INTERVIEW: LIMBS BIN
Limbs Bin’s sound is one of noise at its most raw: the project sounds the deranged howls of an apocalyptic Earth’s last surviving man, coupled with mind-numbing distortion and hellish feedback which scrapes across the ear with the rage and ferocity of a razor blade in the hand of a chimpanzee. I was lucky enough to talk to Josh Landes, the person behind Limbs Bin, about his experiences with underground music and how they’ve shaped his musical output:
MB: Many artists approach noise, and other forms of art, as a cathartic release. Do you feel Limbs Bin is a cleanse of negative feelings, or do you see it more as an expression of thoughts and emotions which transcend the music and stick with you even after making a release or preforming live?
JL: Life is about understanding and confronting change, so learning how to tap into your own experience as this constant flow you can draw from, interpret, and express, gives you direction to make honest, immediate art. Limbs Bin celebrates the extremities of life by bringing them out of the shadows and letting them be themselves for a brief window. Creating this kind of space in my life has allowed me to not treat feelings of fear, paranoia, or loss as something disparate to who I am, but part of my identity. The idea that any one gesture removes part of who I am is an illusion. It's also a space of joy and focus and enthusiasm. The feelings being expressed are threads that will likely extend throughout my life. But who knows. Maybe revolutionary new surgery or a medication is around the corner.
MB: You've said in the past that your music is heavily influenced by your experiences living in dense urban settings. A large amount of extreme music has been made by people in similar situations. What is it about "urban stress" that inspires bleak, abrasive music? And do you think the experience of that stress is a necessary component when making extreme music?
JL: Certainly the music I've made since 2013 has been heavily influenced by life in first New York City and then Cleveland. But that would do a disservice to my formative years spent in the relatively serene but menacing beauty of Western Massachusetts- there's no urban requirement to making extreme music. Most of the artists I most respect tend to come out of the corners, not the limelight. That being said, NYC is a huge, teeming petri dish of humanity, filled to excess, both crumbling and flourishing in grand gestures, constantly surrounding you and forcing you to adapt to the realities of society without much delicacy. You do not need to live there. The best things about it are the best in the world- or at least, the most intense. The worst things about can grind you down into a miserable lump. Worth exploring, maybe only move there with a solid plan. It's a lot. I can't stress enough that quality is almost never guaranteed by one's surroundings. A good artist could live in a shack in Kansas or a loft in Taipei. For some people, being around others is part of their process; for some people, being in solitude- or isolation- is how they get their fix. Blessings on us all for trying.
MB: You've spent time in both the hardcore and noise scenes. Do you notice any particular traits or personality types in people who are attracted to making or listening to noise?
JL: The lowest of the low. The community around noise music is just like any other community- some garbage, some gems. I will say, the people who stick it out and show up and remain constants through the good and the bad have amazed me with their generosity, kindness, and good spirit. It's not a cool or particularly fun scene, so the people intent on keeping it creative and inspired tend to have some level of commitment that must account for something. Hardcore is definitely better on your resume. Teaches you how to think more specifically than noise does. Unity, you know?
MB: Do you make each release as an artistically separate entity, or are there overlying themes or messages across your discography?
JL: The general theme is "what's grinding my gears this week". The discography is like a diary of places I've been, what I've felt in those places, and my own attempts to explain my dreams, fantasies, and the reality around me.
MB: When you're preforming live do you feel like your normal self, or is there a mindset/side of your personality which only exists in that context?
JL: The sense of focus when I perform is what distinguishes it from my daily life. I am locked in to a place where I am communicating with more than words, and it requires all of my attention and power to express it correctly. I'm present, aware, and high on the whole thing.
MB: You've talked recently about incorporating other people into Limbs Bin, including a bass player and/or a drummer. What are you future plans for the project's sound?
JL: I've had many people join Limbs Bin over the years, and the band has been presented in different ways with different configurations. My upcoming release "18 Rack Demo" features Wyatt Howland on bass, for example. Get the tape on Torn Light Records this spring. But the only future plans are to push myself and keep finding ways to take Limbs Bin to greater heights, to still be important to me and worthy of the effort that goes into it. I'm embarrassed to admit I've actually added a piece of gear to the pile as a part of this endeavor, so we'll see if that's a total mistake or not soon.
MB: What currently active bands/projects inspire and interest you the most?
JL: Skin Graft, Collapsed Arc, Scald Hymn, Kjostad, Heat Signature, Crazed, Bastian Void, Consumer Electronics, Sete Star Sept, Noise Nomads, Jeremy Bible, Telecult Powers, Paranoid Time, Stroker, Wolf Eyes, The Body, Facialmess, and Lana Del Rey.
All of Limbs Bin’s releases can be found here:
https://limbsbin.bandcamp.com/
