It's not necessarily new, but it's being done again and people are fascinated and buying it. It was done in the 60's and probably every year after during the days of Warhol and the avant-garde underground. All kinds of musicians, artists, filmmakers, and writers were popping up who created works which seemed to be completely ridiculous, out of sync and banal. These pieces were disharmonious, repetitive, epic, minimal, everything and anything that would be considered in bad taste by the mainstream. It was a way to incite reform and rebellion; to not only show the absurdity of the world but also to show a way out.



The thing is, they never took themselves particularly seriously and with good reason too; it was basically a dead end. So there's nothing particularly inventive and inspiring when you put on Samp-Le-Mer showcasing some of the strangest concoctions by members of the 5RC label. Utilizing any and all instruments possible, as well as producing improvised and calculated works, the collection provides 17 tracks, 10 unreleased, displaying the tensions between chaos and order. It just gets very tiresome.



Bands such as Deerhoof, Wooden Wand and The Vanishing Voice, Xiu Xiu, Amps for Christ, and The Planet (among others) lay out a landscape filled with pieces and an air so foul it would make a skunk turn away. It's fitting, I must say, for our day in age where war is only a sea away, but it makes for some unenjoyable listening experiences. Let me state it now, it is in my belief that the greatest way to protest the un-beautiful nature of our world is to create beautiful work.



Take Matisse, not once did he paint something showing a ravaged world torn from war even though he was stuck right in the middle of one. His work transcends this and becomes a stronger protest then the longest march. However, one may contemplate what is beauty? It's all very subjective and muddy. These 17 tracks sound like they were created by art-school students playing with ideas perfected by John Cage and the abstract expressionists. At it's worst it sounds pretentious, at it's best it is desolate and beautiful. Interesting how this thing can be so round, no?



Anyway, on with the music. I had to dig to find stuff that I truly would listen to on a regular occasion; when I could either tune into it and explore it or let it sit back in my mind and rotate. On "Nothing for Money" by the No-Neck Blues Band they create a sprawling six minute feature of warped sampled noises, mixed with anguished screams, surging buzzes, guitar's swirling in picked staccato, and something of a squeaking horn or harmonica. It all fuses together to create a dense atmosphere of apocalyptic proportions. The thing really moves though and the rhythm section really gets to my gut.



On a lighter scale is Amps for Christ's "Old Shepard". The song is a harmonic little avant-folk-rock song comprised of a soft voice, a banjo or two, and a little organ intermingled under an ominous guitar distorted to create a wide spectrum of sound. The song is reminiscent of the old ways of simple music. The lyrics are sometimes inaudible but they also reminisce of a time less wrapped up in itself. I don't know why the band doesn't strip down the song to include the traditional elements only. Does the group need to include the wrenching sound of the electric guitar to create their sound? Regardless, it's a fine song.



Two of my favorite songs are by the notable Deerhoof: "Running Thoughts" and "Chi-Tan First Guitar". "Running Thoughts" utilizes a raging drum without a static pattern to some wonderful uses of electric guitars and electronic instruments while cast to the spirited female voice guiding the listener through the entire track. This is not only avant-garde, but strangely beautiful, unpretentious, and all around enjoyable. "Chi-Tan First Guitar" is more playful but uses the same variety of strange instruments to more dramatic effect. It all begins very coarsely then smoothes out with a real soulful remedy, accented by touches of a wailing synth, then topped off with a wild chorus of pitches battling for harmony. The effect is awe inspiring.



The most recognizable and humorous, yet enticing, track is by The Advantage with their "Castlevania III - Boss Music, Willow - Village, Megaman II - Bubble Man" suite. The music is full band accompaniments of these little tracks and to an astounding effect. The track is first raging and full of power and then takes a great toll on the old heart when the group switches to "Willow - Village" and then a sense of fanatic nostalgia when they switch once again to the Bubble Man theme. The group is extremely talented and navigates through these three themes with ease. It's a strange concoction but a highly welcome one as well.



The disc is all around a well packaged product, shifting from quirky, to barren, to dense, to harmonic, to chaotic, all with grace and ease. Some tunes are forced and the interest in their awkward arrangements becomes tiresome. Others are highly enjoyable and provide something the all too common pop-song lacks; the rawness of the spirit in music. It's not an entirely cohesive collection, but not one to write off entirely either.







Track Listing

1 The Robot Ate Me "Lynching Luncheon"

2 Xiu Xiu "Pox? Austin, TX Parking Lot Chopped & Screwed Remix"

3 Slim Moon And What Army "Fanfic"

4 No-Neck Blues Band "Nothing For Money"

5 Amps For Christ "Old Shepard"

6 Deerhoof "Running Thoughts"

7 Hella "Madonna Approaches R&B Blonde Wreckages"

8 The Planet The "You Absorb My Vision"

9 Mae Shi "Remarkably Dirty Animals"

10 The Advantage "Castlevania III - Boss Music, Willow - Village, Megaman II - Bubble Man"

11 Deerhoof "Chi-Tan First Guitar"

12 Need New Body "Endless Sky In The Mind's Eye"

13 Wooden Wand And The Vanishing Voice "The Chapel"

14 The Punks "We're The Shit, pt. 2"

15 Metalux "Shelldrum"

16 Excepter "One More Try"

17 Barr "My List of Demands"