MoHa! - Meiningslaust Oppgulp (a singles compilation)

(Rune Grammofon, 2011)

I'm a bad fan, apparently, of all my favorite bands.  First The Goslings and now MoHa!!  I'm really slipping folks.  Rune Grammofon, a year ago this month, released this limited edition MoHa! singles collection (makes me smile to imply the pop-music understanding of 'singles' to MoHa!) culled from their vinyl-only output between 2008 and when it was released.  I have a couple of those records--a 7" and split 10"--but not all of them, and I don't get to my vinyl nearly as often as I'd like, so this is a godsend.  And, just like with The Goslings, I'm ripe for the pummeling monstrosity of machine gun-strength/tempo noise that MoHa! is the grand standing masters of.  The duo's simply the best when it comes to breakneck free jazz crippled with electronic squalor then catapulted with wry punk abandon.  And it doesn't matter that Meiningslaust Oppgulp is a "singles compilation," the tracks here (ranging from 3 to 13 minutes) coalesce perfectly into this album length format they've been collected into.  Listening to them--Anders Hana and Morten J. Olsen--work through each of these tracks is like listening to an giant infinite-tentacled beast dismantling entire cities to a stop watch.  Utterly exhilarating, spastic and, occasionally, when locking into some sickly groove, unexpectedly coherent.  The compilation is a perfect example why MoHa! is one of my very favorite bands.  And, in terms of retroactive re-organization, listmaking, all that stuff--flippant and overt valuation--in case you're curious, this would likely plant itself right behind Amateur Doubles (that's spot no. 2) on my 2011 year end list.  Which means, if you hadn't gathered as much already, that it's essential listening.  (Also, listmaking is bad for your health.)

Flisespikking/ Lyd med Tenner/ Mjøl di eiga kake by MoHa!

Ultralyd - Inertiadrome (2010, Rune Grammofon)

RIYL = Lightning Bolt, MoHa!, that last track on They Threw Us All in a Trench and Stuck a Monument on Top

It seems that I’ve been trudging around waist-deep in deep-waste muck lately. Musically. Just a lot of murky, brooding, gnashing tunes, and Inertiadrome is no different. The constantly evolving (and devolving) Ultralyd makes good on their album title (best album title of last year, for sure) with a heap of gravel-spitting, clay-cracking, noise-rock and spilt jazz. “Lahtuma” starts things off, lurching forward with a lovely line of gear-grinded bass and some kinetic drumming that motors forward endlessly. Fact is, Inertiadrome is built on the rhythmic propulsions. That bass, those drums; the engine of this album. Laid atop them – their gears and their gears and their gears – is a mix of squalid, ear-purging skronk. This is a pack of dirty, endlessly rifting instrumentals meant to drive you six feet into the ground.  This is all no suprise of course, when you take into consideration that Ultralyd is one half MoHa! and the other half Kjetil D. Brandsdal (Noxagt) and Kjetil Møster (The Core).  I noisy supergroup, indeed.

Ultralyd - Contaminated Man

Stian Westerhus - Pitch Black Star Spangled

Stian Westerhus
Pitch Black Star Spangled
(2010, Rune Grammofon)
RIYL = Peter Kolovos, Derek Bailey, Bill Orcutt

The album title, the cover art, these should be warning signs that this is not going to be your standard solo guitar outing. Don’t look for any John Fahey references here. In fact, forget expectations for anything acoustic all together. The axe-work Westerhus is interested in has little to do with melody, standard guitar tuning or traditional ideas concerning beauty in music. To concede that this is a dark affair is simple enough, but also a bit misleading. Westerhus is, with certainty, sludging waste-high through thick troughs of blackness, yet to pigeonhole Pitch Black Star Spangled, or limit it, as a doom-based work is to miss the deep crevices, tangled caverns and shafts of soul that, contorted as they may be, color Westerhus’ work in a much broader range of hues than is available on the black end of a simple grey scale. Earlier this year, my eyes were opened by the absolutely astonishing solo guitar release, New Bodies, by Peter Kolovos. His album, released late in 2009, was a revelation to me in terms of what can be exercised from six metal strings and an amp. In that same spirit of instrument torture and wide-eyed experimentation, a spirit rooted in Derek Bailey’s groundbreaking guitar work, Stian Westerhus has pushed the boundaries of my imagination further than I expected possible when it comes to the guitar. What makes Pitch Black Star Spangled so amazing (and worthy of its amazing title), even in the wake of such ominous, imaginative guitarists like Bailey and Kolovos, is how versatile he is on this album. The way Westerhus pans from a minimalist, glinting grit to a form of maximalist, free-noise abandon is marvelous. And never tiring. Well, for those accustom to adventurous sounds, that is. I imagine that, in the mind of the general public, Westerhus’ guitar work could be used as form of questionably humane torture for interrogating terrorists. And I also imagine that, among the readership of this blog, that description right there is enough to sell this album. You won’t be disappointed.

