thanks to Green Greener for the Madman. peace to you, bro :)
The sun looks pretty appealing in the above image. Well, absorb those nourishing rays, and for good measure, take a big rip from the Madman. We are going on a pilgrimage with Jesse and Josh, and I don't know if we're ever going to return in this form.
Jesse DeRosa and Josh Millrod are the members of
Grasshopper, a duo creating experimental compositions by utilizing a mix of trumpets, an electric valve instrument, and
electronics. After reading Rachel Evans’OMG Vinyl 2011 retrospective, which featured Grasshopper's blazer, Goodnight Sweet Prince, I was hooked.
This is some heavy shiit. These
guys are purveyors of sinister, heaving drones that catch you from behind. So lock the doors, blaze up and crank this shiit
to the max. The Day America Forgot was recorded live and catches these guys in fine form.
"Blunt Force" begins side A as if some type of insidious agent has
pervaded your veins, gradually gaining momentum, with the objective of taking
complete control of the senses. Elongated tones stretch over the body. The tape begins to heave and a robust drone takes shape with an extra sustained tone in the mix. And then
the trumpet enters solemnly, progressively becoming louder. The contrast between the trumpet and the tones emitted from the electronics is beautiful - this is some epic
shiit. The tape begins to mirror the start of the track, heaving and sounding like it's ready to disintegrate. At the end of the track, the mix is barely
audible, except for a slow moving silver din.
"Beermaggedon" starts
with an ominous hiss, combined with menacing tones. Soon enough the trumpet
– echoing, tones oscillating - provides a warning. All of this is combined with a rumbling drone, an amalgamation of sharp electronic sounds that spew forth mixing with solemn emissions from the trumpet. These guys have a proclivity for making dread
feel enjoyable. The
sound consumes the speakers and the barely controlled energy
spews forth until the track dissipates
The flipside is comprised of one track, "Recreational Liposuction". It commences gently with a slight, shifting buzz and a few looped notes. Suddenly, a shift in sound occurs. The mix becomes gradually heavy and
the trumpet makes itself noticed, initially with plaintive tones that become louder - the sounds from the beginning of the track are still running strong, at this juncture. This is the point where a beautiful synthesis
occurs. These guys play off each other
extremely well. The guttural squeals of
the trumpet are matched by the appropriate piercing electronic sounds. The mix becomes heavy with electronics. Isolated in time, it is a frightening,
menacing sound. Horror, unease, dread - one notices the tension produced by the visceral feeling of the music. Everything is all fucked up, squalid, yet alluring. The keyboard plays notes
that hover, bleak notes and the trumpet is ascending, playing for its
life. In the last few minutes, a
transition occurs. No overpowering
electronics, but solemn trumpet sounds.
It feels like an elegy…definite blue tones…the joke is up and the
fucking show is over, unequivocally. A conflagration is spreading quickly, swallowing the ostentatious private subdivisions that spread over this once fertile land like a disease. The
land has been raped and pillaged of its beauty. The
insular, for once, appear to recognize their folly. The giant, once proud, receding into
ignominy, battling to the final breath, yet ultimately powerless as the sound
dissipates into a vacuum. It engenders a new beginning and that path is glowing with the sounds that Jesse and Josh
emit.
One thing is certain: artists bring their best game to Sicsic. When it comes to sheer quality and quantity of releases, nobody does it better than Sicsic. Johannes Schebler provides the vivid, gorgeous artwork for these pro-printed, hand numbered treasures. After one emerges from the haze left by the destruction
wrought by these guys, the next thing to do is order immediately from
Discriminate or Sicsic. Once you have purchased, head over to my friend's wonderful blog, Guide Me Little Tape, to experience a well-written review about another gem in this batch, Wolf Fluorescence.
Peace, my friends
