the brainwashed brain
a weekly digest from the staff and contributors of brainwashed
V05I39 - 10132002
Click here for other issues
SITE

RUOK this week?
"RUOK?", the latest full-length Meat Beat Manifesto album arrives in stores this week (Run Records in North America, Quatermass across the UK, Europe, and Australia). Copies of the North American CD will come with a bonus 3" CD with three tracks and a music video. Meanwhile, Skor Records will be releasing the 2?LP vinyl edition of the album, October 22nd in North America. (The European edition is a single LP.) "What Does It All Mean?" is the first single from the album. It will contain remixes and a new track and should be out the first week in November. In addition, Meat Beat has two live events coming up: October 31st at the Opaline XLR8R CMJ party in NYC and November 3rd at the Empty Bottle in Chicago.

windy & carl 3?CD box now available
Windy & Carl apologize to all the Terrastock V attendees who wanted to pick up the 3?CD set of singles, compilation tracks and other live and unreleased gems. Unfortunately Problems with Service (from a tactfully unnamed carrier) held the packages up from being delivered to the venue on time. The compilations, however, are now safe and sound and available direct from them in their shop, Stormy Records in Michigan.

h3o on these
"La Chanson Dada" by Tristan Tzara, tune by Georges Auric, arranged by The Hafler Trio for string quartet, harmonium, harp and voice on a two-tracks 10" record will be released by These Records 18th October 2002. For more information see h3o/chanson_dada.

higher education with matmos
From November 17-22, Drew Daniel and M.C. Schmidt (of Matmos), will be in residence at Harvard University under the auspices of Learning From Performers. The residency will begin with a lecture-performance on Sunday, November 17, at 7 pm in Science Center Hall B. (Admission is free and open to the general public.)

godspeed you! album previews
MP3 previews are now available for "Yanqui U.X.O.," the latest album from godspeed you! black emperor. The double-LP/single CD will be out across Europe on November 4th and in North America on November 11th. See the site for new samples.

last call for current tee shirts
The commerce department has noted that we're down to the last few brainwashed shirts. Of the short-sleeve black ones there are only three XLs, three Ls, and two XXLs. There is one left of each of the following: a L grey long-sleeve, a M navy blue long-sleeve and an XL short army green. There are no plans for future shirts at this time.

Deleted russian coil comps now available from the serpent
World Serpent has announced the release of "Coil: The Golden Hare with a Voice of Silver" as a two CD set. To quote their press release, "The now deleted Russian compilation CDs are made available for the first time together on this digipak double CD. Contains the previously unissued tracks that appeared on the now highly expensive Russian releases. 20 tracks in total appear on this Coil compilation release."

delay apology
We're a day late due to Columbus Day observances. Thanks for understanding.

MUSIC IN REVIEW

ms. john soda, "no p. or d."
Morr Music
Ms. John Soda, the moniker under which duo Micha Acher and Stephanie Boehm collaborate, will no doubt draw comparisons to both label mates Lali Puna and the other musical project of Acher, The Notwist. Their debut album, however, has a sound which distinguishes itself from both the Notwist and Lali Puna for its energetic pop-sensibilities over the loose jazz and clinical electronics of each, respectively. Boehm (also known for her work as keyboardist for the band Couch) has a voice that is simple and honest, and does not compete, but compliments Acher's adept handling of a vast array of instruments. (It's worth noting Acher also plays piano, bass and various brass instruments in the Tied and Tickled Trio.) Ms John Soda are assisted on the release by an external drummer, flautist, and percussionist.
The most captivating of the album's tracks is without a doubt "Go Check," which is also among the most outstanding songs of the year (even if the lyrics are somewhat incomprehensible!). It's a psychedelic go-go pop masterpiece with tambourine and organ sounds that would make even Piero Umiliani [see trashy 1970s Italian film scores] proud. The retro indulgence on this track is an anomaly, however. "Solid Groud", which immediately follows, is a contagiously pretty ballad comprised of blips, piano and plucked violin sounds. Other songs such as "By Twos" are warm and dark with exotic touches of percussion while tunes like "Unsleeping" are jangly pop numbers.
The overall composition of the album is remarkable and, thanks to a group of agile and gifted musicians, results in an exceptionally listenable record. 'No P. or D.' ranks with the best of the Morr Music releases, and as the year draws to an end, I can now safely say this one will certainly make my top ten list. - Jessica Tibbits

samples:


