3 out of 5

Label: Lovepump United / Skin Graft Records

Produced by: Various

Given that AIDS Wolf were kinda half art project in the first place, it makes sense that their music evolved moreso into artistic curios than the type of jams I find myself itching to listen to. While March to the Sea – the album from which the original version of Very Friendly is taken – was before the group’s big leap into the abstract atmosphere with Ma Vie Banale Avant-Garde, you could certainly see the steps along this path: the Very Friendly EP takes an already “difficult” song – fittingly a Throbbing Gristle cover – and gives it over to five noise remix artists for their passes. The results are… interesting. Nothing quite works start to finish, but I’ll give it over to each artist for finding a unique approach, and despite the outre origins and similarly-genre-ed remixers, these might be more, like, direct, but I don’t know that I’d call most of them songs. Or in other words: this is worth a listen for AIDS Wolfers (or maybe Throbbing Gristle fans, though we’re definitely further removed for the TG version here), but it’s not something that I keep on my AW playlist.

I find the bookend tracks to be the “best” – Weasel Walter keeps a flat beat running throughout, but blows the track up in a more rock / Arab on Radar way that’s fitting for his oeuvre; Nautical Almanac wash the song through power electronics and keep it to its 10+ minute length, letting the song absolutely explode, very satisfyingly, towards the end. Inbetween, John Olson near totally abstracts the thing into blips and bleeps; Jason Forrest ups the animosity into a wall of sound / noise effect; and Emeralds douse the track in reverb and static.

If you know what you’re listening to (a set of out-there remixes of a pretty out-there tune), Very Friendly can be a good-ish time, but it’s probably more likely to be enjoyed if you’re a fan of AW’s less “song”-based ventures.