Other Experimental (not especially electronic, dronescape, or new classical) on eMusic

What to say about this list?  Very challenging.  Nothing I’d subject anyone I know to, so welcome, strangers!  Similar to the new classical list that apparently underwhelmed, there are plenty of melodious moments tucked away to be appreciated, but noise and deliberate inaccessibility are far more frequent.  Be brave.

1. “Narcisos” - Caco (2018). The first track’s clarinet is mighty fine, guitars carry later songs, and the rest of this EP has some urban electronica/hip-hop and doesn’t feel like it was made by just one group of musicians.  Cohesive and quite mellow overall.  An interesting case to examine why some EPs are 99 cents and some like this are $1.49.   

2. “Alimpatakan” - Bombo Pluto Ova (2019).  Noise rock that’s more noise than rock from the Philippines.  Not relentless but still pretty overpowering.  Will clear your mind, the dancefloor, or your house of all current inhabitants in no time flat. https://bomboplutoovaph.bandcamp.com/releases 

3. “Burn to Grow Greener” - Dès Vu (2019).  If you’re like me, your collection could use more experimental music by women of color.  Distant, distorted vocals under rather than over lurching synths just barely melodic enough to make this one distinctive and engaging, but feel free to take your pick of Alabama’s finest experimental music on the Step Pepper label.  Note this 99-cent eMu album is extended over https://desvumusic.bandcamp.com/album/burn-to-grow-greener

4. “Vietnam” - Revolutionary Ensemble (1972).  Classic, free jazz on strings on—where else?—ESP-DISK for 99 cents.  Never noisy or grating like a lot of experimental music can be, and each instrument gets its proper showcase at some point over two long tracks.

5. “Vardo” - KUSHT (2019). I really wasn’t sure what to make of this 40+ minute, five-track, 99-cent album for a long time.  Given the length of each songs, there’s a long build to most of them, and while the label is Latin, multiple other world music elements are featured.  Vocals and accompaniment seem to shoot for entrancement and come close to achieving it, with more electronics involved as the album progresses.  Add a beat to the imagined caravan of your choice.

6. “Fears” - Hawk of the Low Hills (2014).  Electronic dub working with a lot of spoken word vocal samples, especially on the third track about jazz which talks time signatures while sounding more like rockabilly.  Worth the extra 50 cents over most EPs as the only semi-sound collage entry on here.  I’d love to know if anyone knows more like this, whether on eMu or not.  https://hawkofthelowhills.bandcamp.com/releases

7. “Héroe Anónimo” - Prinz (2003).  Had been on my wishlist for ages, and the high price was admittedly a deterrent.  Zappaesque in terms of fusion-y composition or like an acoustic Nobukazu Takemura, from Spain given the lisping, course language but often with Latin salsa elements.  There are some weak tracks on here like the electric piano “Para Inma,” and in ten+ minutes the best ones also have highly questionable moments.  Laid back lounginess won’t be to everyone’s taste.  One is likely to prefer either the instrumental or explicit tracks, but having both makes for quite an uneven epic.  If only the guy on the cover had successfully whacked Dubya with a frying pan at the turn of the century, he’d truly be my hero. 

8. “Costuras Que Me Bordam Marcas na Pele” - Paola Kirst (2018).  A fantastic bargain at 99 cents, as are many on Escápula Records, I don’t know any Latin jazz I’d prefer over this.  Vocal experimentation sometimes reminds me of Zap Mama on David Byrne’s Luaka Bop as well as Sheila Chandra.  Fun guitar work on the second track’s intro, pretty wild piano throughout, and other surprises abound.  This album will keep one guessing what’s next.   

9. “The North” - Sergei Zagny (2013).  To call this stark and uninviting would be a great understatement.  Woodwinds take turns evoking a Siberian landscape in a mild blizzard that threatens to clear but never does.  

