Writing about music in lieu of human interaction
In September, noise-poppers Barlow celebrated the 10th anniversary of their first set by releasing an album called Walls of Future. Even though Walls of Future's title wouldn't sound out of place affixed to a big-budget Marvel picture, the album itself, like so many of Barlow's others, is gloriously lo-fi. Recording at home using Logic and … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Barlow – At Home
Alma Maru is a two-piece experimental outfit comprising Ryan Unks and Nathan Berlinguette, both of whom are veterans of Pittsburgh metal bands Creation Is Crucifixion and The Human Quena Orchestra. The sounds featured on Alma Maru's self-titled debut, conjured via guitar and synth, vacillate between haunting, atmospheric drones and abrasive sheets of noise, sometimes within … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Alma Maru – am18
Photo provided by artist Feeble little horse are a quartet that filters compact pop music through layers of fuzz and electronic sound effects. Their April debut EP, modern tourism, contained five nuggets of bummed out bedroom fare, while their upcoming full-length album, Hayday (due out 10/22 on Julia's War Recordings), raises the group's sound to … Continue reading As Weird As We Can — A Q+A With The Digitized Distortion Junkies of feeble little horse
Harsh noise artist Yotzeret Sheydim--under the moniker WRETCHED CRAWLER--recently released an album called The Thief in The Tower. The series of 18 punishing pieces follows the titular Crawler as it makes its way through a gruesome dungeon in search of treasure. French harsh noise artist Vomir once described his own work as "no ideas, no … Continue reading Daily Yinz – WRETCHED CRAWLER – Shifting Sands of The Summoner
Jazzy noise (noisy jazz?) outfit Skeletonized recruited multi-instrumentalist Nathan Berlinguette for their latest album, Future Shock. Berlinguette's contributions on guitar, synths, and electronics add a sense of creeping dread to Skeletonized's unhinged wallop. The swirling drones and spiraling shards of melody that underpin "Your Boring Life" elevate the song's gnarled thicket of squealing saxophones and … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Skeletonized Quartet – Your Boring Life
Niku daruma create piercing, metallic noisescapes; their latest release, arcana I, is described as "experiments in divining." The album introduces the faintest hint of melody to the clanging, grinding, screeching maelstrom that is niku daruma, making for a listen that's as starkly beautiful as it is punishing. "Temperance" begins with zigzags of squelchy noise before … Continue reading Daily Yinz – niku daruma – temperance
Brandon O'Neill's Memory Wound project produces blurry soundscapes created from tape loops, field recordings, found sounds, and more. Memory Wound's April release, Lillian Drip, is by turns peaceful and haunting, beautiful and elusive. Where many of the album's tracks drift by in a dissociative haze, eddying outward like faint ripples on a pond, O'Neill takes … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Memory Wound – Lead Moon
Experimental synth project Morse Code Band dealt with this year's lockdown by performing live sets to audiences of zero and capturing the results on tape. Pandemic Residency, out now on Inside/Outpost, is the result. MCB uses an array of synths, devices, pedals, and field recordings to conjure chilly, unsettling atmospheres on the album's nine tracks. … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Morse Code Band – Galaxy Falling
℮st℮ll℮ is a Pittsburgh experimental artist who recently released a musical exploration of colors in three parts. In telemagenta--a sort of grapefruity pink color that I had not heard of until today--released last week, follows November's in carmine and in auburn (props to ℮st℮ll℮ for picking some unusual hues). While much of the album series … Continue reading Daily Yinz – ℮st℮ll℮ – and see the girl with stars in Her eyes
As Shield of Heracles, sound artist Devin Angiolieri will sometimes create one-off "cassette rips"--overwrites of previously existing tapes that retain the originals' title. His latest is The Golden Ball, a noisy, beat-driven collection of experimental pieces. SIDE ONE begins with a snippet from the source tape; some cheery, kid-friendly narration rendered disconcerting by interjections of … Continue reading Daily Yinz – Shield of Heracles – The Golden Ball
Bored In Pittsburgh 