Released
1994
Label
Self Released Tape
Reviewed by
Kim Alexander
Contact
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April Feature Artists
Last Edit/Update
02 April, 1998
Broca's Area
Rabid Ambience
Track Listing
Side A
1. Squirrels Make Lousy Innocent Bystanders
2. Bad Dog
3. All Those Before You
4. Spider's Web
5. Animated Suspension
6. Moonlit Car Crash
7. Whale Killer (reversed)
8. Intimidation
9. Is That You? (Disfigured)
10. Your Natural Environment
Side B
1. The Train
2. Walk Through A Deep Dark Forest
3. Anathema
4. Case Scenarios:
#1 What's Left For You
#2 Gone Too Far
5. Stalking Ahab
6. The Throb
Mike Delaney: Keyboard, Drums and
Voice.
John Sosnowski: Keyboard, Guitar, Radio, Tapes.
Side A
White
noise increasing in volume, then subsiding with strange voices of a perhaps an
intergalactic traveler speaking through a "worm hole" in deep space, clinks and
clanks -- the mechanistic approach -- supplemented with what could be an old Hammond B-3
organ or a sample (?) -- and very mysterious synth treatments, this is the beginning of Rabid
Ambience, Squirrels Make Lousy Innocent Bystanders. Hokey title, kick ass
sound.
Bad Dog is a great track
as well -- drum and bass, clanking percussion, dark synthetics, chaotique electronic
injections and rolling progression. Puppy fans would enjoy this one.
All Those Before You takes a
step in a different direction with electro-harmony, a vast expansive deep sound with
keyboards and wave after wave of ominous synthetics. What sounds similar to a Flugel Horn
chirrping like a bird in the early dew laden morning, deep bassy tuba coupled with a
French horn combine to a theory of the classical, presenting a delightful blend in Spiders
Web. Dark, raspy yet enthusiastic guitars join in the track.
Again the sound switches gear to
yet another dimension with Animate Suspension. This track is experimental
frequency frenzy. That's all I can say about it...other than it has great stereo-phonics
qualities with a headset. (Too bad my tape deck is so old....)
Moonlit Car Crash has a tribal
percussion feel to it with more drum and bass with long drawn out whines of synths here
and there. The piece increases in intensity and drumming to an abrupt end. More walls of
synth waves begin Whale Killer (Reversed), rightfully so as it sounds as if whale
songs played backwards with a classical streaming of ominous synth-harmony overlayed upon
the songs. Very unique...quite interesting, attention getting.
The next track is dark and scary,
perfect for Halloween music at the door...Is That You? (Disfigured). This
side finishes with Your Natural Environment...and reminds me of, to some extent,
what the sounds emanating from Earth might resonate like, far out in the atmosphere.
Angelic yet threatening.
Side B
More experimental noise is the onset of The Train -- again the sound reflects the
title -- fast paced electro, not techno, but more of a seesaw non-dramatic whirring with
diverse echoing and insertions of various drum, noise and cymbal, with an eerie backdrop
of waves flowing in and out of the piece which cresendo towards the end. Excellent
track. Reminds me of some Scorn, DVOA, Not
Breathing, Ambient Temple Of Imagination bundled up in one type
of music. Walk Through A Deep Dark Forest is absolutely beautiful! Ominous
yet welcome to intrusion, this track has what sounds like dark classical overtones,
blended organ, slow and peaceful yet threatening if alone, a death march?
Deep expansive single drum beat and synth
keep the sound steady with five keys up then back down five over and over again while the
drums and other spacious sounds flow along in Anathema. Unlike the other tracks
so far, Case Senarios # 1 opens up with John on guitar, tweeking
those strings in tasty doses of mello and easy listening Hendrix style "pass the
heroin please" riffs and backed up with ambient texture. The best of solo guitar and
ambient-electro blend.
Case Senario #2 is more guitar, more ambient melody surged into the composition,
creating a soft and gentle piece of work.
Stalking Ahab is another
track in which the sound created the title I think. I continue to be amazed in the way the
sounds become the title. Did they make the song then think of the title? They seem to fit
so well...This track does in fact fit the senario of someone being stalked, background
sounds of a small group of women down in a stone chamber somewhere singing in harmony of
the threat the ensues...this track and the next: The Throb, are both very good
for emotional imagery that we humans face relative to the more hidden and myterious facets
of life that we continually want to explore and find the answers to. Very dramatic...
The tape then ends with Spit It
Out (short version), which takes on yet another direction with sampled effects of the
the "call to arms", the "charge into war" horns that so often played
in those old black and white westerns of the 50s, bass and tribal drumming rolling along a
steady beat, Glockenspiel (?) insertions with background vocal samples distorted yet
audible, this is something I have never quite heard before. Near the end you hear a siren,
gunshots faded in the background, sampled clips of someone commenting about
"never coming here again for a
million dollars..." and "...we really haven' had a completely successful
test of this equipment..." "No sense worrying about it now..." "Why
worry? Each of us is wearing a nuclear accelerator on our back..." (could that be
from Ghostbusters?) Yes! It's original! Even better yet, Steve Watkins
and Phil Caldwell would probably enjoy remixing this one...
Artwork by
Archer Creations
broca (at) skyenet.net
Original TV Guy By:
Joel Menter
431 Rhode Island St.
Buffalo, NY. 14213
ViziZero (at) aol.com