10. “Abstractions” - Europa 51 (2003).  The lineup of a supergroup, mostly instrumental and mixing unusual genres like bluegrass in surprising ways, with occasional vocals from deceased Stereolab member Mary Hansen.  Universally given 4-star rating by eMu & AMG.  https://lorecordings.bandcamp.com/album/abstractions-lo38

11. “Sacred Vacation” - Lexie Mountain Boys (2008).  Ironically named with apparently all women in the group, this is a cappella and somewhere between chanting, rounds, and general moaning. This one is every bit as polarizing as the ratings suggest.  Sample before dropping $6.50 on it, or pay the price.  

On other lists:  “Dislalia” - Carlos Marks.  “Beneath the Waves” - Seacircle.  “Milk” - PeroPero.  “V” - Senko.  

On wishlist but haven’t afforded yet:  “Jumpcut” - Man Jumping (1985).  XIU XIU.  

Formerly on the site but gone:  Masayoshi Fujita https://masayoshifujita.bandcamp.com/album/apologues 

; Cheval de Frise; The Books/Zammuto/Paul De Jong; The Evolution Control Committee; 

I think I need to take a break from experimentation but will come back to ambient and dronescapes later.  Promise.  


Comments

  • Experimental Overload!   

    In the spirit of defunding over-militarized police departments infiltrated by white supremacists and experimenting w/ more community-based options, here are some more experimental albums I’ve enjoyed recently.  I can’t say much really ties them together (even in terms of electronic Vs. acoustic) other than being beyond popular music by a good measure.

    No expectation these will light up the dormant commentary, but I hope they’ll intrigue and challenge you as enjoyably as they did me.  Why not try something totally different?  

    1. “Outliers” - Sybarite5 (2019).  Not to be confused w/ the also excellent, electronic Sybarite on Temporary Residence, this is a highly enjoyable album offering a full hour for reading or close listening.  Not entirely new classical, as there’s a stringy blues number, but that’s the overall flavor even among what may not be their usual output (if we take the title at face value).  Very nicely done.  Apparently they’re best known for rearranging Radiohead for chamber quintet.  The album is in turn subtle, sweet, and forceful.  I enjoy reading to it, but it probably deserves more of one’s attention. https://sybarite5.bandcamp.com/album/outliers

    2. “Processed Harp Works, Volume Two” - Kris Keogh (2017).  Delivers on its title with near ambience.  His Bandcamp catalog is difficult to navigate, which might be why this album is still on eMusic.  Volume 1 is NYP.  https://kriskeogh.bandcamp.com/album/processed-harp-works-volume-2

    3. “Plafond 6” - Cucina Povera, Haron (2020).  The rest of the Plafond series on the BAKK label wasn’t as enticing as these soothing, low female vocals over electronic sound beds, though they’re all very likely worth a 99-cent download based on length alone.  I can’t tell if they’re singing lyrics in any particular language and would rather not scrutinize.  The third track on this one, Riffitelyä III, is the one to judge the album by.  IMO, it’s what takes the whole piece from moderately pleasant and interesting into the sublime range.  I’d liken it to the softer work by Loop Guru, Tom Middleton/Global Communication, or even a vastly slowed-down When Saints Go Machine, though I’m sure there’s a more apt comparison out there.  There’s too much going on in these tracks for them to be considered ambient, but they’d fit art installations and meditation/relaxation sessions equally well.  https://bakk.bandcamp.com/album/plafond-6

    4. “Akashic Records” - kita kouhei (2016).  The sound of water courses through this album, labeled new age by iTunes, but I think that doesn’t give it credit for all the playful experimentation going on.  Piano is chopped up almost in the manner of Oval.  Electronic rhythm is on the level of soft IDM, again intriguingly choppy, though often with an overriding piano melody on top of it all to give the songs a feeling of progression.  Almost an hour long and plenty interesting for more than audio wallpaper. https://naturebliss.bandcamp.com/album/akashic-records-lant019

    5. “Żółwie Aż Do Końca” - Maksymilian Gwinciński (2018).  I strongly recommend non-Poles copy and paste this one rather than try to type it perfectly.  I was going to put this one in the fusion list but decided that fusing Polish folk with experimental music is really just experimental folk.  Quite the epiphany.   This one’s “turtles all the way down” with long tracks of violins and flutes.  https://plexusofinfinity.bandcamp.com/album/maksymilian-gwinci-ski-wie-a-do-ko-ca

