Another "Best of" list for me. This one I put together very late, very quick and very simply. Sorry if I forgot you. Don't forget to forget about this and all the other completely meaningless subjective nonsense you will ever read from anyone ever:
ADRIAN DE ALFONSO @ Vermell. Manresa, Spain. 12.03
His first show in over 2 years. It took place in a restaurant in a small town in Catalunya called Manresa. I was very surprised. There were about 4 or 5 people there that came to see the show and about 15 to 20 that were there anyway. It started out pretty noisy and then went into a repetitive bluesy sampled bass line with feeback covered vocals and microphone feedback restraintfully manipulated over it.
Y.I.T.B. @ Pavillons Sauvages. Toulouse, France 11.16
Y.I.T.B. @ Molodoi. Strasbourg, France. 11.27
The same first song at both of these shows dominated the room and everyone in it, filling the air, creating a very free & wild atmosphere. In Toulouse, it was the first time that I had ever seen him play live, solo. A slow crushing heavy beat with power-electronic influenced vocals over it and other atmospheric sounds underneath... creating a destructive soundscape. Smoke filled the room, bodies flailed privately, heads gave their necks hangovers, sweat dripped from the walls. In Strasbourg, it was very much the same except for a few very important additions to the crowd. Before the show, a very drunk Arab lady in her mid-40's came up to Yann & I . She was stumbling & mumbling while chugging a beer. During his set, however, she was stomping around the room extending her right arm and "Sieg Heil-ing". At the same time another very well dressed man was on the beer soaked cement floor, on all fours, sticking out his tongue, with his back arched, very dramatically impersonating a reptile. And there was a paralyzed man wiggling to the music in his wheelchair, a very big smile on his face. I had to take a step back & appreciate the music and what it was inspiring in the crowd.
HOLY FAMILY PARISH - LIS cassette - (Razors and Medicine)
FASENUOVA @ Casa Viva. Oporto, Portugal. 11.08
20 people came to the show and sat at one end of the room while Fasenuova played at the other. Their set was great, solely because of their sound. On this tour, Fasenuova sounded like an angry Suicide. Analog drum machines, analog synthesizers, slightly delayed/distorted vocals. A big electronic rhythm pulsating the room and everyone in it. Everyone sat, hypnotized. Each head was slightly, possibly unknowingly, nodding.
@ Cha-Cha-Razzi. Philadelphia, PA. 07.03
A perfectly paced & organized show. Starting at a good point and ending at a good point. Not too long. It ended with someone rightfully losing a tooth. It started with, by far, the best Air Conditioning set I have ever seen. A heavy buzz being slightly manipulated by subtle movements and sometimes not so subtle movements. A rhythmic wall of guitar & bass noise. If only they had played, their set would have been on this list, anyway. Next, Morgan Egg played minimal synthesizer music... setting more of an ambiance. Mark Lord took it slightly up a notch, starting the ascent. A light electronic pulse tapping with broken synth lines resembling somewhat of a melody. Spoken vocals, fingerless leather gloves. M Ax Noi Mach, myself, played last. One of my best sets in a long time. It gave people the oppurtunity to hurt themselves.
MAX EISENBERG / TWIG HARPER Collab. set @ Hexagon. Baltimore, MD 02.27
NOISE NOMADS / URTHQUAKE - split 7" - (Spooky Tree Records)
I can't stop listening to the Urthquake side. True dark ambient, slow moving, mood-setting and creepy... without the "sadness". And as it goes, Noise Nomads, even when relatively poppy are still heavier and more destructive than 98% of anything, ever. Great combination with great artwork.