#is more... intense? short sweet to the punchy point?

[randomfoggytiger]

I think your writing style is very unique. And your stories often have a meta feeling to it which is so much fun to read. It reads different than your actual meta posts! There are just so many layers to your writing - and I love every single one.

There is??? o.o Wow, thank you! I do kind of write meta-ish, don't I? (Not that I'm complaining~.)

It's eye-opening seeing my "style" through someone else's eyes; so, thanks again for dropping in and letting me know! :DDDD

[animebw]

Binge-Watching: Symphogear G, Episodes 11-13

So, um.

Yeah.

Over 9000

Gintama is my favorite show of all time, as most of my followers are probably aware. I could be here all day listing the reasons why, but my long love affair with that masterpiece is covered in full in my binge-watch of it, so check it out if you want more details. Short, very simplified version, Gintama was a show that could regularly leave me in a state of shock at what it was able to accomplish. There were several points along its run where it would dive into massive, dramatic arcs that kicked so much ass I felt literally exhausted by the end of them. Sometimes, the overwhelming epicness of what unfolded in front of me was so potent I didn’t even want to write about it. I just wanted to bask in the glory of the masterful story I just experienced, letting its majesty sink into my bones and be engraved there for all time.

This is another one of those times.

Sweet. Buttery. MUSTARD. The finale of Symphogear’s second season isn’t just epic, it’s one of the most gob-stopping thrill rides that anime has ever taken me on. I feel like I just got off a goddamn roller coaster and my brain’s still jumbling around in my skull cavity. It’s a spectacle the likes of which I’ve rarely ever seen, an unending rush of adrenaline that just keeps topping itself over and over again until I just gave up trying to gauge it and let it sweep me away. It takes Symphogear to an entirely new level and makes good on the bombastic promise of those first few episodes, blowing the doors open to a world of operatic possibility. It’s utterly insane, bonkers ridiculous, completely over the top, and deserving of the grandest standing ovation in the world. I. Am. In. AWE. This is why I watch anime, folks. This is the batshit gloriosity I crave from this ridiculous, stupendous medium. So let’s give it the analysis it deserves, because I have never been more in love with everything Symphogear represents.

ISTFG Gin-san

It becomes clear from very early on in the final battle that this is going to be a very different sort of spectacle than the season 1 finale. That finale was intense and gripping, full of potent emotional catharsis, moments of near despair, and a dark, overcast tone that made every time Hibiki forced herself back onto her feet an act of defiance and revolution. That’s not the case here, and that realization becomes obvious the moment that FIS’ secret Frontier weapon turns out to be a literal goddamn continent spaceship. The reveal of this massive, ponderous aircraft breaching the ocean’s surface left me cackling with glee; there is no way to mine true darkness from a spectacle this insane, and wisely, the show doesn’t try to. This final battle is fun, a fireworks shower of increasingly massive setpieces and unfairly punchy moments of action impact that makes you feel like you’re racing against the wind, feeling it peel your face back in buffeting gusts. I mean, Frontier is literally just goddamn Laputa with grav waves instead of nukes, and that’s just the start of how batshit things are about to get. Hell, Dr. Ver using a giant spectral space hand to lasso the moon isn’t even the most ridiculous galactic hand-fu we get by the end. Eat your goddamn heart out, Gurren Lagann.

And speaking of Dr. Ver, one of the big grounding factors in making this finale such a treat is just what a fantastically over-the-top villain he turned out to be. We’ve come a long way from Ryouko, whose theatrics felt stuffy and unfitting of the gravity of her plan. Dr. Ver is pretty much the perfect example of how to do the cackling mastermind right; he’s unendingly entertaining, even as we never lose sight of how intimidating and dangerous his plan is. A lot of that is thanks to him being voiced as Tomokazu Sugita; whenever he starts freaking out, I can’t help but hear Gintoki’s lame-brained pansy-ass motormouth shtick, and there is nothing more wonderfully entertaining than hearing those iconic expulsions of lunacy again. But more importantly, his motivations and place in the narrative all contribute to his theatricality. Like I mentioned a while ago, he’s the one true bastard among the otherwise complex villains, and thus, he’s allowed to go as hard and hammy as he possibly can without compromising the antagonistic integrity of the entire show. Hell, there’s even a twisted logic to his desire to smash the moon into the Earth; he wants to reduce humanity to a small enough population that he can comfortably rule them where others have failed. That’s a fantastic justification for his villainy that serves the insanity of his actions perfectly. This is how you do over-the-top evil right: you ground it in some semblance of logic, and then you let it take off like a bottle rocket wherever the winds of madness may blow. Once you’ve got that solid base, the sky’s the limit.