    6. “Msuic EP” - Klara Lewis (2014).  This starts unabashedly with what sounds like a massive short circuit in a wind tunnel with a live wire thrashing about menacingly, but from there it goes in softer, more mysterious directions more resembling music.  Even beats and human voices find their way into the tracks, but in no case would I call one a song.  More like post-industrial audio curiosities, overall quite listenable and reminiscent of Hoedh’s classic “Hymnvs” at times for its affectingly glacial pace.  https://pedermannerfeltproduktion.bandcamp.com/album/msuic-ep

    7. “Footfall” - Quest Ensemble (2014).  New classical chamber music with dips into jazz territory.  Piano and strings, they don’t really mix up the formula or even add rhythm instruments until the second half of the album, and then only once.  And that’s fine.  A rather melodramatic feeling pervades throughout.  This is a fine choice filed under “instrumental” for anyone who’d like experimentation to remain closely bound under constraints of seriousness and never leave the realm of musicality. https://qensemble.bandcamp.com/album/footfall

    8. “What Winter Was” - Jesse Sparhawk (2017).  Two acoustic tracks of solo “lever harp” about 15 minutes in length make this a fine album to read or relax to.  One can imagine the snow melting slowly in between the extended pauses between notes at times.  He also coughs at one point, suggesting these are unedited and recorded in one take, possibly improvised? It’s also a nice, untreated companion to #2 on the list.  Both have their charms, to be sure.  NYP.  https://phinery-catalogue.bandcamp.com/album/what-winter-was-2

    9. “Antelizan” - Tethys (2013).  Where do you personally draw the line between experimental electronic music and more general electronica and EDM?  For other styles, having track lengths between six and a half to nine and a half minutes could tip the scales into the experimental range in and of itself, but it’s hardly unusual for, say, house, trance, and techno to have longer mixes easily surpassing that while being entirely conventional or even generic oonce.  This three-track EP is one of the most interesting and engaging I’ve heard in a while, with a real sense of progression, and the feeling of being a soundtrack to something otherworldly and sinister.  There is a beat, which I guess might disqualify it for some very serious listeners, but it’s far more varied, occasionally plodding or fully rock in the closer, than driving or consistent.  There are builds, but it’s too long and atmospheric to be IDM, which also tends to be glitchier and play with rhythm more.  There is, in short, a real musical journey going on here, with a distinct beginning, middle, and end while also being a cohesive whole.  Would the praise be too lofty to compare it to Byetone if it was more inclusive and accepting of stranger, not strictly/starkly electronic sounds?  I also here some of Orbital in their prime.  This is a great deal at 99 cents (and not the only one), and I have high hopes for the rest of the discography (beware duplicate names). https://tethysmusic.bandcamp.com/

    10.  “Dilankex” - Oberman Knocks (2014).  As the stark album art suggests, this is an A-OK way to spend 99 cents.  The original track is a woozy, plodding electronic dystopia of barely unrecognizable elements, swinging like slow pendulum that gains and loses momentum.  Very little Autechre is left on eMusic, but the remix here is a doozie.  Dense and basically impenetrable electronics in constant danger of imploding, as is their signature sound, bearing little resemblance to the source material.  https://aperturerecords.bandcamp.com/album/dilankex-ep

    11.  “Sophism” - June or July (2018). Aptly named.  One 20-minute track that feels like a short film that never lets you recover your balance after establishing dizziness.  Beats, some more organic than electronic, weave in and out from behind a varied drone or a throbbing synth, and different sections combine these elements to similar effect.  Those used to “crescendocore” might either find it refreshing for eschewing a grand, final release passage, or unfulfilling.  NYP.  https://arrhythmianetlabel.bandcamp.com/album/sophism

