OPM: Tape Noise, Spoken Word and More Weird Sounds

Daktyloi – Accidental Frescoes of the Pentecost Dove

Deeply strange ambient soundscape and found-sound collage that incorporates elements of noise, drone and plunderphonics to create an alternate audio reality. Minimal and off kilter, the lead element at any given point is as likely to be tape hiss or scraping sounds as it is anything recognizably musical. 

All of this is arranged into two 10 minute “sides” (remember those?) which are technically broken into tracks, but you’d be hard pressed to find the seams between them. The effect of this is perversely mesmerizing – it’s very easy to start this playing, lose track of everything, and realize 20 minutes have past and it’s now over. Unusual but quite intriguing stuff.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Billy Mack Collector – Searching for the Pink Elephant

Whimsical weirdo folk that’s like Elephant 6 meets Mercury Rev, with a dash of Syd Barrett thrown in for good measure. Decidedly unpolished and unconventional vocal stylings, simple arrangements and a touch of that lo-fi production vibe that runs thru so many of those projects. 

The two instrumental tracks dip into a bit more complexity, offering a chill “Pinback meets Built to Spill” vibe that is quite pleasant. Definitely worth a listen for those who miss this strain of late ‘90s/early ‘00s weirdo indie folk rock.

(Listened to the entire album)

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Christian and the Sinners – Fifteen Minutes of Bullshit

Heavy, guitar-driven alt rock that calls on the tradition of Nick Cave, the Cramps and early punk to deliver a set of angry, rousing, fist-pumping anthems. Shouty, gruff vocals and a driving guitar sound are the key elements here, along with a solid rhythm section that holds it all down without drawing a ton of attention (okay, they do take center stage on a couple intros/outros, but still). 

There’s clearly a lot of love here for a certain era of punk/post-punk music, but it’s a good era and unless you’re deeply allergic to the faintest hint of nostalgia, you’ll be fine. Heck, most potential listeners under 40 won’t have any experience of the era anyway, so it’ll all sound new to them! 

(Listened to the entire album)

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Dubious Candy – “Dawn Chorus (in Memory of Terry Boblet) ”

Sixteen minutes of haunting and hypnotic drone that’s relaxing, welcoming and somehow comforting. Some drones set you on edge and others wash you away in overlapping waves of bliss – this is more the latter type. 

Layers of constant tone (synth or perhaps some kind of woodwind?) are gently punctuated with individual chiming guitar notes, textured trills and stereo shifts. The whole of the track is in constant, minimal motion, slipping and sliding around from start to finish. As far as drone goes, this is about as inviting and easy to listen to as it gets, which makes it a good intro to the field, and also to the compilation from which it comes. 

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Damon Thomas – The Snakes Will Find You

Ten tracks of odd and engaging unadorned spoken word – just a man, a microphone and some weirdly poetic stories. The longest of these stories is not even 40 seconds long; the shortest is here and gone in just eight seconds! Each tells a short, but complete, story of rural life, usually with a bit of a comedic or at least absurdist twist. 

Will you enjoy it? No idea, but it’ll take less than five minutes to find out for yourself. Does such a thing belong on a music blog? Well, it’s definitely not music, but it is sound art and it is poetic, so we’re covering it!

(Listened to the entire album)

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