-Thistle

Bushman's Revenge - Jitterbug

Bushman’s Revenge
Jitterbug
(2010, Rune Grammofon)
RIYL = Shining, Battles, Elephant9

I am at a bit of a loss in trying to categorize Bushman’s Revenge. On their sophomore release, Jitterbug, the trio have created a blissful, catatonic, mischievous, rocking, jazzy record that ties together post rock riffage with free jazz syncopation, sallow, bluesy guitar passages with out-rock song contortions and, well, everything else in-between (what is in-between those things?). It’s a wild ride really. And, despite being on Rune Grammofon and dabbling in jazz histrionics, Jitterbug is a decidedly more rocking record than anything else. So, that's it: it's a rock record. The band is super technical, but don't let their intelligent, instrumental proficiency keep them from locking down a multitude of awesome, mindless grooves. Jitterbug just seems to be that rare melting pot that manages to produce something totally exciting rather than pale and boring. From 60's psychedelia to 70’s prog to 80’s metal to contemporary out-rock noise bliss, Jitterbug combines them all. Bushman’s Revenge evoke all the best in rock nostalgia without whimpering into the more embarrassing moments and always managing a contemporary air. As far as instrumental rock records go, it doesn’t get much better than this.

-Thistle

Listen to selected tracks at Rune Grammofon's website

Humcrush - Rest At Worlds End

Humcrush
Rest At Worlds End
(01.2009, Rune Grammofon)
RIYL = Supersilent, Elephant9, MoHa!, spaceship synths

Improvisation is sticky territory reserved for only the most adept musicians. At surface level it is both exciting and infuriating. In one sense, you think to yourself: ‘why in the world would I want to listen to someone randomly noodling away on any instrument in order prove some sort of musical dexterity?” It is a fair question, and one that I think applies to a great majority of improvisation. Most people simply are unable to be engaging on the fly. However, for those who are the opposite is true. In the face of shear nothingness, a creative and musically proficient artist can mold nothingness into a mind stretching something that somehow equates to more than any amount of focused composition could. The intrinsic immediacy of the music turns into a vibrant force, adding colour to a previously blank page. The difficulty is avoiding the craftiness of Bob Ross in favor of the ingenuity of Robert Rauschenberg. It’s a thin line, and one all the more beautifully walked when the number of musicians is multiplied (at least when they gel). Humcrush, one of the many talented improvisational acts hailing from the stables of Rune Grammofon, is a duo of drumming maestro Thomas Strønen and keyboard contortionist Ståle Storløkken. Rest At Worlds End is culled from live recordings, however, the clarity is such that this fact is somewhat irrelevant. Incorporating heavy doses of genius on both melodic and percussive fronts, on Rest At Worlds End, Humcrush have signaled themselves as one of the better acts on Rune Grammofon, which, for those who’ve followed the Scandinavian super-label, is quite an impressive achievement. The wonderful thing about this latest record is how Strønen and Storløkken effortlessly transition between brain scrambling instrumental blitzes and soulful, meandering atmospherics. I really can’t get enough of it – lately when I find myself burnt out on everything else on my iPod, Rest At Worlds End is the go-to album to cleanse my palette and rejuvenate my listening patterns.

-Mr. Thistle

MoHa! - One-Way Ticket to Candyland

MoHa!
One-Way Ticket To Candyland
(10.2008, Rune Grammofon)
Verdict = More Focused and More Potent

MoHa! are back with their third full length release in three years and despite adding another unsavory album cover to a year that has been filled with them, the release is more than a welcome addition to the band’s discography. It's really not too surprising that this Norwegian duo is able to release something substantial, new and inventive on a yearly basis; the vigorous pace of their grizzled onslaught almost requires it. It’s a self imposed world of evolve or die. On One-Way Ticket To Candyland MoHa! has evolved. While this release is still every bit as identifiable in terms free jazz noise rock, MoHa! has added an enhanced electronic edge to their standard guitar/drums ruckus. In addition to the electronics is a newfound sense of repetition and control, however fleeting the ideas might be. One-Way Ticket To Candyland is every bit as convulsive, adrenaline raddled and exciting as its predecessors, yet with a new penchant for intermittent rhythms and a bursting sense of structure, MoHa! have left something for us to grab hold of so as not to get lost amongst the clatter. The results steer the band’s violently spastic attack into Lightning Bolt territory, that is, if territory Lightning Bolt inhabited was under attack by waves of malfunctioning robot suicide bombers. Not a bad place to inhabit and, as the album title suggests, one filled with delicious moments throughout.

