Oscillating Innards "VIII" CD
[Brise-Cul]
This is another in a stronger line of releases from the D.I.Y. Brise-Cul label, and I have to say that the politically charged theme of the release (whose title more than like refers to the two terms of America's "rule" under George W. Bush) definitely sets the mood for an interesting 30-minute ride.  First up is "Post 2001 North America (The World I Grew Up In Is Gone)", where after about a minute of sinister ambience and a sample Bush refusing to live in an "age of terror", everything surges forth into a barrage of caustic distortion.  This back and forth balancing act makes up the rest of the eight-minute piece, with a few subtly piercing fits of high-end working very nicely against the soft lulls of the background in between the harsh bursts.  Similar samples cut back in towards the close of the piece and an explosive attack ends things off abruptly, prior to the drastically panned activity in "The Patriot Act (Trojan Horses)" - which includes some really painful (and that's not an insult) high-end that cuts straight into your ears.  This piece is a little more chaotic, but still offers that mix of loud and nasty distortion with sparser moments of subdued ambience - to a lesser degree.  Also introduced here are a few clanking percussive sounds and distant vocal screams - though I'm not sure words are being enunciated so much as the vocal presence is one of expressive atmospheric qualities.  Another "shorter" track (by comparison) that lingers right around six minutes, "War (Willingness)" is quite aptly titled.  Again things do bounce back and forth, but this is by far the most intense track as far as density and volume are concerned, with quicker and more drastic cuts in the structure.  Ironically its ambient moments, as brief as they may be, are among the more interesting however - including very light hints at melody during one segment near the end of the piece.  "The Draft (Anticipation)" ends things off with more than nine minutes of material that persists very calmly around a sinister hum and some dripping water sounds - but more like some sort of dingy sewer tunnel than a rain shower, to be more specific.  This quiet approach remains steadfast for several minutes, until the volume starts to pick up just a smidge with some melodic piano elements much later in the piece... but just barely.  I'd love to hear some more work of this nature, as its consistent approach makes for my favorite track herein, certainly.  Despite the rough printing job apparent with all Brise-Cul releases, the black and white artwork looks very nice here and creates a definite aesthetic for the material, which continues on the rough typewriter text of the xeroxed insert - which, in addition to some credits, reads, "Afraid to die, there is no safety, there is only panic, so familiar now."  Nice work overall.  I'm pleased with the focused and compact running time, and thankfully the President Bush samples are not overused at all (nor are the other similar samples that are mixed in at certain points to add contrast).  So this is one of the better releases to come from this label to date.  "The Draft (Anticipation)" is an absolutely awesome composition. (7/10)
Running time - 29:40, Tracks: 4
[Notable tracks: Post 2001 North America (The World I Grew Up In Is Gone), The Draft (Anticipation)]
Brise-Cul Records - http://brise-cul-records.cjb.net

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