New Music Review – HAU – HAU

Band: HAU
EP: HAU
Genre: Noise-rock, electronic, abrasive-core
Social-media: Bandcamp/Soundcloud/Blogspot

Listen:

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HAU are a noise-rock, abrasive-core, band from Greece. The sound behind these guys is one of angered percussion, destructive guitar, ugly vocals and brief dabbles in electronic elements, such as synth work and sampling (?). Put all of this together and you get a very cut-throat act that refuses to pander to any strict structure or reason. Back in May of this year, HAU put out their first EP, which was also a self-titled EP and these are my thoughts on said EP:

The animalistic nature behind HAU is very comparable to that of bands like Lightning Bolt, with their incomprehensible, heavily effected, lyrics, jagged stringed instruments and pounding percussion – everything is just GO, from the start with both these bands. When HAU are playing to their strengths, they are incredibly effective and satisfying to listen to, especially when you enjoy the moaning guitar as much as I do. However, there is still a rather diverse selection of sounds on this EP – both Pattern 5 and Pattern 7, are messy noise-rock charges on your ears, but the other two tracks are much more experimental.

Cunts & Needles (with A†D) is a slow boiling track that slithers around with some sporadic drumming and some almost alien-like vocals. Oh, and the way, these alien-like vocals don’t just occur on this track, they’re a persistent presence throughout, which is fine, they suit the style of music perfectly. But yeah, the track itself fiddles with various electronic improvisations that feel very unsettled at times, as they just flicker around with the occasional percussion – It’s a difficult track to pin down. By the end though, it’s just as loud and proud as the Pattern tracks.

These Pattern tunes are my favourite tracks on this release, without a shadow of a doubt. The guitars a bass sounds on Pattern 5 and Pattern 7 are incredible and the way that they take no prisoners with their approach to their music, is just phenomenal. If you enjoy vicious sounding… everything, you need to listen to these songs, they are ruthless and unforgiving – the way this sort of music should be.

Norma, is also a hard track to strip down to something more than, ‘experimental’ and ‘woah’. It’s probably the most eccentric track on the album, mainly because it starts out so deceptively quiet, with brief flickers of drums and synth screeches, with some very sudden and haunting stabs of synth latter in the track. But then, halfway through the track unrolls completely into a real horror of intimidating vocals, primal beats and more stabs. Norma is probably the most fidgety track on this release, it just can’t sit still for more than three minutes!

What HAU have done with this release is set a very chilling bar for themselves that will lead to, hopefully, more music that’s as angry and powerful as this.

Final Notes:

HAU’s self-titled EP is everything that you’re afraid of listening to and proud of it. It’s malicious sounding songs are immediate and have a forceful staying power and if you like any kind of hard music, then you should check these guys out.

New Music Review – Polysemy – Extras

Artist: Polysemy
Demo: Extras
Genre: Electronic, experimental-electronic
Social-media: Bandcamp/Facebook/Soundcloud

Listen:

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Today, we have another experimental electronic musician named Dalton Moehnke, who spearheads his solo musical project, Polysemy . Despite there being another 3 track EP planned for this month, I’m looking at the demo release, Extras, which was released on the 26^th of September. Polysemy is also planning to release a full-length album, through LOF Records, before the end of the year.

What is Extras, then? This release consists of two rather short songs that utilise a rather strange vibe that I can only really associate with water and some delightfully bright synth work. Despite being rather short in time, I think that this release does a good job of teasing at what Moehnke has in store for us.

If this release has proved anything to me, it’s that Polysemy can throw down something rather unique in a short space of time. His song, People, which is a 3 minute wonder has this brilliant synth that comes about during the ‘chorus’ and fits so well with the vibe that the little keys are playing from the start. There’s also some guitar sampled here, that on paper, could sound out of place, but because of the way it’s been produced, fits in perfectly and leads well into another chorus. Everything on this song has been caked in reverb and if you don’t use reverb sparingly, it can sound incredibly tarty, but here with this underwater vibe, I think it suits it.

This use of reverb and water like sounds echoes into the shorter piece, Family. Although this track is just over a minute long, I believe it carries on what People started and doesn’t end up sounding repetitive – thanks mostly to its short run-time.

Final Notes:

I honestly don’t believe needs to be said about this release: it’s short, sweet, sounds wonderfully produced and with the promise of more material by the end of the month, I don’t feel too cheated by its length. So why not get this free release and submerge yourself in this mini release of Polysemy .

New Music Review – HODSON – Colours That Glow In The Dark

Artist: HODSON
EP: Colours That Glow In The Dark
Genre: IDM, experimental electronic, chiptune
Social Media: Soundcloud/Bandcamp

Today, we’re looking at Manchester’s very own, HODSON and his debut EP, Colours That Glow In The Dark, which we will from now on be shortening to Colours because time!

Considering Colours is the debut EP from HODSON, there is a surprisingly large amount of ground that is covered in a slim amount of time. We’re getting hints of IDM, chiptune and even some more experimental dance tracks. From what I’m hearing on my fourth listen through, I don’t think it’s a very typical electronic release, which is odd, because I can’t quite put my finger on why, but good.

The various soundspace that are trodden on during this EP, start with the chipchune influenced sound of Like Chalk To Slate, which also samples the Smurfs speech from Donnie Darko. Oddly enough, the different intensities of the sample weigh differently at different points in the song and this adds quite a bit of value, which means this is good sample use; it’s not just there for the sake of it.

Like Chalk To The Slate dances around with its quaint chiptune fiddling until and grows at a snail’s pace until it could explode, but instead, it disappears with a dignified fade.

Next on the menu, we have, Out Of Pasture, which feels more like a big beat tune that abandons the delicate nuisances and goes for a more cut-throat approach to the music. In my opinion, one of the more forgettable tunes, but that could be because the overall sound on this track doesn’t appeal to me.  There are much more interesting and clever tracks on here to take my fancy.

Pink And Blue is one such offering. This track is very chill and deviates from the big-beat-esque sound of the previous track to a rather alarmingly large amount. Some tranquil guitar takes the lead here with some minimal beats in the background. This track may not turn the world around on its head, it show’s HODSON’s proficiency at crafting some interesting and varied tunes.

Variety does make this EP an interesting listen, but I think I would have just liked to have seen more from HODSON. There is plenty of opportunity here to excel and go beyond the boundaries of what these songs are expected to sound like. Shock me something fierce! Adam Gnade – The Winter / Their Apartment, could have had something really great going for it, but it just meanders around like a lost b-side, or something.

This sort of thing does well at creating a mood, but it’d be nice to see more than just the places HODSON can take me; show me what these places are about. The final track, Somewhere Down In The West, does this in small doses and does leave me with a smile. Don’t be afraid to let loose and experiment some more, I certainly wouldn’t bite your head off.

HODSON’s debut EP, Colours That Glow In The Dark, is a great start to a solo career and offers sneak peeks at what this guy is capable of. If you like IDM, experimental electronic music or chiptune, give this EP a try, it’s available for a name your price over at Wave Form Generator’s Bandcamp.

I’m expecting more in the future HODSON, keep it up!