New Music: Public Defecation, Jenny Haniver, Zura Makharadze, Kate Finley

Four new releases for you to explore. Genres: Noise, Experimental, Ambient, Post-Rock, Grindcore, Minimal Electronic, Musique Concrete

Public Defecation
Hallucinations of Happiness
March 2024, Ember Lugosious | emberlugosiousrecordings.bandcamp.com

New Hampshire based Grind/Noise outfit Public Defecation recently unloaded their latest manifesto “Hallucinations of Happiness” upon the masses; 15 blistering skullfuckers that could fit comfortably on a single sided 7”. Absorbed as a whole, it’s rapid fire, blast beats, harsh noise, blown out vocals and roaring guitars in 2 to 10 second bursts that only ever slow down long enough to burn to death in the fried dirge of it’s second to last track. There’s a whole lot of nuance here that’s not easily articulated, but seeing as the whole thing clocks in at around 5 minutes, it’s not a huge risk to just experience the crispness for yourself. Oh, did I mention the artwork is gnarly AF?

Jenny Haniver
Haunt Your Own House
April 2024, Landland Colportage | jennyhaniverpdx.bandcamp.com

Jenny Haniver is the new collaborative project from Eric Niffler of Chase Bliss Audio and Randall Taylor of AMULETS. Their debut is a luscious post-everything masterwork that orbits the same dying star as groups like Mogwai and 65DAYSOFSTATIC. I’ve followed AMULETS since the first tape loops on Tumblr, and Randall’s silky soundscapes definitely come through here, albeit often twisted and formed into post-rock style instrumentals that sometimes recall old movie westerns (is that a pedal steel I hear?). When the band rocks, they rock hard with roaring riffs and piston-like drums, and when they want to soothe and lull, they pull you in tight and wrap you up in airy guitars upon beds of cloudy electronics. The actual recording/sound/engineering quality is beautiful, too! Essential.

Zura Makharadze
Dionysus’ Blood & Sperm In Our Mouths
April 2024, Venalism  | venalism.bandcamp.com

Zura Makharadze is a mixed media artist from Tiblisi, Georgia. He works extensively with performance artist Darja Kazimira to create, often organically visceral, live actions. “Dionysus’ Blood…” perfectly captures what being in the middle of a performance would sound and feel like. Heavy use of various percussive instruments and natural objects to formulate rhythms that invoke the indigenous, tribal music of our ancestors. Darja’s vocals, when they appear, are used more as an instrument than a singing narrative. Raw emotions pour from the gentle sighs and gasps, as well as the raging screams and cries (reminiscent of Blixa Bargeld at times). The percussion gets so wild that I’m reminded of John Bonham’s massive solo on Led Zeppelin’s “Moby Dick”. The esoteric, the unapologetically sexual, and their shared connections are emotionally explored throughout. Closest overall comparison I can think of is maybe Z’Ev, but that just scratches the surface. There are lots of layers of spiritual rubble to dig through, should you have the emotional constitution to do so. Definitely worth a listen.

Kate Finley
lacrosse
March 2024, Venalism  | venalism.bandcamp.com

All 22 minutes of “lacrosse” showcases Kate Finley’s innate talent for maximizing the minimal; music thin as tissue paper, but stronger than steel beams. I must confess, the initial couple of ambient pieces fit in so well, and had me so subdued, I didn’t even realize tracks had transitioned at all (I was halfway through “mandaree” before noticing). “rumor” lets you know things are different now, with it’s minimal, empty, dusty crackling, void of connection. “terminator” teases a dance club somewhere in the distance… maybe behind a reinforced brick wall. “aqueduct” does that, too, but gives us more music to work with. These tracks remind me of experiencing Porter Ricks live in an intimate space a few years back. “prosthetic” closes us out with waves of heated ambience, sloshing above racing keyboards and well buried percussive electronics. A very soothing, and quick moving, experience that’s worth every one of those aforementioned 22 minutes.