Barf Thoth - Peep Roky

Artist Barf Thoth
Label Fag Tapes
Year 2007?
Genre(s) Drone, Experimental Noise

Barf Thoth is yet another project of Fag Tapes label head Heath Moerland (Sick Llama et al.) Focussing on vocal based noise and drone compositions. Peep Roky is described by the label as:

“The elevator lights went out and the only other dude in there w/ me kept complaining about the silence. said at his crib 13 televisions and radios would be on all the time, 25/8, all set to different stations. he busted me this tape.”

It’s easy to dismiss label description in the noise scene, just have a quick gander at any number of hyperbolic love fests applied to Generic Skaters Release #17,054. For once though I can’t help but feel the label description has perfectly captured the essence of the tape I hold in my hands.

Peep Roky serves up two ten minute(ish) cuts of bubbly drone, corrupted speech and hazy atmospheres. Side A invokes oppressive atmospheres as treated speech crackles away, audible en yet completely obscured. Slowly others voices begin to build into the piece, lurking in the background. As the label descriptor points out it feels like a million different news reports, some rolling backwards, some moving too fast, all rolled into one. Like a panic attack in an electronics store when you’ve left your Xanax at home! The most impressive part of the A Side is the minimal use of electronics, the entire track is driven by the vocal samples and gathers most of its atmosphere from them. The electronics are primarily used to set the mood, oppressive, dank and creepy. Side B has a stronger focus on electronically generated noise. Crunchy drones rise beyond the vocal murk, percussive elements become part of the fray. As if every single TV and radio suddenly fell between stations, rough outlines of shows breaking through the static churn.

Apologies for the shit cover scan, I don’t have a working camera/scanner right now and it’s the best quality image available on the web. Let me just assure you that the packaging is indeed fantastic, sprayed tapes and a collaged cover.

Suburban Howl - Green Death

Artist Suburban Howl
Label Side-A-Records
Year 2010
Genre(s) Folk, Noise

Suburban Howl is the project of Davide Lega and Matteo Poggi. This single sided C40 on Side-A-Records serves up three creepy crawly cuts of chilling guitar-centric noise. Delivered on dazzling lime green/black flecked tapes (Sprayed) and ideal for those scary nights when The Misfits just wont do.

Tape opener Green Death is based around a slow moving guitar part, like the slow campfire song of a long forgotten ghost. Echoed voices and croaks mulling just beyond the light, slowly the guitar builds in intensity, succumbing to a pool of white noise, the voices becoming part of the sonic miasma. The noise is great and manages to maintain a more musical quality.

Random begins with another guitar line which sounds like the collective night terrors of a thousand burnt out hippies. Perfectly saccharine in format and delivery, it hints at something horrible concealed just beyond the surface. Sounding like a more focused Silvester Anfang. Always threatening to tip over the edge into yet more noise, instead slowly fading out. The lack of a harsher element making the track all the more powerful.

Finally comes Speak Poetry to People. A far harsher affair that sounds like the chase out of the woods, Leatherface hot on your heels, his chainsaw revving and spitting petrol. A pressing sense of urgency conveyed through the wailing feedback. Murmurs still pass in the background, note able but hidden enough to muddle comprehension. Despite the fuller sound there's still an edge that will have you checking over your shoulder.

I'm having a hard time adding the genre for this release, it's certainly noise in the sense of there being a harsh element composed on "non-music", however there's the calmer (but frankly scary) folkier guitar sections. The whole tape combines to make twenty minutes of the most satisfying noise this year.

Shuriken/Timothy C Holehouse Split Tape

Artist Timothy C Holehouse/Shuriken

Label None
Year 2009
Genre(s) Drone, PE, Noise Rock

Timothy C Holehouse opens his side of this split with a barely audible machine hum, a crescendo building into sultry drone. Dark and claustrophobic, sounding like a slowed heartbeat pushed through a pedal line. An incredible sense of foreboding, as if waiting for the end that is expected but no less scary. The first track, Swine Flu Boo... Who? is the audio equivalent of the pandemic, slow rumbles at first, growing closer and becoming louder until the whole world is screaming. The track, as with the threat of Swine Flu grows and grows until it suddenly begins to ebb out just as quickly as it arrived.

The next song is a mixture of static feedback, pulsating with a steady rhythm. As if every computer rebelled and marched upon the senate. The track rises up for one final attack and stops in its tracks. Holehouse's side is closer to Batchas style dark ambient to my ears, which is no negative point. Both these songs are fantastic, if a little short for my liking.

Next up we have Shurikens side which is split into four tracks. The first thing I need to say is how shocked I was, the music on this side is straight up rock. I actually checked to see I hadn't accidentally set my hi-fi to CD (Dinosaur Jr. was still sitting in the tray). I'm really pleasantly surprised by the first track offered up, amazing bass lines and angular guitar with fairly emotive vocals. The next cut Unison sounds like Sonic Youth meeting The Jesus Lizard in the Batcave, very noise rock/post punk. The music really is fantastic, it's especially nice to hear more "conventional" bands sharing a tape alongside noise musicians, variety is the spice of life n' aw that.

