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] |