My World is You

And that’s the real genius of this final smackdown: because it’s so overblown and divorced from reality, the emotions it’s going for are able to sing just as loudly and just as operatically. This is Symphogear’s bombastic, eleventh-hour showtune sensibility at its absolute best, full of too many incredible moments of triumph to count. Tsubasa and Chris’s epic duel in the volcanic rainbow hot spring field is the best they’ve been all season, soaring with an unmatched level of raw intensity that only has me shipping them harder and harder. Hell, I’m not even sure I follow the logic of why Chris betrayed them in the first place- if it had to do with the explodey collar, then do you expect me to believe Ver somehow got it on her before she joined them?- but I don’t even care, because the sight of these two mismatched badasses throwing down and calling each other “Senpai” was so ludicrously powerful that such petty mortal concerns seemed to fade away with the morning mist. Somehow or other, they always find their way back home.

But it was Kirika and Shirabe’s fight that truly stole my heart. I mean, it stole theirs too: their clash literally starts with both of them trying to out-confess their love for each other (”Don’t say ‘I love you’! I love you far more!”) and holy shit, the writers aren’t even trying to hide how gay this all is anymore. That single moment alone was so freaking amazing it wouldn’t have even mattered if the rest of the fight was garbage. But thankfully, not only is their battle a truly incredible spectacle with one of the most badass duets in the entire show so far, it’s rippling with the kind of potent romantic tension that connects every damn character in this show. Symphogear is a story of people desperately trying to hear each other’s songs, grasping for clarity in a world where it doesn’t come readily. And it’s so easy to just want to break the whole thing apart, to force this world into shape however you can, no matter how much blood gets shed in the attempt. But Shirabe has realized what Hibiki realized about Miku: a world built on the sacrifices and compromises of the people you care about can never be a world worth fighting for. Because your world is them. They’re why you fight so damn hard in the first place. Nothing could possibly be worth giving that up. As Shirabe herself says, in yet another moment of concentrated gay so powerful I felt my heart skip a beat, the world she wants is a world with Kirika in it. As long as that remains true, she has to believe in the power of her song.

She has to believe, like Hibiki, that her song can still reach.

And for all the knocks she’s taken, Hibiki refuses to lose faith in that song. She’s seen the power reaching out can have, the people it can save, the horrors it can redeem. And with the threat of imminent death by relic poisoning officially clear from her system, thanks to Miku’s influence and unending support (god they’re so fucking soft together help me I can’t handle them), she faces down this battle singing louder and prouder than she ever has before, inspiring Shirabe to place her faith in her, inspiring Fine to sacrifice her barely awakened soul to keep her dream alive (holy shit, what a cool moment), and inspiring herself to literally steal Maria’s goddamn Gungnir armor right the fuck off her in one of the single coolest moments of badass I’ve ever seen. GOD. There is no better symbol for the power of this show than its firey protagonist rushing in unarmed and taking control of the battle with the raw power of her undying song. And now, with the eyes of the entire world upon them, just as they were at the beginning of the show, she and Maria can finally bring their friends together for the grand finale.

After all, as any actor worth their salt will tell you, it’s only proper to send the audience home on the highest note possible.

Heavens? Pierced ‘em.