    12. “Scatter” - Sam Mumford (2014).  Every instrument here has a disjointed, dark, and almost tortured sound at some point, and jumping from folk to rhythmic/percussive experimentation with and without vocals is an unusual choice.  A lot of unusual sounds on the acoustic guitar, and his singing is highly unpredictable.  What’s most impressive is that despite studious avoidance of any familiar structure, or even chords for that matter, each of these is clearly recognizable as a song, not just an exercise.  It would surprise me if his only connection to the excellent Jetsam album is the record label WW, which is now 3/3 top notch for my appreciation.  I will take this over folk singer-songwriters w/ an acoustic guitar any day of the week.  https://sammumford.bandcamp.com/album/scatter

    13. “PoorManMusic” - Philip Corner (2015).  Which is to say, pretty much, not music at all, or only its barest resemblance.  Not noise either, these are just sounds whose origins aren’t hard to discern.  It’s a statement, I suppose.  For 99 cents, there are worse things to listen to than shaking and rattling with no apparent purpose or pattern.  Pop music, for example.

    14. “Segments from Bari” - Trrmà, Charlemagne Palestine (2020).  The Jazz Engine label is usually quite reliable, even for 99 cents, but I’m not going to rave about this one.  Its two 20-minute tracks use organic elements, possibly piano and guitars, to build creeping dronescapes.  Somewhat ominous but always pretty quiet and restrained, as if no sound can occupy the space for more than a peek into the foreground.

    15. “O sole mio” - Rubik (2016).  It wasn’t easy taking the 99-cent dive on this 20-minute track based on a small sample.  It turns out to be noise that rises and falls over some kind of medical equipment and a symphony orchestra that fades in and out.  A palette cleanser, and I don’t know if I’ll be trying any more from Rubik.  I don’t regret this one, but it won’t be in heavy rotation either.


    Rather than reposting repeatedly, here’s my lists of what’s left on eMusic:  http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMuReddit.html 

    & by my evaluation http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMusic%20Labels.html

    & by genre https://www.emusers.net/forum/discussion/comment/94512/#Comment_94512 

  • Experimental 3ish:  Over 25 albums from a long backlog

    There’s so much experimental music that no one will ever care about or listen to.  Nothing works better to reset one’s ears to appreciate your favorite music like interspersing some cheap experimental music that incorporate sounds most would call noise.  It’s also the perfect cure for those who’ve heard enough to find most popular music too predictable or think there’s nothing new under the sun.  

    I’ll continue to list the electronic kind separately, thus this album list is 3ish rather than 6 in terms of its name.

    In approximate order of how much I enjoy listening to them…

    1. “How Can We Be Joyful in a World Full of Knowledge?” - Bruno Pernadas (2014).  The other album I picked up by this Portuguese chameleon topped a jazz list, and this is at least its equal in interest, incorporating vocals but remaining highly original, diverse, and enjoyable over the course of nearly an hour.  There are abundant prog rock elements on the nine-minute opener, “Ahhhh,” but it hangs together more like electronica and then Afrobeat in the way it layers many guitar and vocal parts, and the rhythm mostly sounds Latin.  This is followed by Indian electro-lounge “Huzoor”.  Really, almost every track contains a pleasant surprise, so I won’t spoil any more here.  Where there are lyrics, they largely stick to English, and some songs are certainly fairly conventional but always done well in various styles with myriad instruments.  The tempo is mostly laid back, and he seems determined to shatter the division between acoustic and electronic music generally w/ seamless combinations and masterful production.  https://brunopernadas.bandcamp.com/album/how-can-we-be-joyful-in-a-world-full-of-knowledge  

    2. “Tom Spiker’s Hot Garbage” - Tom Spiker (2019).  Often catchy or at least groovy quasi-rock instrumentals that incorporate sound effects and other unusual sounds, this might be the least experimental on the list but still pretty far from popular.  There’s a good range of long, short, fast, slow, and always unpredictable songs on this brief album.  “Boodub” has an accurate title w/out giving up the centrality of guitars, while “Oink” will delight the little ones.  Give it an extra handclap w/ your patronage.  https://tomspiker.bandcamp.com/album/tom-spikers-hot-garbage  

