#tim goss

[ifeellikeaporsche]

Best of 2022

Here it is: my yearly summation of the small labels working through rising costs and punishing manufacturing delays, the artists making music unafraid of chance, and the freaks supporting all of it in spite of the daily consequences of a ruling class increasingly detached from reality. Lots more that deserve accolades from more prestigious publications, and I'm sure they'll get 'em, but these are records that were inseparable from certain points of my year, including now. Yeah, they were all kinda my favorite at one point, and could be again tomorrow, but Kilynn Lunsford is #1 for a reason. Glad to be back at shows, however sparingly, experiencing all the awkward camaraderie and room-silencing/room-flattening performances that come with them. It all feels more necessary than ever. Up and up in a world of lava. Happy New Year, everyone.

LP

Kilynn Lunsford, Custodians of Human Succession (ever/never)

Joe Colley, Deformation of Tone (Total Black)

Kitchen's Floor, None of That (Petty Bunco)

Thomas Bush, Preludes (Mammas Mysteriska Jukebox)

Hissing, Hypervirulence Architecture (Profound Lore)

Tim Goss, Afterfly (Penultimate Press)

Carla dal Forno, Come Around (Kallista)

Rose Mercie, ¿Kieres Agua? (Celluloid Lunch/Jelodanti)

Incipientium, Belastning (Förlag För Fri Musik)

Siobhan, Body Double (Nostilevo)

7"/12"/Cassette/CD

The Body & OAA, Enemy of Love CS (Thrill Jockey)

Brain Tourniquet, s/t 7" (Iron Lung)

CIA Debutante, "The Punch" b/w "The Garden" 7" (Digital Regress)

Cube, Proof of Bells CD (H&S Ranch)

Darksmith, Imposter CD (Throne Heap)

Gaoled, Bestial Hardcore 7" flexi (Iron Lung)

Greymouth, Twilight Furl 7" (Kashual Plastik)

Horrendous 3D, s/t 7" (Black Water)

Incipientium, Inhuman CS (Kashual Plastik)

Primitive Man, Insurmountable 12" (Closed Casket Activities)

RRR Band, s/t CS (Petty Bunco)

Sprite, Epic Sundry CS (Tropical Cancer Rort)

Stomachache, Hiss Noise Whir CD (Lagniappe Exposure)

R.I.P. Young Slo-Be

Rap

42 Dugg & EST Gee, “Thump Shit”

BandGang Lonnie Bands, Scorpion Eyes (Anti Media/TF Entertainment)

Denzel Curry feat. Key Glock, “Walkin (Remix)”

Earl Sweatshirt, SICK! (Tan Cressida)

Lil Durk & Gucci Mane, “Rumors”

Maz G x GuttaFoe, “Win Some, Lose Some” - what is going on in Milwaukee

Starlito & Troy Money, Cheap Phones & Turkey Bags (Grind Hard)

Billy Woods, Aethiopes (Backwoodz Studioz)

Young Slo-Be, Southeast (KoldGreedy / Thizzler on the Roof)

Z Money, Back 2 the Blender (self-released) - thx @raygarraty

Pictured: Angels of Mons

Live shows

The Body at 529, Atlanta, GA (May 17)

Primitive Man, Mortiferum, Jarhead Fertilizer, Body Void & Elizabeth Color Wheel at The EARL, Atlanta, GA (May 20)

Brain Tourniquet, Excavate & Thirdface at DRKMTTR, Nashville, TN (July 16)

Reeking Aura at the Brickyard, Knoxville, TN (November 11)

Bitchin Bajas, Maspeth & Angels of Mons at the Pilot Light, Knoxville, TN (December 11)

Five songs that made my daughter dance every time they hit the deck

Bitchin Bajas, "Quakenbrück" from Bajascillators

Can, "Halleluhwah" from Tago Mago

Rose Mercie, "Cats and Dogs" from ¿Kieres Agua?

