hmmm, okay...errr...

nice little gentle intro, can hear the vocals well enough, nice...then boom, dragon is unleashed, like the way you hang the distorted chord for too long, yeah, was gonna say it's too short but i suppose this is about how long you'd have with a 200 foot dragon in front of you, cool wierdness

haha this is fun...

love the intro...the lyrics are really funny....

loved the way riffs hit u suddenly....
ok not too keen on the riffs....sound a bit amateurish....

oh it's over...?....
well it was fun while it lasted...

the intro wud be my favorite part of the track...very smart...
it starts off like a nice n warm love song n then u figure that it's not about the girl next door but about the 200 ft monster who just just ripped her to pieces...

nice...

can't really rate it....but i'll jus say it was indeed different.....

i've checked out some of ur stuff before n i gotta say it's some nasty shit in there....keep it up...

CJ

And now for something completely not normal. Not normal at all.

When this artist passes on to better worlds, that should be engraved on whatever commemorative plaque is around in his memory. The king of bird crap also doubles as an (makes a quote sign) experimental artist although to be fair, I don't think Guanoman could fit in so narrow a space. My own prediliction for this artist kinda comes and goes although I think I've liked more of his material than I've disliked. However, it was in his lounge lizard Mr Robert DeVore personna that the Guanodude dished up for me one of 2005's more memorable tracks. I Blew It is a pastiche crack-me-up spoof on the likes of Lounge singers everywhere, so accurate and so finely balanced between spoof and the real deal that it makes unnerving listening. There again almost everything this artist alights on could bask in the baleful light cast by this most unnerving of artists.

For my money Guanoman is way up their on the weirdo scale - even by Soundclick's very idiosyncratic standard - falling into the same realm as is occupied by the like of Pilesar, drt, Richard Dunlap et al. yep, you can shudder freely at this stage, people often do. 'But Gilmore' you may protest, 'this is just musical junk surely??' Well, I suppose that would depend on which end of the argument you are standing on. At first, I freely admit, a lot of so called experimental stuff went over my head UNTIL I started to really listen to what people were doing - and that came about chiefly through this review process. Like Pilesar, Guanoman has a highly developed sense of what he is about and it takes a bit of time to acclimatise to his particular blend of aural mayhem. As I said earlier, sometimes I get it, sometimes I don't and Goddesszilla may well fall into the latter category.

It's a little runt of a track, sliding under the wire at a puny 1:47 which - given it's highly stylised intro - isn't what you are led to expect. With lyrics like 'I've heard the beauty in her sighs, I've seen the starlight in her eyes, I've felt the magic between her thighs, And it makes me sad, to know that...she's 200 feet tall, breathes fire and eats people' reverberating through your ear canals with gleeful abandon absolutely does not prepare you for the rock influenced maelstrom that erupts around :50 and tears down all the lovely carnal thoughts you have been having about gargantuan lizards as if they were bits of paper in a hurricane. Goddesszilla is essentially an intro and an outro with nothing whatsover in between and - surprisingly enough - I like it that way. Mind you, I often wonder if I have caught something off these experimental people that means I will never look at life in the same way ever again. This track is a bit of a slight Guanoman treat but well worth adding to the list of oddities this man has produced over the years and an example of just how far he can stretch the envelope - ANY envelope...

Guanoman. Not any old birdshit purveyor....

Hey Guanoman,

Well, not to be fulsome, but I regard a new Guanoman track as an event of significance. I always smile (then turn down my speaker volume) when I gueue them up.

You, Pilesar and Ridd have helped me to be more experimental in my approach. What I really enjoy, with all three of you is that I have NO IDEA what the song will be about when I queue it up. Frequently, I have no idea after I’m finished listening either. Ha, ha! Just kidding, sort of. I’m not kidding about feeling a debt to you guys. It’s been one of the pleasures of hanging out at Soundclick and MP3.COM; I’ve learned so much from so many.

I've heard the beauty in her sighs
I've seen the starlight in her eyes
I've felt the magic between her thighs
And it makes me sad
to know that
She's 200 feet tall, breathes fire and eats people

There’s an expression LMAO also ROTFL. They are overused on the Net and obviously not true. If you could laugh your ass off you would patent the procedure and peddle it to overweight people. However, what really did happen when I got to the lines about ‘…200 feet tall…’ is that I broke out laughing and started applauding. That’s a WONDERFUL line. I love humorous songs that aren’t hurtful. And, yeah, it’s true: Godzilla’s girl would probably break up a few buildings, but she’s harmless, really she is. Uh, maybe. I mean, sure, when she gets together with her friends for bridge they play the game with real bridges, but there’s no harm in that is there?

This is a hysterical track. I LOVE the harmony work. And the wanton destruction suggested by the full on, metallic ending. Just great. Now THIS is humour, unlike certain racist tracks I’ve recently endured. Good stuff, Guanopod! The little touch of sour music that attends the word ‘thighs’ is such a cool touch. Subtle … and then you bludgeon everyone at the end. Very good.

This is a little gem.

Blessings,

Cam

guanoman - "Randolph Agar Has 13 Toes"(Alternative : Avant Rock)

I really liked this song. Total musical mayhem. It was reminicent of some grind core bands I've heard (Cephalic Carnage, Locust) minus the vocals and the distortion. The drum track is obviously programed but that's fine as it has a super loud, strong sound. The strings are performing some sick acrobatics as far as harmonies and progressoins. If I were to lose my mind, I'd want this to be the soundtrack. I would love to see this played live and as a drummer, I'd love to give these drum parts a shot. Hey guanoman, if you're ever in the US and you want to jam, I'm down.
Good stuff, man. My loins are insane and fruitful now. If you ever record anything else, send it here.

Guanoman, who he? Take your pick from these quotes from his Soundclick webpage: 1)a one-man collision of chaos and order; 2)ectopian pop for hairy children or 3) avantelectrodeathspazzmathcore. Personally, having gone through many of this singular artists catalog, I tend to go for 2) but indeed all three are basic thumbnail sketches of what this artist is up to. In other words, music that is like nothing made on Earth. Matter of fact, I have a suspicion even little green men from Pluto would have a hard time understanding what Guanoman is up to, despite their grooving along to what most people may very well term 'unfiltered gibberish '.

If I mention Pilesar, dadala, Mosquito Death Squadron, Dross and Rolls, you will probably know that you are NOT in for anything approaching the state many of us call 'normal'. So, wearing my Vomit R Us(tm) slick coveralls, I approach the birdshit man for yet another glancing blow with the hyper-reality that passes for Guanoman's music. Actually, despite all my jesting, I have developed a very soft spot for this artist over the year or so I have been reviewing him and know him to be one of the most innovative of Soundclick's increasingly strange 'experimental' community. As the first couple of seconds of Abulomsaft will show, this is not a track to be listened to on the way to work and DEFINITELY not first thing in the morning because it WILL give you a bad day.

A tad more electronic than most Guanoman tracks - despite it being classed as Avant Rock - Abulomsaft is a hard wodge to try and force into your ears, even on a good day. Despite this, the track works as a series of different sweeps across the sound spectrum that somehow sits on your palate a damn sight easier than it actually should. Certainly not for those people with a nervous disposition, because this is sure to give you the heebie jeebies - especially if you do not approve of music that has its own patented Nerve Shredder technology stamped all over it. I tell you what, let me have Guanoman, haave the last word. This is what he has to say about this track 'he awoke, still in the room. all he could see were the four pulsating walls, speckled with fatty deposits. he leaned in, sweating, and tentatively tasted the nearest one. it was sweet, like roast pork, but also had a hint of fermented fruit'. If the horror would ever stop, I might be able to get a grip on what happened to reality. One of Guanoman's strongest potions to date, and NOT to be played in front of the children.

Steve Gilmore

Guanoman & Baron Bumblood, Psychedelic Circus
@ Hitchin Club 85, Sun 28th Nov 2004

Now, Club 85 has a host of regular promoters. Besides our old friends Live Circuit, their names are such as NHSPH, Rustbeard, Underdog and Psychedelic Circus. Do any of them sound too appealing? You might think the first is National Health Service Public House, but in fact it’s North Herts Ska Punk Hardcore. Psychedelic Circus, meanwhile, is a funny old one.

