reviews

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A Vinyl Construction 7"
Residential CD (collaboration with Zac Keiller)
Everything's Broken CD
With Doors Open CD
Live Performances EP
Border Protection Policy CD
AGIT8/Undecisive God split CD
Offering CD
Modern Discourse business card CD
self-titled CD
Digilogue mini CD
(_the_war_against_sleep_) cassette
Prodigal cassette
Purple Silk, Yellowed Clothes cassette
The Celestial Emporium of Benevolent Knowledge cassette

A Vinyl Construction 7" - I've been a fan of Clinton's work for a good while now and having noticed serious changes in sound and style over the years approve totally of his outwardly experimental and no-restrictions approach to creating sound. His latest manifestation being the use of broken records and faulty turntables, the emphasis on the actual sounds these elements produce as opposed to being a sound source for effects. This lovely little limited release (fifty copies) features, as they all do, a broken record attatched to the thick cardstock cover ; mine's The Osmonds' “That's My Girl”. Classy. Playable at either speed I prefer 33” as the sounds are quick and excited enough already, the lovely crackling crunch of vynal manipulation highlighting the appeal this format has for nostalgia. A very complex and involved effort from cheap and not always effective gear; the only effects Clinton uses is delay and it's not a certain that's being used on this recording. In any case, side one is busy and well recorded, the sounds very well highlighted and satisfying. Loads of skipping, looping and dashing around, not so much emphasis on the sounds on the records themselves but of the records themselves, and the mat underneath them, and the stylus arm jumping around of it's own accord. Good rainy day music, actually. Side two highlights more of the sounds on the records and forms into a hazy, droning kind of loop construction, a very pleasing and musical sounding piece, like an extension of Reich's early tape loop pieces. Singing voices mixing with accordian sounds brings a solemn dignity to the piece. This little album is something I'm going to go back to again and again, two extremely well produced and focused pieces. - Solar Anus.

Residential CD (collaboration with Zac Keiller) - New music by both Zac and Clinton is always welcome in my home, and a full collaborative effort, which has been a long time coming, is most welcome. Zac's usual post-music/chord-control/drone touch is very evident, especially his more recent more "musical" sounding style. The first track "Like Birds", featuring well-recorded field recordings, has a nice mixture of both musician's styles, the almost silent string picking and echoed-forever chording. There is structure but it's very subtle, giving this piece a more improvised feel. The title track, also featuring bird sounds, is more soundscape and somewhate woozier (if that makes sense), but with the same overall atmosphere and with some lovely high guitar sounds lightly over the swell of chord and sound. "Cloud Harvest" is the definate favourite, excellently structured and composed, the wah-distortion touches over the light yet present background of subtle changing tones and colours reaching a real pinnacle of impressive sound. Definately a high point of guitar ambience for both artists, which is saying a great deal, and a more rewarding listen each time. But one needs patience with this album; nothing is handed to the listener on a plate. Solar Anus

Everything's Broken CD Green has always pushed the envelope and managed to end up in good shape. That goes double for this set. I particularly liked "Non-Cricket," which takes the background sounds of a test match and turns them into something astonishing Aiding & Abetting #304

With Doors Open CD An improvised guitar collaboration between Brisbane based Scott Sinclair and Melbourne’s Clinton Green (Undecisive God), the recordings on this CDR were crafted over a three-year period and utilise a number of interesting approaches. These range from the abrasive though strangely rhythmic and quite powerful Tamas, which at 1.30 sounds like the arrival of impending doom, to the more textural splinters, scuffing and jagged stabs of sound of Medi Hiss, that no longer seem remotely related to guitar, melding the difficult textures with a slight ambient atmosphere. These pieces have been compiled and remixed from hours of recordings and nowhere is this more evident than the title track, which clocks in at eight minutes, beginning subtly before building with a searing power. Often working together they sound like a single sound source, a searing ambient drone, where they dip and surge ahead as one, their sounds interweaving, before breaking away to give detail to the work. One moment they’d happily sit alongside Caspar Brotzman, the next Derek Bailey and later Thurston Moore or even the drones of If Thousands, such is diversity of terrain covered. Cyclic Defrost #14

Live Performances EP The Melbourne band Undecisive God (with mastermind Clinton Green of cdr label Shame File) has a new release out on the Australian Dreamland Recordings. You can download it for free from their site. Undecisive God makes experimental guitardrones that are interesting enough so they don't silt up in endless repeatings of the same motive or noise, but they continually actualise themselves and bring constant variations in a never ending subtil soundcarpet.