Träden, "När lingonen mognar (Lingonberries Forever)" from Träden

YL Hooi, "W/O Love" from Untitled

[ifeellikeaporsche]

Stay on top of pork chops

Were there any glut or downturn in the quality of music resonating in the sub-underground these days (there's not), these four releases roundly refute that notion. Something for everyone here; come closer so I can use the same adjectives to feebly describe everything. Rare that this much resonates as once, even rarer that I have the faculties to mention it. Let's enjoy this moment in a world off axis.

Darksmith, Imposter CD (Throne Heap)

I don't think CDs ever went away, but they've remained a staple of noise acts. For most, it's a question of economics; for Darksmith, it appears to be a matter of fidelity, because Imposter gets the most out of his grinding, murky brand of noise he's been perfecting for 15 years. I think he's only gotten better with every release, so I favor his recent tapes on No Rent and Regional Bears, or the Hatred of Sound LP on Second Sleep, but Imposter is on a different level. If you're unfamiliar, Tom Darksmith utilizes field recordings, tape loops and radio to create these thick, viscous recordings that writhe and, owing to the field recordings I guess, seem to attempt to communicate with the listener in an uncomfortable but completely arresting way. The two tracks on the CD each have two amazing titles, suggesting that these are all ideas developed separately but sewn together as naturally as possible. On "Looking For Idiots / Problem With Everyone," slow tape loops run into John Wiese-ish bouts of errant scraping and pig noises, only to be submerged under loops of white noise and gentle bells for the last half of the track. The second track, "Personal and Embarrassing / Hold Everything," is a rumbling HVAC assembly gradually increasing in intensity, gradually shorting out and sparking the low, slow burn of melting plastic and metal. My words hardly do the album justice, but these 30 minutes feel like they deliver on the promise of noise/tape music without utilizing any of its extremes. Perfect car soundtrack while you're out running errands and pretending that everything's not on fire. Best $10 I've spent this year.

Tim Goss, Afterfly LP (Penultimate Press)

Gotta agree with Nic at Repressed Records: Tim Goss' post-Shadow Ring project Call Back the Giants "stirred up my most uniquely strange and transcendent listening experiences of the last decade." Now he steps out under his own name, and though Afterfly feels more accessible than anything he's ever done, there's a definite fever dream-quality to the proceedings that places this squarely in line with his work in CBTG. (So much so that I've recently re-bought a previously sold copy of The Marianne, a thankfully rare occurrence.) There's a little less overt fantasy at play here, at least lyrically, than with CBTG, though there is a pretty wild story included with the LP, meant to be read along with hallucinatory album centerpiece "Fly IV." The album opens with something I'd expect to hear on a modern compilation of independently produced and released '80s synth, but the speed is slow enough to trip the listener headfirst into the brittle metallic "Fly II," complete with the enervating taunt "You have the face of an old man, catch me if you can." While there are several straightforward moments - notably "Fly VI"'s gorgeous layered stairway note assembly - for the most part familiar effects and chords are stretched and pulled and littered casually, not in an act of sabotage but in an attempt to uncover feelings not easily accessible any other way. Or, it could just be a low & slow build-up to the lush and patiently driven closing track; who knows? Whatever the case, it's hard to deny that Afterfly takes me elsewhere for its duration, the kind of psychedelic that is complimentary without losing its grip on, or outright denying, reality. Lessens the burden for a bit, and in a smart package to boot. Brilliant record, highest recommendation. Penultimate Press is on a roll.

Hissing, Hypervirulence Architecture LP (Profound Lore)