Psychedelic Sunday has swirling patterns projected behind the night’s performers: the obvious lava lamps, the kind of tunnel vortex forever linked with Doctor Who, and some strangely bright-coloured dinosaurs. Progressive/acid/excessive rock is played on the PA. On this wet wintry night, an audience of single figures sits around waiting for the special guests, both of whom go under terrible names. It really doesn’t sound too appealing, does it?

For one thing, regular readers might know my distaste for distractions from the music stage. A band and its instruments are surely aesthetically pleasing enough already, with no fancy lightshow. It’s almost choreographed chaos when a group gets things moving... and when they finally stop. Any regular readers will also know of my enjoyment for the visceral noise often achieved at the end of rock gigs. Guitars against amps, bodies against drumkits, band against audience: that final confrontational attempt to convince a crowd of their power, or merely to revel in the fun art of destruction. Chorus, verse, all structure finished with, no need for even a tune anymore.

Tonight’s group number only two, a guy with a bass and another with, heck, some unseen machines and a min-theremin; so this duo lack the band aesthetic, and that’s not all they ignore. Apparently big on the London noise scene, anyone walking in here off the street would probably think "what the-" and walk out.

What if you forgot all that trad song structure to start with? Music stops being heard as musical, and enters the obscurist world of art. I’ve gone through my share of phonic art experience. There were concerts where the sound of a stylus and a turntable were more important than the presence of a record; where catchiness might be a bourgeois notion. It was often interesting and sometimes enjoyable. Of course, it’s quite subjective. Improvisation as an intuitive art can by its nature take a while to get going; however, it’s good to be kept waiting once in a while. It can also be good when you're made to feel uncomfortable.

At one point, the pair alternate in attempts to create the widest contrasts: so the Baron strokes out the depths of his bass, and Guanoman replies with a squeal. It’s like a conversation between two primitive creatures.

There are certain sounds that seem to physically move through you, while other times you’re just waiting for something to happen. There's no beat - the duo make up their own rhythm as they go along. I usually prefer something to have just a little more structure. But if you want to enjoy this sort of thing – and at plenty times tonight I felt like going home to do something else – while in the gig space all you can do is sit back and subject yourself to it completely. When one hum is left droning, and the projected tunnel spiralling behind comes to a sudden freeze, it’s like everything has stopped.

It made for a few of the most thrilling moments I’ve felt at a gig in a while. I even laughed at the stupid dinosaurs. And I was sober!

So the lightshow worked – there wasn’t much else to look at, though the musicians did wear wrestler-style masks – and it all made almost for sensory overload. The club might like to use films to add more interest (or maybe that would be too much). As for those awful monikers, I’ve considered before why comedy names might be used by serious musicians to stop critics taking their “art” too seriously. It should deflect the over-evaluation that might have you condemned to forever play art galleries and appear only in the Wire. No poolside photoshoots for you, Tortoise! Meanwhile Mogwai get pissed with titles like ‘Hunted By A Freak’. More power to them, and to what some might call their cathedrals of sound (!). And well done you two sonic crusaders, Guanoman and Baron Bumblood. Or, should I say, sonic clowns?

GOOD GOD! Talk about a unique sound. Avant rock huh?

randolph agar has 13 toes

This is hands down the single most unique track I've ever heard. I have NO idea WHERE to put it, but it's bloddy interesting..

The drums are so incredible throughout, but especially as it approaches conclusion. This is some of the coolest most f'd up noise I've ever heard.

Don't know how big that niche is, but you're doing it amazingly well. Some might find this track unmelodic and intolerable. I found it more interesting than anything I've heard in a long a$$ time.

There's OBVIOUSLY amazing talent behind making a song like this, just shy of the left field of left field, but you have to taste it people.

I'm giving this track a 9/10 because it's nothing like I've ever heard, but I liked it.

Cheers! Double cheers!   

That said, I have to check the second one now.. Don't anybody think I'll be makin a habit of listening to two at once though.   

abulomsaft'

Amazing use of sound for the lead in. I'm now 1 minute into the track. My pupils have dilated. My chakra is aligned. It's still fookin left field.. but I'm starting to believe guanoman could be a soundtrack god to a david lynch movie.

Very minimal. The sound over top sounds like glass being played.. the newage kind, but even cooler.

The guitar reminds me of a Dead Can Dance treated sound. Fits the mood, vibe, atmosphere like a puzzle piece.

Have you done/do more drugs than I have/do perhaps?

Cheers for sounding like tortoise and primus and phillip glass and like nobody else in the universe all at the same time.

The track's fading out now. My pupils are returning to normal.. that hot feeling from injecting contrast before the CT scan is diminishing. I feel like I just watched Baraka and Koyanisquaatsi back to back.

For what it is.. another 9/10 from me mate. Cheers!
I'm downloadin this one.

Well I guess byomu could well stand for Bring Your Own Emu and - believe me - that isn't something I would put past this very different, and infinitely variable artist. Although Guanoman and I got off to a strange start (his Bokonosolonoronach (September 2003) track I didn't like at all) but over the past couple of years Guanoman has matured (if that is the correct term) into one of Soundclick's more interesting citizens. As well as composing in his own right Guanoman is a demon collaborationist, usually paired up with one or several of the Usual Suspects (come on, you KNOW who they are). Of particular interest to this reviewer of late though has been the appearance of yet another alter ego - Mr Robert DeVore whose whole style is completely over the top and frighteningly innovative.

Guanoman has around 40 tracks on his Soundclick page, all of them equally capable of wreaking havoc with all your auditory organs and which shopuld rightly carry a public health warning. As someone quips on the message board 'Your music makes almost every one of the voices in our head chatter excitedly' and I'd say that's an accurate description. Not one to taken with a nice biscuit and a cup of tea then, is Guanoman you will definitely need stimulants of a much stronger variety. It also goes without saying that some of Guanoman's work is hard to get at (ie not 'normal' and definitely NOT commercial). Having said that, the man has chalked up some very nice tracks for me in the past and I have - to my eternal shame and disgust - become a bit of a Guano fan.

Sounding like something Jimi Hendrix would have come up with byomu is an extended (I mean well long) guitar feedback with figures scenario and as such will probably only appeal to the birdman's loyal audience. As cutting as that comment sounds, that isn't the way it is meant. As I say, I quite like what this guy gets up to but I am only too well aware that it isn't going to be everyone's favourite brew. It is, after all, really just a sound exercise - or at least that's what it sounds like to me. Therein, though, often lies the spanner in the works because whenever you are listening to the artist you have to question exactly what HE thinks this is about - and that's something I feel certain should best remain clutched to the Guano breast. It could well be too, too frightening.

Definitely NOT Feedback from Frodo.

Well Guanoman,

This piece really transcends any musical categorization. The sounds and production values are superb.

The term "sonic pastiche" springs to mind. A collage of different sounds all interwoven in a clever and articulate way.

If ever they piece together the little bits of movies from the cutting room floor into one big movie, I know who they should enlist to do the soundtrack.

A surprising array of contrasting sounds here.

Pure Genius, my friend, and I seldom use that term.

guanoman-Checked out "Sostenuto" If music had a horror division this song would fit right in! It's the scariest song I ever heard. It sounds like the devil is singing lead. To me, it seems like you were just screwing around with the computer and came up with this. I really dont have anyting positive to say..in the middle when the drums started going near the end I thought it was going to go somewhere, but alas, it didn't. Im sorry dude..this just isn't music to me.

Artist: Pulord
Title: 'Cause Shut Up That's Why
Link: here OR Download
-----------------------------------------

Mmmm, this guy must be a dad

Whether he is or not is irrelevant anyway 'cos he's also - according to one description - Tactical Sonic Assault Team. Now that's the kind of thing that makes me wish I'd worn me brown pants today. Even more so when you know that this artist belongs to same school of sadism...ooops, I'm sorry I mean experimental music as Pilesar, Guanoman and other stalwarts of the experimental scene here on Soundclick. Now if that's ain't enough to give you a severe case of the jittering abdabs, you are as mental as I am and it's safe to read on...

