This is the first outing for Manchester based, lo-fi label Carnivals
and what an excellent start it is!! A split release from touring
buddies A middle sex and Temperatures with an awesome eye-boobs cover
(this sounds crude but that is what appears to be going on). A Middle
Sex have produced their best work so far with ‘Unclean Yawn’. I’ve seen
this Manchester improvised noise trio on a number of occasions and
can’t help but be amazed at the wonders that they conjure with such
simple tools. Swirling loops of drone and wailing feedback act as a
canvas for layered tribal drums, scattered vocal chants and some
sinister guitar wailings of the best kind. What amazes me is the
consistency of the track and it’s valiant efforts to cover all bases,
wandering from rapturous outpourings of sound and rhythm to static
drones, drifting ambience and ‘almost’ pop friendly bliss. This is a
total winner! Comparative to the Boredoms, Black Eyes and (to an
extent) Liquid Liquid for there ability to successfully merge uplifting
ambience with thunderous assaults of rhythm. Awesome. Temperatures
'Bifurcation' is an entirely different beast, 16 minutes of miserable,
spiteful, hulking free jazz madness steadily corroding in on itself.
Bass dirge and moog drone are juxtaposed with a one handed mad man
drumming to create a crazy wild soundtrack to your own death. I've
heard Temperatures in more inventive spirits than on 'Bifurcation' but
they do succeed in boaring a giant sized hole in my cranium with thier
deliberately intense, self decaying sonic mish mash. Ace. Both sides of
this record are totally worth hearing. This is easily my choice for
album of the month...hint hint.