Nine Fingered Thug review in Sound Projector

Somehow missed this review when it first came out, but never to late to appreciate it! Here is a reposting:

‘Bitter Ballads’ (HOLLOW BUNNY RECORDS HB005) by Nine Fingered Thug is just totally excellent, from its twisted Matt Minter cover art to every second of its EP-length grooves. While Buffalo Bangers pay explicit homage to various late-1970s New Wave bands with their sound, Nine Fingered Thug are far more eccentric and artistic and while it’s possible to characterise this record as some species of punk-inflected monstrousness, it’s just got so many elements that don’t fit neatly – including the mannered snarly vocals by Samuel M.Z. Mintu and the utterly spooked-out organ work from the great Irene Moon. Come to that, what’s the madcap Irene Moon even doing in a “band”? ² The two songs here are both hymns to a pair of subversive visual artists, Hans Bellmer and Unica Zürn ³, and the insert includes a photograph of the duo nursing one of their doll constructs. The lyrics, especially those for the ‘Hans’ side, are sympathetic to the dark side of these far-out modernists, while also spinning a nightmarish yarn out of free-form streams of surreal poetry. It’s a genuine attempt to crawl inside the heads of these strange creators. Mintu, credited with “grumbling” as well playing the bass, grunts out these unwelcome visions of ugliness from a deep part of the psyche. There’s also the guitarist Services Lobo and Dabney Scott Craddock IV on drums, and I mention all four players because I can hardly credit the bizarre sound they make together – guitars and keyboards shining dimly among a fug of rather awkward rhythms – rather like a gothic version of Butthole Surfers. Also I enjoy they way they don’t really sit comfortably together as a band; each one plays as though they were making a completely different record from the others. Nothing but praise have I for this slab of grotesque beauty. Probably received some time before June 2011 but was released in 2010.

1. Many UK punks acknowledged their love of Marvin’s work; this coincided with EMI’s release of the compilation 20 Golden Greats (0C 062-06 297) in 1977. ↩
2. Of course she was a member of The Collection Of The Late Howell Bend. ↩
3. Others who have explicitly professed their obsessions in this area are Stephen Thrower and Alfredo Tisocco. ↩

Hal Harmon of Musique Machine Review of new Pod Blotz/Auk Theater split

This is a reposting of the Musique Machine Review

Pod Blotz/ Auk Theater - Split LP [Nihilist Records - 2013]

This new LP from Nihilist Recordings features the pairing of sonic oddities, Pod Blotz and Auk Theater. Pod Blotz is the solo project of multi-media artist and photographer Suzy Poling. Auk Theater is the brainchild of longtime experimentalist and professional entomologist, Irene Moon. I will be upfront in admitting from the outset that I have a penchant for weird split records. The stranger the pairing, the better (at least in my mind). Of course, I’ve been burned before by artist pairings that sound good on paper, but in actuality were a pretty terrible idea. With both hope and trepidation I proceed.

On side A, titled Volcano,  LA artist sound and visual artist Pod Blotz offers 5 eerie synth driven compositions with fittingly haunting vocals. Stylistically, the tracks that make up Volcano hold a certain kinship with bands like Prince Rama and Pocahaunted, however with aggressive synth pulses and static flourishes. Dare I say industrial sounding at times. Add to the mix some chilling Moog organ and you’ve got a real creepshow on your hands.

Auk Theater offers a single 22 minute track for their side, however broken up into several digestible “phases” as is announced before each new section of sound commences. On this recording, founder Irene Moon is joined by Trevor Tremaine of Hair Police and other musicians to present listeners with an auditory iteration of her self-described absurdist theatre. While I’m somewhat familiar with Moon’s work, her being active in the experimental music scene since the late 90’s, this was my first foray into Auk Theater. Their side is a wild trip consisting of: chimes, spoken word, wind instruments, keys, maracas, percussion, and minimal synth. The minimal, yet effective use of instrumentation really highlights the poetry of Moon’s vocal stylings. Along with Moon, Tremaine adds some of his own singing toward the end of the track over a repetitive percussive beat. The mixture of spoken word and various instruments reminds me of Jane LeCroy at times and early Cerberus Shoal at others. I’m not sure to what degree the recording was planned or improvised, though I’m guessing the latter as the piece sounds very spontaneous and whimsy.  While the end product might be a little schizophrenic to some, pretentious to others, I quite enjoyed the variety of the endeavor. I bet this would be quite a spectacle to see live.

This album was quite a surprise. While I enjoyed the parts on their own, the sum really elevated the project into something special. This is definitely an album that needs to be heard and enjoyed in totality. No need to cherry pick your sides on this one.

Beasts for A While Review from Gumshoe Grove

Another interesting review of Beasts for a While from Gumshoe Grove with extra plugs for Matt Minters artwork, our love for inexpensive synths, and a few extra Collection mp3s if you visit the real blog post and not just my reposting below...

