Phew been buying records and CDs like crazy, almost at an alarming rate. It's kind of scary to think about how much money I've put into music purchases lately, as well as DVD purchases I guess.
Too many purchases to list it all so I will simply write a review of some of them in the next couple of days. Well I guess I'll start off with John Wiese - Soft Punk
It starts out with a squeal, and that squeal lasts for the entire record. It is then manipulated with what sounds like the most up to date synths and sound programs that were available when this record came out in 2005. The vinyl itself is beautiful pink marble vinyl, which matches the pink marshal stacks on the front cover.
The samplings are great, and feature drums, noise, and audience applauses. There's a cynicism in the sound that is not of inherent beauty or of attempted enlightenment as some electronic/noise acts try to maintain with their sometimes "hypnotic grooves" like bands such as The Books, or Boards of Canada, but the riffs of Wiese sound more like arm extensions and reverberating weirdness like something Phil Niblock or Tony Conrad might enjoy.
The pops and puddles on Soft Punk aren't exactly overly abrasive, though they are definitely not skipping stone smooth. The first side carries along fine, and side b sounds much the same though with an added "Umph" that makes the record balanced on repeated listens. Overall, this is a great direction Wiese is taken from his previous releases, which sometimes were just cds that could make you tone deaf, with its inherent high pitched squeakings and wave shifters. This record has more meat to it than his previous releases, and it shows that he can still pull it off by himself, as a credible solo artist.
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