Bastard Noise "Sound Engine" CD
[PACrec]
This mix of new and old material is the first Bastard Noise release I've heard in awhile, and it doesn't disappoint. The first track is "A Pedestal to Support the Invaders", which is a live collaboration with Jesus Philbin (recorded in San Francisco in early-2002). It's an excellent piece that runs a consistent 8+ minutes of ambient low-end drones with some well mixed feedback tones that crisply cut in and out, back and forth. The brief "Killing Stick-Men" starts out similarly to that, but then gravitates towards wickedly acerbic distortion with some windiness in the center. "Asphalt Creature Sickness", another relatively short one, immediately blows into some harsh noise that brings in cutting feedback drones over thick and rumbling distortion. An older piece recorded in 2001, "Destiny Carved by Internal Failure" is another calmer piece in some regards, with lots of ethereal ringing tones and some really wild high-pitched squeals that subtly tear your ears up, but it's got a lot of back and forth spurts of all out harsh noise mixed in there as well. "Human Denial" is another older track from 2001, a collaboration by mail with Guilty Connector, in fact. This one brings in those token Bastard Noise grunts and screams over flowing low-end undercurrents, making the introduction of the vocals unexpected but effective in the end. Distortion doesn't make its way in until about the three-minute mark, fading into the foreground over the softer textures and making for a winning combination in my book by using a lot of movement and chaotic activity very effectively. And then the massive 26+ minutes of "Seeding Interstellar Space" were recorded live on KSPC in late-2001. It's sort of a constant mix of the whole spectrum of sounds, the harsh and the calmer, the high-end and the low-end, veils of midrange, lots of panning and movement without getting too insane. It's probably my least favorite track as a whole just because it's longer than necessary and also has an understandably less detailed recording, but there are still some very strong moments. The CD is housed in a matte black and white slipcase with lots of the band's token iconography in the artwork, and super crisp text on the back cover. Another keeper from PACrec, limited to 500 copies. There's a little something for everybody (favoring those who like the harder and more distorted side of things just a tad), and it's not the same thing over and over for nearly an hour. I like it. (7/10)
Running time - 56:40, Tracks: 6
[Notable tracks: A Pedestal to Support the Invaders, Human Denial]
PACrec - http://www.iheartnoise.com

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