John Lithium

I have always been quite curious as what exactly this early collaboration between Stephen O’Malley and EDGY 49 (future vocalist for the doom-band Burning Witch). Recently, I pounced on the chance to listen for myself.

One of the first descriptive adjectives that came to mind was “rough”. Not “rough” as in needing development or improvement rough, but instead the “rough” that can be found in most lo-fi noise recordings.

“Tektoniks” is a rumbling piece of extended feedback and processed static excursions. Not much else can be said, really.

“6:66” (which also, coincidentally, is not the final running time, as it manages to go a few minutes over), is a rather irritating piece involving a high pitched whine and muted white noise. While the white noise evolves somewhat during the song, the high-pitched noise only increases at a somewhat distressing rate. I have heard of noise compositions simulating tinnitus before, but this is the first time I have heard anything faithfully replicate it. Not a pleasant experience, when considering that it is over six minutes long.

Compared to the last ‘song’, “Red Army” seems almost tame in comparison. Thankfully, it also manages to be quite interesting (without running the risk of inner-ear damage). Scraping and crackling noises accompany a rather strange synth melody that becomes increasingly distorted and muddled as the song progresses.

The last song arrives as a bit of a surprise, as (unlike the previous songs), it is roughly twenty-three minutes long. “War Of The Worlds” as rather strange, for while it opens in a manner very similar to “Tektoniks”, it soon involves an indecipherable/distorted series of
vocals as well as additional static bursts interspersed through a bubbling and rumbling backdrop (perhaps meant to simulate the hum of an alien engine). Although not certain to me, the vocals could be samples from the original “War Of The World” broadcast (determined mainly by the frantic sound of the vocals as well as the particular intonation of the actual voice as well.
Distorted effects increase in frequency as the voice becomes increasingly frantic and washed out.

In short, while this is an interesting journey in noise/experimental electronics, it is by no means outstanding or essential. It is mainly for the curious fans (such as myself) who are interested in noise and/or would like to view the beginnings of Stephen O’Malley’s music career.

P.S. Many thanks to BloodIsTruth for this one, since it’s was an extremely limited edition cassette and out-of-print since it was released. Go check it out over there if you want it.

P.P.S. On a mostly unrelated note, Eibon Records has, after what seems to have been an eternity, finally updated their site with new releases, news, and promos. Something to look into…

P.P.P.S. Sorry, one more thing…I also updated the Totally Fuzzy link, so it should be correct now.

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~ by John Lithium on July 1, 2007.

Posted in Music For The Rest Of Us Archive, noise