Reviews:

(Vital Weekly) Day is also actively involved in projects with other people, such as Naturaliste and Euphotic. As Expensive People, he teams up with L. Eugene Methe (Naturaliste, Rake Cash, Simon Joyner, Gertrude Tapes) and Alex Boardman (Shelf Life, Rake Cash, Watch the Stereo). They use a violin, electronics, invented instruments, synths, guitar, bass, and effects. This is more improvised music, with that noise/drone/rock element attached. Nothing all too nervous and hectic playing, but more the slow-burning, mildly distorted feedback music. It’s a bit of New Zealand, if you get my drift. Expensive People create broken textures, which fall apart as they are being played. It has that mysterious feeling, a search for something or somebody in a darkened forest, a bit directionless, which is the beauty of it all. Psychedelic music is another word to describe the works here, but it is very much a different kind of psychedelia here. The tracks are lengthy, drifting wide and far, and maybe on the long side if you are not out of it. It’s best enjoyed with a beer or some wine, not doing anything but enjoying this broken-up drone-inspired improvisation for a dismantled rock combo. - Frans De Waard

(Felt Hat) The material was recorded last year 2023 but has been released now by Spleen Coffin records as a handsomely designed cassette with eight tracks. Three on Side A and five on Side B. As with the profiles of all the gentleman involved it's a pretty interesting conundrum of a musical material and pretty difficult to classify. It's on pair with improvised and outsider music in a very broad sense. On one hand we have an instrument builder and music designer - Bryan Day who is ingeniously unpredictable and beautifully well-rounded musician that sounds like no one else. L. Eugene Methe that has a motto of DIY tattooed all over his body and ingeniously using different instruments but along with Alex Boardman of Shelf Life, Rake Cash, Watch the Stereo fame, they all use violin, electronics, invented instruments, synths, guitar, bass, and effects. The effect sounds fresh and appealing as it unfolds itself. All three of them not only know how to gear up a nice set of pieces that are involving for a listener but also know how to wrap them up so they are not too short or too long and have a steady narrative which is important in that file of music. Looking forward to some new outings from those busy three. - Hubert Napioski

(Raised by Cassettes) A series of something hitting something else in that striking down way combined with tightly tuned guitar notes mixed with the droning of the underworld come together to start this cassette. Louder sounds shoot through like electricity. This is definitely noisy, with horns like ducks and the giant bell crashing like a church over a city. Static also is taking over the forefront of the sound. The ringing begins to resonate though it also can feel as if it is moving at a fast pace while also going nowhere at all. As the sound winds back and forth it can begin to sound like moaning, but grow increasingly more intense. Everything feels like it's rushing together, so loud and chaotic, but then it can reach an end where it just kind of stops. More of these haunted airs come in next with belling ringing. There is a bit of magic behind this, but it does overall sound like a horror film score. A back and forth ringing like an alarm, then more of those sorceror spells being fired. The ringing now can become hypnotic. We go into the next song with an eerie feeling of percussion. Slightly sharper tones cut through now, as those deep bass lines cut. All of this rumbling can give this a sound that feels animalistic, such as something you'd hear in a nature documentary when animals were about to attack each other. A bass line comes through smoothlynow. The bass takes us on this trip now where it's almost bringing out a melody amidst all of these other sounds which feel like they're trying to fight against it. Static now, like on a radio dial, and then the drone intensity increases to the point where it almost becomes too much. The whole trajectory of this side just takes off, like a balloon expanding and about to pop and as we reach the end it seemingly does just that. On the flip side we begin with what almost sound like computer error tones, which all come crashing down into the distorted abyss. Organ tones like church come in and there are a lot of smaller, sort of hidden sounds within here now. Maybe I've spent my life going to too many baseball games but it really feels like these organ tones are going to lead us into a song at the ballpark. Some percussion, but also just like things crashing. There is also a seriousness, a "Law & Order" type of way, in which some of these tones can echo. The bass line can be heard again and everything just feels so random. We find the bass line again and the sort of howling / moaning tones as we get into the next song. Louder electronics shoot through now as well, really bringing a contrast to the two sounds you'll hear at the same time. Sharper tones can pierce through now as well, giving this a little bit of a sci-fi feel. The idea of those shots being fired through space is fading out, but then also comes back as it seems like it is both ending and beginning a song. This echoes with some interference and this whole thing now is starting to feel like an alien invasion. Louder blares come through and this is just flowing but so freely as well. With the banging now can come a sound like water dripping or just running. There is an echo like an error and it just comes together with these louder sounds as well. Everything together feels so loud it isn't easy to pick out individual sounds. As this takes its journey through space, it can feel as if it drifts off and then the next song begins (or another part at least) with more of a pounding and whooshing. Notes come through like higher bass lines and take us to the end of this exploration in space and sound. - Joshua Macala

(Bad Alchemy) Bryan Day ist ein gutes Exempel für das Prinzip 'Doppelleben'. Mit einem Nähr- & Standbein im Exploratorium in San Francisco. Aber freier Hand als Gestalter freispielerischer, spontaner Klangverläufe mit Invented Instruments, Homemade Synths, Found Tapes & Objects und als Macher von Public Eyesore/Eh?. Und damit ein Inbegriff für Sub-Underground und DIY. EXPENSIVE PEOPLE (Spleencoffin, SP-72-CS, C-47) zeigt ihn im Winter 2023 in Omaha im Zusammenklang von Violin, Electronics, Invented Instruments, Synths, Organ, Guitar, Bass & Effects mit L. Eugene Methe (Days Spielgefährte in Naturaliste und Macher von Gertrude Tapes) und Alex Boardman (Partner von Day schon in Shelf Life und von Methe in Rake Kash). 'Sandstorm' und 'Ancillary Sediment' sind dazu passende Selbstaussagen. Doch wer sind da die 'Revisionists' und was wäre eine 'No Return Policy'? Hört man da Postrocker auf Draht, oder postindustriale Ausläufer ins Dystopische? Rauschen und knirschen da der Sand im Getriebe, oder das Salz der Erde, melancholische Auguren, oder allzeit bereite Prepper? - Rigo Dittmann

Felt Hat's Favorite Albums of 2024 list.