19th December 2009

Audio with 12 plays with 1 note

Axemen - The 2-Bit Star
Scary Pt. III (Siltbreeze)

Siltbreeze reissued Axemen’s Scary Pt. III record on vinyl in July, and a promo copy arrived at WMUA earlier this week.  Strange timing, but I can’t complain; the thing’s awesome.

Axemen were/are an art-punk group formed in New Zealand in the early ’80s, and Scary Pt. III was a 1989 release originally only to be found on cassette.  From what I’d heard of the group, I was expecting something less weird, but I found myself comparing them to just slightly less out-there Residents.  This 2-LP record is all over the map, ranging from negated-pop tunes in the vein of the Residents, to straight noise tracks, to synth-dance, to synth-punk.  You’ll hear guitars, drums, bass, and vocals, like you’d probably expect, but also samples, drum machines, and effected ambient noise.  It’s a difficult listen, but so is some of the most interesting music out there.

I’m still processing most of this record, but while I do, check out “The 2-Bit Star,” one of the more accessible tracks from the set.

Tagged: WTFhonkers and squeakers