And as if the rest of the battle wasn’t amazing enough, as if the incredible clashes and awe-inspiring spectacle didn’t already kick enough ass to leave the entire population of Earth sore for weeks, Symphogear G’s final episode cranks the dial all the way past 11 and explodes in a sonic wall of pure, unadulterated yes. Holy. Fucking. Shit. Have you ever been so lifted up on the sheer hype of a show that you feel the universe expanding and exploding before you, and you just want to scream to the heavens in pure joy? Forget going full Gurren Lagann, this finale pierces the heavens so completely the heavens are gonna have to build an entirely new roof to replace the massive hole Symphogear just punctured in it. Everything, and I mean everything, is pushed to its furthers possible extreme, and the result is a cavalcade of tableaus and showstoppers so fucking epic I don’t even have the words to describe them. Seven billion people’s climax songs ringing out at once, ringing with the full force of our six-person team as their amplifier! Letting loose the Symphogears’ super forms and tearing a hole in 3D space! Finally getting to see that Treasury of Babylonia that was foreshadowed back at the start of the season, and it’s just as psychedelic as I could’ve possibly hoped! The coolest fucking song in the entire show so far! TWIN FUCKING MASTER HAND SMASHY THROUGH BIG LAVA DUDE!!!! AND MOTHERFUCKING MIKU COMING IN CLUTCH TO FINISH THE JOB LIKE THE BADASS GF SHE IS!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!

My god, that was a triumph. That was a masterful, utterly transcendent explosion of action storytelling that’s going to stick in my mind for a long time. That was everything that makes Symphogear so goddamn amazing, erupting in one single, stunning blast. When I think of spectacle from now on, this is the first thing that will come to mind; few sequences so perfectly capture the raw, unfiltered beauty of exhilaration in animation the way this did. Symphogear, it is truly abominable that I’ve overlooked you for so long. You are a goddamn powerhouse. And I can’t wait to see how you to yourself again.

Odds and Ends

-hhhrrrrrrrg THAT HUG GIVES ME LIFE

-”The last action hero!” What an oddly specific reference.

-”No adult worth that name would stop a kid from doing what they wanted to do.” Can Genjirou just, like, be my teacher forever?

-”I don’t recall showing you any action movies where the hero talks back!” askjdahasd

-Ooh, do Genjirou and Shirabe have a history? They way they talk, like they know each other from elsewhere...

-Poor Hibiki just wants to have a conversation on a battlefield once and nobody’s fucking letting her

-”The Bavarian Illuminati” ...pardon?

-”I’ll take you home if I have to drag you by the neck.” Kinky.

-”You’d expect a bad guy to break his promise.” Nothing less from Gin-san.

-Okay listen Chris I know you’re excited for your new girlfriend to see you naked but you are in public young lady

-”It seems breaking it won’t help.” askjdhaskjdhsa

-”Kill me! Make me a hero!” I swear to GOD Gin-san

-”Show me you can do more than kill, Solomon!” This line is just absurdly cool.

-”She won’t call me Senpai anymore!” OH MY FUCKING GOD

-hrrrrrng THAT HUG GIVES ME EVEN MORE LIFE

Wow. Goddamn, this show is something else. Well, expect my season reflection later tonight! After I take a shower, because I need a fucking break after that insanity.

[canna-base]

Honest Review of the Pax 3 Handheld Portable Vaporizer by a Chronic Pain Patient

As a fairly recent convert to MMJ, it took me almost a year to lose my love affair with rolling a blunt and suffering the noxious smoke to medicate. Trying to subtly partake of much needed sweet leaf relief was a chore, dodging into the alley next to my home and trying to avoid the gaze of curious kids was proving stressful. It was more the image of their dad smoking than the substance itself, of giving them a bad mental image that allowed them to “smoke” was not good parenting. Plus I don’t want to feel like taking herbal medication is something to be ashamed of.

But a whole 12 months past before I got together the resources (saved!) to afford a decent pocket vape. My requirements were;

Discreet

Easy to use

Didn’t look too “druggy”

Did the job efficiently

Had accurate temperature control

I used to be a cigarette smoker, many moons ago but having never ‘vaped’ I was not sure what to expect.  I knew the device had to heat the dry herb to hit the off button on my considerable knee pain and I knew that three light-ish puffs on a ‘joint’ got the job done, albeit with that smokey aftertaste, aroma and fear that a neighbour may smell the err, medication.

So I did some research and decided that a Pax 3 was the ticket, I almost purchased an entry level eBay special but figured that £80+  could be totally wasted (ha!) and I should go with a reputable brand. After reviewing our various recommendations I went and bought a Pax 3 from a local supplier.

Shopping For a Dry Herb Vaporizer

Evapo is a vape shop in Guildford mostly given over to liquid non-MMJ vape-ware, vaporisers, liquids and accessories but there was one cabinet market “CBD” which, given this is the UK, was a subtle clue as to what the cabinet held. The choice was limited to a Pax 2 or a Pax 3. Given that I am an inveterate tech-head I opted for the app controlled Pax 3.

