v/a "Sweetness Will Overcome" compilation CD
[Segerhuva]
This massive 70+ minute compilation is the first such collection from this great Swedish label, offering up new and exclusive tracks from 16 different experimental noise artists. The bulk of the contributors hail from Sweden, with a few out of Finland and Japan, and Sewer Election kicks things off right away with five minutes of blaring harsh noise in "What Love am I Supposed to Show You?", quickly making the point that this is no easy listening mix! Koeff follows with the more sinister and atmospheric "Offter", using restrained swells of midrange distortion that have a percussive sort of undercurrent alongside heavily manipulated spoken vocals that are impossible to decipher. Skin Area's "Post-Raw" then strips things down a bit more, using some repetitious fits of distorted banging sounds and rumbling low-end that has an abstract sort of machinated pulse to it, and is actually a good deal quieter than the preceding two cuts. Then it's back to grinding harsh noise with a pretty disturbing sort of atmosphere from Mnem (Finland), followed by an exceptional dark ambient masterpiece in Jarl's "Envägskommunikation", which tops six minutes of persistent low-end hums and very light smatterings of faintly crackling midrange sweeps. Moljebka Pvlse offers up a rather minimal and consistent piece that uses another machinated sort of whirr that only becomes slightly distorted in its reverberated dissonance; with Institut taking somewhat of a similar road with a crispy lull of distortion over obscured samples. Government Alpha (Japan) of course unloads a few minutes of full-blown abrasive harsh noise that's got more of a high-end bite to its chaotic activity than most of this material, but Sharon's Last Party surprises out of nowhere with the use of jazzy percussion and quirky guitar noises over twisted synth drones. Quite different from all of the other artists herein, to say the very least! Treriksröset's "Eating Tarmac" is a raw, more lo-fi attack of aggressive noise, almost sounding like a live recording due to its muddy warmth and thick layering of totally indecipherable samples. Always ominous, IRM uses lots of swirling high-end above dense percussive textures and whirring hums in "Like Hearts", but it's the classic shouted vocals that really make this one a standout - they really know how to deliver on that front. Ochu's selection also has a rough sort of distance to it that gives it the aesthetic of a live performance recording, layering an array of death industrial textures to create a very effective piece that possesses just the kind of atmosphere that I desire from such exploits. Then, a solo outing from Martin Bladh (Irm/Skin Area) follows perfectly with a similarly textured piece that uses a smoother and clearer recording, though there are some recognizable uses of cymbals and spoken vocals and such in the background making things slightly less menacing, though certainly no less effective. I seem to remember being impressed by Irgun Z'wai Leumi on a compilation once before, but the sparse "Telefunkeln" with its low-end lulls and warbled foreground spurts does little for me and is among the only contributions that I don't particularly care for with this one. Barrikad follows with the almost ridiculous "I Don't", made up of absolutely maniacal distorted shrieks and screams and a rather effectively humorous sampled musical backdrop that could lead to the perception of Barrikad as some sort of a cartoon noise cowboy! Blod then closes with the sweeping midrange distortion that is "Heartbreaker", as effective an end as any for such a hefty endeavor as this. The layout looks quite nice and includes one black and white page per artist for each to display their own artwork and such, plus an introduction from the label talking about the inspiration for the collection. What I really like is that the title of the CD and the full color outer packaging are both very different in tone from anything else within this genre, so they catch you off guard and wouldn't have you expecting what really awaits you in the least. This is a very high quality compilation that makes for an almost shockingly effective listen considering its length. The arrangement of the songs and the evenness of the mastering would seem to have been very well executed, which certainly assists the quality of the continuity. Very much recommended for fans of the general genre. There are definitely some acts present here that I want to hear more from based on this collection, and since these songs are all exclusive that definitely provides a greater value for the CD. Check it out. (7/10)
Running time - 73:19, Tracks: 16
[Notable tracks: Skin Area, Jarl, Treriksröset, Irm, Ochu, Martin Bladh]
Segerhuva - http://www.segerhuva.se

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