Amazing presentation on the release too, on tape printing for both sides (I can't tell you the amount of times I've been faced with an almost impossible attempt to work out Side A from Side B with some other tapes) and fold out J-Card with a skeletal theme.

Kylie Minoise - Telepathic Surge

Artist Kylie Minoise
Label Triangle
Year 2007
Genre(s) Psychedelic Noise

Two discs, one composing of one thirty minute slab of harsh, psychedelic noise and the other composed of, um, classical choir and chants? I'm really not sure about this one.

Let me start with disc 2, which is the disc composed of chants and what sounds like a full choir. I'm really not sure what to make of this, sure it's soothing and took me unawares but I can't work out the purpose. I have just thought (and checked by adding up track times this seems possible) that both discs may be designed to be played simultaneously (If anyone involved with this release is reading could you comment and let me know if I'm correct or not please?). Until I know for sure I can't really make a judgement about the second disc, hopefully someone can clear it up.

Now onto the meat of this release with disc 1. A dense fog appears from nowhere, hiding the source of an intense rumbling that can only mean bad things. Every single radio in earshot begins to malfunction at a terrifying level. Lights can be seen in the distance, breaking through the thick gloom, best to avoid them as they could be the source of this rumble that shakes the cobbles. The buildings begin to stretch to the heavens, leaning in and enclosing the alley, casting night over the clammy heat. Just as soon as this nightmare beings it's over, lying upon your back in an all too familiar ally, pedestrians doing their best to ignore the fallen inconvenience in their way

Swallowtail - Demo 2010

Artist Swallowtail

Label None (Self Release)?

Year 2010

Genre(s) Experimental Noise

This demo by Swallowtail opens with a slow creeping atmosphere, alot calmer than what I was expecting. Moments almost reminiscent of Akira Yamaoka's work on Silent Hill offer affecting beauty and clarity in a sea of creeping electronics. Fractured drumming breaks through the mossy electronic base, threatening to disintegrate at any moment. Shrieks and screams nestle in the background, swirling in the dense layers. Slowly fading out.

The release continues to twist and turn, not falling to expectations. Black metal styled vocals and almost unprocessed guitar make an appearance and offer a complete change of pace whilst retaining just enough style to not feel out of place. I begin to have problems here as there is alot of high end (almost painfully so) without much low end, there are rumbles and bass but it's not prominent, it teases an appearance but doesn't deliver.

I'm beginning to think this release was mixed as loud as possible without much concern for how it would sound. The more noise based elements are almost ear raping. We're now treated to a heavily distorted drum machine and feedback squeals. Very foreword but lacking the atmosphere conveyed earlier.

A pulsing bassline drives onwards, broken samples crackling into nothing as we break into an almost Gabba styled track, little variation and drums being too high in the mix don't offer much here. When we break back into a calmer passage there's more going on but a static buzz (almost unchanging) kills the atmosphere. Another Gabba styled section finishes this off.

A more atmospheric track rears it's head. Images of misty streets and unthinkable horrors are conjured, to be suddenly shut down by yet more drum machine abuse. The Silent Hill vibe is still here, taken over as it is by almost noisecore levels of screaming and drumming. There is a very interesting bed of electronics in the background, but the drums are so forward in the mix it's almost impossible to focus on. Each section is done well, the dark ambient, creeping electronics, Gabba styled drum beats, aggressive screaming. My only problem is that the mash up of styles doesn't allow the true power of each section to be displayed.

An almost tortured guitar line creeps out of the electronic murk, strangely beautiful in juxtaposition to the dirty skree that it stands against. I'm reminded of black noise, and black noise done well at that. Atmospheres that suggest great unease, forcing the listener to confront that which they rather would not.

Like being stuck on an ever spinning carnival ride, the usually fun sounds and warm lights distorting and becoming something much more sinister. This track is what I imagined when I originally heard the "dark cabaret" genre tag used. I do get an uneasy feeling that the intro to an Arcturus track may have been used as a sample here though, especially towards the end (I think it's from Arcturus but I can't be sure)

Droning synth lines coupled with aggressive almost Junglism styled drum beats shouldn't work but for some reason it does. Breaking up the tracks en yet managing to keep the same atmospheric flow.


It's really hard to say how I feel about this release as a whole, there are some moments of genius but I am reminded of the phrase "jack of all trades, master of none". Swallowtail shows real promise, the electronics are evocative. My main concern is that I feel I've heard a lot of this before, I'm not sure if that's down to an expert structure of songs and atmospheres or due to a liberal use of samples. Either way it's worth grabbing the release to see how it goes for you. I'd defiantly keep an eye on Swallowtail either way.