    3. “Cristo de la Atlántida” - Reserva Espiritual de Occidente (2019).  An often epic and orchestral journey w/ a female vocalist and a chorus whose opening song washes over the listener like ocean waves and an incoming tide.  Most of the tracks are at least rock-adjacent, and the whole thing could be called post-rock if your definition is flexible and inclusive of thumping devotional chanting.  There’s good mix of mystery, joy, and dystopian despair here, and repeated listening is rewarded handsomely in sonic subtleties as well as trying to understand the lyrics.  A contender for the best 99-cent albums on the site.  NYP on Bandcamp https://reservaespiritualdeoccidente.bandcamp.com/album/el-cristo-de-la-atl-ntida 

    4. “Samoróbka” - Małe Instrumenty (2013).  The use of simple instruments incapable of playing more than a few notes requires a lot of experimentation w/ rhythm & overall structure to result in pieces that resemble songs, otherwise one ends up w/ something like the Vegetable Orchestra that to me just sounds like not very interesting tapping variations.  Another option employed here is to supplement the limited instruments w/ a guitar or other strings.  Within such constraints, this is a highly adventurous album, unusual in its sonic palette and fully instrumental.  Oddly only two tracks at a time on Bandcamp, another in a long series of inexplicable incongruities between eMusic & the much preferred alternative.  I’d say eMusic remains competitive in music originating in Latin America, Russia, Poland, and not many other places.  There are three albums by this group in the catalog, each challenging but also rewarding.  Read up on them in this only somewhat informative article that only increases the band’s intrigue https://culture.pl/en/artist/male-instrumenty    https://maleinstrumenty.bandcamp.com/music 

    5. “Floréal” - Sontag Shogun (2019).  The 12-minute opener alone would have been worth the 99-cent price of admission.  Piano & a female vocalist layering of non-lyrics start the EP w/ dramatic bliss with a building electronic hum like a forest full of cicadas.  Field recordings, including actual birds and rustling of leaves, round out the emergence of sounds for a very serene, calming effect not w/out melody and other highlights in the mix.  The title track swaps in male voices and is the slightest, but each of the remaining has its charms.  In fact, I rated the closing “Lament” five stars in iTunes, as it really shows all the minimal solo piano fluff out there how it’s done (w/ better production, sound effects & ethereal voices!).  If it’s not already in a film, it should be.  Its label, Beacon Sound, is a fine small one. https://sontagshogun.bandcamp.com/album/flor-al-ep  

    6. “Sunset to Sunrise” - Rothko (2010).  Mellow guitar & electronics (though the galloping drums sound acoustic and somehow aren’t rousing in the mix) make for a fine, atmospheric EP for 99 cents.  I’ll probably go for a full album eventually.  Given the prominence of the guitars, it could probably pass for post-rock, albeit on a near-ambient extreme until the last track ups the intensity.  The titles really fit the listening experience.  https://rothkobandcamp.com/album/sunset-to-sunrise-ep 

    7. “Mirrors of Atrus” - Tethys (2013).  Having gone to bat on two previous occasions for Tethys, most enthusiastically in terms of experimental “handmade” instruments and especially for the excellent Antelizan EP, I think I need to take a dive on another more substantial work than this to decide if I really like more than just that one EP.  This one is perfectly fine, well worth another 99 cents, but despite some slightly divergent sounds it opens with pretty straightforward electronica.  There’s a nice sweeping, industrial slice to “Ver Ritualis” and a gruesome spoken sample in the quiet midsection.  “Dismantled Texture” starts like it could be Autechre, though its sounds likely originate from an electrified analog rather than electronic source.  “Yugen” mixes the spacey vintage keyboard melodies of Emperor Penguin w/ the rhythmic chaos of IDM (not quite Drukqs but aiming in that direction).  The finale, “Alvas,” is a stark and uncompromising plodder laden w/ effects, not much to hang one’s ears onto, thereby making tracks 2&4 the most experimental.  https://tethysmusic.bandcamp.com/album/mirrors-of-atrus 