Acid Mothers Temple, "Electric Heavyland"
Alien8
Acid Mothers Temple's "Electric Heavyland" is the kind of record that makes me want to adopt all kinds of unnecessary, Lester Bangs-style rock critic hyperbole. I want to compare Kawabata Mokoto to a shaman, summoning up spirits with his giant stone slabs of high magickal noise and grandiose riffs. I want to compare this album to some obscure circa-70's krautrock chestnut. I want to write in ALL CAPS AND END EVERY SENTENCE WITH THREE EXCLAMATION POINTS!!! Although I kind of detest this style of critique, I'm not sure how else to approach this excellent new disc by Acid Mothers Temple and the Melting Paraiso UFO. So, here goes:
Wham, bam, THANK YOU SATAN! Five minutes into the first ear-bleeding track we know just where we are. We have come to Metal Valhalla. A million retarded Vikings are pulling their lungs out through their mouths. A thousand nubile virgins dance too close to the bonfire, flames licking at their slick, lubricated flesh. This is a heady brew, a randy guitar and synthesizer fest that merges Blue Cheer with The Stooges and Amon Duul, and then feverishly jacks off and falls down in paroxysms of insane laughter. This is probably not what the druids played at Stonehenge, but they REALLY SHOULD HAVE!
Well, enough of that. This album won't save the world, but the three tracks contained herein certainly represent the best single document of the Acid Mothers Temple's more bombastic side. Kawabata has never sounded better, easily making the transition from solo guitar drones to wicked stoner metal riffs, to Slayer-inspired bouts of bludgeoning melodies. Never has it been more clear that this man is a master of his chosen instrument. Cotton Casino's falsetto shrieks and swirling, kaleidoscopic synthesizer squeals perfectly frame the noise. Propulsive, rumbling drums push the action forward into the abyss, keeping the listener on the edge of his seat. The riffs are so violent and direct as to be almost idiotic, but Kawabata still manages to convince you of the intelligence of his prowess. This is idiot savant metal, dude, and it never ceases to amaze and transcend. - Jonathan Dean

samples:


Large Professor, "1st Class"
Matador
I'm willing to accept the fact that I have a favorable bias towards Queens-based rappers and producers, considering I grew up in Rego Park (right across the street from the infamous Lefrak City co-ops) and Forest Hills. However, I doubt that any true hip-hop heads would argue about the quality that has been coming out of this multicultural residential borough since the very beginning of the genre. Who better to represent QB than someone who's been in the game from Day One^?enter Large Professor. Having created beats for luminaries like Eric B. and Rakim, Slick Rick, and Gang Starr, as well as Queensbridge contemporaries Nas, Mobb Deep, and Cormega, the slept-on William Paul Mitchell deserves far more respect than he has received. Hopefully this will change when '1st Class,' his first album since Main Source's 1990 release 'Breakin Atoms,' drops. In an era where record labels assemble entire creative teams in order to complete rap albums, Large Professor delivers a true artist album here, rapping on and producing nearly every one of the tracks (save for the rugged "Akinyele" which spotlights the MC of the same name). Some of these songs have a decidedly old-school feel to them ("Kool", "Brand New"), while others could potentially fit on commercial rap radio playlists ("About That Time", "Ultimate"). The guest MCs here are among the lyrical elite, chosen more for their legendary ability than their commercial viability. On "In The Sun" the all-but-forgotten Q-Tip drops several conscious, black empowerment verses, slamming ignorant patriotism and reminding how the American Dream has bypassed blacks time and time again. "Stay Chisel" features long-time associate Nas (whose recent beef with Jay-Z has somewhat overshadowed his prior successes) flowing over a track that could have easily been an outtake from his 'Stillmatic' LP. So while Nelly and P. Diddy obsess over women like whiny pop primadonnas, Large Professor evokes the true essence of hip-hop on this future classic that demands repeat listening.- Gary Suarez

samples:


