REVIEWS

street horrrsingGreat, absolutely great. Raw and rough but still sounds professional, these tracks sound as if they last forever, sat in between space and time, shouting and beating whatever they get their hands on as loud as possible. Shout and scream crazily and then you’ll feel at home here. This record has it all, so much intensity yet beautiful synth movements that somehow sit inside this world of distortion walls and bass cellars quite comfortably. Also Fuck Buttons like it tribal, and that sits well with me, there is nothing so comforting and also exciting as a tribal sounding beat. Street Horrrsing says something about earth and the universe it seems to be in touch with that too. Ribs Out is a particularly good example of this, and on this CD is quite minimal. Andrew Hung & Bejamin John Power/Fuck Buttons make good use of fragmented vocals and varied singing styles to give the track an even more unique feel. Sweet Love for Planet Earth is definitely the standout track which creates a very lucid representation of them, the beauty and fragility of the intro to the almost euphoric end, built up steadily through the repetitive crunchy synth. Everything I like in a record is here, the cute, sensitive aspects to the raw and abrasive, the well recorded natural sounds to exquisite processed synths. Thoroughly enjoyable start to finish.

: : Fuck Buttons/Street Horrrsing - Atp/Rough Trade.

audioMER001Jozef Van Wissem again, but this time with a friend and very accomplished musician from the UK, James Blackshaw on 12 string guitar. On All Things Jozef and James create an even more traditional sounding record, by using some intensive and repetitive rhythms they enter a hypnotic, tribal sound. Title track is # 2, All Things are from Him, through Him and in Him is especially tribal in flavour, it’s constant loops and slight variations of the interweaved lute and guitar, along with a danceable tempo give a new meaning to the word Gigue. In reality the Brethren are more intense and quite considerably less varied melodically than traditional theme and variation, but this great intensity comes from the monotony of loop and and the somehow vocal, bassier pulses.

How the Unencumbered Soul advises that One not refuse the Calls of a Good Spirit is the most experimental and a little aggressive and dark in places. It includes some tuned and sculpted feedback and a cat - now I don’t know what that was with the cat (heisst: bunbun), but I really liked the combination of intricate feedback dynamics and discordant, almost out of tune bullets points on the lute that develops very very gradually into more rhythmical passages and then, in turn, harmonics. In Him is no Sin has a more folk feel, and back to a dancier rhythm. The strong alternating up and down strokes of Lute and Guitar really encourage movement. Then in great Jozef style more countermelodies are added, filling my room with layers and textures and taking me away to some kind of stoned (talking of drugs not minerals) medieval court back in England.

All Things is a good cooperation and cumulation of contrasting talents, James being an self taught guitarist who has toured extensively and Jozef, the more traditional musician, who likewise is globally recognised. Together they create complex, uplifting but also relaxing counterpoint and textural/pulse based music.

Brethren Of The Free Spirit/All Things are from Him, through Him and in Him - audioMer/A-Musik