Musique Machine Reviews

From Musique Machine:

The Mass – Holocene #6

This is my first exposure to the Mass, and I must say, this EP was not what I expected. The cover art, and the fact that their last album was on Crucial Blast gives you some hints that you might be in store for some thrashy metal. And that is the case, sort of. The fact is, the four tracks presented here include some old school thrash elements, but they re also somewhat hardcore punk, and most oddly, jazzy. There s some free-form sax blowin here, which you might think would sound out of place in this context. But it works so well, you be left wondering why Slayer never tried it. The jazz element makes them original, but the fact of the matter is, pretty much every base covered here is done well.

uw Hypotheekadvies – Nature or Nurture
Uw Hypotheekadvies are a Dutch threesome, whose NAME translates to your mortgage advice , consisting of a drummer, bass player and a guitar player. They all have the last NAME Deckerman, so either two or more are related, or it s just a Ramones ploy. Their music is a weird combo of experimental improv and spiky post-rock. A few of these songs sound like they are improvs wrapped around pre-figured riffs, but most of the album sounds off-the cuff. With a few exceptions, this is noisy, trebly music, and it s plenty tough on the eardrums.

Yoshio Machida – Hypernatural #3
Yoshio Machida s Hypernatural series is, in his own words, a sound collage of sound parts used as meanings and symbols, and an endeavor to express the whole theme of nature through correlations between image and title, between pieces. The self-released first volume in the series had to do with memory in Eastern Asia , while the second volume was meant to relate to transparent existence . This third volume in the series is about oblivian . Machida believes that oblivion has a postive aspect in nature. This is because it is a part of the natural world, which over time creates changes in the world. Having said all of that, the artist certainly must feel a deep spiritual connection to the pieces archived on Hypernatural #3. Yet without the liner notes to guide one down the path, it would be in the least very difficult for one to surmise the theme. These pieces include multiltudes of interesting sounds, and on their own are entertaining, lively, and seamlessly assembled. Yet it s not always easy to detect the naturalist aspect.

Dub Gabriel – Anarchy & Alchemy
Anarchy & Alchemy is the new album from well respected Dub reggae/ electroncia producer and musician Dub Gabriel, Which features an impressive list of guest including Michael Stipe, Yo Majesty, Dr Israel , Juakall, & Jah Dan.

Funeralium – Self Titled
Funeralium are a French four piece who speclizers in rather heady, atmospheric and quite original sounding doom that mixers in elements of darkened rock, and even traces of dark blues and surf elements too.

Aughra – Proof of Dark Matter I Light the Lights
Aughra is the solo dark electrionca/ sound tracking project of Brent Eyestone Big China & Little Trouble, Magic bullet label owner & member of Forensics, Corn on Macabre . With sonic references points been Coil; at their more beat bound and vocal less, Ulver around Perdition city era, Darker Boards of Canada and dark ambient simmers.