Frost Cracking Trees

The latest batch of releases from Prime Ruin offered a lot to the listener in the ways of expansive and shapeshifting audio adventures. They're a label I can always trust to have quality output, and support for a wide variety, but still cohesive mixture of experimental artists. One of the newest tapes from the label was the excellent new Kjostad release, entitled "Frost Cracking Trees". Limited to 60 copies on yellow tapes.

A sibling project to Stefan Aunes long going Breaking The Will moniker (both having releases on his label New Forces), Kjostad has been having a rather exciting and active past year. Releasing the split LP with Ligature, called "Overgrown", and with several more cassette releases on the way. Brilliantly recorded natural/organic textures and loops, tape manipulation, and a calculated rise in aggression and tension. A convergence of the natural and the industrial, but with neither side trying to overpower the other. "Frost Cracking Trees" is yet another incredibly detailed and layered offering, but with a much more rapid pace and destructive sound. Bright, fluttery bird calls are quickly met with the tight whip crack sounding loop of some scrap metal. Sharp bursts of finely tuned, crushing low end spastically cut into the mix in a cut-up style. The whole track builds into an enormous amount of sound and industrial rhythms. It's very impressive how Stefan is able to manipulate these field recordings into something so loud, but still keep the integrity of the organic sources. The pacing and movements of the loops also keep everything engaging.

The journey continues on side 2 with more bird sounds and the subtle crunching of feet on a foresty turf. The pulsing, crackly distortion yet again swells up in a timely manner. The wormy and gritty sound of the compressed sound sources really get under my skin sometimes, in a good way. There's lots of scratchy textures on here. It sounds like the actual scraping against tree bark and digging into the earth. Not as rapid paced as the A-side track, but the claustrophobic atmosphere is tremendous.

I adore all of the art on this tape. It's one of my favorite collages on a Prime Ruin release, it encapsulates what the recordings sound like perfectly. As usual the tapes sound pro as fuck.

Not sure how many of these are left, but if this sounds good to you at all I recommend spending your money on it.

~VII

Facade

Another new tape from Prime Ruin, and one of my favorite new power electronics tapes at the moment. The latest EP from Lace, a duo comprised of noise makers Weston Czerkies and Valentine Sinclair. A tape simply known as, "Facade". C24 tapes in white shells, limited to 60 copies. 

"Facade", a two song offering, uses it's mere 20+ minute run time with an expert level of efficiency. The dominant A-side title track weaves and segways between a multitude of textures and styles. Opening with the stuttering and distorted samples of human chatter, echoed and quickly layered into a wall of delayed distortion and ambient feedback. Eventually more junk metal sounds and the unmistakable rumble of a spring reverb show up. The lo-fi recording is wonderful, totally complimenting the influence of sounds from the early Broken Flag PE groups and 80's extreme industrial. When the flanged vocals kick in, the track instantly turns twice as menacing, and "Facade" turns into a mean and glaring power electronics track. Rumbles of distortion, squealing microphone feedback peaking everywhere, and abused metal crashes. I'm a sucker for that echoed, waved and flanged vocal effect, and the delivery here is excellent. Patient, controlled, only rising in inflection and volume when they needs to. Groups like Ramleh come to mind for sure. The walls of sound eventually decay and leave only the indecipherable vocal samples that started it up. It's a fantastic track, I've played it twice while writing this. 

The B-side, "Visual Anonymity" , is an instrumental and a great compliment to it's other half. A much more ambient and chilling track, beginning with slow moaning chants, and murky, dark textures. Mic'd up scrapes and dragging sounds claw their way into the mix, and eventually a wall of cold, metal screeches and synth chords has been built up and has you. The different dynamics here are effective, and don't stray too far away from the brutal A-side. Would I have preferred more vocals? Perhaps, but this song is wonderful regardless. 

Very tidy layout and printing on the thick 3-panel Jcard. Prime Ruin does a superb job as always. 

If you're quick, you can still pick up a copy of this tape at PRIME RUIN. Highly recommended!

~VII

Stain In Daylight

An American noise label that I have had the privileged honor of easily keeping up with is Prime Ruin. An incredibly consistent project created and operated by a Mr. Weston Czerkies, based somewhat near my home city. Over the past few years Prime Ruin has steadily produced high quality listening material, approaching all corners of the experimental and extreme music spectrum. Harsh noise wall and pure power electronics, to heavy beat-driven noise, techno, punk and even synth pop. With the sporadic variation of styles over Prime Ruin's catalog, each new batch of tapes are equally as exciting and mysterious as they are pretty to look at. No expense is spared making sure every release looks and sounds great. No matter if it's a bands first release, or a new full-length from a veteran artist. This newest batch of tapes included the first demo of a new project called Goddaughter. Which is actually another recording alias from Czerkies himself (along with his already stellar group of projects, Sunken Cheek, Obsidian Order, Lace, and Thin Vision). Blue c16 tapes, limited to 33 copies.

I had been anticipating this tape in particular based on all of the organic instrumentation I heard would be on it. A step away from the harsh electronic screeches and drones that usually show up in Weston's recordings. New experiments are always intriguing! The opening track "Stain in Daylight" instantly caught my attention with the immediate introduction of a distant, rising moan. A sound that returns and pulses over the whole track. Right from that moment the mood and mission of Goddaughter is laid out. Focusing on a consistent musical mood of melancholy and introspection.   Layers of minor key organ hits, washed out whispers of breath, chilly ambience, and piano all slowly build. Never reaching a grand, noisy cluster, just simply evolving over a solum feeling. The distant moan slowly shifts pitch and rises into what sounds more like a synth. Everything rises in tempo slightly before very suddenly cutting off. It's a very wonderful track, my favorite on the whole tape.

These types of sounds and textures continue all over the rest of the tape. Other instruments including a kalimba thumb piano, and tape loops appear. Over on side two a more distinct presence of vocals appear, which are similarly droned, fogged, and subtle as most of the sounds on the demo. The suffering of Sunken Cheek's music is present here, as this music does not come off as immediately upifting. But it still never goes full down and depressing. The organ swells and loops do remain strongly hopeful, supplying some sort of light in the haze.
I am a fan of much of what this tape has to offer. However, in a shocking turn of events, I really do wish these songs were longer (I think this is the first time I've said that on this blog). Every song outside of side 2's opener, "It Yields The Same", sound like they end prematurely. I think a lot of these ideas could be developed and elongated a lot more and it would go over fantastically well. I could easily drone out to like, almost an hour of this stuff. I am definitely excited to hear what's in store for the future of Goddaughter.

 In typical Prime Ruin fashion, the presentation of this tape is incredible. I'd say one of the best in the catalog so far. Packaged in a silk-screened O-card, on top of another printed O-card covering the tape. Gorgeous art all around with a very wonderful blue theme. The thing even comes with a stitched 6-page booklet. Pictures do not do it justice, trust me.

This tape has at the time of this post sold out from Prime Ruin. I'm not sure if any copies got to any distro's, but it's worth a listen if you get the chance.

~VII