Cabaret Voltaire, "Nag Nag Nag"
Mute
If you don't know why the Cabs became quite so big, then you probably haven't heard "Nag Nag Nag". Mute have another dodgy "Best Of" compilation coming out soon (which I'd heartily recommend to people who don't already own the Cabs' early output) and this single is meant to promote that. In the traditional method of record companies flogging dead horses, Mute have commissioned three or four new mixes of the track to complement the original (which also appears on the CD and first 12"). Firstly, Tiga and Zyntherius have a 'radio version' (on the CD) and 'full version' (on the second 12"). Mute say that Tiga "punks up" the vocals—I say he sounds like Stephen Tin Tin Duffy, and keep waiting for him to launch into the chorus of "Kiss Me". Mute say that this remix "bears all the hall-marks of an intense 'labour of love'"—I say it sounds like a crap cover version. Akufen contributes a far better mix (CD and second 12"). He appears to have had five good ideas for a mix and does about a minute-ish of each, and I'm not going to spoil it for you, but you'll end up grinning from ear to ear after hearing it. Finally Richard H. Kirk himself offers a true 21st century hardcore remix (CD and first 12") which is very much in the spirit of the original but in a thoroughly modern style. (I wanted to start dancing on the bus when listening to it again this morning.) Despite the crap Tiga and Zyntherius remixes, this has been a worthwhile project and I thoroughly recommend this release to anyone who reads The Brain. - Nic Doye

samples:


Martin Rev
ROIR
Martin Rev's first solo albums from 1980 and 81, as collected on this new CD, document what he was doing at the beginning of his post-Suicide solo career. As usual I have a hard time empathizing with the punk zeitgeist because I was really too young at the time (twelve in 1977) to comprehend the prevailing culture. I must have picked up some of it because occasionally an artifact from the period will unlock waves of fear and abhorrence in me, Thames TV for example, or Julien Temple's "The Filth and the Fury," which plunged me into a foul mood for a whole week. I'm trying to listen to this CD in that context but I can't get there. American punk was different anyhow, so I guess I'm not to blame. But even in today's terms this is a good CD. Nearly all instrumental, these electronic music pieces show Rev's unique personal style, somehow breathy and spacious, presumably resulting in part from his coming to grips with the available equipment of the period. There are catchy distinctive melodic structures and the electro-beats are uniquely his own. It has considerable reserve, tasteful poise without posturing, varying degrees of sinister ambience and individualist expression, all combined with a substantial experimental component, both musical and technical. With the exception of "Marvel," an extended ametrical soundscape reminiscent of 70s Tangerine Dream and quite unlike anything else on the disc, I don't think there's much to be gained by relating this to contemporary UK and German electro new wave. There are however many elements that remind me of more recent music: of the examples I'll mention only how ?-Ziq's "Balsa Lightning" recollects Rev's "Baby Oh Baby." This aspect adds validity to Rev's credentials as one of the mid-wives of electro pop. Recommeded. - Tom Worster

samples:


