Diagram A / Chrome Jackson Split (Spooky Tree, 2010)

Chrome Jackson - The Icicle Men March


Another one of the new Spooky Tree 7 inches, this one's got more fucked up noise from a Western Mass dude (Diagram A) and a surprisingly delightful track from an ex-Arab On Radar guy living in Rhode Island (Chrome Jackson).

Diagram's A side "Artery Drawing Anterio" is absolute insanity. Electronic squalls of vertigo and heaving piles of low end thrumming, it's like electro-shock therapy for your ears. It's strangely captivating, can't quite get away from it no matter how bad you want to look away, like driving past a car wreck. Guaranteed to make your gums bleed.

Chrome Jackson's half "The Icicle Men March" is just as fucked but a bit more pleasing on the ears. A catchy blown out guitar loops around like a circus is coming through town, except this circus is the kind that makes your eyes melt and gives you a bad acid trip just by hearing their clowns laugh. So so fucking good. Could listen to this on repeat all day long. #1 pop jam of the week!

Noise Nomads / Urthquake Split (Spooky Tree, 2009)

Urthquake - Intra Muros


A nice slice of dirty weirdness from the latest batch of 7" splits on Spooky Tree. This one's got Western Mass' self descriptive Noise Nomads backed with Jersey's ambient black metal dude Urthquake. And put together they make for something that's maliciously enjoyable.

Noise Nomad's "Soaked Blanket" is an electronic squawk fest, with a non-stop FXed to oblivion guitar jam shredding over a bed of scratchy synths. Tons of grit and bloop, like the guy's equipment fell into some hidden quicksand and is going all HAL-9000.

Urthquake's piece "Intra Muros" is pure fucking evil. There's a sedated Goblin-esque synth track looped through the entire song that sounds like the bedraggled anti-heroes walking through wastelands on their way to inevitable doom. Buzzing guitars & crashing cymbals in the background, more & more layers of threateningly sinister synths, and no hope in sight.

Dan Friel - Obsoleter (Spooky Tree, 2009)

Dan Friel - Pink Helicopters


It’s harsh and melodic, massive and hollow, gritty and lush, and creates hypnotically blissful ear candy that spans the grand desert jungle.

Full review on diskant.