Here's some very diverse experimental noise from Virginia. There are lots of cutups and busy arrangements, but there's also a little bit of melody and a good dose of unexpected rhythm in the form of concrete beats and such (occasionally). They definitely jump full force from the abrasive and chaotic to the minimal and ambient, and that's generally a good thing. "A Groom for Absolute Dining of No Better Sort" is longer and a bit more chilled out with some slow beats and ambient textures mingling with hectic samples and such. Some of the beats start getting crazy and spastic, but there's a few melodic undertones that are really fucking nice. The calmest areas of this track sound totally professional, and I love the laidback vibe. "Inherit Your Head", on the other hand, is the complete opposite, using harsh noise and screaming vocals alongside random childlike keyboard tones going nuts in the background behind stuttered walls of crunchy noise - suddenly breaking for a slick beat and some spacey synths (still somewhat amelodic and random), and then some spoken vocals (while laughing)!? Very strange. "Children's Minds are Malleable" is another strong composition, somewhat similar to "A Groom for Absolute Dining of No Better Sort", but slightly more structured and a bit more intricate in its arrangements. I really like the way they've used a lot of different styles of percussion and samples throughout the disc, especially since most of the samples are fairly specific and not your typically overused movie quotes or anything like that. The recording's not bad. In some cases it feels a little bit too raw for what the tracks have to offer, but barely. And the volume is nice and loud. The mix is generally tight and tends to balance out everything that's going on nicely. I don't have any real complaints there. The CD-R comes in a slim jewel case (completely clear) with a onecard insert that's printed in black ink on cream colored paper. The cover has an illustration of a father giving his son a bath, and the back has minimal contact information and a tracklist, along with the silhouette of an adult walking a child with a halo over its head. It's quite mysterious, really. Very simple, and the lack of information is almost bizarre. But the track titles are really interesting, and it's obvious that there's definitely an intention here, thought is definitely present within and behind this material. This is good stuff. I definitely prefer the more varied and perhaps mature approach of tracks like "A Groom for Absolute Dining of No Better Sort", and a more visually engaging package wouldn't hurt, but there's a ton of promise here.
[self-released]
Running time - 31:16, Tracks: 8
[Notable tracks: A Groom for Absolute Dining of No Better Sort, Children's Minds are Malleable, Delighting in Your Cancer]
To Kill a Petty Bourgeoisie - http://www.tokillapettybourgeoisie.us