    8. “Euganea” - Upperground Orchestra (2019).  This is a very nice, 99-cent jazz album that’s far heavier on experimentation than commitment to sounding like jazz.  That much is obvious from the get-go, perhaps especially w/ electronic noise front and center, yielding to brass, bass and a drum kit whose cymbal sounds are themselves electronically manipulated to novel effect.  “Barene” goes w/ Middle Eastern drumming as a foundation for sax wailing, “Sinopia” uses slow guitar notes over a jingling rhythm, while “Ghebi” favors a flute in what becomes a rather tight groove.  The electronics return for “Hephaistos,” which is unusual in that the knob twiddler is supported by the drums & guitars in the position where a jazz solo usually goes.  I’d say this is far more listenable and interesting than most, using noise & repetition w/out ever getting noisy or repetitive.  Refreshingly among 99-cent titles, there’s also no doubt that this is a full, cohesive album; in fact, I wish my $4 & $7 eMusic jazz purchases were this good on average.  https://uppergroundorchestra.bandcamp.com/album/euganea  

    9. “Bawling Metropolis” - The High Bawlers (2019).  Short in length and slight in musical depth or meaning, but pretty upbeat and enjoyable, this album of electronic pastiche ditties is the antidote to all the overly serious selections that make up the majority of this list.  A group like More Dogs gained considerable claim w/ a short album of somewhat similar instrumentals in 2007, but they also knew how to extend their ideas into fully formed songs.  Diego and the Dissidents treaded similar territory of very short, energetic songs in 2010, but they packed their album w/ 20 of them and managed to lean a lot closer to both rock AND hip-hop, riding the emergence of instrumentals for MCs to rap over.  There are enough tracks on this to be a full album, but since most conclude well before the 3-min. mark—before the simple, looped melodies wear out their welcome—it’s really more of a long EP and is easily forgotten w/out obvious standouts.  Unfortunately not very cheap either.  But again, fun and nice while it lasts.

    10. “All This I Do for Glory” - Colin Stetson (2017).  His playing/recording techniques and critical acclaim should need no introduction.  Just a reminder he’s still on eMusic.  https://colinstetson.bandcamp.com/album/all-this-i-do-for-glory 

    11. “Jraah Mraah”- Dvar (2020).  Fans of The Residents’ simplest & shortest works may find Dvar a kindred, mischievous spirit.  The “best” songs on this demented kids album are front loaded, but what aesthetic standard to use in judging them rather escapes me.  These are are all rather similar, simple keyboard ditties overlaid with cackling gibberish that could well be from a non-human such as the long-nosed snowman on the cover.  Playing it for an actual child wouldn’t obviously be abusive, but experimenting on anyone too young to consent is a pretty gray area, no?  I can identify no actual words among the voice’s slightly menacing tones (or baby sounds on “Meeharra”), so maybe it could actually retard a kid’s speech development.  Would you be a bad parent for playing this for your young offspring?  There’s really only one way to find out.  For the record, I’d rate the whole think about a 3.5/10 despite the highlights.  $11 on Bandcamp https://dvar.bandcamp.com/album/jraah-mraah-2007 

    12. “Hana Umui Thanks for Happy Chance to See You!” - Kanako Horiuchi (2015).  This meeting of traditional Senegalese and Japanese music is refreshingly not high concept or overwrought w/ studio magic and seems to be a product of a visit by the titular artist, who sings over her koto and the local instruments in a style that’s definitely an acquired taste.  Her unnamed but pictured male partner usually sings back-up but takes the lead on “Taara Senegal”.  Simple melodies rule the accompaniments as well as the set overall, and the last tracks sound like they’re recorded live before an African audience learning about traditional Japanese music.  It’s rather amusing that the titles are appended with “Original Mix” notation usually reserved for eMusic’s vast tech house and other electronic music; rest assured there’s nothing of the sort on this album.  If you like your world fusion to be unadorned and entirely non-Western, this might hold some appealing novelty.

