Post industrial experimentalists, Noises of Russia have built a name for themsleves through copious live performances and CD-R releases. This album is a recording of one such concert held in the Experimental Sound Gallery (ESG-21) at St. Petersburg comprised of completely improvised material (which explains why each track is untitled).
The first track contains several elements coincidental with the "St. Petersburg post-industrial wave." with clanging pipes and people exclaiming single words creating an atmosphere similar to that of a medieval mob readying to torch a body on a pyre. The second track continues the ritual with added clangs and electronic sounds that sound eerily similar to water droplets hitting cold cement. The album is rich in atmosphere, that’s for sure, and this experimental usage of sounds, both human and electronic is downright creepy.
The album as a whole is cohesive and tells a story. An interpretation of a dead body perhaps, as it reaches a farm village by means of a river ,where it is met with the sound of lambs bleating and soft bird chirps. Track three invites the slow buzz of a fly to the construction, whose humms become electronic and feed into a deep chanting ritual.
Track five continues the journey where the corpse is attacked by dogs, with monotnous hums and ambient electronic elements. Track seven continues the journey with harder industrial beats that increase in severity along a constant electronic sizzle. This is then transformed to a manic whirling in the following track that continues the alarming spectacle. Track eight gets shrill while muffled footsteps and whirls continue their bizarre dance.
As a concept Experimental Structure works. As a piece of performance art however, it works even better. Given that the group creates a structure with a coherent beginning and end, this recording is a pretty good effort considering the whole thing is improvised and as atmosphereic as it is. I can’t say experimental music is my cup of tea, but I wouldn’t be adverse to sitting through another performance like this from the Noises of Russia. Next time however, I’d like to be present for the performance.
November 17, 2009
