v/a "804noise" compilation CD
[804noise]
This compilation offers up 11 tracks from 11 different experimental artists from Richmond, VA. One might assume that such a collection would be on the weak side, and believe me when I say that I too had my doubts, but in all truth this is a very strong representation of what's going on in this particular locale. Laferrera opens with melodic synth tones using a faint, crisp distortion hovering above and a programmed beat coming in partway through - rounded out by a very nice, soft ending. Manic Amyche uses a mix of beats, noises, samples, and record scratching, which is generally not my thing at all, but this really isn't bad. It's well pieced together and has a strong flow to it. Birds in the Meadow's "Count" is the most succinct track, created by relatively harsh noise that has some moments that are a bit calmer before it really plunges forth. "Red Sun", by Harm Stryker, starts out with a thick, sparse rhythm and some subtle underlying glitches and drones. They don't use synths, but you'd really never know it as they're able to achieve a nice level of ambience and even very minor hints at melody. The untitled Monolith Zero piece is an excellent dark ambient track - incredibly quiet, using nothing but very soft low-end hums and drones. The composition is extremely minimal, but quite effective. Stephen Smith's contribution is the first truly musical song on the compilation, fairly melodic and soothing in a way, with an ethereal sort of quality to it. "Collapsing Intrinsic Pulse", from Never Presence Forever, fades in with some layered hums as a slowed down, looped beat seeps into the distance. Things are pretty repetitive up until some decaying distortion takes over in the middle. In theory Metal's "Bloc.Notes" is somewhat close to Stephen Smith's track with more movement and depth. It's not quite as overtly musical in favor of a lot more experimental textures, percussion, and layering. It's almost "progressive" in some regards. Vilam Priest's "These Transmissions" is probably my favorite contribution to the entire CD. There's something about the mixture of sinister dark ambient textures, distortion, tactful samples, and faint musical undercurrents that really hits home for me. In my opinion it's the most powerfully atmospheric piece herein, which blows me away as I believe this is the first recording the project has ever released. To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie's piece is a bit noisier than some of their recent work, but still maintains a strong sense of both the musical and the experimental - coming off as minimal in a sense, but at the same time there are a lot of carefully placed details in the mix that don't jump right out at you, which is great. Closing out is Mi's "Made for Speakers", which is a sporadic and glitchy sort of arrangement offering up a wide range of different sounds across the board. Segments of the track are very minimal and quiet (granted there's not a wealthy of layering in its entirety), but that definitely works at creating an excellent and thought out finish for the CD as a whole - especially the quick burst of high-end tones that round things out. The layout keeps it simple with some bands of abstract blue textures/images and crisp, bold text. The tracklist is on the back, some contact information is inside, etc. Pound for pound I have to say that this is the best compilation I've heard in awhile, especially in regards to the experimental realm. I'm really surprised by the overall quality of the tracks, as there's not one weak link throughout. Each artist has a strong recording quality, their own general style with few connections to their local peers, etc. - so it's a diverse smattering of music that should definitely be looked into. (8/10)
Running time - 48:18, Tracks: 11
[Notable tracks: Harm Stryker, Monolith Zero, Metal, Vilam Priest]
804noise - http://www.804noise.org

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