Jason Crumer

Fresh, detailed and rich with ideas and variety. This April 2020 release from Jason Crumer shows the artist's talent for creating immersive sonic landscapes - what stands out here is the freshness of his ideas and sharpness of his execution. The stunning art is by Justine Neuberger. Released on Breathing Problem productions and available to purchase here.

 

1. Vent

2. Motorcycle Ride

3. RSS

4. The Dreamer

5. King Depression

6. Lord Insecure

7. Whisper Campaign

8. Mr. Paranoia

9. Self Titled

10. Sagacity

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Jason Crumer - Featherboard!

Creaking, clicking rhythms and vocal samples of poetry being recited create an intoxicating sound collage on this 2015 cassette release from Californian Jason Crumer. Released as an edition of fifty cassettes on No Rent Records, the label Crumer co-runs.

 

A. Featherboard!
B. SK (KS)

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She Walks Crooked - Crossed Out Smile

Harsh noise wall released as a run of ten cassettes on American label Lost Light Records in 2015. Dense, unrelenting wall noise spanning two thirty minute sides.

 

A. Bending Back The Truth

B. Bottled Fixation

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Blue Sabbath Black Cheer - Crushing Skulls to Dust

Showcases this project's great combination of doom metal sound and aesthetics with noise and dark ambient. Rich in dark, dreary atmosphere. Released as a cassette run of fifty copies in 2009 on now inactive American noise label Worthless Recordings. 

 

A. Crushing Skulls To Dust Part One

B. Crushing Skulls To Dust Part Two

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Mutant Ape - Injections

Dense, cavernous rumblings and tortured echoed screeches characterise this 2008 tape from English noise/metal dungeon lurker George Proctor. Released on American label Enemata Productions and spanning thirty minutes over one side.

A1. Injections 1

A2. Injections 2

A3. Injections 3

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Droughter - By Force of Arms

A brief, intense power electronics engagement from American Kevin McEleny, maestro of the always excellent (although sadly seemingly inactive for the past five years) Heavy Psych label. The sound is low fidelity and punchy with excellent vocal work on the B side. An edition of 25 cassettes released in 2009.

 

A. Smoldering Corpses

B. A Pig Is A Pig

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The Rita / Necrotik Fissure

Split tape between Sam McKinlay's flagship project and Hungarian harsh noise impressario 'Inhos', who is behind The Level of Vulnerability label that released this tape (buy it digitally here), and various noise projects including Necrotik Fissure, which focuses on harsh noise wall, and Halalnihil (conventional harsh noise). Far from another droll European web artist (which looking at the volume of similar looking releases he has one might be forgiven for thinking), he has an impressive catalogue with collaborations with the status of The Haters, Vomir, The Rita, Torturing Nurse and Mania. The noise here is excellent with both artists offering powerful, texturally engaging work focusing on themes anyone familiar with McKinlays work will recognise: sharks, scuba diving and beautiful women.

 

A. Necrotik Fissure - Stargazer Fish

B. The Rita - Oceanic Whitetip Shark (And Women)

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Knurl / Koryphaia - Triflura; Longomontamus

Split between these two Canadian harsh noise artists. Koryphaia's style is much the same as Alan Bloor's (Knurl): thought out, clinical, arranged without sacrificing ruthlessness. Released in 2002 on Canadian label 'Galactique Records', possibly one of the artist's own labels as this appears to be the first and only documented release.

 

1. Knurl - Enucleate

2. Knurl - Hemipteran

3. Knurl - Phocyte

4. Koryphaia - Longomontamus

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Celluloid Murder - Dr. Timothy Leary, Where's My Brain?

Entrancing psychedelic noise from this American project, released digitally on Ivan Sandakov's web label Wall Noise Action in 2017 (see here). Has all the quixotic frenzy, vocal samples and idiosyncratic variation one would expect from this sort of project, but the occasional live guitar work and indulgent aural stimulation manage to set this project apart and lift it above the dregs of quirky banality.

 

1. Intro

2. Fire And Water

3. TV's Burial

4. Flowers In The Sky

5. 9999999987932609999999999th Track

6. Acid Butterfly

7. Be My Baby

8. Brian Jones Is Dead

9. The End

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