However, further careful probing of the Pulord edifice showed even more that underneath this charming, carefree facade lurked the Elephant In The Room - Pilesar. I could say here that this looks suspiciously like a ploy to gain extra reviews but with Pilesar, I'd have to disagree. Folks, this is a guy who's personalities have split personalities and none of them you would want to invite into the bosom of your family. Simple fact is Pilesar confounds, confuses, tickles, baffles and irritates me all at the same time with music that is way, way, way over there

'Cause Shut Up That's Why is a classic case in point. It's 0.24 long so it would be favourite to bring a microscope to bear on it. Mind you, while you are listening to it you become immensely grateful that it is such a weiner, because it ain't easy listening. At this stage of the game I'd have to say it's probably an intro to something (thinks mmmm The Doors To The Gates Of Hell?); it's loud, it's distorted - excuse the technical term - to feck and I wouldn't want to have a cup of coffee in my hands when someone played it on a whim. Mind you, when you have Pilesar, Spencer (both also of Mandible) Guanoman, IKA and Ghoul detail on the job it's gonna be one thing and one thing only.

I'm odd, drink me.

guanoman/dross – the smell of burning teeth

ah, noise. Much as I like alec empire, my appreciation of pretentious experimental stuff isn’t too great. I don’t see any sensible way to review this kind of stuff. Maybe…

gh;lrg;sEJ’gSEgpjpskgefsweetsweets;flsgl’sjgsJggrrrrrrrr!!!!!sfsglj@Sgjad\;ADWHHHOOOOOOEEEEEEsfhg;khs;fgsesucksucksucksuckkcuskcuskcuskcussefl;fj:ELkf#ekfadeout

know what I mean?

I could say there are some nice fragments of music in here (first 34 seconds, then for about 25 seconds from 1:12, for instance) but really that’s besides the point isn’t it?

I can’t give this a score because it isn’t really music, in any meaningful sense.

There are some acts that are just plain scary and Dross is one of those. Combine that aural assault and pickle it in the murky swamp that passes for Guanoman's thinking material and this here review should be carrying a Government Health Warning. Neither artist is for the timid that's for sure. If cuddly cats and fluffy bunnies are more your style then it's best not to introduce you to the monsters of chaos and confusion that run rampant through the works of yer men. My first encounter with this mightiest of musical mountains they expect me to climb was on the delicately named Gradually Sealing Every Orifice In His Head (see what I mean?, now maybe you understand why I'm prepping you so much) and I felt compelled to write 'the track starts by doing it's level best to unhinge your mind'...

A cobra in the body of a mongoose. methinks. One to be approached v-e-r-y cautiously.

So, because I know you were wondering about it, that is the sole reason I sit here encased in a suit of armour as I write this review. Once bitten, I say, wear a condom - even if it is made of steel. What is it about this lethal combination that so brings out the chicken in me? Is it the 'nail you to the wall' sound that attacks you from every angle, in waves of cacophony that border on the absurd? All this mindfekkry is edged in a gleaming titanium guitar shell that rightfully belongs in the depths of Hades and an all-encompassing brickwall production that'll crumple anything standing after the aforementioned guitar assault. That's before, mind you, I bring in the real Dark Master into the picture; the multi-dimensional being we all laughingly refer to as Guanoman.

Now you're scared, right?

Dross specialise in Industrial Metal. The kind where ANYTHING goes - and usually does. To me their music is actually a blend of electronica and all manner of guitar styles, certainly if Naptha Dentifrice is anything to go by. There's the usual leavening of thrash metal, some delicate quasi-blues and even a smattering of dance electronica. Some would say that all this sounds like it should be filed under the dogs dinner label, and in some ways that would apply. Essentially ND is an arrangement of 9 short peices welded together between Dross and Guanoman and - I shiver while I write this - it's actually quite good. I was certainly entertained by it. Mind you, it's well known I have a strong stomach for this kind of musical mayhem. Now, if that isn't enough to make your blood run cold, there's also a Guanoman original going under the guise of - I kid you not - The Taste Of Burning Teeth. Again, you might need to make sure you have steady nerves and a cast iron musical constitution to explore the outer edges of musical string theory.

Odd, but surprisingly strong showing. Definitely worth a listen if you are adventurous...

structure: 8/10

avant rock it's called and that's what we get. a swinging movement from high voltage bolts driven through the listeners ears and tranquil minimal and/or artificial soundscapes. again this is aggressive stufff. in fact i have been in contact with guanoman's work ever since i landed on planet soundclick. and to date the aggression with which he drives for innovation with his work is rivaled by none i feel.

instrumentation: 8.5/10
electric guitar tortured till it goes unconscious. some minimal synth soundscapes adding some very contemporary connotations to a genre that by itself is coming off age some

emotional climate: 9/10
arnold schwarzenegger eating out his neighbors eyeballs while dancing a slow dance with cinderalla

originality: 9/10
definitely an original or should i just say 'guanoman'?

production: 8.5/10
with ttobt i feel he has overcome a lot of technical problems that plagued his stuff at times in the past. at last we got some reasonable volume levels. a lot more fun when i dont have to adjust the volume throughout. well balanced mix, great stereo.

overall: 8.5/10
the best i have heard from guanoman to date. congrats, man i love this track!
recommended listen, even for those who wont know what the f** is going on with this one

Heya guanofriend.

Well, "The Taste of Burning Teeth" is arguably the best title ever.

So I've had endless arguments over what constitutes a "song." There are two camps: strict constructionists, who think it's a melody, chord changes, and lyrics; and, um, interpretists, who think anything that makes sounds and has a track number is a song. I made those labels up.

Anyway, I fall into the second category, but I'd still be hard-pressed to call this a song.

What would I call it? A collage, maybe. It's like "Look at the nine hundred things I can do with my recording gear!" And my response is: "Cool, man - now - maybe you'll want to record a song from two or three of them?"

I mean, there are a few snippets in there where I'm thinking "Oooh this could sound really good in something alt-rocky" and other snippets where I'm thinking "Get a real drummer and a dude screaming into a mic and you could do metal" And then it goes to "Hey, this is cool and spooky and atmospheric - if you read a poem about the taste of burning teeth, that might be effective."

But every time I start getting some kind of feel for something, you immediately go somewhere else. And frankly, sometimes there are places you go that I just don't like at all.

Incidentally, I also listened to "I Skinned Richard Harris and Used Him as a Tent" - which is arguably the best title ever - and that's a hell of a lot better. Enough changes to keep it interesting without so many changes that it just becomes absurd.

Question. Considering that all your titles border on brilliance and all your descriptions of songs are somewhere between hilarious and, er, very odd - but in a way that makes you think "What the living f*** does that mean?" instead of "This guy is a poseur" - why are you so reluctant to put lyrics on your songs?

I mean, seriously, guanoguy, I'm thinking you could write some badass lyrics. Some weird, twisted stuff that's genuinely twisted and not "Look ma I'm twisted."

My two cents. Great, now I'm actually bleeding on the keyboard. Fucking sleigh bed.

Oh dear. I've been hijacked and am being held captive in a secret, secret place. The following is a message from my captors: I am Mister Robert Devore and I am the finest easy listening artiste this world has ever known. I ride horses and scooters. I have never had syphillis. My clothes are made of fine silks and the hair of busty young supermodels. I eat only lobster, Fray Bentos pies and frozen margaritas. I love the music of Richard Harris, Tony Christie, Dean Martin and the King himself, William Shatner. Steve Gilmore loves this track to his death.

[There is a rustling in the undergrowth] Errrr, mummy..... Have they gone??

Sorry about that. Slight gremlin in the works there.... Actually you might know him. He goes by many names but most people just call him Guanoman. Not because he is full of s-s-s-s-s-s-s pooopies (damn, that's a good swear filter) but because he is that rare thing; stark staring musically mad. In the best possible way mad, of course and he has been a source of some rare music over the past year or so. wtf, ah say, wtf has this to do with Mister Robert Devore? Welp, it would seem that the toxic one and the undeniable megalomanic are inextricably joined at the hip - or at least in the song-writing titles because it is attributed to these two master crim.... musicians...

