sturgeon - Matters Of The (Military) Heart
2008 - Rubbish & Crank Sturgeon - Ship Of Fools [roil noise offensive]

Crank Sturgeon - FS #42 (C62)

MSBR

M.S.B.R. (Molten Salt Breeder Reactor), aka Koji Tano, was one of the most respected noise artists to emerge from Japan's vibrant noise/experimental music scene of the 1990's. He played with countless other musicians and toured on 4 continents (Asia, Europe, North America and Australia). Much of his material was self-released on his own labels, one of which was dedicated to the production of limited edition cassette releases. Like Merzbow, MSBR's crushing wall of noise managed to tap into a post-human territory of pure absolute volume that seems to have more in common with the unstoppable forces of nature than any form of music.

Koji Tano died on 31 July 2005 at the age of 44. Cancer took him quickly at a young age and at the height of his power. If you have any doubt how respected and loved Koji was (and is) within the community, then you should go here. Within only 23 days Steinklang gathered support from 154 artists from 31 countries to pay tribute to Koji. The personal testaments recorded there are genuinely moving. The homage takes the form of a 10 disc tribute that is free to download.

Greatly respected and sorely missed...

1993 - MSBR - Structured Suicide (C60) [msbr records]
1993 - MSBR & Taint - Scopotophilia (7'') [msbr records]
1993 - Telepherique & MSBR - Amalgam (7'') [msbr records]
1994 - MSBR - 2,000 Thousends Contaminate Electronic Acid (C60) [old europa cafe]
1994 - MSBR & Daniel Menche - Multi Layering Termination (7'') [msbr records]
1994 - Telepherique & MSBR - Geplünderte Leichen (cass) [drahtfunk-products]
1995 - MSBR - Collapseland [heel stone records]
1995 - MSBR - Destructive Locomotion Dedicated To Chizuo Matsumoto [pure]
1995 - MSBR - Fracture Of Silence (cass) [sounds for consciousness rape]
1995 - MSBR - Metal Stricken Terror Action (cass) [banned production]
1996 - MSBR - 303 Holy Mountain Electronixx (C52) [cling film-records]
1996 - MSBR - Final Harsh Work #1 (cass) [robotomy tapes]
1996 - MSBR & Merzbow - Destructible Foundation / Drain (7'')
1996 - Telepherique & Contagious Orgasm & MSBR - Contact #1 (lp)
1997 - MSBR & Blazen Y Sharp - Mass For Dead Insects [msbr records]
1998 - Aube & MSBR & Koji Marutani - 3 Cadavres Exquis [e(r)ostrate]
1998 - ERG & MSBR & Das Synthetische Mischgewebe - Geosynclines [flenix]
1998 - MSBR - Euro Grappling Electro [msbr records]
1998 - MSBR - Final Harsh Work #2 (C30) [spite]
1998 - MSBR & Government Alpha & Notchnoi Prospect - Japanoise Action In Russia [insofar vapor bulk]
1998 - MSBR & Kengo Iuchi - One [alien8 recordings]
1998 - MSBR & RoboChanMan - Australian Sunshine Madness [msbr records]
1999 - MSBR - The Final Harsh Work #7 (C60) [ultra]
1999 - MSBR - The Final Harsh Work #22 [spatter]
1999 - MSBR & K2 & Magmax - Split [msbr records]
1999 - MSBR & Spastic Colon - Live Electronics At Matsuyama (lp) [flenix]
1999 - MSBR & Speculum Fight & AMK - Damkbr (cass) [banned production]
2000 - Government Alpha & MSBR - Live In Moscow (7'') [rrrecords]
2000 - MSBR - Ultimate Ambience 2 [20city]
2000 - Sudden Infant & MSBR - Split [msbr records]
2001 - Birchville Cat Motel & MSBR & Eso Steel - Droop Drone Drops [denshi zatsuon]
2001 - MSBR - Space Lab Green [celebrate psi phenomenon]
2001 - MSBR - The Final Harsh Work #18 [blade records]
2002 - MSBR - Euro Grappling Electro 2 [msbr records]
2003 - MSBR & RoboChanMan - Final Electro Acoustic Work 1 [msbr records]
2004 - MSBR - Mental Dissolution [denshi zatsuon]
2005 - MSBR - Metal Stricken Terror Action - Dedicated To Richard Rupenus [denshi zatsuon]
2005 - MSBR & Government Alpha - Planet Of Fluctuation [xerxes]

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THE FUTURE?

We still don't know...we're making this shit up as we go along!

As always, dripfeed us a few requests, we still have changeable minds!

All requests are welcome, no matter what genre!

PRACTICALITIES!

We have had to change file hosts many times since we started in 2009.

Most of the older links are undoubtedly dead. If we were to try to keep every link going there would literally be no time for new posts.

Given that we have an untold number of things that we think need to be heard, it's not possible to do both.

Some things may be re-upped but (as always) we are unlikely to pay any attention to "anonymous" requests.

Entertaining (rather than desperate) requests may stand a chance but don't bet on it!

Get Engaged!