"Live Performances" consists of three songs that last each around 10 minutes and investigate an other aspect of the drone. 'Guitar Study' examins the relationship between a soft drone in the background and loving, abusing, torturing with all kinds of objects a guitar, with some pretty interesting results. 'I offered it up to the divine mother' is a calm, meditative soundartwork. Green gets clock-like sounds out of his guitar by soft rythmic beating on his guitar and the interplay with feedback. 'I offered it up to the night sky' is a slow drone that turn into a loud guitarnoisemass that fills the hole room en fades out again in the nothing. A really interesting release that is essential for lovers of avant-garde guitar techniques. KindaMuzik.net

Border Protection Policy CD At the time of writing it was possible for one to visit the Immigration Museum in at Flinders St. in Melbourne and witness an exhibition called "Innocent Victims". It was a small collection of childrens drawings, from those held in detention camps in Woomera. Done in typical childrens' style, they all without exception showed people, many of them smiling in that typical innocent way kids like to draw, being bashed, shot at, attacked with water cannons and in many cases begging for help. The most poignant being a picture of a single figure lying on his back in a tangle of barb wire, blood pouring from his side, calling out "God help me". Not a few showed pictures of tanks and men in combat gear, some with the words "ACM" (the private company that owns, and makes a profit from, the Woomera detention centre among others) on their shields and on the side of the tanks. This, months after the Australian public has chosen to forget as quickly as possible how they voted in the present Liberal government when it told us in a media barrage that "those kinds of people" happily sacrifice their own children for their own illegal ends. The only thing to save us from the hordes of the east, we believed, was strong decisive government action that, we are now told, "is working". Then minister for immigration Phillip Ruddock, and present minister Amanda Vandstone, re-assure us soothingly that there is nothing untoward happening in these detention centres, that the people there are given every opportunity to process their claims and are given every amnity and luxury, and that when these ingrates choose to riot, or hunger strike, or sew their lips together, or quietly go mad in corners, it simply re-enforces the goverment's forsight in employing unfortunate but necessarily tough measures, not to mention how extraordinarily generous we really are to immigrants who don't "jump the cue", and that these types of abbarent behaviour is the sort of thing those kinds of people do anyway, and we well-meaning but understandably concerned Australians couldn't assimulate them into our precious communities anyway. In a country that was taken by physical force and gutless stealth from the people who lived here for thousands of years without being protected from "illegal immigrants", on who's land we are still squatting. Illegally. There is only one correct response.

