after an especially shitty day at work (fuck xtmas), it’s a good thing i came home to some new musics!
Stromstad - New Devoted Human LP (Malignant Records 2017) - STROM.ec + Kristoffer Oustad collab. STROM.ec is a long-time personal favorite and this one, their first release in five years, does not disappoint. As always, power electronics with an approach emphasizing more the electricity than power -- give yourself a lobotomy with a live wire. This time it’s often lain atop a deep lush bed of drones and sometime distant percussion (Oustad’s work for sure), but it still retains STROM.ec’s characteristic fried sizzle. Repeat listens are sure to reveal new details. One track features guest vocals (err excuse me, i mean ‘vokills’) by a viking dude from some band no one’s ever heard of called Enslaved.
Trepaneringsritualen - Kainskult CS (Cloister Recordings 2017) - Cassette version on Denver’s Cloister Recordings of the CD/LP on Tesco. A new proper album from TxRxP with more song-oriented, almost musical, tracks. Strong vocals and heavy pounding ritual percussion. Repeat listens are sure to induce reversion to a bestial state. And just to be fuckin annoying I have to say this tape version sounds & looks great with a beautiful pro-printed cardstock j-card and printed, white tapeshells. There’s really nothing revolutionary about this project, but somehow he seems to hit the mark every time. It must be... magic(k)?!
