Never heard, nor heard of L.A. musician/songwriter Harry Cloud before I opened the LP package. As soon as I saw the promo sheet indicating the genres were noise rock and sludge rock for fans of The Melvins, Cows, and Butthole Surfers, I said to myself, "Here we go again. More music that doesn't qualify for Chain D.L.K. genre parameters," but decided to listen to it anyway. Turns out it very much does qualify for review here, as 'Sexy Tooth Situation' is unabashedly weird. Forget the noise rock and sludge rock tags. This is truly something else! Opening with "Anthrax," a mournful tune with just guitars, Harry's voice and some synth backing vocals, the strangeness begins. "Black Is The Day" is rather sludgy with lots of distorted guitar. The beat is weird, kind of off kilter with the sort of vocals that might be found in art rock projects. "Journey To The Center Of The Spirit" begins by brings a bit of normalcy back into focus, kind of sounding like a regular rock band at first, but changes at the 2:30 mark into something more jazzy, then back again, all the while being instrumental, unless there are subdued wordless vocals mixed in. Then it slows down to a crawl before stopping for a break, then picks up speed turning into a breakneck rocker. There's certainly a 70's progressive element in this I really enjoy. Some may find all the changes hard to deal with, but I'm lovin' it!

"God's Tits" brings the noise/sludge to the fore, and while I wasn't knocked out by this track, many will likely love it. "Motherfucker #!" started out in the same vein but got totally weird 25 seconds in with odd sounds, voices and effects replacing the guitar/bass/drums. The latter comes back in at around 2:25 with screaming vocals but then...it goes piano/harp crazy, like somebody mixed in Liberace or new age music...just for a few seconds. "Special Ed" is mainly guitar and voice sounding fairly normal. Back to dark rock with "Is It Cool?" where all the interest lies in the song lyrics. If you have to ask, it probably isn't. I don't know where or how Harry came up with the title "Grasshopper Mouth Shit Head," but this is intentional avant rock. Perhaps a really bizarre insult? "Simple I Am" really steps out off the rock ledge balanced precariously on the tightrope between rock and storytelling. It slides nearly seamlessly into "Ketamine Drip" where it sounds like demons have taken over. It goes on for maybe a minute too long, but is still interesting. "My Story" contains samples from the movies "Loving Cousins" and "Graveyard Tramps," backed by a slow groove, and makes sense in its own way.

To be perfectly honest, I don't know who Harry Cloud's 'Sexy Tooth Situation' is going to appeal to, but surely he's got to have fans as he's been putting out music since 2012 with about 8 albums under his belt, several of them on vinyl, on his own Whiteworm Records label. I listened to a few tracks from Harry Cloud's (whose real name is Woodruff Foley) earlier releases, and while there was a good dose of strangeness, I don't think there was anything up to the level of 'Sexy Tooth Situation' so he's surely progressing. I should also give a mention to Paul Roessler who recorded this album at his Kitten Robot Studios, and also played synths and keys. The album cover art by Andrew Sedberry has the most visceral face on it since King Crimson's iconic 'In The Court of the Crimson King' 1969 album, so I would suggest you buy the 180g clear vinyl gatefold LP, which will probably become a collector's item.

