Reviews:

(Indieville) Experimental/noise split cassettes are far from uncommon, but this abundance of releases is part of what makes the genre so appealing. Sure, there's plenty of stuff you'd be tempted to pass over, but there's also lots of really incredible, mind-opening neat music out there. While lots of these gems are out-of-print, formerly available in limited quantities from eighties-era Japanese tape labels, there are also a few more accessible, still-active depositories for modern DIY experimentalism. Unread comes to mind here - for many years now, it's been a consistently solid purveyor of unusual, genre-bending sounds. This four-way split, an exceedingly pleasant cacophony of found sounds, field recordings, and intriguing performance art, is a pure success. DIY landmarks Sistrum and Arnoux are paired with Metal Tech and Das Torpedoes, whose names I've known for awhile but whose sounds I've never laid ears upon before. Arnoux starts us off with his quarter of the cassette, entitled "Beams if Cygnus." Like most of this tape's duration, it makes for perfect headphone material. Weird piles of noisy, mixed-up avant-gardisms are thrown at the listener's unfortunate ears. Guitar and strings are available in doses, as are some bizarre vocal found sounds. This is creepy, creepy stuff - the type you'd play in dark catacombs at night. Sistrum follows with "Sudden Household," an interesting and crisp recording of some sort of ambient performance. As opposed to synthesized or melodic sounds, Sistrum offers up an interesting performance comprised of the clanking and glugging of seemingly household objects. Das Torpedoes's quarter, "Hoou," meanwhile, is a bit noisy, hoisting something of an industrial influence, and Metal Tech's four compositions are interesting sonic tidbits of assorted performance art-esque experimentalism. All in all, this is a terrific DIY experimental split. Although it is far from "noise" as some audiences may expect, it is nonetheless a terrific tape of intriguing avant-garde sounds. A must for the truly daring listener. - Matt Shimmer

(Foxy Digitalis) This is an excellent four way split from the Unread label. It features each member of the Omaha group, Naturliste, going it alone for seven minutes each. Arnoux is L.E. Methe and his contribution, "Beams Oc Cygnus" is full of string drones and other found sounds. This is heavily reminiscent of Alastair Galbraith's weirder stuff. At times, it's so sparse it's as if I'm standing alone in a huge field. It's nice. Sistrum's piece is made up of found sounds and household objects. If you've heard Climax Golden Twins, you'll have an idea what this is like. Water drips and stair creeks galore! Excellent. Das Torpedos contribute the darkiest, noisiest piece. Seven minutes of low frequency growls and reversed samples. A few specks of light emerge near the end, but this is mostly buried underground. There are four tracks by Metal Tech, but it's hard to discern where some begin and others end. Most of these pieces are very minimal. The name is appropriate because half the time it sounds like someone manipulating pieces of metal into something semi-musical. It's fantastic. Overall, this is an excellent tape for a bargain price. Readers would be silly to pass up such a bargain. - Brad Rose