I Blew It - 'a sorry tale of yearning for forgiveness' - is apparently from the world's best selling album ' Mr Robert Devore Sings Directly into your Brainhole' and if I were you, I'd take that warning very seriously. From the opening mega shots, to the cinematic scale of the peice; the infinitely detailed and intricate arrangement, you know that you are in for a serious classic. It would help enormously if you had a well developed sense of the absurd and an appreciation of the more lunatic musical side. An understanding of what the words Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band mean would help as would a passing knowledge of the early Mr Frank Zappa's work and what you would have is something REALLY black and white. You are either going to love this or you are going to string it up at a town meeting. Me? I think this is profoundly and utterly the silliest thing I've heard for a long, long, long time. You GOTTA read the lyrics, I laughed myself sick.

Absolute genius albeit wearing a very silly hat.

Kanashibari in D by Guanoman

Critiqued by Steven Alan

Congratulations must be given to Guanoman for his originality. His ideas are not a part of common knowledge. You may be wondering whom or what is that song title and how do you pronounce the name. Well according to Guanoman, Kanashibari is the Japanese phenomenon of a nighttime visit from an unfriendly spirit. The pronunciation is something like this, can-na-she-bar-e. All of this confirms his originality but unfortunately there are problems that outshine the intention. These problems foiled a good attempt at an innovative idea.

When the listener starts the song it sounds acceptable but then comes a ton of sound attacking the listener. Can you say overproduction? The listener may be turned off by the song’s horrible introduction and just decide to end the listen then and there. At times the music overwhelms the listener making them feel trapped in the artist’s world. No one likes to feel trapped anywhere. Half the time it sounds like a worthy rock instrumental, the other half sounds like a washing machine with too many clothes in it. It is difficult visualize a person singing or rapping over this, which makes you less qualified to be a producer. The artist and song have good intentions but they are overshadowed by the horrid overproduction.

Overall 2.5 out of 5 Stars, unfortunately originality is outdone by horrible production.

Like a lot of the Soundclick 'left field' artists, Guanoman is probably only going to appeal to a certain section of the listening audience. Luckily, like a lot of these artists, he doesn't seem to give a crap whether people like his stuff or not and I guess that is a good attitude to adopt in the face of complete incomprehension. You know that 'wtf is this stuff' expression usually seen when listening to something a) not commercial in any respect and b) a track that requires a bit of the listener than a pair of lazy ears.

Although I wouldn't, by any stretch of the imagination call myself a fan of this kind of music, as Guanoman found out when I reviewed the first track from him - Bokonosolonoronach - which I reviewed in October 2003. I think, looking back over that first review, that in essence I just didn't understand what Guanoman was trying to do with the track. Over the intervening time I have heard a LOT more left field material and - I like to delude myself - that I now see some of the merits of this very difficult field. It became ever clearer with every succeeding release (especially the Dross/Guanoman collab) and now I find I have quite a taste for Guanoman's very distinctive aural shenanigans...

The one thing that can be guaranteed from any Guanoman track is denseness. Not duh dense, more like a thick, rich aural soup that is often confusing, baffling but with a certain musical nous that the genre (Avant Rock) demands for it to work properly. Guanoman describes himself as 'a one-man collision of chaos and order' and I'd say that sums him up in a nutshell. As a guitarist he pushes himself tremendously and sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. On the whole Kanashibari In D does work, there are some extremely interesting bass/lead/ryhthm combinations on this track that did the trick for me - especially in the more U2-ish section in the later part of the track. I found myself warming more and more to this track the more I played it, and for Guanoman I'd have to say that was a score for him.

Very interesting use of guitars to paint very different pictures. Well worth tracking down...

Guanoman- awsome, the first song reminds me of fantomas(one of my favorite bands) but more electronic, very nice. second song is good to, all and all good music to dispose of a body or bodies to.

-----------------------------------------
Artist: Guanoman/Dross
Title: Gradually Sealing Every Orifice In His Head
Link: Website OR Download
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OK, OK settle down there and pay attention. Yes, I know the artists names are - well - funny. Yes, and that the title of the track is definitely off the wall but hey, if that's what people want to name their babies who are we to complain about it. Now. Do sit and pay attention because we have a lot of work to get through this morning and all this giggling and sniggering is only going to give me a headache.

So....the story so far....

I can't say I liked and /or understood Guanoman's first track submitted to me, and I said so. Trouper that he is, he took it on the chin and gave me another track, and another... After about the third track I finally started to get it - although I find myself having to use that term very lightly. Guanoman is also one of my 2004 picks for Left Field artists all of whom are difficult both in terms of musical style and of personal musical idiosyncracies. Chief among this grouping right now has to be the prolific - if enigmatic - figure of Pilesar and of course the birdshit king himself. When I went to find out a bit more about the other half of this collaboration - Dross - I found this disturbing note pinned onto the peeling walls of their website:

we wanted to do something with Guanoman (one of the few soundclick artists who might be said to be stranger than we are) and this is the highly disturbing end result

Uh fekkin Oh.

The track starts by doing it's level best to unhinge your mind early with the combination of inane chatter and eerie, portentous pads. Mmmm, you think, so far, so Guanoman. That's when the track twists and bends, inserts itself up its own butt and emerges as a fully fledged 'I'll Kick Your FekkiN Head In' guitar blizzard that would require you to be wearing some brown trousers for a change. I certainly had a bit of clearing up to do when I first heard the track. Now, however, as the trauma recedes into the distance, I am able to listen fairly dispassionately - and of course the rubber underwear helps. I gotta be honest and say that although I could appreciate the juxtaposition of Guanoman's sonic wanderings with the industrial grunge sound of Dross and definitely appreciate the really excellent production values of this track, I have to pass on it. If you like either artist though I can heartily recommend it as a fine example of what they are both capable of, Dross especially make a very strong impression.

Steve Gilmore

The 15 Deaths of Monroe Simmons

A musical trip is what I’d call this, it’s like being flicked into a radio and being twisted into different stations, now I like this kind of stuff cos it’s shows imagination
And it just made me think of being murdered by a gang of nuns, not really I just made that bit up, to fill up a bit of space, I like it

Ahh...
The Avant Garde!
A collab of two of the strangest characters I've heard on the net and yet with an open mind such as I have this is madness bordering on insanity!
Wow, what a trip...I hear something I've never heard before, a big !O for originality!!!!!

Crossing genre and creating genre....what should we call this?????

I call it cool......

And overall I give it a 8 with a big 10 for og..........

Guanoman - The 15 Deaths of Monroe Simmons

This is strange and highly entertaining. As always with Guanoman I'm not quite sure what to say about it. It's compiled out of a bunch of little sections of different genres and things that aren't really even genres. My favorite moment was the noise-reminiscent moment of all the distortion and static, but I'm not sure the high note that introduced it worked until the rest of the stuff came in. Unfortunately, the overall track lost intensity as it continued along and the end was very anticlimatic. A little bit of rearrangement of sections might have been in order here because I kinda hoped for some more violence after the more peaceful and just plain weird section in the center and the only partial return the track made didn't really do it for me.

That's not something to dwell on though, and it really doesn't detract all that much from the "song" (such as it is). This was freakish and fun to listen to, particularly the beginning. it's also rather disturbing and there are a few downright painful notes hit in there. I'm not sure who I can recommend this to, but the mentally ill come to mind. Just don't kill anyone when you hear it. This is probably also a new level of intensity for Guanoman, and the extra injury is much appreciated.

Hey Guanoman!

It’s the reptile brain man!! Pardon me while I engage my medulla oblongata and slide my head on sideways! Arrrwwww! We are ready.

CLICK.

Ouch, no we’re not. (Turn down volume and restart.)

