Outsider Art Batch October 2021

Outsider Art, 4 Cassette batch, October 2021.

https://outsiderart.bandcamp.com/

https://outsiderart.bigcartel.com/

Natural Orthodoxy – Industrial Athletes – Cassette/Download – 2021 – OA084

https://outsiderart.bigcartel.com/product/natural-orthodoxy-industrial-athletes

https://naturalorthodoxy.bandcamp.com/

Manchester’s Natural Orthodoxy is one of the newer UK Power Electronics to be producing high quality work, having previously released tapes on Outsider Art, Total Black and Phage Tapes since it began 2017.

Natural Orthodoxy utilizes accelerating drones, clatter and voice samples for ‘Living for The Weekend by Hard Fi Plays In Headphones While Antique Revolver Is Loaded’. These three components play off each other perfectly, there are some impressive, nasty loaded undercurrents buried within this work. However, they pop to the forefront as further revving drone, noise and vocals square up to each other in ‘This Workplace is a family/Terminated Without Severance for Failing to Meet Delivery Quota’, the vocals add real impact to this track.

I am impressed by the ominous drones and sharp frequencies, even more so when I read the title, ‘Coordinated Assassination of Middle-Management Tyrants Across the UK’. What I feel is happening here is PE based on the impact everyday work life has on a person and that is great - the horror of the day job amplified through this work makes me delirious and grateful at the same time. By the time we hit ‘Our Employees are Strictly Forbidden from Urinating In Bottles on the Workshop Floor’ I am impressed at the spite being spat back out at everyday life.

I once read how Power Electronics is ultimately an impotent sound form, this someone’s core feelings made whole – a common occurrence on Outsider Art releases. Listening to this on headphones, I feel empowered and got a good buzz of this release. Natural Orthodoxy continues to go from strength to strength.

Soulsdue – Neon Sucking Caterpillar Mask – Cassette/Download – 2021 – OA085

https://outsiderart.bandcamp.com/album/neon-suckling-caterpillar-mask

Neon Suckling Caterpillar Mask is the debut release from Brighton based project Soulsdue.

This one is interesting, it has immediate parallels to Ritual Chair’s Ashamed release from 2019 through its’ vocal narrative, but those die off well as the spoken dialogue is repeatedly punctuated by different blasts of noise – I am impressed by the contrast as the dialogue is clear and the noise is pure and raw. This is a simple formula, but it is sounds fresh, original and most importantly - very effective. The pure and raw components spark off each other perfectly, I almost feel excitement at what is going to happen next throughout the whole release.

I will summarise this as a piece of work that is Steven Jesse Bernstein level brilliant and I excitedly, truly hope that there will be more to come. This is a brilliant release and one of this year’s best.

Tired Out – DJG & Playworker – Cassette/Download – 2021 – OA086

https://outsiderart.bandcamp.com/album/tired-out

https://danieljgregory.bandcamp.com/

DJG (Daniel J. Gregory) and Playworker’s (Dean Lloyd Robinson) collaboration begins as ominous contrasts of sharp pitched, screeching noise, blasts of distortion and cluttering sounds forming Torn Out. It is as if the three sounds conflict with each other and the speed of this conflict is in a constant state of flux. Shifting away from this, Ripped Out uses high-pitched feedback as its lone intro whilst clutter and humming drones eventually appear in the background.  This uses noise that has a rawness and aggression that is in line with Soulsdue, interweaving links between the different tapes. Sounds take on different meanings as things go quieter and play off in the large sense of space that is formed from doing this. This is a temporary quietness as the sounds explode again and the resulting Cacophony is immense.

Burnt Out feels more in line with wall noise, but it retains a clear definition of each element (feedback, clutter and sharp pitches of noise), I admire the difference between each Out. Space felt through minimal noise returns for the title track Tired Out as the experimentation continues when blasts of feedback, clutter and twanging interrupt. This piece goes through a lot of shifts in sound compared to other thacks.

This work is four tracks of shifting, experimental aggression. This is a strong release of well delivered ideas.

Kuebiko – Hemlock, Fool’s Parsley or Cowbane – Cassette/Download – 2021 – OA087

https://outsiderart.bandcamp.com/album/hemlock-fool-s-parsley-or-cowbane

I have been lucky enough to see this project do some amazing live shows over the last few years. I have a lot of high hopes for Kuebiko and really want this release to be good. Hemlock… is Kuebiko’s second release for Outsider Art.

Experimental playfulness forms as strings and field recordings fill out the sound. As the piano enters the track, it is like rays of sunlight bursting through heavy clouds. Flute, tapping and further field recordings of chatter and conversation blend until noise throws bad vibes over the hope. Untitled Continued has a sound that is more cohesive with drones and vocals. Field recordings of a different environment emerge, but are less defined and piano burst remerges, throwing beauty across the work. As deep rumblings emerge under the piano melody, it is near perfect.

The progression the project has shown is impressive and I am excited to see how this will be translated into a live setting. Funny enough Kuebiko is playing live next week so I will find out. Either way this release is another Gem of 2021.

This batch is the most experimental that I have heard from Outsider Art and easily one of the strongest. It would be hard to pick a best one out of the four as each of them shines in their own unique way. All are well worth getting - support this label. All titles are available from the Big Cartel link above.

Coventry Soul 2021

Natural Orthodoxy - Northern Bleakness.

Natural Orthodoxy – Trust Exercises – Total Black - Cassette – 2019 – Total Black 112

https://naturalorthodoxy.bandcamp.com/

https://totalblack.bandcamp.com/

A.

Nauseating Spectacle.

Visited Upon the Son.

Trust Exercises.

B

Amateur Dentistry.

Lost Time.

Cognitive Alteration.

Natural Orthodoxy is a Manchester UK based project that formerly operated as UVB-76. There have been around 5 releases under the Natural Orthodoxy name on The Aleph, Vanity Pill Tapes and Phage Tapes. There have been live shows across the UK with Pharmakon, Svartit and Full of Hell. Their latest tape Trust Exercises tape on Total Black comes with a free A4 poster.

Natural Orthodoxy is part of a faction of UK Power Electronics that doesn’t seem to hark back to the conceptual themes of the 80s glory days, they seem to come from somewhere else; a personalised source of anger? I am aware of different clusters of strong projects and labels in the UK, despite the lack of frequent gigs and things being more difficult for promoters now. However, coming from the North in Manchester, this resonates bleakness before it’s even played, when played it has an air of loss despair and then resonates even more bleakness. There’s lots of low level, bits of noise passages of sound happening as things build up. The vocals that are at first are shoved in the background and very effective, it often sounds like a shit cop-out when some projects do it, but here it ties in with the work perfectly. The visual juxtapositions never ending flats and glimpses of nature say plenty and compliment the work well.

The second side is the build-up that starts off as a continuation of the earlier bleakness, but riots of sound soon seem to emerge from it. The vocal is now well at the forefront and leads into the choppy, harsh walls of Lost Time. Cognitive Repetition is relentless repetition with a vocal sample buried underneath, warbled vocals that take the forefront look back to those 80s glory days of the UK noise scene whilst the keyboards resonate forwards.

I’ve been listening to this a lot, there are a lot of nods to older Natural Orthodoxy material that then push in new directions. At first, I felt this was just a good collection of separate tracks, but on closer inspection it all ties in well to make a very strong overall recording and the experimental qualities shine across the variety of tracks presented. What this has done is made me interested enough to go and look at other recordings by the project and I look forward to whatever the future brings. I’m glad I discovered it.

Choppy Noodles 2019.