John Wiese - Circle Snare

John Wiese
Circle Snare
(2009, No Fun Productions)
RIYL = Wolf Eyes, Daniel Menche, Kevin Drumm

I think that the dust needs to settle in my mind for a moment because I just had a fairly explosive thought. Just a couple more moments. Yeah, there is no arguing it really – when it comes to harsh electronic noise, John Wiese does it better than anyone else. My predisposition when it comes to noise based music is for those artists who employ an sub-basement melodies or elements of free jazz. Wiese doesn’t really fit into these categories so there is really no reason why I should latch onto his brand of noise the way that I do, but the guy somehow manages this astronomical gravitational pull in his compositions that just sucks me in. It is really pretty self destructive stuff but I can’t help but love it. Ever since his insane, schizophrenic masterwork, Soft Punk, I’ve been hooked. There is something about everything he does that simultaneously reeks of astute, meticulous intelligence while managing to sound like a ten tons of grit-laden punk rock exploding within a new dimension. Everything is built on the immediacy of an improvised live set and perfection of a patiently layered studio piece. I have by no means tracked down all of Wiese’s recordings - I don’t think that such a feat is possible with his output - but I think Circle Snare may just be the successor to Soft Punk for me in terms of noisy Wiesian perfection. Where Soft Punk turned noise into punk sized groupings and pummeled incessantly, Circle Snare is spread out over four tracks with moments of actual breathing room and plenty of space for building the most corrosive audio destruction that could even be considered enjoyable. And that is just it, this is pretty much the only extreme noise that I find repeatedly palatable. Wiese has created another one of a kind record, or perhaps I should say that Wiese has created an artistic guise that is one of a kind; a pummeling persona that is equal parts pleasurable and deplorable. Circle Snare marks a consistency level of magnificent proportions. For how much I love Axolotl in his given sphere, I similarly love John Wiese in his. This is my Noise music with a capital N. This is what warrants and similarly obliterates the meaning of a genre titled ‘noise’. I mean, where does he get those sounds? And how does he know exactly where to place them? Every time! Such amazing, amazing stuff. Top ten material for sure. I have been listening to a lot of really great stuff lately and this is amongst the pinnacle of what I have been hearing lately. Wiese’s laptop snarl is simply an essential component of what music is for me in 2009. Forget the Swine Flu - catch this.

-Thistle