THE CUTEST PUPPY IN THE WORLD
Recently got the first package ever addressed to Noiseweek, so its contents get a free pass to the top of the pile. With a name this non-funny / non-catchy / just-plain-horrible, D.C. duo The Cutest Puppy in the World has a lot to overcome, but that could be the point - a self-imposed musical challenge to make us forget the nearly-irredeemable moniker. If so, it was a wise move, because the amazingly wide Sockets CD-R FINFOLK would sound great even if Bryan Rhodes and Layne Garrett called themselves George and Bush. Taken from two shows (one on Radio CPR, the other at Warehouse Next Door), the songs here flow from near-silent minimalism to all-out din, equally capable of heart-breaking turns and ear-ripping destruction.
The first two (and longest) tracks display the band's gaping range: "Sordomutics" weaves dark, Eyes Wide Shut-ish piano dirge thru stretched horn (clarinet maybe?) and unidentified glimmer; maybe because of the D.C. association, it reminds me of the frozen chill of EBSK. "Yugen Gracehopper," by contrast, winds through bright-colored drones and air-pushing blasts, yet retains the same stark, woods-in-winter feel of its predecessor. From there, things get both noisier ("gem-de-lovely" sounds like someone sawing through the Tin Man's body to get at his heart) and subtler ("nangen cuts the cat in two"'s solemn bell-ring evokes a japanese temple at dawn), and boredom takes a hike for the entirety. I'm pretty blurry-brained due too much verbiage lately, so I apologize if I'm not fully depicting TCPITW's stellar mix of ambience, abrasion, and the tension in between. But trust me, it's better than any words (or names) could ever convey.
I should post one of FINFOLK's harshest tracks to show the extremes this pair can reach (and spare some bandwidth), but I'm too into the track below not to offer it up. Its minimalist piano and detuned guitar (I think?) hold a few cacophonous peaks, but mostly deliver truly moving sound that some silent film needs to use, and soon.
mp3:
THE CUTEST PUPPY IN THE WORLD - "Wu-Men Koan" from FINFOLK
The first two (and longest) tracks display the band's gaping range: "Sordomutics" weaves dark, Eyes Wide Shut-ish piano dirge thru stretched horn (clarinet maybe?) and unidentified glimmer; maybe because of the D.C. association, it reminds me of the frozen chill of EBSK. "Yugen Gracehopper," by contrast, winds through bright-colored drones and air-pushing blasts, yet retains the same stark, woods-in-winter feel of its predecessor. From there, things get both noisier ("gem-de-lovely" sounds like someone sawing through the Tin Man's body to get at his heart) and subtler ("nangen cuts the cat in two"'s solemn bell-ring evokes a japanese temple at dawn), and boredom takes a hike for the entirety. I'm pretty blurry-brained due too much verbiage lately, so I apologize if I'm not fully depicting TCPITW's stellar mix of ambience, abrasion, and the tension in between. But trust me, it's better than any words (or names) could ever convey.
I should post one of FINFOLK's harshest tracks to show the extremes this pair can reach (and spare some bandwidth), but I'm too into the track below not to offer it up. Its minimalist piano and detuned guitar (I think?) hold a few cacophonous peaks, but mostly deliver truly moving sound that some silent film needs to use, and soon.
mp3:
posted by MM at 5:29 PM
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