Chrome Germs
 Max Gudmunson

Having received a lot of submissions recently (more than I can keep up with on a weekly basis, anyway), I feel obligated to apologize for delays in reviewing them. The last few batches which have shown up in the mailbox have been particularly impressive. I usually commit 1 1/2 to 2 hours to listening and writing about each release, which is fun and challenging but also competes with other necessities. As stated previously in this column, everything sent to me gets reviewed. It just takes a while. Bear with me. Below are some of my favorite summer '07 (RIP) acquisitions.

Four Tapes:

1. BLOODYMINDED "Phases: One" (Bloodlust!)
This one popped up at the "Leaderless" exhibition at Printed Matter in New York this past summer and despite the gallery's markup price it had to find a place on my shelf. "Phases: One" was recorded by Mark Solotroff for Bloodyminded's July 2006 tour using the "Source Control" methodology carried over from his previous group Intrinsic Action. Bloodyminded's "Magnetism" CD is used as source material. Past Intrinsic Action releases in this vein had been described as influenced by the soundscape work of Throbbing Gristle as well as SPK, Hunting Lodge, Maurizio Bianchi and Lustmord. "Phases" demonstrates the most abstract side to this: a double sided slab (62 minutes!) sans vocals of rumbling bass and distortion intermittently sliced by hissing feedback. It's a noticeably clean production, a fact highlighted in the textures created by contrasting elements. For those who enjoy long, meditative strolls through chaos.

2. YELLOW TEARS "Liquid Diet" (Hospital Productions)
Consisting of Halflings (Jeremy Nissan and Ryan Woodhall) and two other members (Frank Ludovico and Ryan Howe) Yellow Tears is a recently formed but extremely prolific supercrew which has been serving rationed mayhem across a slew of live shows and recordings for the past couple years. "Liquid Diet" consists of eleven tracks packed into a twenty-two minute tape, and if that sounds like an old hardcore EP then it's because this is more or less the modern equivalent. Instead of riffs you get manipulated porn samples, scathing feedback avalanches and the occasional "quiet" interlude with mangled crisscrossing circuitry. It's all wrapped in the newest Hospital fashions, color gloss prints and all. According to the band's Myspace, a full-length record (appropriately titled "The Pissmop LP") is in the works for the same label.

3. THE CHERRY POINT "Misery Guts" (After 1972)
Another one picked up from the "Leaderless" exhibition at Printed Matter this summer. A little less than a month ago on the Hanson Records mailing list (I can't believe I still have the email! Bless these magical search engines), After 1972 tape king Drew Demeter mentioned that not only are many AD1972 titles "technically in print" (about 100 made of each), but additional copies will be eventually resurfacing. In these days of eternally unavailable "limited edition" runs, that's admirable. "Misery Guts," released in late 2004, is a prime example (actually they're all good if you can find them) of a period in Phil Blankenship's style which can also be heard on the "Black Witchery" collection available on Blankenship's own Troniks label. Painful, screeching, gut-churning noise that only hints at the militancy which would follow in subsequent years.

4. FFH "To Find Men" (Hospital Productions)
It might be easier to track down the also recent "Tiocfaidh Ar La" 7-inch single on the Gods of Tundra label, but this is another solid entry in the frustratingly obscure FFH discography. The calm and measured vocals characteristic of this project have always stood out in the Power Electronics field, and this is no different. "Male Pacifier" is another tale of destroyed youth which echoes earlier work on Hospital like "Nadia" and "What's the Difference," while the instrumental B side "Concrete Angel" plays a recording of a social worker describing sexual exploitation of immigrant women under a menacing static buzz. The sound on these sides might be the most minimal this project has produced, bringing more focus onto Richard's vocals and allowing for a unique psychological torment.