John Wiese - Soft Punk

John Wiese
Soft Punk
(01.2007, Troubleman Unlimited)
Verdict = Art Noise Perfection

Almost exactly one year ago, John Wiese finally allowed himself to release a “debut album.’ The idea of this should come as a bit of a bold statement considering Wiese’s extremely lengthy back catalog of releases on seemingly every record label and recording format known to modern man. That said, Soft Punk somehow reveals itself as a seminal statement in Wiese’s convoluted history and if this is his debut only the most exiting of possibilities wait in store. Exhibiting a cut and paste aesthetic dealing with various blunt textures and punk samples, Soft Punk opens up new possibilities for the structure of experimental sound (de)construction. The compositions ebb and flow through schizophrenic flurries of noise and waning alleys of lightly glistening silence create an engaging listen that moves away from the lazy drones that seem to be so easily perpetuated by anyone with a loop pedal. It is truly a breath of fresh air in an otherwise deadening scene filled with little innovation. It is with this approach that Wiese has created something that not only contains that early spirit of punk that seems all but completely lost to the modern landscape of musicians, but also seems to be something that would fit aptly within a hip white walled gallery. It is a dual nature rarely achieved in any format and one which can only be created by true artistic sensibilities. Soft Punk is that creation and a seminal, unfortunately overlooked album on the lapsed horizon of 2007. If I would have had these tones running through my headphones in 2007 Soft Punk would most assuredly cracked the top ten spots on my year end list. A terrific case of high expectations being not only matched, but trounced in the wake of something wholly original and inspiring; bravo!

-Mr. Thistle

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