Noise! Often harsh, static, overbearing noise. There is a lot of vocal improvisation on some tracks. Two Norwegian women, Maja Ratkje (pronounced Mya Rache) and Hild Tafjord. Tafjord is part of Ratkje’s all-female jazz improv group SPUNK. Sometimes heavy machinery sounds, often static and feedback, lots of vocal noises and just plain abrasive. This is all improvised. Don’t be fooled by the pink CD, pick jacket and inviting eyes on the cover (the photo is a photo of Ratkje and Tafjord), they are all a trick to lure you in before crushing you with sound.
**1. One of the quieter more subtle tracks. Gurgling, bubbling, less harsh sounds for the first minute before childlike vocal improvisations show up. 3 or voices get layered and looped and the track gets more demented as this happens.
2. A lot more static and feedback loops. The track’s abrasiveness increases almost the entire length of the song. By the halfway point the track is full on Merzbow style noise. There is a more machine-like sound going on.
**3. Sounds like acoustic noise (sandpaper?) and pretty vocal noises. The contrast between the noises and the pretty vocals is wonderful. A couple minutes in more harsh feedback noise shows up
4. A high pitched tone and interspersed noise that oscillate for a while. The track builds in noise level a little bit but not a lot.
5. A low pitched drone before demented computer noises show up. This track sounds electro-acoustic. The track slowly sounds more like an avalanche of rocks and static.
6. The track is called Residents (not sure if they mean the band) and the track is more playful, with what sounds like sampled birds and upbeat keyboards. Distorted recording of a train? This track also has more improved sound as in it’s more obvious there are two people producing sounds and reacting to one and other. The last third of the track is full on harsh static noise, which gets very quiet for the last 30 seconds.
**7. Wow. Those are some scary, yet quiet vocal noises. They are mixed with manipulated water noises and a distant piano sound. This is probably the must subtle and quiet track. When Ratkje starts doing her vocal improvisations (which remind me a lot of David Moss on this track) there is a wonderful feeling of, what the hell are these women doing.
8. Harsh, heavy machinery style noise. There is some playfulness with what sounds like a manipulated harmonica.
9. Lots more vocal acrobatics. The noise slowly envelopes her vocals which then the vocals disappear.
10. Quiet beginning with echoed vocals. This is another track that sounds more obviously improvised.
Great stuff. -mph