What does it sound like?:
The sound of various weapons being field-stripped are the basis for this experimental dub album that lands like an ambient meditation on gun control (‘righteous pacifist dub statement’ it says here), a shit-scary horror film soundtrack and a skincrawlingly unsettling sound installation. Never has dread sounded more dread.
And yet, at the same time, it’s very palatable. Perhaps because of its dub DNA, or the fact that while chiefly made up of field recordings it’s not at atonal or difficult, but for a determinedly experimental album, The Guncontrolla is really very listenable indeed. Over the course of about 30 mins it develops and increases in intensity, with the first side – vinyl only, I think – being made up of dungeon-like sounds treated to echo and reverb interspersed with dialogue samples from The Harder They Come. Flip over and things get a little busier, though no less sepulchral or foreboding, with samples from Falling Down added to the mix. Overall, the word is cavernous, and that’s an adjective I like.
What does it all *mean*?
That guns are bad, but dub is good.
Goes well with…
Post-millennial dread
Release Date:
June 2019
Might suit people who like…
Demdike Stare, Haxan Cloak, Rhythm & Sound, Ancient Methods, BvDub, Emptyset, Gas, Function, Pessimist, Shackleton, Homemade Weapons, Forest Drive West, Overlook, Ivy Lab
Leicester Bangs says
Here’s a YouTube link which is in fact the entire first side of the album…
Kid Dynamite says
cheers Leicester, this is good. Where did you find it? It’s not on the Seekers International bandcamp, although there is plenty of good stuff there – I’ve enjoyed this one off the back of my search https://seekersinternational.bandcamp.com/album/runcometest-ep
Leicester Bangs says
Kid! Yeah, I came across it via the Rewind Forward store (where I went in search of Peng! Sound material) , and they gave it such a good write-up I had to look further…
https://rwdfwd.com/products/seekersinternational-the-guncontrolla/