-Mr. Thistle

MoHa! on Myspace

Box - Studio 1

Box
Studio 1
(01.2008, Rune Grammofon)
Verdict = Rockous, jazzy, proggy improve

I’m not a big jazz guy. As far as the classics go I’m pretty much beyond oblivious to the history of it and its stepping stone albums and what not. That isn’t to say that I don’t like it. I mean, jazz is pretty cool right? Well, in the case of the scandanavian Rune Grammafon label I simply can’t get enough of whatever micro sub-genre of jazz the collective routinely produces. Probably the most significant and well known of their electro prog improvisational troupes is Supersilent, which if you are familiar with them is probably a good starting point when approaching Box. Not only does the band share a band member with Supersilent, but they have also borrowed from their purposely obscure titling and design (seriously, couldn’t you guys provide packaging that makes a physical copy desirable?). I’m actually behind on my Rune Grammafon releases. I am still preparing for the latest from Scorch Trio (out since February) and the recent Elephant9 release. Well, I think this release has ties with Scorch Trio as well, but I’m done looking up stuff – every band on Rune Grammafon shares members with at least two others usually. This particular outing is the product of a weekend spent corralling all the energy of the universe, compacting it and packaging it into a little audio explosive. For all its atonal energy and randomly spewed grunge, Studio 1 is actually a pretty catchy rock album. That is probably a misleading statement, but in light of the afore mentioned facts you would be well to consider this one of the most accessible and rocking of the electro rock blitzkriegs being produced in Scandinavia. The drums are just insane, the squelching electronics are nuts and the bass lines are jazzy. The tracks seemed to be numbered by order of the specific take they were recorded and pick and choose between the 3rd to the 13th take within the six tracks. Ultimately, Box has provided an adventure for the ears. I don’t know if there is any better way to explain it. I guess the question is if your ears are up to it? If so, I promise they won’t be disappointed.

=Mr. Thistle

Box on MySpace

Supersilent - 8

Supersilent
8
(10.2007, Rune Grammofon)
8.0/10

Supersilent have always reminded me of free jazz robots (of which I am an expert), with their mechanically wrought experimentalism and numerical labeling. After a near 5 year hiatus from the release of 6 (the DVD release, 7, not included), the group has finally released their latest studio album, wait for it…8. Predictable album and track titling aside, Supersilent continues its knack for inventive, challenging music. Something of an epic (we are talking about Supersilent here), I am just going to take this one track by track: The opener, "8.1" is a slow building wave of skittery distortion that takes more time than usual to sink its teeth in, but ends with a satisfactory grind. The voluminous weight of the sound is contrasted starkly by the immediately following tracks. "8.2" wanders lengthily, a little overly minimalistic for its own good and is followed by "8.3" which starts similarly but is eventually addled with mindless drums and a laser skronk climax. "8.4" dips again into sparse, low volume drone before gradually emerging trumpet and dim percussion save the lull and eventually peak with a brief synth line. It is at this point that the album begins to shed a bit of its metallic skin and capture some narrative. "8.5" returns to the distress of the opener with an incoherent android incantation (cursed jazz robots) prior to releasing some synthetic wooziness and pleasant guitar ruminations. Adding scrupulously planned layers and morphing beautifully, "8.5" turns the album on its top with a soft hand of slowly redemptive chords oscillating wonderfully to the addition of some incredibly delicious drumming. The surprising arrival of emotive composition seems to fry the inner robotic circuitry of 8, sending "8.6" into dizzying glitch electronic spasms. The clutter is empathetically overseen by an angelic voice, primitively swooning over the rubble, but never reassembling it. The impending destruction is blindsiding. "8.7" bursts at the seams spewing forth a blitzkrieg of fiery indignation. The contortions swell madly; bubbling over with intensity, deleting all previous notions of minimalism with is disparaging display. Completing the wild rollercoaster, "8.8" is a short reflection the waste laid of a gregariously malfunctioned beast. While 8 defiantly tests your patience, the exquisite adventure would be tragic to miss.

-Mr. Thistle

Listen to clips from 8 on Boomkat

Shining- Grindstone

Shining

Grindstone

(2007, Rune Grammofon)

8.5/10.0

Norwegian free jazz metal experimentalists Shining have created an ADHD answer to America’s Battles with their 2007 release, Grindstone. Grindstone takes the beauty of what Battles accomplished with Mirrored and thrusts it into more theatrical and compositional areas (but theatrical like in an awesome 80’s movie kind of way rather than a tortured Faun Fables kind of way). I guess, in reality, the two bands have endless differences but there is just something about the feel of each that is requiring me to tie them together. Shining moves far beyond loops, traveling into areas of multi-instrumental indulgence and absurdity that, despite its inherent pitfalls, are actually pleasurable. There is an undoubted air of experimentation (especially after the completion of the stellar openers…and yes, ‘stellar’ is the most appropriate word here) but the ideas with which this experimentation are implemented rarely enters areas where it becomes belabored. Shining has created a gem in Grindstone by force of their incredible ethic and character. Maintaining a certain sense of humor, intense musical passion and superior technical skill, Grindstone is a testament to a crazy-eyed nerve to create as cool a record as its creators can produce with their minds and fingers. I think it is in that way that Shining’s Grindstone is comparable to Battles’ Mirrored (and in my opinion better). An exhilarating listen from beginning to end.

-Mr. Thistle

Shining on Myspace