Sewer Election "Three Steps to Failure..." CD
[self-released]
This is a one of a kind "sampler" of sorts that was made for me as part of a trade and includes three long tracks of harsh noise from this Swedish project: "Rainbow-Epileptic" (from the split with Romance), "From Lilla Paris to Björngatan in Full Moon" (from the split with Sewage), and "Where Cowboys Go to Die" (released as a 3" CD-R). The tracks are fairly minimal and improvisational, there doesn't seem to be much layering (if any, in some areas), and it doesn't sound to me as if too much editing or tweaking was done, though some of the more flagrant outbursts do have a cutup sort of chaotic element happening - what with abrasive panning, quick shifts, starling breaks of silence, etc. In general there are lots of loops and a ton of vicious distortion, with constant movement shifting back and forth and never staying put for very long. There are some quieter passages in the tracks as well, though. Nothing that would fall into any sort of musical, ambient, or droning type of category, but simply quieter wisps of sound that provide some sort of shift in dynamics (especially in "Where Cowboys Go to Die"). Hell, "From Lilla Paris to Björngatan in Full Moon" even starts with a quick sample of birds chirping, not that it's indicative of what the next 21+ minutes hold in store for you (but there are some samples of strangely chaotic folk music or something)! The sound quality is fairly consistent, though there are noticeable differences, subtly. "Rainbow-Epileptic", which is probably the most minimal of the pieces, is also the most crisp and attacking, while "Where Cowboys Go to Die" is a bit warmer and more "traditionally" harsh sounding on some level (as is the atmosphere of "From Lilla Paris to Björngatan in Full Moon"). The layout is pretty damn cool. It's simple, using only black ink on red paper, but the imagery is crisp and the text arrangement chaotic, creating an interesting, basic, and effective aesthetic. Aside from the image on the front cover everything is text, largely consisting of the repeating/overlapping of the band name, but it definitely works. Not bad. I like the movement and the general sense of dynamics at work. Of course I'm of the opinion that a three-track CD-R need not run a massive 45+ minutes, but this isn't bad for harsh noise at all. (6/10)
Running time - 47:22, Tracks: 3
[Notable tracks: Rainbow-Epileptic]
Sewer Election - http://www.drink.to/sewerrecords/

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