The title track is projectile vomit hurled like fists pounding into the television, expelling disgust and expressing contempt. Barrage after barrage, the disbelief and nausea. "SIEV & SUNCS" (their not really people, their Suspected Unlawful Non Citizens having the affrontary to arrive in Suspected Illegal Entry Vessels instead of first-class on a plane like Nice Lawful Aussie Citizens) is the shattering of nerves rising and falling, the burning sun reflected off the indifferent ocean. "Mandatory Detention Of Children" is a burning trail of guitar lead igniting the camps, curdling thought beyond belief. "We Will Decide Who Comes Into This Country" is the sound of metal fences being twisted by willing and furious hands, their side and our side, destroying sides so that there are no longer sides, but us. The three tracks "Iranian Torture Methods" are sinister, slow gurgling, electric static, tension-filled pauses, the darkness of the hood, long hours of the unendurable. Lest we forget. "Death Whimpers Of The Chattering Class" is twitching and chattering teeth, voices, limbs abased in their own effluvia. Burbling guitar noise and strings scraped and echoed. Idle banter and mocking laughter turned to choking and vomiting. "The Voice Of The People" is made in collaboration with W.I.T. who supplied the sinister background hiss-drone for a collage of talkback radio wit and wisdom. As voice overdubs with voice, the entire thing becomes a morass of pure, undiluted bullshit, stupid whinging Australians complaining about their daily privations over and over and over and over and over, with the talk show host showing every subtle and smart-arse media trick to twist and convince public opinion. "SIEV X" is splatters of static, sounding like gunshots hitting the water, bodies hitting the water, the ocean drinking greedily of the weak and disspossed. This album needs to be heard as a whole. The first few tracks are short and hard, reminding me of the impact of The Dead Kennedies "In God We Trust Inc." when I first heard it, track after track of rage in an instant. "The Voice Of The People" then lowers the pace to the banality of evil before returning to another brief shot of noise...then nothing. Silence. Back to our daily lives once more. She'll be right mate. She'll always be f*cking right. - Taped Crusaders

Split CD with AGIT8 "Oh, we have both kinds of music, ambient and noise!" Clinton's three live tracks recorded from Small Black Box in Brisbane a couple of years ago are probably the strongest tracks here. His celebration of his daughter's birthday, "2/12/98" sounds a lot clearer and more moving than the version from the "Archive 4" double-cd (which Clinton would admit). It's moving and pleasant to listen to. He seques into a track of crunchy feedback in bursts alonside string scraping, before going into a live version of "Angels" which also works well in a live setting, sounding full enough without needing any backing. The whole tenor of the performance is relaxed and meditative. The track "Outside The Walls" is impressive in that it's getting right into "Forbidden Planet" territory, sounding like old school theramins and synths whizzing around together. "The Last Years", another live recording from Melbylon this time, embraces some cautious distortion only to push along the wind-chime sounds of strings and delay. There's a slightly different version then of his cover of Sonic Youth's "Mote", sans the feedback intro, backing vocals and extended end, which actually segues nicely into "A Sea Of Light, Compassion And Peace" which sounds exactly as you'd expect a track called that to sound. Slow strumming surrounded by a sea of sound. Which then, of course, segues nicely into Agit-8's mysanthropic harsh noise. Five tracks of loops distorted to absolute infernal buggery at neighbour-friendly volume. I would have to say that so far, Agit-8 have presented the harshest noise I've heard from this country. The volume and intensity are as that of the American power-electronic heads like Stimbox, Skin Crime and Mote, but the rythmic use of loops makes me think of Nod's contribution to Cold Meat's "Estheticks (sic) Of Cruelty" compilation, or some of the stuff Iron Justice had on MP3.com. Sometimes the rhythm just dissolves into painfull distortion, but it's all noise, it's all good. - Taped Crusaders

"Offering" CDBeing a culmination of recent years recordings, utilising computer software and loops, Clinton has well and truly outdone himself. The best thing about this album is that it establishes it's own sound. Clinton had long patented a sound involving slide, whammy bar and wah pedal, something soft, crooning and ambient. He's put several different sounds, including versions of the above, through the software wringer and has come up with a collection of outright ambient soundscapes. The sound of the guitar has seldom been more mutated, but this time in a serene and relaxing direction. No track names on the cover, though. The second and longest track is a veritable ocean of orchestra strings, generated from electric guitar. It flows, ebbs and tides like something from a vision. My favourite track so far is the third, which sounds very Brian Eno, although somber-er, like windchimes and downward spirals. On both these tracks, the occasional feedback actually sounds like flute calls. It's amazing to listen to. The ambience of the delay and washing chiming chords sparkles like synthesizers but retains that almost earthy hands-on sound of the guitar. All four of the instrumental tracks have the same feel without imposing upon each other or taking away from the feeling of each other. The final song, a Sonic Youth cover, also leads into a longer soundscape. This thing is up there with Droneforest as an ambient masterpiece. - Taped Crusaders

A...dense sprawling guitar album it is.