Merzbow, "Merzbeat"
Important Records
The first time I put on Merzbow's Venereology CD, I was prepared for "noise", but the instant that it started, I literally thought that my stereo had somehow exploded at the same time rendering the most abrasive and physically jarring sound ever to come out of my speakers. I thought I was prepared for "noise", but as it turned out, I had just been expecting "noisy". No friends, Merzbow is Noise, with a capital N even. So the prospect of Merzbeat, Merzbow's excursion into beat-oriented music is of course worth at least a casual listen. For a man who's mastered and then run into the ground the concept of solid noise as music, working with beats actually seems more experimental and exciting than taking on yet another palette of screeching feedback and squalor. And Merzbeat indeed sounds experimental. The first two songs never establish anything other than the sense that the artist is toying with the idea of running beats through distortion effects. Thanks, but this has been done, and if the beats here were in themselves compelling, Merzbow's take on them would likely be interesting, but for the first two long tracks, we are left with simple, repeating beats passed through various filters and eq settings until there is no longer any doubt that the experiment is no longer interesting to listen to, musically speaking. On the third track, the epic Shadow Barbarian (Long Mix), Merzbow finally hits his stride, taking what he's learned from the first two attempts and abandoning almost all of the rules that made them sound like second-rate DHR b-sides. At about ten minutes into Shadow Barbarian, the true Merzbow surfaces as the beats give way to rhythms made of near pure noise. The compositional schema of applying a cyclical, linear path of effects settings to a constant loop is still present, but now the tracks begin to survive on pure brutality alone. Synths and guitars round out the sounds that are inevitably drowned out by bloody wails, but all of that is gravy by the time Looping Jane (Beat Mix) kicks in to a voracious breakbeat that pummels through walls of feedback. When you think it isn't getting any louder, it gets louder. Tracks three through five are alone worth the price of admission if you are fan of beats or noise or both. Then, regrettably, we sit through 60 (count them) SIXTY, three second tracks of silence to get to the "hidden track" that is so graciously unhidden for us by the liner notes. Burried on track 66 is the most curious anomaly of the record: a remix by renouned beat-master Jack Dangers, on a record called Merzbeat, that is beatless! It's such a letdown that the trademark Dangers' beat work didn't mix it up with the signature Merzbow noise that I can't even describe this song other than to say every time I have tried to listen to it, I have scanned through it waiting for a beat to come in. Let's pray there's a remix.- Matthew Jeanes

samples:


Twine, "Recorder"
Bip-Hop
Twine's latest release should prove to those still skeptical that electronic music need not be so self-referential. A fair number of releases by Twine's various contemporaries focus the lens inward so much that the technique of making music becomes the message the music conveys. Worshipping the glitch and abusing the ones and zeros are certainly useful modes within which many artists have produced stellar works. Thankfully though, Twine leave the acoustic mirror at home and choose to focus more on using electronic means to covey something else entirely. Sure, Recorder has more than its fair share of clicky rhythms, shuffling distortion, and production trickery that moves drones and digital blips around in space like a blender, but what it also has is soul. The opening track, None Some Silver frames an acoustic guitar passage with just enough buzz and synthetic blur that you know this isn't Mississippi Delta music, but it doesn't lose the feeling of a creaky rocking chair on a southern porch. Twine uses subtle shifts in the background of tracks to move them forward and the ambience is melancholy, but not overbearing. Simple rhythmic patterns that usually stop just short of being beats roll through some of the tracks, while others like Player Piano rely more on oddly filtered samples and that signature sample pop of intentionally sloppy loop points to create a kind of rustic-electro feel. Resonant filters are used freely to taint the sounds, draw them out of their original source environments, and into the rusty landscape that Twine creates here. The album ends much like it began, as a drawn out organ melody drifts into space, with the sun fragments of stories surface and recede, and a looped bit of static serves as the night song of binary cicadas on a hot August evening. - Matthew Jeanes

samples:


Mos Def/Diverse/Prefuse 73, "Wylin' Out EP"
Chocolate Industries
In recent years, some independent HipHop artists such as Antipop Consortium and the Definitive Jux family have managed to stimulate the genre by fusing it with elements of electronica in their backing tracks, making for more cohesive compositions and introducing them to a newer audience. In keeping with that direction, the ideal collaboration between rappers Mos Def and the windy city's Diverse with Prefuse 73 only certifies that development on "Wylin' Out." This EP is comprised of its title track in full form as well as an instrumental version, along with two separate remixes from K-Kruz and RJD2. Prefuse 73's electro-souled, signature syncopated instrumental makes for the perfect backdrop for the MCs to trade their quick, sharp and insightful rhymes with masterful precision. The K-Kruz remix eschews the existing backing track in favor of sampled Fender Rhodes, scratches and more broken up beats. While musically not as heavy as the original track, the vocals becoming more intelligible in the mix adds a new weight to it. RJD2's bouncy remix provides a repeated motif built from gritty big band-esque shots and subtle scratches driven by sampled drumkit and percussion, giving it a real 60s soundtrack groove. Rounding out the EP is the original instrumental version which showcases Prefuse 73's HipHop sensibility and knack for arranging as we've come to know and love. "Wylin' Out" has got my vote for the coolest collaboration of the year. - Gord Fynes

samples:


the soft boys, "nextdoorland"
Matador
Following closely on Matador's 2001 twentieth anniversary edition of 1971's classic 'Underwater Moonlight,' 'Nextdoorland' is the first Soft Boys studio album in over 20 years. The whole 1980 lineup is here, and 'Nextdoorland' is peppered with the same giddy bouncing rhythms and insinuating Eastern scales that propelled the Boys' early collaborations. (Mastermind Robyn Hitchcock, of course, launched his strong solo career after the first life of the Soft Boys, whereas guitarist Kimberley Rew made a mark with the 80s hit "Walking on Sunshine" with Katrina and the Waves.) Even the cover image—of two candlelit mannequins with bleached mammalian skulls, propped up in bed—recalls the slightly misshapen, seaside dummies sported on 'Underwater Moonlight' (figures all constructed by Hitchcock's wife Lal). Like the latter day cover art, the contemporary Soft Boys shape their new sound with, essentially, the same materials, but there is certainly a shift in terrain. 'Nextdoorland' has less of the early Soft Boys' vitriol. It's definitely them, but more subdued, most notably missing the confusion, spit, and bile that lent their earlier lyrics the guitar lines' razor edge. Overall then, this pulsating album is similarly surrealistic (and on occasion incomprehensible) when it comes to the lyrics, but both lyrically and musically without as much substance as one would like. A few listeners might prefer the lighter touch?the parts are all distinct and crisp, the guitars absolutely sparkle, and the melodies here soar more often than they pitch back and forth. But, who woulda thunk, it's just not the same. Standout tracks here are "I Love Lucy," "Unprotected Love," and "Strings." ("My Mind is Connected?" edges on David Byrne of the 'David Byrne' period, and "Mr. Kennedy" and "Japanese Captain" are a little fogey for me.) Lasting lyrical impressions include: "Give me unprotected love / Like a baby in a football / Like a fish inside a glove" (sketchy!) and "Evil is the new enemy / Evil is the new bad [?] Take your partner by the middle / Like a burger in a griddle." - Diane Lewis

samples:


Tim Hecker, "My Love is Rotten to the Core"
Substractif
Tim Hecker's second outing on the Substractif sublabel of Alien8 with a 25-minute EP of DSP and plunderphonics based on none other than my favourite rockers, Van Halen. Fennesz's treatments of The Beach Boys and the Stones are one thing, but putting the opening riff from "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love" (from which the EP's title is taken) through the lo-fi digital mangler, as Hecker does on "Introducing Carl Cocks", is a more unlikely idea. With Eddie's classic and beautiful riff teased slowly into a perfect granular blur, it's an outstanding track, though what it has to do with techno-lord Carl Cox is anyone's idea. The remainder of the tracks' samples are split between musical sources and bitter interviews, on-stage raps, and radio coverage of the band's disputes, with comprehensible titles such as "Sammy Loves Eddie Hates David" but the baffling "The Return Of Sam Snead", whose only connection with VH I know of is that he's in a load of Dead Pools with poor old Eddie.
While some people view this record as a destructive fuck-you to spandex rock, I'd prefer to see it as affectionate, but in honesty neither conclusion is easily drawn. The music is more "Fennesz Plays" than V/VM, but unlike the pure tribute of Drop Nineteens' "Ease It Halen" (or the mindless cock-ragga pop mish-mash of Apollo 440's "Ain't Talkin'" cover), VH's rock bloat isn't put to one side, thanks to the soundbites of breakup bitching and egotism, and the hideous sketch of David Lee Roth on the cover. What's certain is that while Steve Albini could click his fingers and make AC/DC cool, this record is simply good clean fun for micro-fans. It isn't going to make Mark Kozelek sing "Hot For Teacher." - Andrew Shires

