Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Bit Blues (Slowdown Recordings) album review
The most recent Merzbow album to receive the digital reissue treatment from Slowdown Records recalls the adage from the Scottish play “all sound and fury… signifying nothing.” Recently, Japan’s Slowdown … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Kotorhizome album review
Three brutal koto recordings get their first digital reissue on Slowdown Records on Kotorhizome. Merzbow never stops. He never sleeps, he just keeps pumping out pummeling, grinding, obliterating noise albums, … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Rainbow Electronics II (Dexter’s Cigar, 1996) album review
Merzbow returns to his Dada roots on Rainbow Electronics II from 1996. The idea of making definitive noise albums seems a bit nonsensical. After all, this is a genre that … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Rainbow Electronics (Alchemy, 1990) album review
Culled from 21 hours of archival recordings, Merzbow’s Rainbow Electronics is a noise symphony in 4 movements. Noise albums can come in two varieties – major and minor releases to … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Collection Era Vol. 3 (Merzbox Disc 6, 1981)
This collection of the Collection era, compiled as disc 6 of the Merzbox, is more of a historical curiosity than essential listening. Before the harsh noise, the sheets of damaging … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Hybrid Noisebloom (1997) album review
1997’s Hybrid Noisebloom is a Long Dark Spin Cycle of the Soul, leaving you ecstatically exhausted, wrung out, and cleansed. Reviewing noise records is funny business. In a certain respect, … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – E-Study album review
Like walking through a forest of rebar, getting caught in the crossfire of some BB battle, 1981’s E-Study is about as far from Harsh Noise as you can get in … Continue reading
Merzbow Monday: Merzbow – Mukomodulator album review
Two tracks of raw, unfiltered harsh noise from the master Masami Akita, recorded live at a gallery in Tokyo in November 2020. For noise fans, we’ve heard the same tired … Continue reading
Cousin Silas – Ballard Landscapes 1 & 2 album review + download
British sound alchemist Cousin Silas conjures Ballardian landscapes with dreary drones and newage pastiche on Ballard Landscapes 1 & 2 Yesterday was J.G. Ballard‘s birthday. He would’ve been 90 years … Continue reading
The Best Dark Ambient Albums of March 2020
The streets are all empty. We are all living in quarantine. We are essentially living inside of a Dark Ambient album now. Now is the perfect time to listen to … Continue reading
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