Ryan Gregory Tallman - Muscle Memories (File/download, Selfreleased 2014)

This full length release is by the experimental artist Ryan Gregory Tallman, residing in Fresno, California, which is primary focused on the sound manipulation of acoustic spaces. I will be reviewing one of his new works called "Muscle Memories".

The first track, “A Wince”, provides us crunchy layers of rhythmic noise, sharp piercing tones, atmospheric effects and sinister static, all well placed and composed. “TwoTwo” is a mixture of wind-like gristle noise, harsh mid tones, controlled but loud feedback and wobbling drones. While the third track, “Of New Film Criticism”, brings agitated power electronics, drone-noise, crushed vocal-like beats and harsh static. “Your Throat”, the fourth track, begins with a repetitive, heavily effected & constantly shifting beat. It is followed by dissonant & reverbed tones and weird sounds that you might also hear inside of a spaceship. Everything is moving here, moving & pulsating. The bitcrushed tones that follow, give the track a nasty & unheimlich feel. Very nice.

“Scrod Reign”, begins with a looped voice sample and goes over into harsh noise layers with faint tones trying to break through the thick noise. Hardly changing in sound and structure, this track makes me think a bit of the ambient noise wall genre. “Rune Sot”, the sixth track, is good combination of noise salvo’s, distorted rhythms, dislocated machine sounds and other shrieking oddities. “Miscellany” is the shortest track and brings razor sharp static and short, interrupted ambient intervals. The last track, “Tendons”, is a heavy drone, monotonous monster with noise drenched electronics, not changing one bit.

With influences of power electronics, noise rhythms, HNW, ANW and even resemblances with Pan Sonic, Muscle Memories is a succeeded experiment of different genres that I really enjoyed.

Buy/download/listen:
Bandcamp