Review: 2 from Cruel Nature - Lush Worker & Reptilians From Andromeda

It's apt that I write this review less than 48 hours away from the annual vinyl bunfest that is 'Record Store Day' - that 'one' day when people queue for hours for some shoddy pressing of an album that is freely available ALL YEAR ROUND! or a piss poor Elton John picture disc or, gods forbid, a 10 LP retrospective boxset of Nickelback. (Remember kids everyday is Record Store Day!). In these days of 'vinyl is god', there are certain sections of the music community who refuse to believe that there is some damn good music being released on other formats. I am, of course, referring to the good ol' tape which is making somewhat of a comeback. Those of us of a certain age have fond memories of tapes....that mixtape we made for a girl at school we were trying to impress, that slightly more sophisticated mixtape we made for a girl at college we were trying to impress and that Throbbing Gristle mixtape we made for that sallow youth at work who swore blind that Nine Inch Nails were 'really shaking things up' (true story.) Sorry, I digress...there are some fantastic labels out there who are releasing some truly great music via the medium of tape...I'm thinking of Eggs In Aspic and Cruel Nature in particular. Cruel Nature are home to one of this blog's fave bands FRET! and have regularly been putting out some challenging, thought provoking and/or damn noisy tapes...and I love 'em for it. Recently they released the Reptilians From Andromeda 'Groove Overdrive' tape...more of which later, and coming very soon are two Lush Worker albums collected on one tape - 'Impervium / Reformer'.

Lush Worker - Impervium / Reformer

The last time Mike Vest's Lush Worker project was featured on these pages was the 'Realms' album last October...I believe words like 'crushing' and 'cavernous' were used (read the review here)and these two albums are no different. Both recorded last year, they are devastatingly heavy 'trips' into the far reaches of Vest's psyche. I would imagine most readers will be aware of Mike Vest's output in one guise or another..whether it's the brain scrambling psych of Blown Out, the drone infused doom stylings of Bong or the noisy mayhem of Haikai No Ku (there are many, many more...11Paranoias, Lobster Priest, Space Victim, Drunk In Hell, Basillica, Melting Hand and Dodge Meteor)...and the one thing they all have in common is Vest's guitar and that has now become a real stamp of quality. The sheer noise and power that he can get from his instrument is frightening...when employed in, say, Blown Out, it produces waves upon waves of rolling psychedelic riffs that are as heavy as hell but still with the power to mesmerise, whereas in Lush Worker it results in something approaching GBH. Both 'Impervium' and 'Reformer' are full of dark, echoing layers of fuzz and wah-wah which pass through the psychedelic barrier and into a territory of all of their own...the atmospheres are sepulchral and the drones are dense and impenetrable. What we are left with is almost of hour of nightmarish soundscapes and reverberating riffs that work on two levels; the initial punishing sound and power is the aural equivalent of being kicked in the throat but underneath it all is a subtlety and lightness of touch that, if you actually listen to the music, raises it above sonic terrorism and into the reaches of hypnagogia. Brilliant stuff as usual from Mr Vest and Cruel Nature. The tape is currently on pre-order at the Cruel Nature Bandcamp page here...but get in quick, there are only 50!



Reptilians From Andromeda - Groove Overdrive

Now this is a beast of a whole different colour. Reptilians From Andromeda are from Istanbul and are apparently a bit of a cult band over there. 'Groove Overdrive' is five tracks of what has been labelled garage rock but, certainly in this reviewer's opinion, owes more to the post-punk of the early eighties, goth and New York No-Wave. All five tracks are incredibly infectious and pretty damned cool. There are traces of Joy division, Killing Joke, a smattering of Lydia Lunch and a dash of early Sisters of Mercy all topped off with female vocals with charm and a level of insouciance that just accentuates the whole punk/goth vibe. The music and the format combined to bring a nostalgic tear to my eye..remembering days past and loves won and lost. That being said, there is far more to Reptilians From Andromeda than a trip back in time...the music has a freshness and a vibrancy that is hard not to like. As if that wasn't enough, it was produced by Fran Ashcroft (Pretty Things,The Kingsmen,Lords of Acid). 'Groove Overdrive' can be purchased via the Cruel Nature Bandcamp page here and there are only 45 copies worldwide!



The fact that these two releases are so different but both top quality speaks volumes about the label. A glance at their bandcamp page shows the depth and breadth of their roster and it all driven by a keen sense and a sharp eye on quality. All their releases are challenging in one way or another but, from the ones that I've heard, all exceptional releases. Kudos to Cruel Nature. Finally, I need to get something of my chest.....I love tapes! There..I've said..it's out there....deal with it!