HR077 - Animation Festival - Exalted - C60 — 1988
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
I was introduced to Tioga, Louisiana based Animation Festival when I reviewed the HR069 Woundz Never Heal and HR075 The Wound Deepens compilations. I enjoyed their contributions to both those sets so am thrilled to have a full length to wrap my ears and brain around.
All ten tracks are titled as ‘Exalted I’ through ‘Exalted X’. The credits note all songs and instrumentation by Michael Behavior, with additional guitar on ‘Exalted X’ by Les Jordan.
‘Exalted I’ kicks off the set like a totally twisted and drugged brand of Tiki/Exotica music. Les Baxter for the Industrial set. I like the combination of space freaky electronics, drone-jazzy horn, and zany guitar solo, set to a slowly swaying and trying not to fall over dance floor groove. ‘Exalted II’ starts off with a darkly industrial psychedelic atmosphere and B-movie sci-fi soundtrack keys, plus manically jamming guitar solo. It feels like the Phantom of the Sci-Fi Opera playing in a cavern club of goth-industrial denizens. But later the music shifts gears and launches into a noisy, pounding Industrial dirge with humorously anguished, dissonant guitar. ‘Exalted III’ continues this theme, though after a couple minutes it transitions to what I can only describe as a psychedelic industrial lullaby. ‘Exalted IV’ consists of wild jamming that is chaotic yet strangely linear and noisily pleasant. It’s like an industrial punk band took on a 70s psych rock guitarist who got into the spirit of the experimental punk scene. The more guitar I hear the more the playing brings to mind a cross between Helios Creed and Snakefinger. ‘Exalted V’ begins as the most sedately spacey track yet, with lots of understated Forbidden Planet style rising, falling, wavering and steady tones, before veering into another space-drone-jazzy and rhythmically hip-shaking Exotica type tune, and then ending with a quietly space-ambient finale.
Side Two begins with the punky yet mesmerizing industrial-psychedelic thrash of ‘Exalted VI’, with goofy fluttering pennywhistle sounding instrument, intensely martial percussion, killer wigged out trip guitar, spacey effects, and the most prominent ‘singing’ vocals I’ve heard in the set yet. ‘Exalted VII’ surprises with completely different guitar, being a beautifully melodic and clean sound. The music is downright serene. ‘Exalted VIII’ is another melodic tune, though this one is interestingly acid dosed distorted and includes spoken word ‘singing’ vocals. ‘Exalted IV’ returns to the psychedelically swinging, jazzy Exotica. ‘Exalted X’ is similar but back in delirious drugged mode, veering between experimental big band jazz and art damaged jamming psych rock band. And throughout this 11-minute set closer we’re treated to a parade of experimental bits, including a garbled chorus of voices, miscellaneous noises and effects, and sung vocal phrases. Think Acid Mother’s Temple meets Brian Jonestown Massacre for experimental fans. An excellent set of homemade fun that carves out its own wild and crazy niche.
I was introduced to Tioga, Louisiana based Animation Festival when I reviewed the HR069 Woundz Never Heal and HR075 The Wound Deepens compilations. I enjoyed their contributions to both those sets so am thrilled to have a full length to wrap my ears and brain around.
All ten tracks are titled as ‘Exalted I’ through ‘Exalted X’. The credits note all songs and instrumentation by Michael Behavior, with additional guitar on ‘Exalted X’ by Les Jordan.
‘Exalted I’ kicks off the set like a totally twisted and drugged brand of Tiki/Exotica music. Les Baxter for the Industrial set. I like the combination of space freaky electronics, drone-jazzy horn, and zany guitar solo, set to a slowly swaying and trying not to fall over dance floor groove. ‘Exalted II’ starts off with a darkly industrial psychedelic atmosphere and B-movie sci-fi soundtrack keys, plus manically jamming guitar solo. It feels like the Phantom of the Sci-Fi Opera playing in a cavern club of goth-industrial denizens. But later the music shifts gears and launches into a noisy, pounding Industrial dirge with humorously anguished, dissonant guitar. ‘Exalted III’ continues this theme, though after a couple minutes it transitions to what I can only describe as a psychedelic industrial lullaby. ‘Exalted IV’ consists of wild jamming that is chaotic yet strangely linear and noisily pleasant. It’s like an industrial punk band took on a 70s psych rock guitarist who got into the spirit of the experimental punk scene. The more guitar I hear the more the playing brings to mind a cross between Helios Creed and Snakefinger. ‘Exalted V’ begins as the most sedately spacey track yet, with lots of understated Forbidden Planet style rising, falling, wavering and steady tones, before veering into another space-drone-jazzy and rhythmically hip-shaking Exotica type tune, and then ending with a quietly space-ambient finale.
Side Two begins with the punky yet mesmerizing industrial-psychedelic thrash of ‘Exalted VI’, with goofy fluttering pennywhistle sounding instrument, intensely martial percussion, killer wigged out trip guitar, spacey effects, and the most prominent ‘singing’ vocals I’ve heard in the set yet. ‘Exalted VII’ surprises with completely different guitar, being a beautifully melodic and clean sound. The music is downright serene. ‘Exalted VIII’ is another melodic tune, though this one is interestingly acid dosed distorted and includes spoken word ‘singing’ vocals. ‘Exalted IV’ returns to the psychedelically swinging, jazzy Exotica. ‘Exalted X’ is similar but back in delirious drugged mode, veering between experimental big band jazz and art damaged jamming psych rock band. And throughout this 11-minute set closer we’re treated to a parade of experimental bits, including a garbled chorus of voices, miscellaneous noises and effects, and sung vocal phrases. Think Acid Mother’s Temple meets Brian Jonestown Massacre for experimental fans. An excellent set of homemade fun that carves out its own wild and crazy niche.