The salesman was a cheerful upbeat sort who talked discreetly but knowledgeably of the features/benefits and what a dry herb vaporizer did. Plus, Evapo had a 15% off deal that weekend which reduced the ticket price from £219.99 to £186.99. Seemed a bit steep for a first time vape purchase, I mean, what if I didn’t like it? What if I didn’t get the relief I am seeking? Hey ho, figured in the name of research it was worth the spend. Five minutes later I exited the proud owner of one spanking brand new Pax 3, and instructions on how to pair it up with the app, more on that in a moment.

Unboxing the Pax 3 Herb Vape

When I got home I opened the box, which is as stylish as the Pax 3 itself, very Apple design led. You slide the box out a sleeve, and it opens with a satisfying resistance provided by hidden magnets. I can see why they get the price they charge.

It contains charger & USB charge cable, cleaning materials (pipe cleaners and pipe brush), a keyring that doubles up as a scraper, an oven like compartment with a holder for concentrates and waxes, a second half-charge oven lid, raised silicon mouthpiece and a stitched material sleeve and of course the device itself. The enclosed documentation is quite slim on any actual operating instructions, but does give you the limited instructions in many different languages. Plus a safety booklet, again, bereft of any instructions but telling you of the many dangers a device like this can inflict.

Once released from its plastic coffin the device is pleasingly heavy in the hand. The heft gives it a solidity, again the comparison to Apple cannot be overstated. It’s solidly built up to a standard not down to a price.

I choose a matt black finish and thus with one click on the top of the mouthpiece, the LEDs stood out like runway landing lights. I set up the device to charge, it already had 3 of the 4 lights lit, and within 20 minutes the remaining light blinked on and we were good to go.

Pairing the Pax 3 With The App

By the time the charge had finished I was ready to pair the Android version of the app with the device and had gotten to the point where you shake it to pair it. Try as I might my Google Pixel 2 XL running Android Pie (9.0) was just not having any of it, tried different settings on the phone and despite the phone stating it was paired, the app itself refused to play ball. I am guessing this is a Android Pie bug, maybe? I had only installed Pie on the phone a few days earlier so I am guessing app bugs are a distinct possibility. Many of the reviews however also noted pairing difficulties, so perhaps not? Later I downloaded the iPhone iOS app onto my iPad and that not only paired without trouble it also controlled the device well.

First Use and Impressions

Anyway, to the first trial, my ‘herb’ was ground and packed into the oven chamber, it took a relatively little amount, I would say half a single skin joint. I thought this seemed like a very minor amount given that the device allowed for several hits on one fill, but I went along with it. Within a couple of minutes I was ready to go, with a fully charged Pax 3 that was now also fully charged with bud I hesitantly hit the ‘on’ button. The device heats quickly 20 – 30 seconds and the flashing purple LEDs turned green notifying me that the Pax 3 was ready to dose me.

I’d opted for the highest heat setting, I just felt that if I was going to try it then I should really give the Pax 3 a run for its money. I took a tentative first pull. The taste was not what I expected, a floral, greenery taste with a slightly timber smoke edge to it, not burning but that kind of smell you get in a wood on a hot day. I guess that’s the oils and the waxes boiling off their terpenes which give the bud its flavour profile. As the flavour died back and I exhaled it suddenly gave me a taste of coffee grinds, not full on coffee in your mouth but that half smell of roasting you get as you walk past a coffee house.

Very pleasant, very smooth and much nicer than a pull on a ‘Fatty-Boom-Batty’. The specific stock I was smoking is not overpoweringly strong, but does do the job for my pain. As an example I can take a single pull on a one-skinner and have it hit the off button on my knee pain for a couple of hours but leave me focused enough to answer calls, write code and function without the distraction of grinding bone on bone action. I took a second tentative pull, and then thought, screw it, and took two much longer, deeper pulls.

The Pax 3 vs Knee Pain

It was Saturday night and I was feeling like kicking back a bit so wasn’t concerned if I overshot the runway when it came to switching off the red flashing pain klaxon. As per usual the hits took time to kick in, with my usual method of ingestion it takes around 10 minutes for the meds to make their way into my brain and do what it does. Oh-so much better than the mechanised approach that codeine seems to take. Wrapping everything in cling film and preventing you from feeling pretty much anything but the ‘ready break’ glow (US readers Google it, you’ll see how accurate that actually is) that Codeine gives you.

