Frozen Niagara Falls
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You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
You are currently reading a thread in /mu/ - Music
Can we talk about this album? I just got it, and I rarely listen to harsh noise (it's clearly much more than that, though), but it seems like a very interesting album. That being said, I don't see /mu/ talking about it much. I mean, if shit like OPN's GoD is up as some people's AOTY, why not this? FNF came out in like May of this year, right? Frozen Niagara Falls is a really nice record. What do you guys think?
>harsh noise
idk about that anon but it's a good album either way
you should check out A History of Aids or While You Were Out if you want to get into harsh noise
>>60552997
>Frozen Niagara Falls
>Harsh noise
Seriously?
It's a great album, but a lot of noise fans hate it for the same reason jazz fans hate on The Epic: indie kids like it and it's nothing new to it's scene.
As far as noise goes, pic-related is my AOTY with FNF not too far behind. I'd recommend Skin Area's Journal Noir / Lithium Path to you though, it's similar but better.
>>60553050
>>60552997
These two are amongst my AOTY list
OP, if you like that I recommend another release from this year: Utsuroi, by Kazuma Kubota
>>60553043
>>60553050
Yeah, no, I just heard it described as that on some reviews. Then again, I don't even know the difference between noise and harsh noise, if there even is one. I'm more of a Jacaszek fan than a Merzbow fan (and I am the guy who kept posting Death Blues over and over the past couple of days, I was, and still am, hyped about finding Ensemble), so the balance between noise and conventional musical motifs that Prurient uses on FNF really appeals to me.
>>60553050
>a lot of noise fans hate it for the same reason jazz fans hate on The Epic
Huh. I never really knew that, but that's an interesting way to think about it, I guess. Still, as much as I don't care for the Epic, it was quite an endeavor, even though the 3 hours was a bit of a letdown. I feel like FNF doesn't really let me down in the same way, but then again, I'm not really a noise fan, generally speaking. The only noise-like record I own is Lou Reed's MMM.
>>60553155
"Noise is an Experimental genre that strays away from conventional music structure and consists primarily of noise. Noise can be generated with virtually anything, including acoustic and traditional instruments, non-musical objects and machines, as well as electronic equipment and extreme vocal techniques. Noise is often cacophonous, improvised, loud and abrasive. It commonly uses feedback and computer generated noise to amplify and distort the sound."
Harsh Noise is a term applied to Noise music that seeks to take the genre to its natural limits, resulting in hugely aggressive walls of sound that assault the listener. It has strong links with Japan, with 非常階段 [Hijokaidan], Masonna and Merzbow releasing many records key to the development of perhaps this most abrasive style of music, although related underground scenes exist worldwide.
from RYM
>>60553219
In that case, certain moments of the album could be called Harsh Noise, right? Like the end of "Frozen Niagara Falls (Portion Two)". Or is that not harsh enough?
>>60553418
yes but as a whole it isn't all that harsh
prurient just released a new song on the john carpenter remix album
i haven't listened to Prurient, but as a noise fan, i've never seen another noise fan be snobby about Prurient the way black metal fans are snobby about Deafheaven or jazz fans are snobby about Kamasi Washington (that is, justifiably and very vocally). i don't know anyone who's seriously into noise who considers Prurient their favorite, but they seem to be liked to a decent extent, even if it's reserved praise.
>>60553543
>black metal fans are snobby about Deafheaven
Well, Deadheaven got a kind of acclaim that Kamasi didn't with the Epic, though. Sunbather was extremely critically acclaimed, but the Epic wasn't acclaimed nearly as much. A metacritic rating of 90+ versus 80+ is very different, after all.
I've also heard FNF be called Industrial, is that a correct term? All I've heard of actual Industrial music (apart from stuff like NIN) is a bit of Throbbing Gristle, so I wouldn't really know.
>>60553869
i'm not sure you got my post. my point is that black metal fans and jazz fans dislike those well-received albums because they don't do much for the genre, and they're really just there for trend-hopping aggregator websites and the corporate blogs they link to to jizz over.
Prurient, while popular with these sites, hasn't witnessed the same backlash in my experience. i've heard that their latest stuff isn't really noise and that their earlier stuff is noise, but nothing really overwhelmingly positive or negative.
and actual industrial music is more Throbbing Gristle than NIN, but that's like a forty year old band lmao do you describe current indie rock music as more Joy Division than Journey?
