steering clear of the mainstream
since 2001

june 2010

review
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info opinion

Noggin

"Listen Not To Vain Words Of Empty Tongue" cassette

Unread Records

Genres: free improv, experimental

Unread
PO Box 3462
Omaha NE 68103

Mar 24 - 30 2003

Me being me, half my music conversations begin with me complaining about how few cassette labels there are nowadays.  The invention of the CDR hath wrought havoc on the world, and it seems as if the once abundant tape purveyors have all crawled back into their respective holes and gotten day jobs.  However, there still is a strong following in the underground, and of the cassette labels remaining, there are basically two major camps: the lo-fi indie pop bedroom recorders and the prolific noise fiends.  And while Unread does often release things from the former category, this release belongs firmly in the latter one.

The tracks on Listen Not To Vain Words Of Empty Tongue are live experimental improv recordings done on electric guitar and violin.  They are noisy and brutal, primitive in a way, but surprisingly sophisticated.  The sound is caught quite well, and while this is certainly an experimental affair, I find it remarkable listenable.

The extremely dense sonic explosions of sound, occasionally outrageous, occasionally tuneful, work well to keep the listener entertained.  The two members of Noggin are clearly very talented performers, and there is an interesting communication between the violin and the guitar that adds depth to the recording.  The only unfortunate aspect is that Noggin's audience may be unjustly limited due to the lack of accessibility on this tape.

Overall, this is a fine release that free improv fans should enjoy.  If a violin / electric guitar freak-out sounds like fun to you, Listen Not To Vain Words Of Empty Tongue won't disappoint.

86%

Matt Shimmer

[Vitals: 7 songs, distributed by the label, released 2001]