Wednesday, June 1, 2022

Friday, January 1, 2021

Various Artists - Modus Vivendi: A Benefit Compilation For Chris Phinney [CDr]



2020 has certainly been difficult for everyone but it's all been multiplied for Chris Phinney. The incident that prompted music citizen extraordinaire Arvo Zylo to organize this benefit compilation was Chris being hit by an uninsured driver late last year while walking across the street, leading to a string of surgeries and medical bills. I talk to Chris regularly and have insight into the challenges he has faced.

However, whether you know Chris or not doesn't have to matter, because this is a killer compilation of 19 experimental music and avant-psychedelic artists, including some impressive luminaries from the homemade music underground.

Among the heavyweights is the late great Minóy, with an eerily deep space excursion. Attrition contribute a beautifully somber piece from the spectral Gothic beyond. PBK (Phillip B. Klingler) creates noisy, edgy, droney, creepy space wave layers and pulses. Cephalic Index (Mike Jackson) conjures up a bit of good fun collage craftsmanship. Aaron Dilloway contributes a quirky and strangely but awesomely rhythmic sound construction. Arvo and Chris team up for a blend of noisy wind tunnel and disorienting pulsations. Little Fyodor delights with 30 seconds of wigged out organ grinder lunacy. And I'm tickled to see Plastic Crimewave included with a totally trippy guitar piece.

There are also lots of artists that are new to me. I won't step through all of them, but among the ones that got my attention was Content Nullity, who crank out some Goth infused noise-rock. Cool stuff, I'll have to check out more from them. Theater Of Ice's tune sounds like The Residents gone totally drugged psychedelic. Need to hear more from these folks too. risaripa brings to mind something along the lines of The Residents/Snakefinger's Satisfaction. Really freaked out, love it! Lots of interesting noise and spaced out artists too.

GREAT compilation, you can't go wrong, AND it's for a good cause! Purchase CD or download from the No Part Of It label Bandcamp site...

Thursday, January 30, 2020

Skull Vacuum - Burn Sees Dark [CD]



Skull Vacuum is the duo of long time collaborators Chris Phinney (Memphis, TN) and Jeff Chenault (Columbus, OH). Both are 30+ year veterans of the homemade music cassette culture underground, with Chris having run the Harsh Reality Music tapes label and Jeff first with the I.T.N. label, which morphed into the Exoteque Music label.

Burn Sees Dark is a set of 7 tracks of experimental yet beautiful space-ambience that strikes at various points along the intense-dreamy and noisy-dreamy axis.

'Dust' opens the set and would more appropriately be titled 'DustSTORM'. Under the headphones I feel like my brain has been sucked into a tornadic vortex, the highlight being pulsating wind tunnel howls. I like the blend of steadily minimal electro beats and lusciously fluttering soundscapes on 'Corpse Flower'. 'Calefaction' is a journey into noisily meditative space, which is simultaneously grating and serene. It's like rocket ship blastoff, alien effects, and ambient drift, all rolled into one. 'Crinkle' is a stellar example of Chris and Jeff's flair for music that is both noisy and dreamy and is one of the most intense of the set. It's like a rocket blasting through space, and yet somehow shrouded in peaceful drift. 'Never Get Enough' is like the hauntingly spaced out soundtrack to a sci-fi ghost story. 'Accoutrements' has what sounds like a stoner bass that creates cool electronic robot riffage, surrounded by a chorus of alien insects and ambient static. And 'Trinket' has lots of sharp, abrupt attack effects, pulsations, gurgles, deep bass beat-tones, and heavenly ambient flow. GREAT job Chris and Jeff! In avant-space we trust!!

Burn Sees Dark is a limited edition of 100 CDs housed in a nifty fold out package. Proceed benefit Chris, who in late 2019 was hit by a car walking across the street, and the driver had no insurance. PM Chris or Jeff for ordering information.

- Jerry Kranitz

Tuesday, October 22, 2019