GRAVEYARDS - Endings Vol.3 - LP (American Tapes)

   
  Graveyards is the horrific free-jazz/noise project of Wolf Eyes/Dead Machines/American Tapes main man - John Olson. Ben Hall(Traum)and Hans Buetow run the awesome Editions Brokenresearch label,and also makeup this genre bending act.In the last decade they have released a literal slew of lp's,cassettes,seven inches,splits,and tour cd-r's on various labels,including their own American Tapes and Editions Brokensearch.They originated as a two piece and now travel with three,but often collaborate with other well known noiseniks from time to time,in a live setting.They are a mysterious bunch indeed.Their releases never include photos of the band,information on the who plays what,or any sort of real text whatsoever.Mostly just some disturbing images and GRAVEYARDS thrown in somewhere,but even that is a stretch.Their music is nearly as vague in the sense that their influences are nearly impossible to pin.The obvious free-everything pioneers Peter Brotzmann, Arthur Doyle, and even Earle Brown's sparse minimalism all come to mind,but they are like ever-changing chameleon,so nothing sticks with them for too long.

  Endings Vol.3 is a wild concoction indeed.It carelessly tosses a saxophone,cello,drums and a handful of nails into the blender,and forces us listen to it slowly liquefy.The loud,violent grind of metal shrapnel scraping against the glass,mixed with the whirring motor-hum is their aim,but it's only is the first half of their plot.After a while,a sweet and syrupy ooze drips very slowly into a bucket miles below.Spooky strings cry off in the distance,but it's unclear what they are saying.A tattered saxophone whispers a breathy hiss into your ear,and jabs at you unexpectedly.Close by someone is scratching their fingernails against a sheet of metal.Drums flutter with anticipation and eventually burst into tiny pieces on the floor.There are stints of accidental,cohesive jazz bliss that shine throughout this frightening journey.But damage is their game.It's hard to make out exactly what is being played here at times,and that is what they do best.This is a giant gasp of very fresh air.Watch your back music,Graveyards are coming for you.
MJO
 

PART WILD HORSES MANE ON BOTH SIDES

This duo consisting of Kelly-Jane (treated flute,other experiences..) and Peter Pascal (drums,percussion and further experiences...)are quickly becoming the U.K.'s most popular free-jazz act.They've released a handful of EP's and LP's in the last 2 years,and their live appearances are beginning to fill venues all over Europe.Although most of their arrangements usually fill up an entire side of an LP,their latest odyssey-Poisson - is made up of three(Poisson 1,2,and 3)lengthy pieces,respectively.

At a glance,this particular record sounds VERY similar to those early Soft Circle jams,and even Black Dice's "Beaches and Canyons" days come to mind,the stuff before Hisham Bharoocha split.I would say that hints of John Cage,Earle Brown and the like linger in their work,and that is not a bad thing.Very minimal and sparse,with jolts of percussive clattering and walls of feedback that kept my attention with this one.A good chunk of this music relies on the treated flute washes and tape delay creating layers of high pitch melodies.Mysterious voice loops,samples,feedback and single-note piano stabs lie beneath it all,and make for dark tone.The percussive rumble gently glides underneath it all,barely touching the surface,but the random bursts of energy surprise will you again and again.Like Popul Vuh,they don't mind letting things ride out into oblivion,while slowly morphing into something completely different by the end of it all.If you like semi-improvised minimalism,check these guys out.Nice stuff.

LITTLE WOMEN - Teeth LP (Sockets)

Little Women are making some of the most dangerous and confrontational avant-jazz music out there right now.Teeth is a blown out,mind-melting treble attack from the start.The brass instruments are loose and layered,and yet played with intense precision."Teeth" teeters on a fine line between arrangement and anarchy,all the way to the end.Heavy on the free-jazz tip,stacked atop a pile of frantic drum blasts and angular guitar shred.It reminds me of the newer Zs(whom they share members with)recordings,but with more of a raw,brash tone.The hissy production value is mostly high end,barely ever reaching the low end of the spectrum.For Little Women,this is a good thing indeed.4 tracks of controlled chaos.Can't wait to see where they go next.Highly recommended!!