CLICK

0:00-0:11 - Whoa-oh! Bang, scrape, bang, scrape bang, bang BONK< BNOKN – Crunch guitar chord – growl (-pop-) [That’s the first 11 seconds – really like the pop; very liquid. Sounds like something is brewing, which I suspect is true.]
0:11-0:29 - Muffled boom – ominous strings – CAJFLKAGOIGOI! (Explosion) – resonating guitar (then second explosion) Tone used in hearing tests! Garbled voices saying, ‘Goydiuaosufgoaisugoiasugfiosadgfs’ - or at least something similar.
0:30-0:48 - Looney Tunes chase sequence; disjointed guitar joined by either organ or vibrato guitar
0:49-1:20 - 1, 2, 3, 4 count in followed by hammering, distorted guitar; followed by ominous – rather cool – organ/orchestra and quasi-operatic interlude; somewhat-less-disjointed guitar with bass interlude.
1:20-1:33 - Lurch and the Mommy Creatures drop in to deliver their hit single.
1:34-1:47 - Music-vaguely-reminiscent-of- Something in the Air – by Badfinger (do you remember that one?) Only the progression is much more discordant.
1:48-2:03 - Discordant guitar frittering about and growing to a crisis. (Did you know that crisis literally means decision? I find that interesting.) The crisis is a somewhat muted distortion that simply stops – like the existence of an amoeba.

Well, it was very like an amoeba – constantly changing shape. I would call this free form association of sounds. The juxtaposition of some of the sounds is quite funny. No one sound is productive of hysterics (except for maybe the Lurch and the Mommy Creatures section – which is horribly silly) but the juxtaposition of sounds makes one smile.

Believe it or not, I remember the reptile swamp song of yours I reviewed before. It created a cohesive if strange vision. This doesn’t. It’s a stew of sounds. No, it’s not really a stew. Each element is distinct. It’s more like a quilt of sounds. You wouldn’t want to curl up with this quilt for a snooze – you’d have very odd dreams.

BOTTOM LINE: Don’t submit this to Louie he’ll rip you some new and unique orifices!

Vanity caused me to search for the name Munroe Simmons before I was willing to admit that I'd never heard of him. I haven't. I can see that there are a number of smash ups in this little pile of sounds - each is a death, I assume.

How does one rate this. Let’s see:

   

What does this rating mean? Ah! It is cryptic - like the song!

guanoman bokonosolonoronach (i love copy and paste ) and Spoke to Yesterday

hey before i start do you like the metal band meshuggah? although they are a lot heavier than bokonosolonoronach they do a very similar thing with their timing (and they have 10 string guitars) and you might dig it

hey i liked this stuff for the weird experimental side of things and you have really cool timing ad rhythm but i dont think i would listen to this stuff too often unless i was really high onl something good

you have better programming skills than me but this is an area where i have difficulty commenting because i dont know a great deal about the process. i like your samples though

not sure what else to say except keep it up see ya

to guanoman, about" tesseract":

section1: this song reminds me of a koala bear falling out of tree and scurrying away once it hits the ground. Imagine sleeping after being high on leaves and being startled by the impact of the ground, then running in the first direction you look. something to think about. "tesseract" the theme music for the falling koala. +1 from the highest branch.

section2: the song is pretty cool at a short minute 8. what, you couldn't keep the frenzy up? ha-just kidding. this song would make an autistic kid go bezerk. i liked the song of it, and it would make a cool sounding song if you could find a way turned it into a melodic song. 1.8 out of 3.0

total: 1.8 out of 3.0 + 1 = 2.8

Honestly the first thing I thought when I heard this track was "damn it. all he needed to do to get this site to accept a 2 second track was add some blank space around it. Why didn't I think of that?" but the only reason I was thinking about that is I was struggling with that very problem earlier today because of a link this very Guanoman left on this very board. Then I got down to the matter at hand.

This is a very short track, built around a fairly chaotic single riff that is played exactly once. It features what may or may not be some sort of vocal noise produced with the help of a human mouth. The result is heavy enough you could call it metal, but presents neither the intensity or the pure sublimity of most noise... which I suppose this is in some form. The sound that may or may not be a vocal growl at the beginning and end of the track (it could just as easily be synth. I really can't tell, as its there so briefly) frames the music, and serves to give it a sense of finality even though the end is reached so quickly. There is no feeling of something incomplete here. This track is short, not fractured. As odd as this may sound, my main criticism is that I think it may drag on as much as a fourth of a second too long. If you're going to make something this short it can't afford to waste time getting where it's going and though the crazy little riff is interesting enough, it loses impact by meandering. I also feel you could do a bit more with the percussion. Overall this is a good track, if it falls slightly short of greatness. Still, it's worth a listen... especially for those with attention deficit disorder or really, really short memories.

You love the head-banging sound of some deep and distorted guitars along with some wild drums, along with a hint of electronica effect? This one’s for you, my friends!!!

This 2:40 minute tune is some of the heaviest and raw rock I’ve let my ears listen to lately. It’s a head-banger, this much is for sure. And as short as this tune is, so is my review. This tune will achieve the effect on you that it promises in its title. It’s bizarre in a way, yet it’s not bad at all. You just have to be a hardcore fan of this kind of music.

The music is actually pretty damn good!!! Coming from me? Yes – it’s me typing! It’s totally wild and the speed changes all over the place, which gives this tune the flair it has. Not being a very huge fan of this wild kind of music, I do appreciate what this artist recorded and that’s sheer and wild rock!!! Just like in the good old days when bands were playing the kind of music that would have the potheads in a frenzy. I don’t mean that in a bad way, by the way!

Wild tune!!! And I am sure that guanoman will have a lot of folks liking this one, given that they like this groovy harder than rock stuff!

Mike

If I remember correctly, the song I reviewed from you last month was incredibly unique, right? Let's see if this song is as unique as the last I heard from you.

Ah yes, the song starts off EXACTLY like how I imagined it would. Sounds great of course, with all those weird and annoying effects. I'm saying the effects are annoying, but in such a nice way... I listened to this the second time with my headphones plugged in, and all I can say .....    AWESOME! Seriously, this is the weirdest music I've ever heard on soundclick. Around 0:55 you bring in some weird and short guitar riff, it toally reminded me of last month's track. The part at 1:10 is even better. The drums totally kick ass... For the rest of the song, this is just simply amazing. I totally love it. Do you use a midi program to do the drums? They sound like MIDI drums.

The best part of this song is that I get the same feeling I got when I listened to your other song from last month. A weird feeling mixing hmm... I'd say halloween and death, something like that. Geez, I can't stop listening, this is so good... seriously

Nothing negative to say, this is just perfect. You are a true master of weird stuff. Best song this month.

I don't think everyone else will enjoy as much as I did, but this is truly worth a listen.

Wow...First impression was "Damn...another track with programmed drums(a pet peave of mine)"..this piece takes off into a very abstract and very dark journey through Guanoman's, interesting to say the least, mind.
With the lowest and heaviest possible sounding distortion, off the wall timing, and 237(give or take) different tempo changes...my mind was spinning by the end. This piece reminded me of the early 90's metal group Fate's Warning except with the knobs that go to 11. As far as musicianship goes, he's obviously musically inclined but I would be more impressed to hear this performed with live instruments.

That's just my 2 cents.

Jon

After a very bad start, Guanoman has managed to raise my opinion of him with each succeeding release and with last month's excellent - if somewhat difficult - Cack Handed Deity track he is showing some surprising twists and turns. So, let's see what this track has about it - other than another long, involved title, that is...

Soundclick has more than its share of 'difficult' artists, and Guanoman slots into this august company as if he were born to it. Not as accessible as Emetrics, but not as alienating some other artists, Guanoman treads his own groove and - once you get used to his 'style' - you can find a lot there. That has certainly been true for a couple of the past tracks but with 'the ugly' etc, he has gone back to the 'difficult' mode.