Blake Fleming is a drummer and a founding member of Dazzling Killmen, Laddio Bolocko and The Mars Volta as well as being involved in other projects. Fleming has also been an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Oneonta since 2008, teaching private lessons and running a number of rock-based ensembles. Considering his background, you can expect some fairly aggressive drumming on 'The Beat Fantastic.' The album consists of twelve tracks, beginning with "First Transmission," a track primarily composed of noise and static with a vague, repeating melody. "Desert Frame One," which follows, is atmospherically Middle Eastern, but minimal. After some sparse electronics, "The Girl With The Electric Pants (remixed)" takes off into some solid patterned drumming. I'm hearing an invisible song on this one, and the brief break seemed reminiscent of mid-to-late period Scorn. While "Devolution Revolution Evolution (remixed)" likely has noting to do with Devo, there is a mechanical quality to it that's undeniable. "Desert Frame Two" employs similar drum sounds to the first, but expands on the theme a little. "Get Up" has a lot of percussive acrobatics and moves across the musical landscape like a tornado. "Time Slip" is more of an ambient piece than anything else, atypically droney for this album and not rhythmic, a refreshing change of pace. Got to love the hand percussion on "Drum Killah (remixed)" in combination with kit drums as well. An intense but varied number. "Dense Jaki" is an obvious tribute to Can drummer Jaki Liebezeit who passed away in 2017 and I can certainly hear his funky, yet cerebral krautrock influence on this one. If you were hoping for something more avant garde, here it is - "Paleo Cyber Kineticism (for the MC5)," a track that sounds as if it were recorded under a car from the 1960s with a bad carburetor. I've always loved the MC5 but there doesn't seem to be any connection to their music on this one. "Delancy Stomp" begins with the kind of rhythm track you might hear on a Yello album, but expands into something more aggressive/progressive before long. It all ends with "The Shadow Cast (remixed)," the most fully realized piece on the album. There is somewhat of a melody line, moving bass, chordal component, and a synth sequencer as well. I would have liked to have heard more of this kind of thing on the album.

With all of the programming beatmakers out there it's tough for a real drummer to have a standout album, but I think Blake hit the mark on this one. There is enough variety to make you want to give it multiple listens, and that it is available on vinyl (limited edition of only 300) makes it collectible as well.

Once again it's time for the annual 'Zaftig Research Holiday Sampler,' this time with the following artists: Stolen Light, Fail, Wilt Praying For Oblivion, Noise Hangover, Ben Arp, D.K.E., Narishkeyt, Orange, Persons Unknown & Praying For Oblivion, Goose, Platonoff, This What I Hear When You Talk, and R4. So let's delve into the goodies left under the tree this year, shall we? Stolen Light's "Black Friday Doorbusters" is a holiday shopping frenzied nightmare with a full consumer riot and noisy as fuck. Fail's track title "Something Far More Witty and Seasonal Would Have Been Here Had I Spent More Time On This" belies the excellent grey atmospheric droney dark ambient piece they offer in a little over 4 minutes. An ever darker, more malevolent ambient piece by Wilt follows, "Abyssal Soltice Chant," and even though I didn't hear any chanting, it's still a very cool piece. Praying For Oblivion's "Platschhonk + Bahkauv" is a sheet of industrial noise with modulations. When you are "Alone in the Space" Noise Hangover will drop by and terrorize you, sublimely and discreetly. Ben Arp's "Silent Night" at first sounds like the iconic carol was played on a glass harp, then turns into an industrial rock instrumental. D.K.E.'s "Christmas In T.V. Land" sounds like a noisy surrealistic dream in nightmare land. Go down the "Rabbit Hole" with Narishkeyt and experience a different kind of noise. Orange gives us "Father Christmas" which features the chains of Marley's Ghost, an electronically processed vocal recitation but is cut off abruptly. "Stechpalmen" by Persons Unknown & Praying For Oblivion is a howling, phase-shifted noise piece that I swear is masking some choir music. Goose steers us into some "Holiday Traffic" but the roads seem only lightly traveled. Platonoff's"Escalation" smacks with buzzy resonance and then the sound of things being broken, I think. Home invasion under the Christmas Tree or Krampus's Industrial Workshop? And the award for the artist with the longest track title goes to This What I Hear When You Talk for "I saw mommy kissing Santa Claus. The she started kssing all the elves, which was awkward. Once she moved on to the reindeer, I felt it was time for me to stop filming and leave." The track is a chaotic bundle of noise and voices and other sounds. Makes as much sense as the title. Thankfully, R4's "Silent Night" is not a rehash of the Christmas carol, but a very low key grey ambient soundscape. And there you have it, the '2024 Zaftig Research Holiday Sampler' and a good one at that. I think I've enjoyed this one more than previous Zaftig Holiday Samplers, and thanks for the Peanuts Christmas card Brett. Happy New Year!