samples:


Jonathan Coleclough & Colin Potter, "Low Ground"
ICR
Jonathan Coleclough has released several stunning albums of extended drones derived from acoustic sources, and 'Low Ground' is no exception. The sounds on this recording are surprisingly electronic; they're more digitally-veiled and alien than on Coleclough's other records. With five tracks, three of them collaborative and two solo, there's quite a bit of textural variety on this CD. Coleclough and Potter are joined by Tim Hill on two tracks, including the first, "Beech Flutter," which combines a sharp, slowly breathing drone with little electronic whirs and beeps. They also use some processed whip-like and crashing sounds that, later on in the piece, are echoed and sound almost like the flapping of wings. The sustained tones that dominate this track are soothing despite their edgy brightness, as they are subtly filtered and timestretched, and are as magnificent and detailed as anything else Coleclough has released.
"Sinister Dexter" opens with some very nice, extended horn-like tones that grow dissonant before evolving into a melange of malevolent croaking sounds. These gradually increase in pitch and noisiness before being submerged in effects and then replaced by a really dark sounding mechanical rhythm, almost like a heavily filtered organ. This continues for the duration of the piece while some phased and panned synth-like sounds emerge. Though I don't really care for the unbroken mechanical rhythm Potter uses in this track, the other sounds are quite fascinating. "Shudder" is a shorter piece that combines a rumbling mechanical noise run through the tremolo and reverb effects with some squeaking sounds and volume swells. It ends with some beautiful hazy sounds and a distant rumbling. "Tunnel" contains a wealth of detail, mixing a repetitive synthesizer-like noise with layers of filtered drones and the sound of splashing water. The piece builds up towards the end, as Coleclough employs some squeaking noises and ominous icy tones. "Beech Shadow" starts with subtly modulated low frequency sine waves and some really strange digitally created sounds. The shimmering tones heard in the first track slowly emerge, and the piece takes its time developing into a lush, expansive collection of electronic hissing noises. It's an absolutely wonderful ending, soothing but slightly sinister. 'Low Ground' is definitely another great work in the Coleclough/Potter discography. The sounds used are fascinating, and there isn't a single boring moment on this disc. - Steve Smith

samples:


We know that sometimes these CDs are somewhat challenging to find, which is why we have a community section which can be used to obtain nearly everything available on this site.

