THE SKULL DEFEKTS - SKKULL REVIEWS AQUARIUS The Skull Defekts are another one of those bands that seem to have gone from some unknown entity with just a cd-r and a tape, to a serious band, with an avalanche of releases, in the blink of an eye. So much so that it's been tough for us to keep up. This is the first of maybe three cds that have come out in the last little while, but the first we're actually getting around to reviewing. In the review of the only other SD release we've listed and reviewed, a now out of print lp on Conspiracy Records, we said that "if there was any justice in the world, these guys would be battling Wolf Eyes for the hipster noise rock crown for sure," and this record, along with all the others we have yet to review, but will soon, only reaffirms that sentiment. But whereas Wolf Eyes are lo-fi and murky, using piles of junk and damaged electronics and instruments that look (and sound) like they were sitting in a garage rusting for 20 years, The Skull Defekts seem to approach their noise with a bit more technical savvy, to the point of sounding mostly electronic, which they may very well be, but it's a testament to these guys and their sound that it's pretty difficult to tell what exactly is going on and what manner of soundmaking devices could produce this glorious racket. But who cares really, when it sounds this amazing, and mysterious, fucked up and so beautifully damaged. The opening track here sounds like a Oval, but after being stored on decaying tape in William Basinski's attic for 20 years. A hypnotic looped soundscape of glitched electronics, haunting electronic melodies, crumbling distorted textures, alien beeps and bloops, all strung together into haunting melodies, and lurching barely perceptible rhythms, the song constantly crapping out, being swallowed up by distortion, as if it was being played back on a broken tape player, a skipping cd player and blown speakers simultaneously. A gorgeous chunk of decayed beauty. Of modern electronic corrosion. The second track is a slow growing drone, a warm electronic warble, a resonant thrum, drifting beneath shimmering metallic melodies, like Niblock covered by Wolf Eyes, a barely shifting series of sounds and layers, the various components becoming more and more distressed as the piece progresses, more distorted, less cohesive, but weirdly enough, more and more lovely. The last half of the record is split into two parts, the first is a cloud of chaotic high end, a little bit Sunroof!, a little bit Vibracathedral Orchestra, but anchored by looped electronics and a relentless klaxon pulsing in the background, giving the track a strange sort of momentum, not at all unlike Avarus or Anaksimandros on Kompakt. The second part, and final track on the record, is a long dirge-y drone, of thick corrosive electronics and warm whirring low end, always on the verge of erupting into full on sludge, but instead, grinding glacially through a landscape of dark rumble and thick rib cage rattling throb... SOUND OF MUSIC På ”Skkull” har duon förvandlats till trio. Jean-Louis Huhta (slagverk, maskiner) gör entré. Fyra låtar – jihoo! Befriande att inte dyka ner i ett långt verk samtidigt som helheten imponerar. Det är en rasande bra skiva, 35 minuter som inte lämnar mig ifred. Första låten, ”Sex Fracture”, hackar sig fram, bryts ned och upp, ett kugghjul utan stopp. Här sitter varenda liten pusselbit, total samklang mellan elementen. Hårt, skoningslöst och extremt suggestivt. Vacker musikkirurgi. De övriga tre låtarna är mystiska och mörka. ”Carved in Bones”, är en färd in i dronelandskap plus rasslande och industriella ljud som skapar en tät och hotfull atmosfär. ”Breathing Your Face” får mig att tänka på Neil Campbells enmansprojekt Astral Social Club. Burkiga ljud som cirklar runt, runt, runt, som en manisk ritual, men varningssignalerna bryter igenom, och den där rytmen, pulsen, suger sig fast, stannar upp, vilar, laddar batterierna. Även här finns det korrespondenser mellan de vitt skilda ljuden. Det sista och längsta spåret, ”Six Six For Eyes”, påminner om Poloniumskivan, monoton, hypnotisk, med mörka dronemoln och upprepande och accelererande slowmotionkatastrofkänsla. (PM Jönsson) VICE The guy behind our favourite Swedish noise label Ideal also plays in a band. And they’re actually good! I would even say great if it wasn’t for the singing, but since there’s no singing on this one it’s all smooth sailing. We’re talking shifting lights, tunnels and dark caves with condensation dripping on the floor. This is what nature would sound like if the world was an industrial unit. VITAL WEEKLY #571 The core of The Skull Defekts is formed by Joachim Nordwall, also known as The Idealist and the owner of Ideal Records and Henrik Rylander, also known as himself, who both love the idea of a band. On their previous release 'Open The Gates Of Mimer' (see Vital Weekly 509) they were helped by Lasse Marhaug and Thomas Ekelund, whereas on 'Skkull' they get help from Jean-Louis Huhta, of Oscid and who was a member in a previous incarnation. Can't say I'm expert on the music of The Skull Defekts, but it seems to me that this album is a major step forward. The previous (see also the review in Vital Weekly 509) was quite a force de noise, but here the three are in an electronic land. All of three of them are known to be playing a variety of synthesizers of the analogue variety. And whereas it's less noise oriented as the previous one it's still sound that goes straight in your brain. Built around piercing sounds humming from the analogue synths, sometimes coming in small repeating blocks and sometimes like motors droning in the back. Quite minimal but with enough changes to ensure full satisfaction. I must say I like this new album/direction much better than the previous release and hopefully they will continue exploring this road.(FdW) IT'S A TRAP I got a few copies of the new album "Skkulls" from all-star noise collective The skull defekts over the weekend and it's a monster. Truthfully, it's quite a bit more subdued than the live document "Open the gates of Mimer", but aural brutality is still their main calling-card. As the text under the CD states, "The extra K is feedbacking your skkull / Beware / Explode". They aren't fooling around. However, if you're expecting Masonna or Merzbow-level cacophony, you'll probably be disappointed as this record is far more minimalist and controlled. Group improv still factors as a huge part of their sound, but the pure electronic origins of the recording gives the music an icy coldness that separates it from their other work. Opening track "Sex fractures" is a good introduction - there's a recurring, two-note rhythmic theme that holds it together. As the title suggests, the piece is fractured and the sound cuts in and out, threatening to fall apart at any moment. It spits and crackles and hums. The band tends toward droning ambience elsewhere on the record, but I really enjoy the way they use interspersed silence here. Very recommended. RATING: 9 / -