2007 • What We Do Is Secret
The modern underground tape scene is so interesting that you could spend lifetimes writing a blog that covers nothing else. The diversity that comes out of it in just one genre is pretty impressive.
Land of Marred Normalcy is a short delve into layers of lo-fi noise, a stripped-down and very dirty approach to the genre; it sounds mostly like a de-tuned bass guitar sent through about a thousand distortion pedals with the occasional vocal screams or microphone noise (also distorted, of course) played over top.
Whether it's "good" or not is obviously up for debate, but there's definitely something to be said for the incredibly tense (and a bit frightening) "Compound People", with its dissonant screeches contrasted with slower, doomier noise rhythms. The effect is very unsettling, a feeling that lingers over the whole EP. But the creepiness really comes into full force during the second half, when the bass distortion gives way to isolated, high-pitched feedback and clinking noises. It's hard to listen to this track (especially with headphones) due to it being almost physically painful, but at the same time it's a little engrossing.
I wouldn't necessarily recommend Land of Marred Normalcy—it's not something with a lot of replay value—but it's definitely an interesting release if nothing else. Definitely not one for noise/avant-garde amateurs, though.
No preview today, but you can grab this from the Internet Archive.
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