NEW RELEASES

WEEK OF OCTOBER 13 - OCTOBER 20
Arkestra One - Arkestra One CD (ESL Music, US)
Axiome - Va-t-il Faire Beau? LP (Ant-Zen, Germany)
Badly Drawn Boy - You Were Right 7"/CDEP [limited edition to be deleted on day of release] (Twisted Nerve/XL, UK/Canada)
The Bees - Sunshine Hit Me CD/LP (Astralwerks, US)
The Black Neon - Your Sex Life 12" (Memphis Industries, UK)
Broken Social Scene - You Forgot it in People CD (Paper Bag Records, Canada)
Cabaret Voltaire - Best Of '78/'92 CD (Mute, US)
The Cinematic Orchestra - Horizon 12" (Ninja Tune, UK)
Coil - The Golden Hare with a Voice of Silver 2?CD (Eskaton, UK)
Domenico de Clario - Shaker Road CD (Nonplace, Germany)
Victor Davies - Remixes CD/LP (Compost, Germany)
Taylor Deupree - Stil. CD (12K, US)
duul_drv/Nibo/Vend - Clean CD (Line/12K, US)
Eight Frozen Modules - Thought Process Disorder CD/LP (Orthlorng Musork, US)
El-P - Fantastic Damage: Instrumentals & Remixes 2?CD (Def Jux, US)
El-P - Fantastic Damage: Instrumentals 3?lp (Def Jux, US)
El-P - Fantastic Damage: Remixes 12" (Def Jux, US)
Fatboy Slim/Midfield General/Various - Big Beach Boutique II CD (Southern Fried/Caroline. US)
* Gare du Nord - In Search of Excellounge CD (PIAS, Canada)
G.D.Luxxe - Vendetta 12"/CDEP (Suction, Canada)
Hrvatski - Swarm & Dither 12" (Planet ?, UK)
Jazzanova - Days To Come 12" (JCR/Compost, Germany)
Lupine Howl - Bar At The End Of The World CD/LP (Beggars Banquet, UK/Canada)
Meat Beat Manifesto - R.U.O.K. CD (:/Run Recordings, US)
Meat Beat Manifesto - R.U.O.K. 2?LP (Skor Recordings, US)
New Order - Best of New Order CD (Warner, France)
Erlend Oye - Unrest CD [member of Kings Of Convenience in collaboration with Morgan Geist, Mr. Velcro Fastener, Soviet, Prefuse73 and more] (Source/Astralwerks, US)
* R?yksopp - Melody A.M. CD/2?LP (Astralwerks, US)
Pele - Enemies CD/LP (Crouton, US)
Pop Will Eat Itself - 1986-1994 2?CD [best of collection] (Castle, UK)
Ricochet - Bouncing Off The Walls 12" (Deepart, The Netherlands)
Stars as Eyes - Enemy of Fun CD/LP (Tigerbeat6, US)
Stereolab - ABC Music: Radio 1 Sessions 2?CD (Strange Fruit, UK)
Strand - Message III 12" (Delsin, The Netherlands)
Synapscape - Raw CD (Ant-Zen, Germany)
The Theoretical Girls - Theoretical Record CD (Acute/Carpark, US)
Asmus Tietchens - Gamma-Menge CD (Ritornell, Germany)
Amon Tobin - Out From Out Where CD/LP (Ninja Tune, UK/Canada/US)
Umek - Tikonal 12" (Novamute, UK)
Various - 45 Seconds Of CD [45-second long tracks by 99 artists including Andrew Duke, Dntel, Safety Scissors, Solvent, Electric Company, John Tejada, Leafcutter John and more] (Simballrec, US)
Various - Extra Yard CD/2?LP (Big Dada/Ninja Tune, Canada/US)
Various - Tigerbeat6 C64 Massive SidPlay Mix CD (Tigerbeat6, US)
Xinlisupreme - Murder License CDEP (Fat Cat, UK)
Christopher Willits - Folding, And The Tea CD (12k, US)

This is simply this week's highlights from the NEW RELEASES provided by Greg and Feedback Monitor.
For a more detailed schedule stretching into the future, please check out the site,
since release dates can and will often change.
CONCERT REPORT