"First, before you read another WORD, listen to that first MP3 up there ^^^ … this is the unintentional sequel to “April Showers” (by Grove longtimers Tonstartssbandht), a vocal smash-terpiece as intruiging as lie detector tests are faulty. If some of you have lamented this site is too weird/obscure/out-there, check out “Pitter Patter Treat” and hear the exact point where (potential) popular appeal and small-run weirdness intersect. Smashing.
Now that we have that out of the way, allow me to unveil my first 11-inch LP (and it’s red, to boot): Beasts for While, by Collection Of The Late Howell Bend (who also have a split with old warlords Warmer Milks notching their collective belt), a band with one of those names you just have to investigate (just did a Wiki search and found nada).
Where to begin? Side A of Beasts is executed perfectly. This is music you didn’t know you needed to hear, but did. Launching with an Andy Ortmann, science-lab feel, the marble slab of psych sprawls out like bushy-blonde hair from there. Soft-lens, post-Cocorosie, pre-Espers, micro-Spires That From The Sunset Rise, Lou Reed-style ghost-folk with cheapo synths scratched out from a cave studio?
YES, more please! Spreading this one, super-specific idea over an entire LP side might seem like a stretch, literally, but it’s more than enough to diddle your dreams. It’s like 39 Clocks hijacked a sinking ship and started shooting off guns and letting Wesley Willis play synths.
Side B is almost as ripe. Nimble, tip-toeing strings dance about as — you didn’t forget! — SYNTHS yip and yap, lapping up the open spaces of the composition and contrasting interestingly with the rhythmic bow swipes. Some more of those dead-mouth vocals slip out of the mix like the squeak of a balloon emptying or a dolphin “a-gha-gha-gha”-ing, and those will determine the extent of your enjoyment of Side Deaux.
That AND a last-minute change-up into repetitive, murky drone-synth territory that only helps Beasts for While make its case for your time and space. Very different from the rest of the LP; a drifting glacier makes its way through salty waters ever so slowly, staying cool even as the rest of the earth heats. Oneohtrix Point Never, Mudboy, Editions Mego alumni et al; you get the drill before I even tell you any more, right?
Don’t let life, or good limited-run records, pass-ass-ass you by, brother."

Women Are Magic

Nine Fingered Thug has a new tape out. The Indy Weekly describe it as

"From the nasty rattle of the opening bass riff to the tortured, lethargic keyboards that close "Birthday Deer," Nine Fingered Thug's debut cassette is a purposefully abrasive outing. About as far removed from modern, joy-buzzing noise pop as possible, these songs quake with the low-end dumpster rock of the keys, drums and bass instrumentation and snarl with Samuel Mintu's demented, rabid yap."

A fantastic description of a review. No doubt. However, I would choose different language. For me, words like 'beautiful' and 'pretty' come to mind. Nine Fingered Thug as metal, noisy, and full of minor chords as it might be, follows many interesting modes. Many of the song structures actually follow the principles of ballroom dancing and easy listening...including waltzes, marches, and a fox trot. Polka is definitely in the future. Sure there is lots of low end with the instrumentation being bass, drums and a hacked organ. But to whales, elephants, lions, or many other power forces from the animal kingdom low end is sexy. High end is reserved for screams of panic and terror emitted by prey animals.

I would say we are in the genre of folk metal or ballad metal if there is one. The best folk songs tend to be tragic including teachings of fables and folklore for the young ones just entering the world. Metal because of the overdrive.

They are tapes, get them while they are hot.

Collection of the Late Howell Bend Review

Beasts for a While was reviewed by Brandon at Olive Music. This is a re-posting of that review.

"When I was first mailed this disc, I couldn't have been more excited to put it on, based entirely on the artwork. I was expecting something maniacal, evil, and disgusting. And while some may argue that is exactly what I got, I was definitely surprised when the needle dropped. What I soon found out is that The Collection Of The Late Howell Bend is not a black metal band, a wall noise project, or even some type of witch house act, but some type of next-level piano/synth/vocals post-neofolk meandering. AWESOME.

While I was initially intrigued by the strings, pianos, and vocals, I do want to use this opportunity to call out the cheese factor on some of the tracks. The synth lines often sound (and feel) like they were pulled out of a discarded Legend Of Zelda game for the Super Nintendo, which, although not entirely un-enjoyable, almost don't fit in with the feel of Beasts For A While. However, as much as that synth doesn't fit in with the album, it also fits perfectly. Along with the piano and cello, you are transported to a screened in porch, cramped tight with good friends, warmed by cheap wine, and the smells of summer are fresh in your breath. At least, that's what I got out of my first few listens.

Perhaps the more I listen to this album, the more places I will be transported to. Perhaps not, but that's not going to stop me from trying because the moment you lift the needle from the silent locked groove, you'll just want to flip the record and start it all over again. Oh, and if that's not enough to get you to buy this, tell me how many 11" records you have ever seen."

Beasts for A While is still available from Ownness Records!