V/A: Irrecoverated: Yeah I Know It Sucks review

artist: Various Artists
title: irrecoverated
keywords: experimental, noise, ambient, drone
label: attenuation circuit http://www.attenuationcircuit.de/

The Attenuation Circuit label gave birth to it’s 15th edition of their ongoing experimental compilation series. Let’s visit the new born and show the multiple parents some love.

Danijel Zambo’s slow motion sickness is a bit like a dark movie theme full of little sparkles of hope for an possible good ending. The weapon of choice is coming across as a synthetic orchestra, with the extra attention and detail molded in the emotional sounding strings.

Dr. NoiseM is rattling something up in the distance, it might be something like a strange engine that teams up with robotic footsteps that come slowly forward and backward. This goes on for quite a while and when we think that this is it Dr. NoiseM steers his sound close to your ears and transforms in the natural sound of a frog or toad. That was unexpected, wasn’t it?

It’s (o)thers that hits the nail on the head with his track called ‘open minds’. It is severely relaxed with a jazzy feel good vibe and noise ramblings that are of the good kind. It feels a bit as if someone is clearing up things, throwing stuff around but in a calm atmosphere. Jazz noise for chill out times, smoking pipe and listening sessions around the fireplace..

Corks in heur is the next project in line of this compilation. It perfectly suits the previous sound setting as this artist hits the tones of a calm soundscape that is probably made by manipulated fieldrecordings. Sometimes you can hear cars, or something of human activity, but mostly it’s like standing in an empty space listening to the sound of nothingness. Something that we mostly ignore when we come across it, but should respect much more in our noisy life. It’s good to see an artist cherishing moments like this and securing it here for our ears to enjoy.

Esa Ruoho’s cabling hum hiss is also in the same kind of vibe, but instead of recording air and representing it on a golden plate, we are hearing the pleasant promised cabling hum hiss at its finest. It moves about in a fine audio way that creates a state of ambience where there is simply no need for melody but the relaxing results are of a high quality. Personally it makes me feel as if I’m in some kind of nature environment and the cabling hum hiss are insects that sing us to a cozy deep and safe sleep.

Escala Industrial produces also something that seems to be rather fit. The track ‘malware’ sounds to me like a huge stable cloud of buzzing industrial noise bees that are remotely triggered to buzz and hum in different shapes and forms. When it’s time to sting their tiny robotic mechanics are filled with air pressure in a rhythmic way. It’s in this audio form that we can clearly hear the cyborg bumble bees original bumble bee sounds before turning more hissy and fuzzy.

Hunanhate666 brushes things up with more excellent noise escapades. The hiss and buzz are more flexible although comprehensible in its stability. The and other strange sounds are filling up the track. It’s like there is some kind of weird wave going on occupied by a bunch of silly characters.

Exedo brings the beauty side of noise with the delivery of a track called ‘splay’. It is noise but comes across very orchestrated, with melodies that are there without really being there. Perhaps they just hit the surface so the listener can fantasize the music that is left behind in these beautiful verses of melodic petite noises. It’s strangely friendly and feels good to be absorbed by both the ears..

Emerge is the last artist on this compilation and brings also the last sounds. Emerge takes the time to say goodbye, so no need to be sad when noticing that the end has come.
The work in question is called ‘tacid’ and takes the listener in a sonic world that covers dark hollow corners, deep depths, strange sounds that fill up empty spaces that keeps us on the edge as if something unexplainable could come out of the speakers at any moment. It’s a shimmering event and listening this alone in the dark is highly recommended, that is if you have steel nerves and like dark bizarreness to haunt you with electric shocks and deep unexplainable movements. But even though there is a certain creepiness to it, it feels at the same time also very relaxing. This is what you might call a typical case of contradiction: on one hand there is the tension of fear for the unknown and perhaps something scary lurking around in this sound and on the other hand it’s chilling out in the dark kind of way!

Experimental music, eh? Things can be pretty complicated or twisted at times, but the end conclusion for this review on the 15th attenuation circuit experimental compilation is quite to the bone and compact:
a fine collection of different interpretations of noises delivered as if they are ambient. The result is an all round relaxing experience, induced in most cases with abstract noises that never gets extreme, creating a well made listenable experience! Get this compilation over at the following link:
http://emerge.bandcamp.com/album/irrecoverated
(KN)