I usually then go make a cuppa, and settle into the sofa with my better half and wait for the pain to roll back and relief to roll in. Well, the Pax 3 definitely delivers, I was starting to feel the effects inside the ten minutes, and all was good. Everything suddenly felt very good with the world, in a way that pain seems to rob you of. Pain adds jagged pixelations to your every move, thought and sensation. It’s like you’re dealing with low resolution images and trying to pass them as 4K cinemascope.

Codeine always took away the ‘jaggies’ but delivered a vaseline smeared lens perspective of the world. All soft focused and fuzzy edged, you felt like the world was a bouncy castle made of marshmallow. However the Pax 3, not only delivered the usual relief but somehow it felt less punchy, like the difference between a $20 bottle of bourbon vs $120 bottle of premium single malt scotch. You can see why the Pax 3 gets the reviews it does.

Controlling Dose with My Second Use

Lets just say 30 minutes later as I am lying on the sofa, totally baked, I tried to have a chat with my other half and ended up giggling away as she laughed at me, not with me. I remained quite lucid, but was just very relaxed by the whole body sedation which is not how my current supply usually hits. The effect lasted at least 4 hours, in fact I went to bed and slept soundly, I usually wake early, 6:30 or 7am, woken by the knee pain, but I overshot that by at least 2 hours. Woke feeling fresh although a little fuzzy but coffee and breakfast sorted that for me.

Therefore I wanted to avoid this with my second use, which was much more controlled, after a little bit of reading online. Just 2 short pulls and the device turned down to a less intense heat at 3 LED lights. I think this might be the sweet spot as the effects again took 5-10 mins to become very noticeable but there was much less of a body sedation, in fact I felt a clarity in my thinking and it just neutralised my pain.

Gone.

Not a trace.

Before medicating I would put the pain at a 3 on our pain chart, far from unbearable but definitely ’nagging’ and niggling at me. So the two hits were a good amount to kill the pain but not dull my entire brain. In fact I would now consider a single pull at 3 lights during a working day. Maybe.

Final Impressions and Overall View

I would give the Pax 3, 5 stars, but I have no other benchmark other than self-rolled all-weed blunts, joints and the occasional bong rip. I feel like I did when I upgraded to my first smart phone. Suddenly I had a computer in my hand and felt like I was ahead of the curve. The Pax 3 is very similar, having previously burnt a tube of rolled up dry herb I now have control and can set the temperature to the exact setting I want and get much more measured doses from my choice of pain meds. The only remaining variable of course is the plant material itself.

I suddenly see that devices like the Pax 3 are invaluable in allowing pain patients to get closer to a proper dosing regimen and if they feel like having a little more fun on a Saturday night, then at least it is a choice. That, for me, is what Cannabis should be about, the choice, the choice of your medication, the choice to choose your own safe pain meds. That it is your body and therefore making a choice of herbal remedy vs the output of an industrialised process, is your right.

I wish I had tried a vaporiser earlier, the Pax 3 is a very good product that does the job without fanfare, but does it stylishly and without announcing to the world you partake. The only small downside was that after I had fiddled about with it, trying to get it to sync with my Android phone, and then using it to heat my herb it got a little warm. Not uncomfortably, or dangerously, but it did warm noticeably, which given its function is not unreasonable, but it got a touch warmer than I thought it would. Put that down to user expectations perhaps, but one to consider. I am exploring a silicon sleeve for it, just to make it the perfect portable medical device.

The Pax 3 is a total winner and I am very pleased with the value for money and recommend it to you if you are considering using a vape. If you have pain, don’t leave home without it.

