Ellen Fullman -- The Long String Instrument (1985)

Ubuweb/Apollo

• Drone 
• Minimalism 
• Sound art 
• Avant-garde
• Abstract 
• Conceptual 
• Post-psychedelic 
• Experimentalism 
• Microtonal

Memphis'est Tennessee'st pärit ameeriklanna Ellen Fullman'i ligi neli kümnendit tagasi loodut peetakse oluliseks teoseks eksperimentaalmuusika ringkondades. Esmapilgul võiks arvata, et taiese moodustavad metalsed (ent harmoonilised) droonhelid on komponeeritud prepareeritud keelpille (nt tšello, viiul) või kirikuorelit kasutades. Tegelikkuses kasutas ta pingutatud paarikümnemeetrilisi metalltraate (The Long String Instrument), millel ta manipuleeris vaiguste näppudega. Tulemuseks on pikad akordid, mis loovad ülemhelisid (hakkavad tekkima kaugemal kui 10 meetrit), ning vahele on kuulda ka koputamist (rütmid-löögid tekivad 5-10 meetri ulatuses) -- moodustab 5-loolise taiese rütmistiku. See on näide sellest, kuidas materiaalsuses kätkev võimalikkus on teoks tehtud tänu artisti füüsikalisele arukusele, mõistes pealtnäha tühja traadi potentsiaali. Võib hõlpsalt ette kujutada, kuidas EF komponeeris ja salvestas -- kõndides sadu meetreid traatide vahel, traate puudutades, neid hõmrudes, üle nende libistades; etendades seega nii improvisatoorset kui performatiivset (heli)kunsti. Sõna otseses mõttes traadimuusika.

Steven Tetzloff – Flyspecks Buzzworld (1985/2011)

 

Archive.org

The Living Archive of Underground Music 

 Meteor Face Tapes

 

• Industrial music 
• Lo-fi 
• Avant-garde 
• Avant-rock 
• Improvised music 
• Dada music
• No Wave
  
• Experimentalism 
• DIY 
• Post-punk
• Outsider music
  
• Psychedelic 

 

11-looline teos avaldati algselt Meteor Face Tapes'i all (ilmselt Steven Tetzloff'i isiklik plaadifirma, kuivõrd tema nimi figureerib ka plaadifirma ülejäänud 3-4 albumil) ning peegeldab kahtlemata tee-seda-ise kassettikultuuri elujõudu California osariigis. Tänu põrandaaluse kultuuri aktivistile ja selles osalejale Don Campau'le on teos pimedusest osalise päikesevalguse kätte tõusnud. Ei ole see piinav teps mitte loojatele endile, küll võib see kimbatust tekitada tavakuulajale. Esiteks eeldatakse tervikalbumit, ent teos kõlab splitalbumina – ühelt poolt tagasihoidlikult kirjeldades kitarrimuusika ((psühhedeelne alternatiivrokk/agiteeriv (post)punk)), ent teisalt justkui industriaalpioneeride algusperiood kohmakate kandiliste rütmide, podiseva rasvase primitiivelektroonika ja kinnisideelisi sõnumeid-silpe kordava solistiga. Albumil on lisaks Tetzloff'ile (laul, kidra, sünt) tegev ka Mauro Aragon (sünt, klarnet, trummid, trummimasin). Kuigi mainitud harud on näiliselt üksteisest erinevad, kuuluvad nad ometi ajalooliselt kokku. Ühisnimetajaks on postpunk, selle mässuline ja mängu muutev hoiak. Sellel albumil muudab veelgi enam mängu tahtmatus väljuda keldrist, kasta vanu juuri ning seda maksimumini kurnata. Kuuluda sõgedasse subkultuuri kahtlaste tegelastega. Ja tulemuse järgi on nende hoiak vägagi õigustatud. Muuseas, Campau'l on hea huumorisoon, kuivõrd on kirjeldanud albumit grungerokina.

8.0 (7.5-8.5)

Atomic Butterfly – Atomic Butterfly (1985)

Bob Chaos

• Hard rock 
• Heavy metal 
• Psychedelic rock 
• Live session
• Crossover
• Krautrock 
• Improvised music 
• Math rock 
• Space rock

Comment: there has been a coon`s age since I last reviewed something from an obscure imprint called Bob Chaos Recordings. It can be said most of the compositions from within come out of the 80s. Outside the imprint there has been slight traces of it. I can remember for a release of WM Recordings called Extremely mild and pleasant tasting The best of Bob Chaos Recordings 1984-1986 (one of the artists appeared on it was Atomic Butterfly). And four more issues by Phil Reavis. By the way, Phil Reavis was a member of Atomic Butterfly, a name which used to have resemblance with Iron Butterfly, a combo which did contribute strongly to the development of heavy rock, and heavy metal. In fact, by listening to the albums and watching the pictures of the so-called heavy metal and hard rock combos from the end-60s and the beginning-70s the case used to be frequently thoroughly psychedelic and hippy by its nature although some violent threads started already to appear within the combos` sound. It is the case because Atomic Butterfly`s 12-track issue - unfortunately I was allowed to download 10 tracks only because a couple of them had problems with the downloading links - is as rough and hirsute as a piece of corroded iron. In truth, Atomic Butterfly is a live session record filled in with stomping drums, abrasive guitar noodling and acidic organ playing. I like that shitty sound quality. In any cases, if are searching for a robust, refreshing experience then you should come over to this legacy. It is a frantic instance of improvised music being far away from a neat, commerically oriented, often contemporary hard rock example (nuff said). You can hear even some motorik/krautrock, and math rock patterns although officially the latter term was not invented yet. In any cases, for once again, crank up the volume knob and get your rocks off on listening to it with your neighbours.

The Suadetones - Ultrasuade (1985)

Bob Chaos

9.2

/Covers, Alternative, Avant-garde, Weird pop, Lounge pop, Improvised music/

Comment: The Suadetones was a weird output under an off-kilter Muncie, Indiana-based label, Bob Chaos, being active from 1984 to 1988. The Suadetones comprised three members and even once shared the stage with Sonic Youth in Chicago (the crowd was very hostile toward them at a time, though). They issued 2 albums, however, all of that was recorded on tapes (this was an era lacking of computers and Pro Tools). One of them, getting reviewed at the moment, is a 24-piece cover-based publication. These are quite free-formed, even a little bit certifiable versions driven by Casio synths and reed organs representing the feeling of 80`s lo-fi/DIY/bedroom pop culture. Indeed, let`s take your time and listen to the covers of Moon River, New York New York, Yesterday, Goldfinger and many more pop culture gems.