Search - Merzbow :: Oersted

777111.

09/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Oersted is in competition with Pulse Demon as my favorite Merzbow disc in my possession. And don't get me wrong, there are a lot of Merzbow discs that *aren't* -- but Oersted is one of most satisfying Merzbow releases I've heard to date. Not as synthy as Hybrid Noisebloom but not as raw as Pulse Demon ... lots of nice, juicy burbles and squelches ... quality stuff."

Oersted

The Pitiful Anonymous | the Acres of Skin | 02/27/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you want this album, you're going to have to find it on Ebay to get it for any decent price. I found it new for $10 including shipping, so it's not that hard.



This is a classic of the analog era. However, it doesn't sound much like Pulse Demon or Venereology. "Oersted" has quite a bit more variety, use of space and dynamic range. As many have mentioned, "Oersted" is mostly synth sounds and metals. The distorted scrapes are here, but don't overwhelm the mix.



There's no rhythm and very little tonality, but there's a whole lot of different experiments, so it stands out in Merzbow's catalogue. There's a lot of echo and reverb effects, something totally absent from Pulse Demon. The feel of the album is psychedelic and vibrant. Fits the artwork. Like someone else said, 'disco party in hell'.



The 4 tracks are all untitled but easily distinguishable from each other. Track 1 is my favorite, it has a lot of reverbed out scraping with pauses to allow the echoes to dissipate.



It comes in a very cool pink digipak, with a bright green interior. The CD is bright green too.



Harshness rating- Medium.



(Pulse Demon = very high, 1930 = medium high, Music for Bondage Performance 1 = Low, Merzbuta = high, Amlux = medium low)



A very worthwhile Merzbow release."

One of their best

The Pitiful Anonymous | 07/14/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is not for the unadventurous, but if not you're not reading this, you probably don't give a damn about this music anyway. But if you"re a fan of Merzbow and noise in general, I would recommend this. I've heard probably 7 Merzbow albums thus far, and I still find this one to be the most interesting and rewarding so far. Mabye because it's the first one I heard. But this one still does it for me. Lately I've been listening to this when I go to bed at a low volume, and it really puts me in a strange but peaceful mood. When I listen to it at extreme volumes it completely envelopes me in this beautiful chatic sound world. Moments on this disc conjure up this picture of being at a disco party in hell that went completely apes**t. Just close your eyes and conjure up your own images. Masami Akita has explored a world where few people dare to jump into, but if you choose to take the journey, you will never be the same."