It took about five seconds for someone on Bandcamp to call Hissing the States' answer to Portal, the mysterious and dizzyingly complex death metal band from Australia. It's a characterization I reject - their black/death hybrid runs closer to Ulcerate's - though for a few brief moments, you can see a resemblance: the drumming is absurdly precise, the vocals are often gruffly intoned reverberations, and both bands can tie the fretboard into a knot. Aside from the obvious differences in costuming, Hissing, from Seattle, WA, is a three piece primarily interested in the horrors of the everyday. Their last album was titled Permanent Destitution, a title that would work even better in today's ever-widening wealth gap, and their latest record tackles the slow kudzu-like growth and interference of technology worming into every aspect of all lives. While the more outlandish aspects of metal make it an undeniably entertaining genre, the grime and smog Hissing bring to the table cut close to the bone. The added noise and reverberations give a fog machine-type effect to the record, but the sound is surprisingly clean overall; parts of the record, like the closing minutes of "Meltdown," sound like Primitive Man stripped of a few layers of caustic noise. For me, the last few listens to Hypervirulence Architecture brought to mind the Jesus Lizard more than any death metal band, due to the booming and clear bass guitar amidst the onslaught. You can hear the influence of Sims and Denison in the closing minute of "Cells of Nonbeing," sheets of guitar (and bass clarinet!) anchored by the bass and hammered down by the drums; taken to a logical extreme at points on "Operant Extinction"; and channeled throughout most of "Intrusion," where the album's heaviest moment is teased out into an unruly finale. These parts, where Hissing pulls back and lays bare their ferocity, lend added heft and depth to match the ambitions of their lyrical content. While most bands operating on the same technical level often offer little to no concessions to the listener, Hissing allows enough of a peek behind to curtain to keep the listener engaged throughout. Yeah, I will concede that the ten minute "Operant Extinction" sags in the middle and doesn't quite claw its way back to the ferocity of the first few minutes, but that's about the only gripe I could level at Hypervirulence Architecture. Amidst the revival of boneheaded campy death metal (no hate), Hissing feels like a revelation, splitting the difference between the technical and the visceral in a way that's sure to disappoint fans firmly in both camps. Metal's slow to change but it doesn't mean you have to be the same; strap in and let Hypervirulence Architecture crush, rip and devour like the well-oiled machine it was built to be. Challenging, to be sure, but also best metal record of the year so far.

RRR Band, s/t CS (Petty Bunco)

Emily Robb's instrumental monster How to Moonwalk remains a steady presence in this household, but it's really great to hear her back behind the mic on this RRR Band tape. RRR = a spontaneous meet-up between Richie Charles, Ryan Davis and Emily Robb, thankfully recorded and professionally duplicated by Richie's Petty Bunco label. Two 12-minute tracks, the first given backbone by the drums and descending guitar line and swirled into grey pulp by the synthesizer meanderings reminiscent of Takehisa Kosugi by way of John Bender. Emily Robb tops it off with snarling-yet-unshakably-cool vocals, and the song slowly snakes forward, daring you to cross the line. If you thought that was good, stay tuned for "9th Street Suite," where the drum machine and synth lock horns with the guitar, and Emily Robb's submerged vocals push the whole tangled mess into the ravine halfway through. From there the track takes a more delirious tone, the synths creating a swell of feedback while the whole assembly bakes alive. Whew doggie, yer a crispy critter. While I can't deny that I'm usually inclined to view most of what Richie/Petty Bunco releases favorably, it's pretty remarkable that something this improvisatory translates this well. Top marks all around; here's hoping another meet-up between these three is imminent. (Buy it with that new Holt Bodish tape while you're at it.)

[issueprojectroom]

"Kye Records has been my go-to label for dusty, peculiar non-music as of late, and from the label’s heady roster, Call Back The Giants are by far my favorite. They’re a duo, consisting of Tim Goss (of The Shadow Ring fame) and his teenage step-daughter Chloe Mutter. Not your ordinary lineup, but they approach their music with candor and creativity, leading to a variety of song-sized excursions in electronic intrigue and cinematic coldness." -- Yellow Green Red Kye Records has a two night showcase at ISSUE later this month, and it opens with Call Back the Giants. You won't want to miss out when we start on Saturday October 25th.

[headspsapcaece]

[freeseandgoss-blog]

The latest from Freese & Goss (@FreeseAndGoss). Freese & Goss was founded by Tim K. Goss and Richard A. Freese - representing victims in all 50 states including Puerto Rico. Over 1 billion dollars in winnings. Dallas, Texas

[squawkwithme-blog]