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Post by andypandy380 on Jun 28, 2019 10:16:36 GMT -5
Another new album incoming. 'Noise Mass' which is apparently a reworking of the 90s album 'Hole' and a continuation of ideas on albums like Venereology. It comes packaged with a 28 page book containing an in depth interview with Akita, photos, collages etc. room40.bandcamp.com/album/noise-mass
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Post by trollh on Jun 28, 2019 12:54:44 GMT -5
Cool!
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Post by acsenger on Jun 28, 2019 16:44:08 GMT -5
Pre-ordered!
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Post by andypandy380 on Jul 1, 2019 5:46:03 GMT -5
It actually sounds so good! It's been a while since Merzbow's treated us to something in this harsh 90's style, be it new or an archival release. I love that howling vocal that's intertwined with the feedback. That sound is also notable in Green Wheels.
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Post by acsenger on Jul 1, 2019 16:12:57 GMT -5
I haven’t listened to the sample; I think I’ll wait for the CD. I wonder when the album was made: in the ‘90s or recently (I mean the reworking, of course, not the original “Hole” album)?
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Post by acsenger on Jul 4, 2019 12:16:37 GMT -5
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Post by andypandy380 on Jul 5, 2019 11:10:47 GMT -5
I guess it's a new album then! even if the source material is 25 years old
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Post by davebowman on Jul 12, 2019 23:55:12 GMT -5
Maybe someone who has both can do a more in-depth examination, but now that the entire album is up on bandcamp, it does seem that it's literally the 'Hole' album, just with the 'Krautrock #1' track replaced by the new 'Voicematrix' tracks. It feels like a kind of similar 're-jigging' that happened with the recent 'Venereology' LP re-issue, so I'm wondering why the album title was changed this time. Is it maybe just to get away from the sexual/pornographic imagery that Merzbow played with around this time?
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Post by acsenger on Jul 13, 2019 0:53:46 GMT -5
Hmm, that sounds odd... My copy is on its way and once I get it, I’ll compare the two albums.
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Post by andypandy380 on Jul 13, 2019 16:13:57 GMT -5
Yeah, It would appear that Noisematrix and Krafft Ebings Dick are the same tracks as the original album, identical, at least on a quick flick through. So I guess all we're getting here are those new Voicematrix tracks which is a little disappointing... I think you're right about it being a re-release in the same vain as the others, it feels like a really weird way of doing it though, I guess you could call it a 'repackaging' or something. The initial description of this album has been a bit misleading in that case, maybe I was wrong to assume it was a remix of sorts, or a new album using the same source material, but that's certainly the impression it seemed to give - My copy is on it's way too, I hope the book/booklet/interview is as in-depth as it suggests.
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Post by acsenger on Aug 4, 2019 5:28:32 GMT -5
I’ve received the CD and have just played it along with the “Hole” CD. From the liner notes of “Noise Mass” it becomes clear that the label’s description is misleading: it is, in fact, a different mix of “Hole” that was recorded at the same time as that album, in 1994. It was only remastered in 2019. As noted before, the live track at the end of “Hole” has been removed and two previously unreleased tracks bookend the CD, both also recorded in 1994.
The main question is obviously how much of a difference is there between the two mixes of the same material? To be honest, while I don’t doubt that they’re not exactly the same, I couldn’t really hear the difference. Which doesn’t mean others may not hear any. That said, the two “new” tracks are just as good, and if you’re like me who worships ‘90s era Merzbow, I’d say buy this release with confidence. If you don’t own “Hole” and like his material from ‘94 (which is more monochrome than a lot of his music from ‘93 or most of his stuff following the introduction of EMS from ‘95 onwards), then it’s even clearer that it’s worth owning.
Aside from the music, the accompanying booklet is fantastic: it has the most in-depth and probably the best interview with Akita that I’ve read. There are no language barrier issues that plague many of his interviews found on the internet, and there are many interesting topics and details (e.g. about his time as editor of a music magazine in the ‘80s). An obvious omission, however, is any reference to porn and bondage: there’s no mention of their use in a lot of his releases or his countless books and articles on these subjects. It would’ve been great to read about this aspect of his life too, but given that he’s disowned his activities in these fields, this is not surprising.
There are great photos and collages in the booklet too. All in all, “Noise Mass” is a great release all around.
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Post by andypandy380 on Aug 9, 2019 10:30:32 GMT -5
I've only just got round to reading that booklet and I agree, It's a decent read and very in depth - Learn't a great deal from it.
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Post by HaxanDub on Mar 10, 2023 7:12:17 GMT -5
Curious about this CD - was it made in much smaller edition to other Room 40 Merzbow releases? I cannot find this one anywhere. All the other Room 40 ones are easy to get. I've been looking for a long time. I did find one copy on Indiemerch site but it was only listed as back order and I waited 8 weeks with no update and then just got a refund.
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Post by acsenger on Mar 25, 2023 16:40:23 GMT -5
I don’t know how many were pressed, but it’d seem strange if it was released in a much smaller edition than all the other releases on the same label that are easy to buy. In my experience there are releases (in general, not by any specific band/musician) that should not be as difficult or even impossible to find as they are, because there’s seemingly no reason for it. ‘Noise Mass’ might be one of them.
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