Unnamed tracks as far as I can tell – the first is dense swirling drones with some clicking in it at various speeds, ringing pulsing, keylike at times, an entrée into. The long second track, with layer on layer of tones: ringing, high, deep – just flowing on and on. There is some lovely high ringing, some voiceish parts, ringling notes, things emerge and are submerged. Chimes keypulses horns – hypnotic.

Then the guitar strums and smacks, echoed and reverbed, percussive over a drone-like voice. There is some light play, then some stronger notes, sounding like guitar, over a continuing warbly drone. Pulsing and echoed, some squeaks, twangy guitar, scrabbly scrape, deeper notes – dancing.

Tentaive shimmery ecgoes in the fourth track, thwangs guitar notes and chords, reverbed and echoed, some distant, some wahwah. Gently mysterious with lots of echo, twittering zings and rubbery bass notes. The final track opens noisily, then the guitar plays a simple melody, and we get sung lyrics – reminded me of the Incredible String Band somehow – then to a strained electric guitar-feedback solo over other guitar, eases back to more lyrical and relaxed over drones.

This was a recent arrival at the &etc 'office' but very appropriate for an issue that was coalescing around the guitar, as it explores and demonstrates the instrument from the straight(ish) musical instrument through various effects to layered tonal ambience. A fascinating and varied album – Shame File has a back catalogue of Undecisive God CD-archive releases (the fourth of which includes the 'war against sleep' tape reviewed last time) which are probably well worth investing in on the basis of this album. - &etc

"Undecisive God/W.I.T. "Modern Discourse" business card CD - ...The title track is just under a minute of sirens blurts squeals and an undercurrent of chopped/sped voices. 'Within, winder' slowly builds warm guitar feedback/drones to a plateaux and adds chittering shaker percussive, edgier feedback and harsh noises easing back to a puttering soft drone drawing out before a tantalising touch of orchestral sampling. Much much too short a fascinating glimpse of what I hope is a more extensive interaction. - &etc

Together at last, James and Clinton use electronics, guitar sounds, samples, loops, software, broken machines, the whole industrial cannon to produce hums, grumbles, warbles, hisses, static, feedback, drones, soundscapes, shards and splatters that follow, combine, retreat and re-attack at what sounds like random but is in fact careful consideration. Hard to put a finger on the mood as a whole, though, which may or may not be a problem. Very experimental might sum it up. Taped Crusaders

"Undecisive God self-titled CD - For me, the first track "Angels" and the extra unmentioned sixth track, which is another remix of "Angels", are up there with "Prodigal" as his best stuff (not to mention "Azathoth", of with "2" is featured also on this CD). While the first mix is a shimmering vision of life-force spirits moving and watching from the ether spheres, the second mix is the fallen angel version, slowly sullenly tunneling through the earth where the worms dieth not, yet without despair or pain. Clinton is taking experimental sound to new, more positive heights, it would seem. There's also a Dead C. cover for good measure too, which doesn't sound a million miles from the original - Taped Crusader #10

Six songs in 70 minutes, each populated with a sense of wonder and the bizarre. I'm pretty sure there isn't a better tour guide to the edge... - Aiding & Abetting #238

"Digilogue mini CD - This recording is a collaboration between Melbourne artist Clinton Green (Undecisive God) and Brisbane artist Andrew Kettle (Kettle). The title of the work refers to the fact that Andrew uses all digital equipment, while Clinton uses all analogue gear. Apparently these two artists have never met face to face, and that the recording is the result of email correspondence, an increasingly common manner of collaboration these days. The mini-CD contains only two tracks, with the artists swapping roles for each track.