Melt Banana
Tufts University, Thursday, October 3
Melt Banana embarked on their American tour at ? capacity, minus their drummer Oshima. For the tour, Discordance Axis' Dave Witte replaced him, and did a fine job at that (the two bands shared a much-coveted split 7" on the Japanese label HG:Fact). Melt Banana's set was blistering on all fronts. The pace at which the band rips through their songs is blistering; the sound which they produce is blistering; and I am certain that I received more than a few actual blisters on the inside of my skull in the form of hematomas on my auditory cortex and possibly my cochlea because of all this. Melt Banana played for the better part of 1.3 hours which, for any band, is a long set. Along with the frantic pace, there is very little lag time between songs. Sometimes the songs themselves are as short as the time between the songs. And so you end up with a curious mixture of short explosive songs and a long set, and somewhere along the way the math just doesn't quite add up. In other words, how do these short songs fill up the long set? The answer is that Melt Banana's songs are, in fact, not that short. At least not all of them are. The illusion of brevity is mentally instilled because your brain is not able to reconcile how Yasuko's high-pitched barking can go on for long without her even appearing to get tired (nary a deep breath), or how guitarist Agata can breathe sufficiently underneath his hand-made surgical mask while playing the guitar so frenetically.
Whereas Melt Banana relied on their bludgeoning temporal illusions, Fat Day embarked on a rock opera complete with stage props and photocopied libretto which was handed out before the set. The "Oskarrensaga" told the trials of Oskar and his triumph over vicious sea monsters and his eventual apotheosis, complete with swans. All four Fat Day members wore white construction helmets, outfitted not only with Viking horns but also with custom built-in electronics, granting them access to the most rudimentary analog synthesizer effects at the touch of their heads. Pre-recorded spoken-word parts narrated the story of Oskar between songs and directed the audience to the pertinent passages of the libretto. During the action sequences of the story, various inflatable stage props were thrown out to the audience, including a giant sea snake, a rock, and some swans. The entire production was captivating, as Fat Day shows have a talent for being.
The opening band Jus' Holler was the odd-man-out at the show. They played a blanched form of bluegrass, without much technical skill to accompany it. It was their Tufts University affiliation which landed them on the bill, supposedly. The largely non-Tufts crowd tolerated them well, and some were even caught dancing. Once Fat Day and the Melt Banana began to play, what few Tufts students were left, left. One young man from Tufts who did stay was buying a grape soda at the caf?, right at the point when guitarist Doug from Fat Day started yelling at the crowd, "Do you believe in fairies?" The young man turned around inquisitively, and, hearing the question posed once again, lifted his fist in ascent and yelled genuinely, "I believe in fairies!" He stayed for the remainder of the Oskarrensaga, contentedly sipping his grape soda and clearly captivated. Another group of Tufts students I noticed wandered in during Melt Banana. They had been playing ping-pong in an adjoining room and were clearly curious as to the source of the extreme noise intruding onto their table tennis match. They came in, stood on the balcony, observed Melt Banana for a few seconds, turned around and went back to their game of ping pong, entirely unfazed by manic display of raw power that was presented to them, or at least trying to ignore it. - Joshua David Mann

POLL

Results from last week's poll:

LINKS OF THE WEEK

every day is dress like a pimp day
It's one-stop shopping for the modern pimp at www.pimphats.com. Get everything from the hats to suits and all the bling inbetween! Why wait for Halloween?

august and helium strindberg
Kinda goth, kinda Charles Addams, kinda demented. It might get a little long-winded at times but these cartoons can be somewhat enjoyable. www.skumpy.com/eha

FEEDBACK

you should be so lucky

Subject: lucky pierre

Isn't "Lucky Pierre" a dirty sex act?

Jessica responds: a Lucky Pierre is the middle man in a gay threesome.

Subject: your link of the week

Did you see what NOSBOIS said about brainwashed? "They kind of remind me of The Wire, that is, another magazine I would never bother reading, covering music I would never listen to."

Wonderful. One less asshole we have to see at concerts.

WHAT'S IN YOUR PLAYER?

half of what you see and none of what you hear
Prefuse 73: "Vocal Studies and Uprock Narratives"
Joseph Suchy: "Entskidoo"
Goem: "Abri"
Wilco: "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot"
Amorphous Androgynous: "The Isness"
Schneider TM: Frogtoise 12"
Metamatics: "Remixes"
Donna Regina "Northern Classics"

Jim Waiter, Chicago.

feedback and submissions:
Brainwashed Defenders of the Faith
P.O. Box 7 / Arlington MA 02476 / USA
electronic mail



Click here for other issues