It is, therefore, going to limit the amount of people who will like/understand what GM is about on this track. For me, the more I played it, the more I found the first section of the track completely baffling, but the later sections I quite enjoyed - in a free form jazz kind of way. Definitely not an artist to be treated lightly and there will be many people who will not like this at all. Even now, with my hadn on my heart, I'm not sure I do. However, I'm sure Guanoman won't particularly worry about that because he knows there are some people who know what he is about and like him a great deal because of it. Me, I have more than enough respect for a man who takes some fairly extreme knocks but doesn't allow any of it to sway him. This track then is not for the unwary or the unwilling, but I'm sure it will find a home somewhere.

GUANOMAN

i had the fortune of running across Guanoman’s material maybe a year or two ago on IUMA. since then, we’ve traded a few cds through the mail and maintained an occasional correspondence. he struck me as a fascinating, uncompromising musician and i highly respect his work. he creates a music that has the ability to surprise, frustrate, annoy, tantalize, and amuse. it doesn’t care about making you comfortable because it unmercifully demands your attention. and just when you’re about to label him as too cold and humorless, he goes and does something like “Tim”. not for the passive listener, Guanoman is more of an experience to behold.

“Maybe You Drank Him by Mistake” seems to run along the lines of his typical fare. vigorous speed metal drums, buzzsaw guitars, and labyrinthine rhythmic structures. there’s some excellent riffage (especially in the undistorted section), with a few curve balls to boot. all in all, a brilliant effort.

my suggestions for this piece are few. firstly, i noticed that all of the instruments play in unison for the majority of the track. i understand that there is a certain intensity level to maintain, however some detached, legato synth sounds over the top of it might help keep it from falling so squarely into the math rock/metal genre. i just feel that there’s room for more atmospherics.

secondly, it appears that this, as well as the rest of the music, is done exclusively on a digital medium (if i’m wrong, then just disregard this next statement). i think that sometimes the overall sound suffers, especially in regards to the guitar (it can make it a little too bright or tinny when running direct). regardless of what i’m recording guitars on, i try to mic the amp as to get the most sound out of the speakers and the room. i realize that it all comes down to personal preference, necessity, etc., but i think the guitar sounds could be a little beefier.

otherwise, great job!

well...

I intermitently love the hell out of your shit and then think, this is boring. The first track I listened to was lemongrass and vodka.

Great percussion all through.. Really cool mixture of tones. A lot of "implied melody" in this track, stemming in part from the extensive use of toms. And this track really gets awesomely manic in parts.

And then it just keeps going and going on into this extended part of silence and then builds up into this cacophonous nonsense that I can't imagine anyone would ever actually want to listen to until it ends just kind of randomly.

Cut that bi** down to 2:30 and you'd have youself a sick little, cutting edge dance track. I can totally imagine really hip dj's, particularly in Europe, spinning that shit. But lose the "arty" for the sake of being "arty" noise cacophany stuff. Want's the point, right?

cack handed diety made me laugh. You are very fluent in the subtext of music. You understand how to speak in postmodern musical phrases, and I just fucking loved the way you killed stupid jazz in that song. I laughed to see stupid jazz taking it up the ass.

And again, the tones are really impressive. It sounds like the moon is crashing into my ears.

Bottom line - you are a helluva good producer, and a really stong musical artist. You got mad skills and mad talent. But I don't think that you are using them as well as you ought to. I mean, this stuff, ultimately , doesn't bear much repeated listening, right?

And I think - maybe I'm wrong - but I think it may be fear that's preventing you from working in more conventional forms of musical expression. Fear of melody. What you've done here is successful. Don't get me wrong. It is guilty of no real stumbles in terms of aesthetic vision. And I've done arty music too. It definitely has it's place. And I think this work stands up well to fill that place.

But I don't know. I just would really like to hear you produce a str8 ahead rock song. Because I bet it would be fucking rad as hell. Cause that's when insane art vision is at it's most powerful. When it is used in conjunction with a good, str8 up song. Think about it, yeah?

Lastly, I love your titles. I suspect writing is a strong medium.

The pics are so-so. I think that visual arts is your weakest medium, based on the very small pool of stuff I've looked it. I wouldn't put too much weight in that conclusion, but it is just my gut feeling.

I'd be interested in collaborating with you. I'll PM you more about what I have in mind and to see if you are down.

hope you found something useful in these comments,

mr strauss
www.popgoeslethal.com

Ol' Guanoman has had mixed press from me. I didn't like (no, understand may be closer to the truth) the first track I heard but did like the second track he asked me to review. With a title that speaks volumes to me, Cack Handed Deity is already ahead of the game but lets see whats inside the gaudy wrapping...

Ha ha ha ha... Get this, his description of this track: 'god is a guitar. man is his plectrum. the strings are broken. the amp is very cheap' Now if that doesn't get this review said, I'll be forced to admit I have no fecking idea what this about, where its headed, or indeed where it came from. Listen in my defence I have to point out that anyone who cites Sun Ra as an influence has to be heavily into the mystic man... As in 'undecipherable', 'unknowable' but not - surprisingly enough - unlikeable.

Although waaaaayyy over in the very furthest reaches of left field, this track actually does begin to make a (kinda, sorta) sense - but that's after a few turns of bafflement, astonishment and other extreme emotions too painful to mention. After all, how could I chuck the computer out of the window to stop the noise? Hadn't I just paid the earth for it.

Anyhoo, I think the point is clear. This is a hard track to get a hold of and - having grasped it - would you really be any the better for it? Well, although I certainly enjoyed/sustained the assault on my auditory senses this is not a track I would want to cosy up to as a nice bedtime story. Decidely 'avant garde' (or even 'avant rock as the SC genre classification would have it) and not something that would appeal to many outside of its genre but it shows that Guanoman will pursue his chosen musical path no matter what.

That I can definitely applaud.

Some parts are really off. Sometimes it just kicks in out of nowhere... and the effects weren't good at certain places. The other thing I dislike is that it's not really a "pretty" song, not easy to listen to. But I still think this stuff is extremely original. I feel extremely weird listening to this. It's a bit too long and the long distortion parts were a bit too "grungy" for my likings. If it had ended around 3:00 that would've been nice. You really do have good ideas in this song, but some parts are just way too empty (like right after 3:00), that part was extremely boring. This stuff is really.... weird. Not a song for everyone, but if you like weird stuff I recommend you check this stuff

out. Nice job.

+ : Very good ideas, a lot of unique ideas.

- : Too long, some parts were really empty.

After thinking about it for a while, my final rate is: 7.7/10

Nice work. Hope you liked the review.

Rios

Ok – guanoman it is … and Crack-Handed Deity it is as well. I’ve listened to this artist before and was impressed by some of his pieces. So, I was not in any way reluctant to review his requested song in the least.

This is a heavy electronica tune. Actually, that’s an understatement. If you think “Industrial” in the extreme – well. You got it. What really is shocking me the most are the harsh and brutal sounds in this tune, which (I suppose) gives this instrumental composition the feel of rave and extreme hardcore metal – just a combination within that realm.

If this artist was trying to scare the shit out of you with this tune, well, he just might succeed. This 4:47 minute tune has some qualities. The drum work is excellent, the occasional clean sounding guitar, which is supposed to be distorted, both are actually sounding pretty good in this one. What gets me is the overly distorted synth that just is begging for me to edit the song and replace it with something less dangerous to the ears.

Ok – whatever this Deity took, he/she/it needs to get off it as soon as possible. I am not so sure that guano intended the extreme distortion, but if he did, he needs to seek an audience that wishes their eardrums to blow into smithereens and will not listen to another tune from anyone else, ever!

Whoa – freaky tune. Not my taste, but it just might be yours. So, dare to download and listen to it.

Mike

Guanoman, I just listened to some of your songs and this is just the type of music I'm in to. Sounds like: Ruins, Mike Patton, Naked City....etc......but with it's own unique style and even better time changes. I would love to try and help you perform this live, if not for the fact i'm way over here in California. Hope to see you succeed with this one day, though.

restless denizen

This song starts with jazzy guitars interspersed with a hyper-distorted guitar noise and electronic junk but quickly moves on to distorted madnes and heavy riffs interspersed with medetative distortions. I like the bigness of the sound, and the general level of destruction. It has an electronified version of a Japanese noise rock type thing going on – some parts of it reminded me of the Boredoms or Zeni Geva, with some more contemplative passages interspersed, which led me to believe that it could have used some screaming and yelling.

