Crudedecues - S/T (Twin Beds CD-R)

Here's a disc I just got in the mail from Nathaniel of Twin Beds fame. Here presenting his first solo outing under the Crudedeuces name, Brennan branches out from the group improv stylings of his other unit in favor of a more insular and personal approach that manages to focus the energies of his other unit down to a giant cosmic mashing of psychedelic sludge.

At four tracks and about 35 minutes, the work gives ample time for each track to develop at its own rate. The first track's 11 minutes flow gently through a thick haze of fog as sitar loops, drum patterigns, vocal utterances and who knows what else melt into each other with peaceful mis/indirection that treks similar ground as Ashtray Navigations, Vibracathedral Orchestra and Sunburned at their most psychedelically minded. Yet Brennan always infuses his work with his own sense of crude (there you go...), anything goes sonic experimentation and though the track sounds heavily crafted it still keeps intact all of the odd rhythms and "mesh as you will" sounds that keep the piece so interesting.

The second track is the shortest, presenting just over two minutes of guitar slaying, vocal moaning, radio chatter and static. Could be the soundtrack to some guitar god standing on the Mountains of Madness during a lightning storm, head banging as dragons careen in the skies above. Total slayer, blown to hell blast that nevertheless retains the densely intersecting, genre-defying qualities that keep the disc so interesting. Same goes for the third track, the longest on the disc, which starts as a typewriter in an air vent hum before moving through more motor and grind haze, feedback abounding. Even when working in this kind of tape filth and grime, Brennan's pieces always move and remain something to follow. There are enough small murmurs and background meshings here to keep it sounding fresh and exciting without losing any of its strange and mechanized atmosphere. Even presents minor little melodies here and there, puttering about like a tiny toy orchestra. Really nice.

The disc closes with further excursions into repetitive rumbling territory, here osunding less industrial and more just desert strewn garbage drone. Really weird little progressions take place, almost prog-sounding but with more than a hint of zonk underpinning it. Just stoned to hell, with busy little flashes of electrocuted riffage. A really excellent disc and great representation of Brennan's amazing sound. Beautiful little package too (they always are), but limited to 33 so contact the man himself if you want to snag one. Also saw it over at Tomentosa where it's a ridiculous bargain at $4. Awesome!