At last! Another album from Prague, Czech Republic, gothic rock band Cathedral in Flames, and this time a full album! The last we met was back in 2020 with 'Children Of The Blackest Hole'. Nice to know the lineup is basically the same - Phil Lee Fall - lead vocals; Gatsby - bass, keyboards, guitar, programming; Billac de Ville - guitars; Ambra Von Bernstein - backing vocals, with additional guitars by Pavel Marcel. What I like about these folks is that they're unabashedly goth, while other dark music outfits seem stigmatized by such direct genre classification. First track, "Deep Grave" is an over-the-top rocker with Mr. Fall's deep, gravelly voice steering this ghost ship valiantly into the maelstrom. There's a lot to unpack sonically on this one so it is certainly worth more than just a listen. Radio chatter heralds "Summertime," an upbeat anomaly for a goth band, but a good one. Nice harmonies on this one. "Penetrate Me" has a lot more going for it than your average gothic rock song, and although with all they've got going on, the hook gets a little lost, it has this old school charm that can't be denied. It's nice they do a break with just the vocals and minimal musical backing so you can really understand what they';re saying.

"The Gate" showcases more of Ambra's vocals in the beginning, a really good thing. This song oozes gothic atmosphere and just may be the best song on the album. Where else would you expect a song titled "Not Another Vampire Song" but on a gothic rock album. There are elements that keep this one from being just another gothic song about vampires, and I'm hearing a definite Sisters of Mercy influence on this one. Ambra is given the lead on "Steam Punk Queen" and it's a refreshing change of pace. Pretty cool song too. The slow number on 'Count To Nine' is "Dreaming In The Witch House" and I don't know how Phil Lee Fall's vocals could go any lower in pitch and still sound melodic. I'd like to mention that all the vocals sound very Euro, quite unlike anything produced here but what else would you expect? "Pale Rider" is kind of like crossing Fields of the Nephilim with Wall of Voodoo, an interesting combination. Ninth track on the album (get the title now?) is "Release The Pain," a capable closer. I just noticed by reading the band's Bandcamp site that the album was produced by Gatsby and Jon Fryer, and mixed by Fryer as well. You may remember him from the 4AD label and This Mortal Coil, but he has worked with many in the general goth/industrial genres including Nine Inch Nails, Gravity Kills, Clan of Xymox, etc., etc, so the production is spot on. There is little to not like about this album (although I think they need a real drummer) and I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I didn't already have it. (Thanks for the T-shirt too guys; I will wear it proudly.) You should too if you love good gothic rock, and I recommend the red vinyl. Costs a bit more but worth it.

New Zealand soundscape artist Rudy Adrian's 20th full length album and his 10th release on the Spotted Peccary label is pretty much what we've come to expect from this natural environmental ambient composer. This time the theme is quite unified with all track titles reflecting the album title - "The Sleepy Hills, 1-9". To get 'Beyond The Sleepy Hills' you need to not fall asleep over the course of an hour these tracks play, and that might be difficult to do, depending on your state of relaxation. While for some the music on this album might be conducive to somnambulism, most will experience a meditative, relaxed state of mind, a kind of sublimely guided calm. Adrian's soundscapes here are not just hypnotic droney pieces leading to a snooze-fest. They are parts of a journey, shaded with the colours of nature, never static, constantly moving. Yet there is a flow and consistency throughout, free from any jarring motifs or abruptness. Adrian said," I created 'Beyond the Sleepy Hills' with sleep and healing in mind. What makes this album different from my other projects is that the musical events are softer and more subtle - allowing, I hope, for a soothing listening experience." Perhaps some unintended consequences might be the emotional response such music may elicit. Some may find a wistful sadness on some of the tracks, and while no memorable themes are produced, the nebulous pads can still trigger psychological and spiritual chords. Adrian's sonic palette is somewhat limited on this album, and that's likely by choice. There are only so many sounds that work well in drowsiness without breaking the atmosphere. Some may find this boring, but if you're looking for excitement, look elsewhere. This is an album of slow music for people who want to escape the rush and chaos of civilization. God knows we need it.