Good work.

3 Points (out of 4)

This is jam cought me off guard at first it sound like an old Scifi movie.And then the midway the guitar starts up and it got better
and it got heavy some really heavy sounds like a metal band.This is a jam you have to liston to to know what I mean but all and all this is a good jam.Sound like something i heard at a Improv Fest.

Peace Robert

have fun with life.

Wooohooo sounds like Jazz and Rock had a head on collision at 500 miles an hour, caught fire and exploded! (That's a good thing by the way) I really love this one, especially the sound on the bass at the begining, and the total meltdown about halfway through. I'll have to show Jed from the band this one, he's into the Melvins and other wierd bands in a big way and I'm sure he'll really go for it.

have you heard hans reichel? reminds a bit about his works.. and a bit about mike patton´s "adult themes for voice".

you are very creative mr. guanoman. i haven´t heard anything on your page that hasn´t fascinated me in one way or the other. it´s all very original. and this one´s no exception. i like it! and it´s very amusing!

structure: 9/10
the type of thing i like to call an audio sculpture. from what i figured all of this track is made from voice recordings of the word "tim". though working with such minimal raw material the track is holding listeners attention well through 4:44 it lasts

instrumentation: 8.5/10
great experimental soundscapes all derived from the one word. in places sounding like haunting undead voices, while in others more reminiscent of defunct electronic machinery

emotional climate: 8/10
meditational, alien, weird

originality: 9/10
very original indeed!

production: 8/10
clean production, well-balanced mix,

overall: 8.5/10
an excellent, inspiring track. experimental work in the true sense of the word.

recommended listen!

Hey Guanoman

Understand that I would never call you that if you hadn’t chosen that knick yourself! It reminds me of a North American native myth about the maiden and the dung man. But, I digress before I begin…

I apologize for the over-sight. What happened, actually, is that I tried several times to connect to your page and failed. Then came a deluge of new requests…no slight intended.

Listening to your guano now. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

Well, I see that your aim is to unleash the ‘reptile brain.’ This reminds me of a very funny incident from my university days; we had a psyche professor who patiently pointed to the nasal cavity on a projected human skull (overhead projection) and told us that the reptile brain was hidden…right…there. (He was a maverick, and his humour was not much appreciated by the course director but the students loved it!)

Anyhow, nought to the purpose!

The "unleashing" of the guitar at the – what? – 4-minute mark was a low trick, there, guanoman! I think I suffered hearing loss, as I had turned up the gain to listen to the quiet, discordant, synth vibes you had going. Nasty!

This is more overtly experimental than much that passes by that name. With experimental music – as with experiment in visual art – the trite reaction is that ‘My six year old could do better than that…’ Since I don’t have a six-year-old, and since I try to be honest, I would never say such a thing. (Kidding: a pull of your leg for a bust of my eardrum!)

The only way one can react intelligently to music of this sort, I think, is instinctually. (Which, going back to the reptile brain bit, is probably what you want anyhow.) So, I go with my emotions…

The general ‘ominous ambience’ of this track creates uneasiness in the listener. The intrusion of the crashing guitars creates – besides pain – a genuine fear. Visually, this made me see a great, crashing, T-Rex lurching out of the jungle – terrorizing all in its path. (Truly it did; the drums that follow sounded line animals scurrying for safety – but to no avail as the great T-Rex follows and then at the 6:22 mark starts ripping an unfortunate victim to shreds.)

Much of the foregoing was suggested by the reptilian brain bit, but the feeling of a primordial swamp is certainly there in all of the little bubbly and reverberating noises at the outset. I was feeling the moisture for sure!

My guess is...tell me if I'm right...by 'Spoke to Yesterday' you meant 'addressing that part of man latent since times past, but resident within him.' Tell me I'm right and I'll feel clever.

Easy four smiles on this thing: creative, complex and very evocative.

I reviewed Guanoman's last track (Bokonosolonoronach) and - being honest - I didn't like it. Now reviews are a very personal opinion and I would never expect anyone to blindly except my word about a track. I would hope they would make up their own minds about it, no matter what I - or any other reviewer - had to say about it. Such was the case for Guanoman because I read a review a while later praising him to the skies and making the point that maybe 'some' people wouldn't 'get' it. Its true, as I am forever saying when faced with - how can I put this? - difficult music. Beauty is in the ear of the beholder I say, the only thing us reviewers can do is say what we like/don't like about the track and hopefully qualify a bad comment with a way to remedy it.

But what do I know?

Spoke to Yesterday though gives us both another chance at this so let's see whats up this time. 6:46 is what's up and - in my mind - that's a long, long time to try and fill with music. Mind you, its an even longer time to fill up when the music is 'difficult' So what do I mean when I say difficult? Difficult as in the restrained musical anarchy of Emetrics, Onemob et al and then there's difficult as in 'this music has problems' which then leads to an uncomfortable time for both reviewer and reviewee.

In that respect, I think I prefer this track because at least IMHO it has musical merit than Bokonosolonoronach by a country mile, while sharing that tracks insane liking for minimalist arrangements. And therein, in would appear, lies my problem with Guanoman's work. Listening to this track is not easy, and it would be best not to expect to 'groove' anywhere but do expect a right proper earbashing of the abnormal kind. Looked at in another light, I was a big, big fan of the wilder musical shores expolred by the early Pink Floyd and I found a lot of that same kind or chaotic thrill in this track although it defintiely wouldn't be a track I'd whip out for a swift play every day. Of one thing you can be certain. There is NO-ONE on these boards - or anywhere else - quite like Guanoman and whether you like him or not is definitely going to be a personal choice because I am still well divided on his merits.

Steve Gilmore

Dreadful. Totally awful in every aspect of the word. I hope you kept the receipt. That was 4 minutes I'll never get back. You could at least had some robot-farts or something. This was like taking the SAT's all over again, without the whimsy. If the plague had a mascot, it would have chosen this cacophony as its theme-song. It made my toes hurt. I wanted to kill the color yellow.

no rating
L

This 6:48 minute piece sure starts out on the Electronica side of the music spectrum.

The first impression: the opening is nothing but noises that will make you freak at some point in time, just disturbed by some percussion. At 2:13, we can here some more electronic devices added – well – some synths, that is. Almost three minutes into the track, I am beginning to do the famous banging my head on the keyboard thing. At 2:58, we can here a faint guitar setting in, with a bass – no less!

There is actually a mandolin in this one, if my ears do not play any tricks on me. While the mandolin and the bass kick up, we still have this electronica/synth thing going in the background.

All of the sudden, I am just about having a heart attack! This wild noise of distorted guitar sets in – totally over-mixed! It will bust your eardrums! At 5:26, we enter yet another different scheme of music. This is a wild piece that will tear you apart, no matter what kind of music you prefer. (As long as you can handle: ambient for a few minutes, then staccato like outbursts into oblivion!).

Interesting track – not exactly my cup of tea, but you might like it. So give it a shot!

