Any time I pick up an Alien8 release, I'm somewhat excited. Which is understandable, since the label has released records from Acid Mothers Temple, Tim Hecker, Loren MazzaCane Connors, and Keiji Haino. But the past few records I've listened to from the Montreal label have all been disappointing. I wasn't a big fan of The Unicorns, and the Lesbians on Ecstasy record was nearly unlistenable. So when I put on Et Sans' latest record, I was expecting it to be amazing, but in the back of my mind, there was a voice reminding me that I'd been deceived before.
But, somewhat surprisingly, Par Noussss Touss Les Trous de Vos Crânes! isn't disappointing, or even bad for that matter. In fact, it's actually pretty good. But that's also its major fault. It's not spectacular or amazing, just good. But can you really fault someone for making a solid record?
"Lachosenuenuenue du L'amon Cel Cement" (forgive me if these titles are a little off, the packaging for the CD was pretty hard to decipher) starts the disc off slow, with some gentle electronic bubbles, feedback that skims the surface every now and then, and vocals that sound like they were swiped from Excepter. But from here, things launch off into "Unesbouche Vegetale, des Creatures Soufflent des Secretions du Tout Foutlecamp," which could be an out-take from the collaboration between Black Dice and Wolf Eyes; all persistent synths, more heavily processed, repetitive vocals, and high-pitched frequencies dancing around the whole glorious mess. The next song chills everything out with some pounding piano and synthesized strings (and more of those weird vocals), before "Les Courbes Sanglantes Entendues de L'organe Trop Variment Hallucine" picks everything back up again like a dance-punker who's had one too many hits of acid and wants to re-imagine "Cone Toaster."
Par Noussss Touss Les Trous de Vos Crânes! is definitely not the kind of music you'd expect from members of GY!BE, Fly Pan Am, and Shalabi Effect. But that's kind of what makes it so interesting. It's nice to hear people from those camps trying their hands at some more experimental tricks, and actually pulling it off, even if the results are just good.
1. Lachosenuenuenue du L'amon Cel Cement
2. Unesbouche Vegetale, des Creatures Soufflent des Secretions du Tout Foutlecamp
3. Mademoiselle Ogive, Untremblement Osseuc dans Le Derriere
4. Les Courbes Sanglantes Entendues de L'organe Trop Variment Hallucine