It's been brought to Disaster Amnesiac's attention that No Sides Records have a clutch of new product heading out into the world, the actual physical world as well as the digital. This is always a fantastic message to be found when it is found, which happens at intervals of six to eight months if I'm gauging it correctly. No Sides release in batches of five to six new editions to their catalog, and they're always intriguing to downright ass kicking in their scope. Needless to say, it's time to dig in.
It's the split cassette release which doesn't appear to have any kind of title that's been dug into so far, and it's been a pleasure to hear from both of these groups. Aluminum Knot Eye is a new name to this listener, whereas Vocokesh, their music has been heard at some point or another, but admittedly only somewhat fleetingly and in the context of other Milwaukee, Wisconsin acts.
The former kick things off with Die Beschwörung in der Kloten Oase. Translates to something about summoning within that Deutsche-speak but that's as far as the semantics are going to go here. As a tune it hits with some immediate Freak Beat. Impactful guitar tones that run to the raw side, ripped soloing propelled by a tranced out rhythm section. Swearing that Lonely Woman is quoted within that solo action. The vocals are delivered with a properly psyched-out manner and after six minutes or so one can get the feeling of being around a Touch & Go Records bar-b-q in 1987 or so. Aktionist Spelunker follows all of that din, and after a rollin' drum intro which introduces phat tom tom tones that go for the duration, some more seriously Mid Western sonic beat down goes all unhinged for nicely lengthy durations. There's a spot wherein the group spaces out a bit, but they do it collectively and manage to pick up the pieces in a very coordinated way. After that their waves of energy playing goes off again and any kind of mistakes are forgiven and forgotten. The final track from Aluminum Knot Eye on this split is Western Violence and Brief Sensuality. Sunday comin' down vibes at first and an ominous Space Rock manifesto, spookily 'verbed. Disaster Amnesiac has imagined this song being performed at about 1:26 AM to a rapidly emptying club somewhere: a few die hards are still jamming along with the band while drunken stragglers at the bar cry and laugh at whichever spirits they'e engaged with. A Dead City Anthem if there ever was one and a fine way with which to end their portion documented by this release.
Vocokesh's Starship is the first of their two songs on the cassette. At first it's a blackened Kosmische trip with glitches and a sound of lasers blasting as they battle. Chordal forms are strummed on an electric guitar until the drums and bass kick in together and suddenly the listener finds themself in the midst of a Heavy Rock romp that features mile wide bass drum and cutting guitar tones. A pause lifts up the squeaking electronics section of Vocokesh for a minute. Eventually the proceedings conclude with a a Noise Jam note that gets pummeled in a pleasingly stretched out coda portion. This split release ends with Bucket Of Air, which has melodic Prog notes on the guitar. It's a pushed by a primitive break beat figure on the drums and syrupy bass guitar. An extendo-bliss guitar solo surfaces before the track dips into a b part which explores more atmospheric environments as the lasers reemerge before one last wind up and sonic pitch.
The press blurb for this new split cassette from Aluminum Knot Eye and Vocokesh mentions that they were "generally hated" by elements of some music scenes that were contemporary to them and within the same region. That the collective membership of these two bands have soldiered on and continued to produce impactful and interesting music gives testament to their disregard for aesthetic visions not in alignment with some kind of unique guiding star. So yeah, grab the tape and gaze at it for yourself!