    13. “La Jaula Se Ha Vuelto Pájaro y Se Ha Volado (En Vivo)” - Mujeres Improvisando feat. Melina Moguilevsky, Catu Hardoy, Florencia Otero & Tatiana Castro Mejía (2020).  It would be sad but not surprising to learn that machismo reigns supreme even in the world of musical improvisation, so one might as well try subversion on multiple fronts simultaneously.  It’s actually a pretty interesting listen overall, made up of four long tracks, decidedly not songs, of 12-22 minutes each.  “Aborto Legal” mixes string & saxophone parts that wouldn’t be out of place in a modern classical song overlaid occasionally by a sample of JFK and chattering words, near phrases, and pure gibberish to match the instruments.  “Y Gratuita” comes closest to a free jazz freak-out w/ piano, sax, & drums blaring from the beginning.  “Para No Morir” is the most vocal of the four, and I actually wonder if a lot of it isn’t rehearsed, especially the manifesto at the midpoint of this near-a cappella epic of changing letters & genders.  Myriad other sounds abound.  A whopping $10 on Bandcamp https://camilanebbia.bandcamp.com/album/la-jaula-se-ha-vuelto-p-jaro-y-se-ha-volado-mujeres-improvisando 

    14.  “Obertura A Un Río de Sangre Corre” - Colombina Parra (2020).  This 99-cent album gets off to a strong start but rather loses its focus over the course of its last three tracks, each from 9-15 min. long and straining the rather simple song formula.  Each uses somewhat distorted female vocals en español over electronic pulses that themselves seem intoxicated.  Her lyrics are comprehensible, but the overall effect is nicely hypnotic on “Negro Lumbumba” and as if lost in a laboratory on “Rito.”  “Mancha en la Carta” has a long, spacey instrumental solo stark enough to peel away any listeners who were already understimulated, and from there, even after the pace picks up and vocals return on “Contra La Fuerza,” the electronics start to feel stripped-down and gratingly repetitive.  I think I’d still prefer any these over pop music, but they do try my patience.

    15. “Que Ningún Sentimiento Amanezca en Su Casa” - Juan Santander & Enrique Elgueta (2020).  If I concentrated fully on what the guy is saying, I could probably get the gist of this spoken word album in three longish parts, but it also works fine as a vaguely calming and experimental installation in the background.  Atmospheric guitar w/ solo noise serve as a background for a soothing voice talking about introspection, early mornings, and nothing of particular interest a mis oídos.  https://sellofisura.bandcamp.com/album/que-ning-n-sentimiento-amanezca-en-su-casa 

    16. “San Teodoro 8” - Mike Svoboda (2020).  This single track on the very serious Austrian label Kairos opens w/ something akin to Frippertronics on a wind instrument, followed by a high, oscillating electronic whir over an unidentifiable instrument made to sound like a barking seal.  I think there are strings involved, and the overall tones are moody and unpredictable over distinct sections.  If there’s anyone out there for whom a long alternation between shrill and oppressive is an attractive descriptor, you’re in for a 99-cent treat.       

    17.  “The Resurfacing of an Atavistic Trait” - Maurizio Ravalico/Isambard Khroustaliov (2011).  Two half-hour tracks seem to be made almost entirely of unconventional percussion rhythms, a lot of metallic swishing, & variations of electronic static w/out room for anything resembling a melody.  I guess one could call it noise, but it’s not at all unpleasant, just challenging conceptions of what kinds of sounds are worth putting on one’s stereo.  The description on Bandcamp is pretty longwinded, but it’s interesting to note that this is not improvised.  https://not-applicable.bandcamp.com/album/the-resurfacing-of-an-atavistic-trait 

    18. “Cábala” - Artaud (2018).  Two tracks for 99 cents, with the first being a quasi-jazz 20-min. freakout between drums, guitar, and some kind of brass or reed instrument whose pinched sound makes it unidentifiable to me (but I’d guess it’s a saxophone).  A lull at the 9-min. mark leads to a more atmospheric, electronic passage before picking up steam again, sounding like a pig squealing over a frenetic racket until a spacey outro that leads into the second, much mellower track w/ subtle vocals & birdsongs over guitars clanging like church bells and a googly bass noodle, ultimately rejoined by that same shriek, happily buried in the mix this time.  A live album of an hour is also available for the same bargain price, or you can take a $4 risk on a full album.  https://fortevilfruit.bandcamp.com/album/c-bala   