>>60554052
I think it's mostly because Deafheaven and Kamasi were seen as upstarts who got popular with the indie crowd without building up popularity within the more insular bm/jazz communities, making their success look "unfair" to purists
Dominic Fernow has been heavily involved in the noise scene for ages and has a lot of credibility and respect within the community so he doesn't get that backlash
>>60554052
>actual industrial music is more Throbbing Gristle than NIN
Well yeah, but since I don't know much about the genre all I can point to that's industrial is stuff like TG. I have no idea what the modern incarnation of industrial is like—which is why I asked about FNF being industrial. Though I guess yeah, I'd say modern indie rock is more like Joy Division than Journey, sure. I guess.
>>60554314
>Dominic Fernow has been heavily involved in the noise scene for ages and has a lot of credibility and respect within the community so he doesn't get that backlash
Does his other stuff have this much acoustic instrumentation? I found FNF to be rather accessible, honestly. I usually stay away from noise because Merzbow just kind of bored me, though I guess I could kind of see the appeal? And I never really dug into the genre since I just assumed that noise music was only noise, no actual instrumentation.
This record sucked desu. I liked the epic way more than this shit, and really that's because I don't think anything here worked at all. The synths don't really hit like any other Carpenter/Riz Ortolani/Horror Synth LPs and the HN on here was fucking embarrassing. All this music and not a single evocative moment. At least The Epic is a decent representation of different styles of Jazz. This records fails at both [styles it covers].
>>60555805
He doesn't have that much acoustic stuff, but there are a bunch of Prurient records that aren't focused on noise, like Bermuda Drain and Through the Window (which is a pure techno record). If you like the techno/synth aspects of his music, you should check out his side project Vatican Shadow
>>60556859
Cool, I'm not really into techno, but maybe a bit of the synth work. It's just that the melding of synth and noise here is what really does it for me.
>>60555870
>I liked the epic way more than this shit, and really that's because I don't think anything here worked at all.
Hmm, are you a noise fan? Because I enjoyed this, but I don't really listen to that much noise music. Maybe it just didn't click with you since you were more aware of the motifs and cliches, if that's what you're saying?
>>60557026
Admittedly I've only been listening to noise for about a year, so I'm no expert/ However, I've heard several tapes and LPs in the horror synth genre as well and the intricacies and emotions of each just don't work for me. This record really isn't all that punishing or relentless or mood inducing and eerie. I've given it 3 tries senpai, but the hype is lost on me. Even listening to Pulse Demon and Cannibal Holocaust is enough to turn you off from this record imo
>>60557101
>This record really isn't all that punishing or relentless or mood inducing and eerie.
Well, I don't like it because it's "punishing", I like it because of precisely the opposite reason: the synths and the acoustic guitars that make the record rather fragile and beautiful among and beneath the noise. I wouldn't care for the record if it were any more aggressive, anyway.
>>60552997
>if shit like OPN's GoD is up as some people's AOTY, why not this
I've been a fan of Dom for probably about ten years now, and this album is fucking trash, that's why. Cocaine Daughter is leagues better than his pile of shit as far as his 2015 releases go.
>harsh noise
ahahaha
Bermuda Drain was better. But it got a low rating from RichDork so of course it wouldn't be discussed or praised here.
>>60555805
FNF was supposed to be purely acoustic but then he just started adding all kinds of effects and synths on top.
>>60557026
>Hmm, are you a noise fan? Because I enjoyed this, but I don't really listen to that much noise music. Maybe it just didn't click with you since you were more aware of the motifs and cliches, if that's what you're saying?
Doesn't have to do with whether you accustomed to noise or not. I'm listening to the genre for over three years now and still like FNF a lot. It comes down to what you expect from the genre as there are so many styles and approaches, so of course there are different opinions of what a good noise record makes. FNF is accessible but remains kinda hard to get if you're not fond of the sporadically harsh noise attacks or the abrasive layers.
>>60554314
>Dominic Fernow has been heavily involved in the noise scene for ages and has a lot of credibility and respect within the community so he doesn't get that backlash
This is only partially true.
The vocals really ruin it for me. Anyone else feel the same? It's a shame because the noise/instrumentation is nice