Mike

You're fuc ked up dude! this song just scared the crap out of me. it's all sweet and mellow and dreamy for a few minutes... and then just EXPLODES in my ears. And then it's all choppy and mellow. but wait, more loudness? indeed. wow. Damn... this is scary.
You tap into parts of the mind that are ugly to look at and think about. i feel like this song definitely snuck up into my brain and started chewing on blood vessels and tissues and membranes. You're obviously influenced by the mass media driving negativity into the heads of all parties concerned. This song actually just makes me think of the evening news... and murder. I felt like i wanted to cry. A job well done, I'll be listening to the rest of your stuff now too.

structure: 6/10
starting off this mutant-monster of a song is maybe best described as an audio sculpture or something of a sound collage.
it begins with some very interesting layered sound experiments then turning somewhere around 4:10 into a quite traditional hard-rock piece. from here on we are lead through half a dozen music styles into a quiet convincing outro lasting for something like a minute.
all together this concoction has a lot of the right ideas but really it doesnt come together. nothing wrong with using strong contrasts in a piece of art. but then an aspect of what art is about is managing to fuse these different elements into something new, this transformation imho succeeded only in parts. liked the first 4 minutes best really, the last minute i found agreeable. the stuff inbetween did very little for me.
you really need to find out ways of making these rough transitions work.

instrumentation: 7/10
some very interesting sound experiments happening up to the 4 minute mark. liked the minimal hh-rhythm section.

emotional climate: 6/10
much like a dish on your table with about all the spice-ingredients found in mamas kitchen

originality: 9/10
yes, definitely of the more original kind. liked the daring, cocky attitude.

production: 3/10
the mix level in the first half was WAY too low. you cant be serious about expecting your audience sitting down in front of their stereo adjusting the volume throughout this thing.

overall: 6/10
i actually believe this thing could be made to work!
- if you adjusted the mixing levels to realistic values reflecting the mechanics of what a human ear can actually do
- if you did some intelligent transition-work between the very different sections

all in all, i found this entertaining, though unlistenable in daily life because of the absurd volume levels

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Overview
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I honestly don't know where to start. This is definately the most interesting piece of music I've heard. It begins with an electric guitar with the same string being picked. It has random "shouts" of high-frequency notes a couple times, which scared me 'cause my volume was set pretty high. Soon enough we're brought into somewhat of a melody that very quickly transitions into the intro riff but with more instruments. It really gives a feeling of sort of building tension, gives you goosebumps man. From your first listen you will easily notice that this isn't the average melodic music, but I'm sure that Guanoman wasn't just using random instruments to hit random notes. I don't even think you can produce this if you don't know what you're doing. Though the song sounds very random and disoriented. After this sort of building tension, we hit a climatic sequence where the song starts building up using some odd and unique sounds. I tried hard but I couldn't figure out what they are. But it gets faster and faster and builds and builds, adding to that feeling of "what the hell is gonna happen now?". After it peaks, we're brought back to that familiar riff just with the instruments really being played hard. The song ends with a new sequence which supplies a satisfactory denouement.

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My Thoughts
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Okay so what I think of this song. This is definately interesting, the distorted and loud guitar really brings in the feeling of desparity. In his description, Guanoman proclaimed that the song as as close as he could get to creating the sounds he hears in his head. I don't really know what to say about that, I'm curious to figure out what kind of images he sees along with these sounds. What I like about this is that it's not as obvious as most music. Like particular rock songs about emotion that blatently say "I hate this, I hate that" rather than letting the listener interpret the words to accomedate what they feel. Nor does it amplify a certain thought or idea like most mainstream instrumentals. Bokosolonoranach is one of those pieces that makes everyone think or feel something utterly different than the latter. It doesn't tell you what to feel, and that's what is so good about it. But to bring out such compextion, the song had to sacrifice it's melodic potential. If it fed us a melody, it would step over to the side of telling you how to feel rather than letting your free will itterate your imagination. It's a good song for what it does, but its radical and random behaviour takes away from its whole. I apologize for any grammatical errors, I hope this review helped make sense of the song for you.

Enjoy or despise. No ambivilance, please. Well here i am. This, ladys and gentlemen, is what happens when people stop paying attention to the general rules of composition. Guanoman brings us a track crammed with obliviance. Complete structural madness is where we're at. Think Chellac and a few snorts of Vandal X. Punk Rock in full effect. I bet these guys are no strangers to bands like Melt Banana or Ruins either. Get a grip and be taken for a ride far out. I would have enjoyed some parts be rode out more, a good noise break needs time. The Guanoman takes no prisoners. The recording is harsh. Bass distortion takes away the tightness of the composition at times wich is a shame imo. Abit more compression and more snare drum/hihat might help tighten things abit.
Don't come looking for no easy listening right here. Hear yee wo likes a good mix of Zappa-ish Harcore stylee with a good noisy saucage. Iff ever these guys play in the neighbourhood, im there.

AA

mr. guanoman!

please testament your brain to science when you´re gone. or let the living put your brain in a museum. they would put yours and mr. john zorn´s right next to each other, and the two of you would have eternal telepathic contact.

this piece of yours: "bokonosolonoronach" is one of the most ingenious, freaky, stunning, psychotic, puzzling, beautiful, disturbing etc...piece of music i have exposed myself to for a very long time.

when i want to cleanse my brain i put on my headphones and listen to either some really noisy free-jazz or something by john zorn - last time was "the art of memory" where frith do the "guitarplaying". so mr. guanoman, your music is right up my alley with its mysterious turns and twists. i love the fact that i don´t get it. i can´t understand how you manage to keep it together, or what processes that lie behind your writing. if i did, it would perhaps ruin the pleasure i feel when i hear it...so i hope i never figure it out.

favourite ingredient in this song=the bass. it made me want to hear some melvins. that´s just what i´m going to do!

fast n´bulbous!
/odbjorn

The introduction to this track blew me away. No this isn't metal, but it's pretty damn heavy. I don't like trying to review something so experimental, but I'll give it a shot. This track is something really new and... downright weird. I love it. The breakdown around 2:46 is pretty well executed, but seems to go on a bit long to me (though I like both how it begins and how it ends). I really like the overall sound, the heavy distortion, the demented noises in the breakdown, and the conclusion to the entire piece. The only thing I missed was some sort of higher lead (either vocal or instrumental) to cut through the overall dark feeling a bit. This I'm keeping a copy of in my MP3 collection

This guys automatically scores highly on two points: great name, and the weirdest title this side of Welsh (or Finnish depending on where you live). Whatever, they both look weird when you see them written. As for the artist name, well what can you say to a superhero who styles himself Birdshitman. Guano being a valuable commodity these days and for those people who know not guano from iguana, it means birdshit. Serious!! Do you know how much money you can make out of shovelling birdshit??

Anyhoo, we aren't here to discuss the ins and out of a ducks asshole...

Bokonoso... - as I call it - is quite probably the weirdest track I've heard in six months. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing I have no idea and I certainly don't feel qualified to make any technical comments about this track. It isn't the most obvious problem by a long shot. Neither, I fancy, is the actual playing of the instruments at fault although even that felt somewhat amateur at times. Nope, the real obvious problem with this track would have to be the stunningly innovative use of a track with no arrangement. Or a track with so MUCH arrangement it's evolution has been losts in the mists of time.

The track essentially consists of a bass/drums/guitar line, all welded into a compact style as befits this grouping, but all riffing 1,000 to the dozen. Yeah, it might be OK if the playing was jaw dropping but to be blunt, it isn't. As the track lurches from section to section - I use those terms selectively - not much else seems to go on other than this endless riffing. After several plays - yep I went that far - another fact appeared out of the mix, some of the instruments are noticeably out of time/step with the rest of the track. This was more noticeable in the drums than anywhere else. I'll just have to shake my head on this one, I'm afraid.

Maybe I'm just getting too old

'bokonosolonoronach' - this is certainly different. I think you have a real flair for writing ambient, weird stuff like this. Reminded me of something on an action film soundtrack. I like the bass sound throughout. As I say, certainly different, but my no means a bad different.

'Ornette on the Wander' - some more great bass playing, and again I take my hat off to you for being so different and unique. This really kept me interested throughout cos I had no idea what was coming next. Admittedly not something I'd buy myself but again you create a mood.

Overall thoughts - I think there are lot's of people who wouldn't get your music and think it is just directionless noise. I'm not one of them though, it is plain to see you have a lot of talent, both instrumentally and for creating different moods. I say keep it up.

Liam

My first impression of this is that of Progressive Rock as in Dream Theater, what would this sound like if John and the boys got a hold of this one!!

Double kick bass effect is awsome and so goes the head banging guitar effect, I realize this is all electronic but thats what I get out of this tune!
It is put together well from start to finish.

The recording is well done with great use of the stereo spectrum and the mix is fine.
I really like this piece (this kind of stuff really drives my wife batty) and if you like busy electronic music with a prog rock avant garde twist, give this a listen and see for your self!!

Rock On,
Rey