If there's anything that 2009 has taught me, it's that music in Britain is currently only scratching the surface of experimentation. "Avant-garde" (French for vanguard) should mean something - music that is doing something that hasn't been done before for the advancement and betterment of the musical universe.
Atomized, arguably, aren't doing anything different than what artists like Merzbow or Nod or Whitehouse have been doing for decades, but I'm very much glad that music like this is still being produced, released and marketed today (the last term used loosely but). Because Throbbing Gristle beat us all to it and the industrial experimental period of the 1970s/80s pretty much covered all new ground, noise and industrial producers on the whole instead elect the challenge of sheer intense volume over originality - which isn't a great tactic for music makers unless you want to make something your fans can wake the neighbourhood with. Still, this output serves a great social purpose - it's music that's dark, emotionless, cold, and at times very frustrating. It's something different to the status quo and anything that seeks to destroy norms should always be welcome.
In addition, more often than not, because of the exceedingly experimental edge and unlikeable qualities noise music and outsider musicianship often generates, releases of that kind are mind-bustingly cheap to buy. Never any more than 4 or 5 quid, even newly released noise projects hardly break the bank. Kovorox Sound is an independent soundstage in Glasgow founded by the marvellously named Kylie Minoise, whose sole aim is to release experimental noisey records from admired contemporaries either from around the area or from places as far afield as Russia or Japan (see list of releases through the link below). As part of my personal adventure into contemporary music, I've found it upon myself in 2010 to buy and digest music from small unknown labels around the world in addition to the usual big-label bad boys. Straight from the outset, the title of this album "Hits of the 80's" peaked my interest, and the titles of the tracks ("Lucky Star", "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?") even more-so. Purporting to be a disc of no wave style industrial covers of what were originally great 80s pop tracks, I couldn't resist putting my name down and giving it a bash.
So now I've had the album a while and I've listened to it a number of times, I can safely say that apart from a few screamed lyrics here and there, these 'covers' do not only barely resemble the originals, they don't resemble them AT ALL! Instead of candidly comparing them to the originals (as the sheer difference in sound and scope makes this inexplicable), it's only possible for me to discuss their merits as standalone compositions. The opening "Like to Get to Know You Well" works as an extended breakdown of reverbed screeching, over-amplified basslines and relentless shouting, and this builds the listener up to the very bleak and spacey "Lucky Star" where the compressed vocals are only faintly heard whispering in the distance. In sharp contrast, the very repetitive but very black metal-esque "Do You Really Want to Hurt Me?" showcases itself as a definite stand-out; a track that incorporates aural themes of anger, pain and hunger. The disc then closes off with the bombastic but slow-to-start "Fade to Grey" (revitalised by its remarkably tacky music video) and the brief almost non-existent and droney "Fantastic Day".
To those unfamiliar to listening to drone and noise, it's perfectly understandable to reject this kind of music as self-indulgent pishwankery. But I would personally argue, whether it took any talent or not to make, this kind of music can be beneficial to so many people in different ways. Just listening to the same noisey loop on repeat for five minutes can eventually induce a trancelike effect; listeners may become affected by the overall mood and tone of a piece - whether it be excited, sluggish or whatever. Some people may just want to scream along or lay down frustrated at their lives and let a sheet of noise and unforgiving drone wash over their ears. "Hits of the 80's", as already made clear, doesn't do anything new - especially compared to the already publicised output of the two constituent members of Atomized (Kylie Minoise; and Russell McEwan of Black Sun) - but certainly this album I think, in all the possibilities one could suggest, does work as a great introduction to minimalist, angry, droney electronic genres. Whilst still remaining very very unaccessible to the public majority, there are elements of simple structure in the songs on this disc that very well could persuade listeners onto new things.
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For information on releases you can buy from Kovorox Sound, check here (must have PayPal in order to buy I should warn):
http://www.kovoroxsound.com/KOVOROXRELEASES.htm
Details of the "Hits of the 80's" album and a link to buy:
http://www.kovoroxsound.com/ATOMIZED%20HITS%20OF%20THE%2080S.html
ATOMIZED "Fade to Grey", this video pretty much details everything you need to know about the band - humourously hideous and never taking themselves too seriously (I supposed you kinda have to in drone and noise circles):
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