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HR051 — 
Bwana/Bolt — Naked For The World To See — ​C60 — 1987

Picture
Side A:
Stripped To The Bone

Side B:
Sing Me One Last Song
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz

Bwana/Bolt was a collaboration between Al ‘If, Bwana’ Margolis and Roger ‘Swinebolt 45’ Moneymaker. Al also ran the Sound Of Pig tape label and Roger was the guitarist in Viktimized Karcass. I’ve been immersed in multiple Karcass tapes these past months and enamored of Roger’s guitar work, so this tape was a treat, getting to see a different side of his creative interests. Naked For The World To See is a C60 that consists of two side long excursions.
 
‘Stripped To The Bone’ kicks off with a gradually twirling blend of wind pulsations, moaning ghostly drones, distant voices, plus a parade of hisses and other layers of similar parts and piece. The sensation is of floating through an alter-dimension of disembodied entities. After a while it sounds like ocean waves rushing against the shore, with frightened voices cropping up. The mood gets increasingly eerie, with abrupt reverse blasts, anguished voices, noodling and scraping dissonant guitar, and possibly some processed horn. In any event, I think our cruise through the alter-dimension is more like being trapped in limbo!
 
‘Sing Me One Last Song’ starts off equally time and space bending, but the mood is far more whimsical and lysergically dreamy. We’ve got music that’s at times like a drugged mutation of somber torch song and carnival soundtrack, and at others like sinister Halloween effects played to a sedated melody. It even gets a little metal clanging jazzy, symphonic and ghostly industrial at times. Good use of tape manipulation. The overall vibe is similar to Side A, but with an evolving musical soundtrack.
 
In summary, big thumbs up to Al and Roger for a gripping hour of sonically creative creepiness. File under narcotized psychedelia for the soundscape/audio art avant-garde.


homemade audio folk art by Hal McGee and friends 1981-now
  • HalTapes Home
  • Indianapolis 1981-88
  • Contact
  • Walls Of Genius
  • Jay T. Yamamoto
  • Girls On Fire
  • Harsh Reality Music
    • HR107 If Bwana Godfather Revue
    • HR117 England UK
    • HR118 Everlasting Happy Life
    • HR136 Expanded Metal Meshwork
    • HR160 Subatomic Nurse
    • HR165 Mitch Bridges Of Time
    • HR168 Trans-Siberian
    • HR169 Quadraphase EthnoTronik