    Rather than reposting repeatedly, here’s my lists of what’s left on eMusic:  http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMuReddit.html 

    & by my evaluation http://www.omnifoo.info/pages/eMusic%20Labels.html

    & by genre https://www.emusers.net/forum/discussion/comment/94512/#Comment_94512               

    Bandcamp Only (all NYP unless otherwise noted):  

    “Clean Dirt” - 0point1 (2014).  Experimental electronic noise inexplicably serves as the accompaniment to vocals akin to Sigur Ros, and I think it works.  https://feralmedia.bandcamp.com/album/clean-dirt 

    “Civilización o Vulvarie” - La Orquesta de Vulvas Fluorescentes de Viena (2015).  Are they Cerberus Shoal en español?  Similar in scope to Reserva Espiritual de Occidente above but much more playful (horns, burps, etc.) and lively, jazzier and more electronic, from Buenos Aires rather than Madrid.  Highly distinctive cover art & anatomical name will probably scare more listeners away than entice them, unfortunately.  Mostly led by a female vocalist, going madly off the rails seems quite intentional.  They’re shooting for Zappaesque and come pretty close at times, but it’s also usually rather pleasant.  Highly recommended w/out reservation for the adventurous who like a wide variety of instruments and unpredictability.   https://laorquestadevulvasfluorescentesdeviena.bandcamp.com/album/civilizaci-n-o-vulvarie 

    “Ensemble” - slicnaton (2018).  At nearly a full hour in total, this ensemble doesn’t hesitate to rumble out of the gates with the longest piece first, “Storch.”  It’s a 15-minute soundscape of ethereal voices and chamber instruments that emerge briefly and then return to an all-consuming haze, carried by a three-note theme on alternating instruments and hitting new variations about halfway through.  Several shorter tracks follow, keeping a rather ominous tone with long sustained single notes fading in and out of the mix.  Electronics are light but noted.  The overall effect could cause a caffeinated hummingbird to fall out of the sky in lethargy.  https://silbermedia.bandcamp.com/album/ensemble 

    “Ensemble” - Christopher Douthitt (2014).  There’s no shortage of experimental music that starts so quietly as to be almost imperceptible and stay that way over the course of a full album, but rest assured this isn’t one of them.  The opening track just requires a few minutes of patience to let the strings build.  I’d file the first two under stringy, orchestral new classical reading music that’s neither disruptive nor nonintrusive…just somewhat unsettling at a mostly low volume with rare flare-ups.  The last two, longer tracks combine electronics and a flute in increasing abstraction, then go acoustic again but keep a more looping pattern with a lot more percussion, and finally the strings return as well.      https://christopherdouthitt.bandcamp.com/album/ensemble 

    “Ensemble” - Hinterlandt (2016).  Looks and starts out like it’s going to be new classical in its experimentation, and it mostly is that.  But there are also quite a few passages of hard electric guitar that skirt the edges of metal, surprisingly.  I can no longer find this album on Bandcamp…this looks like it’s the right band:  https://hinterlandt.bandcamp.com/music 

    “Processed Harp Works, Volume 1” - Kris Keogh (2011).  Only found this after buying Vol. 2 on eMusic, and it’s more of the same, good, and near-ambient thing.  Searching for his name will only get to you pricey Vol.2 (still much cheaper on eMu on the fine Provenance label).  https://newweirdaustralia.bandcamp.com/album/processed-harp-works-volume-1 

    “Unknown Album (Festive Christmas)” - Cassetteboy (2020).  The internet sound collage sensation has a few albums available to please the mischievous to no end.  This single 12-minute track delightfully contrasts the devotional and festive with those who couldn’t give a humbug, as well as deep cuts from the likes of Wesley Willis.  https://cassetteboy.bandcamp.com/ 

    “Rasuna” - Tiga Bakso (2012).  The cover art and back story, whether true or not, are vastly more interesting than the music on this EP, unfortunately. https://tigabakso.bandcamp.com/album/rasuna 

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