In "The Mundane & the Stark", Andrew lays down a bed of digital noise, over which Clinton churns out reams of distorted feedbacking guitar, in a disjointed style that will be very familiar to those who have heard much of Undecisive God's other work. This lasts for approximately six minutes, which for me overstayed its welcome just a little - but then the guitar noise peters out and some very quiet piano is introduced, changing the mood of the piece drastically for the last minute and a half and making things far more interesting. On the other track, called "699", the roles are presumably reversed, with Clinton providing the bed for Andrew to work over. However, it's much more difficult for me to discern in this song which part constitutes the "bed". The piece lasts about ten minutes, and consists of long hypnotic drones created by god-knows-what, punctuated by odd blipping sounds. That may not sound too enticing, but it works really well as a mood piece, and probably also would work as an ambient track for a film, reminding me in parts of the atmospheres in David Lynch's "Eraserhead". - Alan Bindig, Vanishing Point, 3D Radio, Adelaide.

"The Mundane and the Stark" is quite so, digitally generated buzzing background to a harsh squall of feedbacking guitars, with a few samples thrown in for good measure. "6.99" is more tape-hiss orientated, with quiet cracklings and bass-throbbing dronings filtered throughout. The tape-hiss fades as subtle barely-music drones and moans, in a highly satisfying ultra-late-night-by-candlelight summoning of the spirits. Tape-hiss returns like a prodigal sound effect. This track could go on forever and I'd be happy. - Taped Crusaders #10

"(_the_war_against_sleep_) cassette - Legions of damned (and perhaps damaged?) effects-pedals contort all before them as undecisive god further explores the realms of slumber and the subconscious. Slow-burning layers of bassy feedback ward off wailing sonar, while a closing burst of perverse guitar provides an ungainly beacon. This is black, cumbersome and verges on disturbing, but somehow remains utterly embracing. - Alex, Voiceworks.

More of the often subtle guitar and effects warping that Clinton has been perfecting for years now. The first track "The Random Will of Spheres" sounds much like its title, spheres randomly willing through the universe, flying through the ether with the greatest of ease. Lovely, whoozing science-fiction sounds. "A Home For Forgotten Things" brings thee drone, deep, dark, delving, slowed down hums and feedback moans. "Memory 2" seems to ride the Noise wave, crashing down upon itself in guitar dischordance; sounds like and unpleasant memory (for humans, perhaps). Then its drone time again, the title track "The War Against Sleep", softly crooning in the entrails of a the guitar amp, yawning to stay awake and alert; anti-lotus bass muzzling through the veils of unconsciousness. Perhaps, it goes on a little too long for me. "Memory 3" arms the guitar for another jaunt into louder sound, with lots of nice digital delay echo going on around the feedback. Then, "Azathoth 1" one of my favourtie Undecisive God peices, as this is totally subterranian sub-fi growling drones from beneath the floorboards: "things have learned to walk that aught to crawl". Too short, though. "Guitar in E (Short Version)" is more distortion and feedbacking, presumably in the key of E. "2-12-98" is chiming, stroking chords that hint at riffs without giving the game away - Taped Crusader #10

...a double sided cassette of pieces which I understand are largely guitar based. 'The random will of spheres' has tonal spirals, sirens, little insects of feedback and playing running through it, edgy but approachable. Things are slower and deeper in 'A home of forgotten things' with guitar strumming within the dense drones and some lovely long tones, while 'Memory 2' buzzes with electronic pulses and squirls, pulsing with some guitar theatrics at the end.

The long title track sounds like a bass solo the guitar grumbles and rolls with slow deep notes, slowly developing around the pulsing and squalls and draws you along. A brief feedbacky layered guitar in the edgy 'Memory 3', then a briefer bass solo 'Azathoth 1'. Squally long tones and deep vibrations from 'Guitar in E (short version)' before the tape concludes with a simpler, more contemplative guitar solo, relaxed and easy, with some production touches to vary the tone.

All in all a very nice collection of varied works, lofi production provides its atmospheric effects, and of a quality which begs for a wider audience. &etc

"Prodigal cassette - A relatively short outing (probably about 10 minutes or so) from this, one of the more adventurous music minds around. The piece starts off with a chant, and then quickly mutates into modulated electronic disturbances.

Which sounds an awful lot like a chant, really. The noise slowly evolves out to almost white noise, and then slowly comes back in, finishing with the chant once again.