Click Here to Order The Pax 3 

The post Honest Review of the Pax 3 Handheld Portable Vaporizer by a Chronic Pain Patient appeared first on Cannabis for Chronic Pain.

source https://canna-base.com/pax-3-handheld-portable-vaporizer-review/

[fluidsf]

Fluid Sonic Fluctuations Review 100

Fluid Label Focus on Genot Centre 17

FAUSTO MERCIER: FULLSCREEN (2019)

Catalogue number: GEN038

Cover design by Marick Roy

Reviewed format: download review copy in press kit kindly provided by Genot Centre

Hello and welcome to Fluid Sonic Fluctuations Review 100 in which I’m reviewing FAUSTO MERCIER’s debut album on Genot Centre titled FULLSCREEN. FULLSCREEN is a nicely long form album featuring 13 tracks, 10 of which are FAUSTO MERCIER originals while the 3 other tracks are remixes of several of the tracks featured on this album by Genot Centre family names that will be familiar if you’ve followed my blog before. These are r hunter, Ice_Eyes and Forces who have created some lovely manipulated, clubified and plundered remixes which add a good flow of variety within the album and integrate really well in the listening experience as original elements of the tracks are recognisable in these remixes but the three remixers also contribute a lot of fresh sounds and production to the album as well, enriching it in a way. In the description in my press kit, FAUSTO MERCIER (Roland Nagy) describes the album as being a collection of various ideas, drafts and sonic objects and indeed the album’s sound varies from track to track as the music often has a strong sense of experimentation still in progress and the tracks have an interesting independency between each other but the album retains a good coherent consistency in sonic approach as well. The cover of the digital version and limited edition C52 tape was designed by Marick Roy this time, matching MERCIER’s liquid, abstract and 3D sound design and productions which combine Deconstructed Club elements with a more ambient approach to abstract experimental electronic music with the glassy plastic like forms, manipulated type and blue objects floating within them on the cover of the album. FULLSCREEN was supplied to me in 24-bit/44.1kHz high resolution WAV format in the press kit, one of the options to download on Bandcamp and included with purchase of the tape there too. Now let’s move to the music on FULLSCREEN.

