The third LP in the series produced by Kommisar Hjuler and Mama Baer has just Mama Baer on one side and on the other side we find the highly respectable Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock. This originally Swiss project has moved to Japan ages ago, and there (and most likely anywhere else) he performs his pieces, aktions as they are called in the best performance tradition. Here a piece from April 2009 in Osaka and its quite a surprising one, if you know their previous work. Much of that older work consists of tape collages of voice material. Cut ultra short and very loud, but with great chuncks of silence also. Presented in a ultra-vivid collage of sound and silence. This new piece however is something different. An ongoing sound being the strangest thing so far. There is bell like sounds, a bend violin and voices sighing, like they have an orgasm or some other form of exhaustion. Its quite an extraordinary sound approach for Runzelstirn & Gurgelstock, one that I didn't expect but also one that actually works quite well. I haven't seen them performing but once again the music makes me curious about this.
The Mama Baer side has three parts of 'Words Are Crying But Don't English' (whatever that may mean) and its quite an interesting piece of sound poetry. Though not easily to access, as this is all quite low in volume. From what I could make out of it, this is based on loops cuts from reel to reel tapes of voice material that is soft. Singing perhaps, crying maybe? Slightly altered through rusty tapes, this is rather a nice record. A total outside approach of course, but then pretty much everything else they do is alike that, but this one I thought was particular good, perhaps even one of the best works to come out from their home so far. (FdW)