review of "Smegma plays Merzbow"

review of "Smegma plays Merzbow" from iMusic
Close on the heels of their last disc, The Mad Excitement, The Barbaric Pulsations, The Incomparable Rhythms of... Smegma the undisputed champions of Northwest avant-noise return with a kalaidescopic work of post-industrial experimentation in collaboration with renowned Japan-based sonic explorers, Merzbow. Their new album, Plays, is not for the unadventurous or faint of heart. A futuristic fusillade of space-age frequencies, machine-driven incantations, and all manner of musical discord woven in with barely-audible human utterances, Plays is a multi-layered uncompromising masterwork which brazenly points a direction for music in the 21st Century. For almost twenty-five years, Smegma has been fearlessly staying ahead of the pack, taking chances and willing to make sacrifices for their art, but never concessions. This collaboration with their pioneering "Japan-noise" peers from across the Pacific is undoubtedly one of the most daring and innovative Smegma-related projects so far. It does not make for easy listening, but it is rewarding listening, and it is not always easy to understand, but once you do understand it, you will know a place most music never even visits. The 21st Century may still be five years away, but in the sounds of Smegma and Merzbouw (sic), it is already here. Are you ready for it?

review of "Smegma plays Merzbow" from iMusic

Close on the heels of their last disc, The Mad Excitement, The Barbaric Pulsations, The Incomparable Rhythms of... Smegma the undisputed champions of Northwest avant-noise return with a kalaidescopic work of post-industrial experimentation in collaboration with renowned Japan-based sonic explorers, Merzbow. Their new album, Plays, is not for the unadventurous or faint of heart. A futuristic fusillade of space-age frequencies, machine-driven incantations, and all manner of musical discord woven in with barely-audible human utterances, Plays is a multi-layered uncompromising masterwork which brazenly points a direction for music in the 21st Century. For almost twenty-five years, Smegma has been fearlessly staying ahead of the pack, taking chances and willing to make sacrifices for their art, but never concessions. This collaboration with their pioneering "Japan-noise" peers from across the Pacific is undoubtedly one of the most daring and innovative Smegma-related projects so far. It does not make for easy listening, but it is rewarding listening, and it is not always easy to understand, but once you do understand it, you will know a place most music never even visits. The 21st Century may still be five years away, but in the sounds of Smegma and Merzbouw (sic), it is already here. Are you ready for it?

Tim/Kerr Records address:

Tim Kerr Records Inc.
P.O.Box 42423
Portland, OR 97242

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