FULLSCREEN starts with FIRMEST FINE, a piece which uses a recognisable Deconstructed Club approach in its structure with EDM like melodies building towards a drop that’s very fragmented and abstract in nature. MERCIER’s approach to sound shaping is much more diffuse, liquid and metallic than some other Deconstructed Club artists however, going for an approach of layers of dissonance and “subtle harshness” than doesn’t entirely mask the melodic aspect of the music too however. In FIRMEST FINE MERCIER’s sound palette consists of fat drum sounds, screechy morphing synths, time-stretched percussion hits, various sound effects like female vocal samples and bells all produced within a nicely spacious stereo image and the beats are nicely punchy combined with the sharp synth melodies, definitely a winning opening track. GLUT moves into a more texture based direction with bending synth tones forming sci-fi drones backing a fun scattering mass of mangled synths, samples and drums sounds into what sounds like a futuristic Trap deconstruction into a kind of cyberpunkian soundscape. There’s a lot of variation in the rhythmic patterns and sonic manipulations which gives the piece a great fluid movement and sonic development, very nice. REVEIN is an abstract Deconstructed Club soundscape made up of stuttered synth sounds, liquid sound manipulations, chopped vocal samples creating wooden kinetic like structures of sounds which in the second half get especially intense as the get mixed with frantic sounding Geiger counter like sounds totally overloading mixed with eerie hissy pads. Like the structures literally melt into a mess of radioactive substances, radioactive melt-down translated into remarkably playful sonics. Afterwards we have the r hunter Remix of LAZZZZERISM which in a way does improve on the more abstract and repetitive original track (I’ll mention more about that when we reach the original track) the squelchy metallic percussion from the original is blended in here with a catchy straight groove made up of bassy bouncy kick, noise-sculpted hats and and laserific snare hits. Funky metallic synth melodies carry the piece and give it a great energetic drive that glues together the layers of percussive mayhem into quite a club like track, albeit a pretty quirky club track, very nice. HYPER follows which matches its name quite well, mostly consisting of wild stereo plunder phonics style glitches, liquid sounds and bleeps, mysterious eerie tones fade into the sonic image soon enough however giving the piece an intriguing alien feel. Quite a lot of great sonic manipulations in this piece and the mysterious tones give the music a great deep distant ambience that works as a sweet juxtaposition of elements and allowing the listener to focus on either or both layers of sound, making for a texture, rhythm or mixture based listening experience. SOWROW continues quite a bit of that alien / sci-fi vibe that this album often has with some delicious squelchy sonic manipulations, eerie airy pad tones and diffuse synth chops. It’s like a moving plastic “divine” creature (with divine pointing at the airy ambience) that keeps changing its form, with different sonic details happening left and right all over the place. GREY GAP is like one of the recent years Autechre glitchtastic fuzzy piece but produced with a more compressed and fuzzy Deconstructed Club production style with the sharp sounds and manipulations being created. Very intense, hard-hitting and exciting. Then on KNOWTOHOWTOKNOW we have what sounds like “a big lurking mystery” which is put into sounds through the ghostly main melody played by glassy ringing fuzzy distorted synth tones, liquid stereo sound design and monstrous growls. A richly detailed cinematic piece of music, very nice. Next we have Ice_Eyes Remix of MIND BUSINESS which turns the original into an atmospheric Club track but with plenty of distorted Industrial percussion sounds in it as well. The remix has quite a bit of general fuzzy edge to its sound and the bassy kick combined with the Grimey synths make for a track that’s quite a bit more straight in its Club style than some of Ice_Eyes recent original tracks but there’s plenty of cool abstract elements to the track as well like the many synth squeals and filter effects Ice_Eyes applies within the track. Smooth warm pads feature in the remix at points but Ice_Eyes also gets particularly into banger mode in the second half as they change the groove to an Industrial Techno like 4x4 groove which works in a great driving manner, great remix. The original track MIND BUSINESS then follows which more of a mixture of Industrial elements into deconstruction and quirky vocal and synth chops. The Grime element is also apparent in this original version which the screechy synths and fat drum sounds making for a particularly big punchy groove, but this groove changes up in more radical manners, perhaps even having a bit more of a “live performed” kind of feel like old Industrial tracks also tended to not use sequenced drums as driving force but life performed metal percussion and drums. Definitely a great original track and this original version and the Ice_Eyes Remix compliment each other really well and in the reverse order they’re sequenced in make for a great “deconstruction into original” kind of listening experience. LAZZZZERISM follows in its original version which at the start sounds like its a continuation straight from MIND BUSINESS as it follows the same tempo and even seems to contain the melody, albeit in very short tones within its intense metallic rhythms. The track is quite the rhythmic exercise with the focus laying completely on a series of variations on one main rhythm pattern on a whole array of metallic, bassy and squelchy laserific filter sweeping synth drums and screeches. The beats are quite enjoyable definitely but near the end I did feel like this track is just about the right length as the beats do feel a bit repetitive as the track progresses but I do appreciate FAUSTO MERCIER’s enthusiasm for experimentation in textures in tracks even if the end result is a tad long for its minimalist nature. Afterwards we have Forces Remix of first track FIRMEST FINE, which is a particularly bouncy and banging Plunderphonics style stutterific remix of the original track. If I compare it to the style of Forces’ earlier release Plastisphere on Genot Centre this remix has more of a feel to it like being build out of both organic elements (the squeaky synths and sound effects) and stacks of large and thick squares (the barrages of stuttered drum hits). The whole remix is pretty much one big thunderous relentless beat bonanza, but it’s definitely very enjoyable and varied enough, great remix. Final track CHECK REALITÉ is a surprising Noise like piece from FAUSTO MERCIER, its textures much darker, harsher and submarine like than in other tracks on FULLSCREEN. The piece is a subtle moving soundscape made up of the aforementioned submarine texture in the sonic form of filtered low pitched rumbles, a piercing continuous high pitched tone and the recognisable squelchy liquid synth sounds which subtly move from left to right in this piece matched with the rises and falls of the submarine rumbles. A great piece of music to close out the album, especially because it’s so different from the other tracks and there’s an enjoyable intensity and richness in the moving textures in this track.

To conclude this review of FULLSCREEN by FAUSTO MERCIER I’d say that it’s definitely great that he was so open about his working process in creating music by sharing it through this selection of pieces in album format but also succeeded in making it sound like a great coherent album through its sequencing and the remixes by r hunter, Ice_Eyes and Forces. I can definitely feel FAUSTO MERCIER’s got a great ear for balancing sci-fi Club deconstructions of sound with diffuse, mysterious but also lush atmospherics and can easily switch from more straight beats to abstract soundscapes. FULLSCREEN’s definitely a great album of varied experimental electronic music and the recognisable personal sound of FAUSTO MERCIER gives of a good impression of where he might be headed next in music. This is definitely a great album for fans of Deconstructed Club, Glitch and abstract electronic music but also listeners who are into Braindance or contemporary Plunderphonics explorations. There’s plenty of textures and beats to be enjoyed on this album so it’s also a recommended listen for fans of experimental music in general. Go check this album out.

