Nervous Corps- Meaning Corrupted (November 2011 tape trade tape)
Initial thoughts: Pummeling.
There are so many good textures on side A. Four tracks in total. I really get a sense of uneasiness and tension on this side, between the shorter track lengths, the textures presented. They almost feel like they are struggling. The first track really pounded me back as I listened to it. I wish that some of the textures had been expanded on, only for my own meditational/zoning purposes, but other than that, side A really hit the spot as far as content in my book. A lot of ground covered.
Side B and put it on. A very violent churning wall, and I see that it spans for 26:00. This side seems just as chaotic and violent, very textural and not grey or flat. 26 minutes still seemed like it was nothing! The wall kept my attention the whole time, unrelenting, crushing.
Packaging looks awesome as well, very pro looking clear cassette with black labels, an insert with black printing on silver metallic paper in a standard jewel case wrapped in semi-metallic silver bubble wrap.
5/5
Sleep/Gluttoness split CS
Sleep opens up side A with a huge, thick, bass heavy wall. So thick it seems like my speakers are trembling, almost bottoming out. This is heavy. On top of the low rattling sounds like skirmishing tv static, moving about in spurts, very lightly on top, making its presence known, but not overstaying. I can't help but think of a very large catapult being pulled across cobblestone or other uneven stone surface- the stone on stone grinding and churning full speed, being toted off to war. The static on top subsides and all that is left is the massive churning on the bottom before the track cuts off.
Gluttoness is a good friend of mine, and a great guy. The HNW Graveyard is a tool for artists such as myself to let people listen to OOP HNW releases and to investigate the sometimes overwhelming amount of HNW that comes from us. Gluttoness' side opens up with a super huge pitch shifted cavernous looping growl, and simmers before a sample and then dives right into some equally as huge wall. The consistency of 'What To Do (How To Do It) is not far off from Sleep's side, but seems to be at a far faster pace. The track fades from wall to another bit of cavernous echoing, before another rise to the surface, another sample, and then plunges back down into the depths. Not too far off in texture than the previous track, but this one seems to churn a little bit more than the other. Another sample before the next track pummels in- this one is even heavier, suffocating, with a bit more contrast. Deep gutteral vocals overtop are something I've never heard in HNW, but yet work well on this track. It suddenly cuts to more cavernous echoes before the track is over. It is very apparent that this was extremely considered and planned before being put on tape.
Both sides of the split are excellent. This tape is for fans of bassier wall, low frequencies, and speakers being shredded.
5/5
Urine Cop/Vomir split CS
Urine Cop is a Canadian noisecore outfit with ties to The Endless Blockade. Their side is filled with sick pitch-shifted vocals (Erin, Last Days of Humanities vocalist), blast beats, and HNW crunch, blasting through a shit ton of tracks, as fast as possible. Everything is a blur, but well executed. Super lo-fi recording only adds to the chaos. Think Insect Warfare's last LP, but taken to the next level as far as intensity, and two steps backwards in recording to the caveman era (in the best way possible). The blast beats subside briefly for some echoing feedback, before a slower beat comes in. It overall lets the vocals and other textures breathe a bit more, as well as build up and not become such a blur. It's a decent contrast to the first half of the tape. The drums pound away at a dirge's speed, static and oscillations only intensify to fill the void where the blastbeats once were. The drums stop, the crunching stops, and everything fades out with a swirling oscillation.
Vomir's side consists of a mid-frequency wall, sounding kind of unstable, a more decaying sound than that of a crawl or blast. A decent amount of static on top, with some bubbling grind on the bottom. It seems like it keeps cutting in and out of stereo, which even if it wasn't intentional sounds pretty awesome and only intensifies the listening.
4/5
Love Katy- The Queen Of Figuring Out CS
Ah, Love Katy. We all do. How can you resist? Very awesomely packaged Tape Trade from the good fellow JK.
Side A is a very searing style wall, very upper mid sounding, less defined 'crunch' and more-so a flow of wall, as if standing under a waterfall and the water constantly pummeling and degrading what lies beneath. The track slowly shifts and the frequencies divide quite nicely into a lower rumble and higher fizzle, making a sort of narrative, rising to the surface to gasp for air. Constantly pounding, never resting. Towards the middle of side A, the rushing water texture turns into an uneasy sizzle, like 1000 ripples forming at the surface of the mass of water, claustrophobic, narrowing. The track reduces to a buzzing with the same static laid over top, a bit more calm, but just as uneasy.
Side B: A far more slow paced and static texture, a real crumble here, as if you were going with Katy to the movies and treating her to some fresh popcorn! About half way through, some extremely low bass rumble kicks in and really creates a dynamic contrast as the popcorn continues to pop.
Excellent consideration into packaging, a white, purple, and pink sock-type enclosure houses a very well laid out J card and bright pink cassette.
3/5
