It's taken over five years, but it had to happen in the end. So many Martin Archer collaborations that are satisfying in diverse ways. There was the one with Julie Tippetts that led to confess my philistine blind spot for poetry, but even there I had the feeling that the fault might lie with me.
Now here's an album featuring him (and Sheffield fellow traveller Mick Beck) that I can say unequivocally I don't like and don't really want to hear again. I'd bet good money that you'd feel the same. But then you'd have known that just from reading this Last.fm profile
A grinding, rumbling distorto sub-bass death march with jackhammering machine beats… sounds kinda Godfleshy at first… but then, what's this? Heavy-duty blasts of saxophone, flute and bassoon?? Yes indeed, Combat Astronomy combine industrial metal with freaked out free jazz and prog. Yet there's also interludes of calm — doomy passages of ambient moodiess with droning, multitracked reeds. And then it's back to the grind. The rhythms are punishingly mechanical, but also interestingly off-kilter. The weird timing adds to the sense of unease that's also built up by the squonky, skronky sax bleating and ominious electronics… Who's responsible for this brutal, beautiful madness? Built upon the foundation of the distorted bass, guitar and programmed beats of one James Hugget from Minnesota USA, in collusion/collision with the saxes, clarinet, violin and effects of Sheffield UK's Martin Archer. Two of Archer's pals join in on flute and bassoon as well. The results are likely to alienate all but the most adventurous jazz, metal, and prog fans. Could certainly be a good one for fans of Godflesh, God, 16-17, Aufgehoben, Last Exit, Zdrastvootie, and other far out outfits on the extremes of industrial, prog and/or improv.
I hadn't read this before I bought Dreams No Longer Hesitate, but if I had the masochist machismo in me might have kicked in and let me buy it anyway. I won't be hurrying back to this grind.
|
Buy direct from Discus |
 MusicBrainz entry for this albumRate Your Music entry for this album Some metadata about this album at Last.fm |
This puts me to mind of a Chick Corea album I own. Not that it is musically similar in any way, but the fact that I still own it. There is a grating sort of quality about it that holds me just a few precious feet away from appreciation. Every few (3 to 7) years, I drop this thing onto my turntable with the hope that some sonic barracade in my brain has been removed and will allow me to enjoy it. Still hasn't happened.....
By the way it's titled A.R.C. and features Dave Holland and Barry Altschul, in case you haven't had enough of the barely listenable.
Posted by: Fred Stagg | 01 April 2011 at 11:39 PM
This is actually the lightest / gentlest touch of the 4 Combat Astro CDs to date, so you def won't like the others!
Posted by: Martin Archer | 26 August 2011 at 01:58 PM