The limited edition tape and digital version of FULLSCREEN are now available from the Genot Centre Bandcamp page here: https://genot.bandcamp.com/album/fullscreen

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Top 5 Overlooked Indie Releases of 2016

The Glowing Man - Swans Ending their trilogy of albums in the band's latest iteration (followed by 2012's The Seer and 2014's To Be Kind), Michael Gira and company made sure to go out with a bang. Explosive, visceral, and magnificent, The Glowing Man is a 2-hour long art-rock/experimental-rock journey with grandiose buildups such as in “Cloud of Unknowing” as well as liberating climaxes in the title track, “The Glowing Man.” Like all Swans albums, The Glowing Man is no easy listen. It screams with brutality, but also harmony. At times, listening to the album is like getting your face punched in while the very next moment you find yourself drifting in euphoric bliss. With its layered instrumentation and orchestrated grandeur, The Glowing Man is an experience like no other. Stage Four - Touché Amoré Another album of extreme intensity and audible anguish, Touché Amoré left no emotion unsung on their latest album. Penned in light of the death of lead singer Jeremy Bolm's mother, the album speaks of Bolm's emotional response to her passing, conveying a forlorn sentiment, regretful of the distance between him and his mother, packed with its sharp delivery of melodic yet abrasive post-hardcore heaviness. Unlike most artists of their genre, Touché Amoré not only makes the audience hear the sorrow but also makes them feel it.Often playing in the background are two guitars, one loud and upfront, often enunciating grandiose power chords, while the other harmonizes with delicate arpeggios in the distance, all while beating drums ram underneath. Combined with heartfelt lyrics such as “I couldn't worship the god that let her fall apart,” on Stage Four we hear the band at their most emotionally torn. Next Thing - Frankie Cosmos Relaxing, short, and sweet, Frankie Cosmos' Next Thing is an accessible and easygoing listen that captivates listeners with its calming vibe. In its jumpy twee pop fashion, the album pulses with energy yet it remains laid-back. With its witty lyrics, cleverly crafted with personality and charm, Next Thing is at times humorous, occasionally intimate, somewhat introspective, and always fun.  Moreover, not a single song spans over three-minutes long, which for Cosmos is in no way problematic. With her concise songwriting, she packages songs in brief and effective snippets perfect for playing in the background or for getting stuck in one's head. My Woman - Angel Olsen On My Woman Angel Olsen crafts a beautiful sound that lives up to her name. Delicate and dreamlike, Olsen's voice graces a myriad of different instrumental soundscapes from the distant backdrops on “Heart Shaped Face” and “Sister,” the crunchy chords on “Shut Up Kiss Me,” and the humming synths on “Intern.” This diversity makes each track stand out from each other, yet they are all united under one theme of romantic longing. Olsen envelops listeners in an airy atmosphere topped with satisfying guitar solos, frequently distorted with a chorus effect causing it to waver up and down in pitch, akin to her quivering voice on the record's more mellow moments. All in all, My Woman directly communicates the whole spectrum of emotions one experiences during the longing for love. Teens of Denial - Car Seat Headrest For years, Will Toledo, the genius behind all of Car Seat Headrest's music, has independently released album after album of all the songs he could muster. Sitting on a backlog larger than most artists accumulate over decades of performing, Toledo has already accrued more than a dozen albums by the age of 24. Through these projects, his songwriting has been honed to a point where on Teens of Denial—his debut of newly recorded material after having been signed to a major label—every song is crafted to the point of perfection. A brilliant odyssey of teenage angst combined with a confessional narrative of Toledo's transition to adult life, the lyrics struggle with drugs, social pressures, depression, and anxiety, cohesively wrapping up all these feelings from start to finish. Toledo writes both punchy indie rock tunes such as “Destroyed By Hippie Powers” and “1937 State Park” as well as epic ballads, literally, on “The Ballad of Costa Concordia” and “Cosmic Hero.” Simply put, Teens of Denial is one of the band's best works to date, and that says something.