On this release, frequent collaborators Speedranch and Jansky Noise offer up 15 fairly short but sweet bursts of experimental noise in around 40 minutes, throwing out everything from ambient drones and hums to abrasive harsh noise, to glitchy cut ups and layers of samples, to percussive textures and chaotic explosions of sound. Much of the material isn't the most interesting that I've heard, but as far as chaotic harsh noise goes there's a bit more movement and loose structure that keeps things moving, as do the quick running times. I can also appreciate the hilarious song titles and the often-amusing samples, because here the general tone seems to be one of sheer lunacy, so these things don't come off as cheesy or out of place. "Bring Me the Ear of Celine Dion" is the longest track, and not surprisingly one of the most diverse, developed, and differentiated - using a thicker, warmer sound that has a lot of muddy low-end, some indecipherable distorted vocals, and what could almost be classified as a slight power electronics sort of appeal. "There Are Questions We Don't Even Know to Ask of Yet" is the calmest and most minimal of the pieces, using smooth synth tones that swell back and forth under various effects for its three-minute duration. Similarly, the oddly, though partially aptly titled "Amen! A Neat, Joint, Anal Phase" has an ethereal ambient quality that in some ways reminds me of church music or something... except that it doesn't suck! The layout is simple yet effective. The cover displays bold text and a bizarre, bizarre cartoon-like illustration, the back cover has a photo of a redneck-y old man with a bottle of Crazy Horse, and the inner spread lists the incredibly bizarre tracklist, among which are songs titled after complex mathematical equations and the entire set of lyrics to "The Love Boat" theme song. Yep... the entire set of lyrics. This isn't bad, but it doesn't really hold my interest. It's easier to sit through than most harsher noise records, but I was still hoping for something a bit more exciting. I think the strongest tracks from this disc would have made a superb EP, but there are some nonessential compositions that deter the continuity of the listening experience. Not bad, though. I'd love to hear more of the darker work along the lines of "Stringfellow Hawke A56-7W (Classified)".
[Planet Mu]
Running time - 39:52, Tracks: 15
[Notable tracks: Stringfellow Hawke A56-7W (Classified), Bring Me the Ear of Celine Dion, There Are Questions We Don't Even Know to Ask of Yet, Amen! A Neat, Joint, Anal Phase]
Speedranch/Jansky Noise - http://www.sp-jn.co.uk
