4 out of 5

Label: Upset! the Rhythm

Produced by: Shakeeb Abu Hamdan

I’m very glad that this Quietus interview with Guttersnipe members Tipula Confusa and Uroceras Gigas mentions AIDS Wolf; I’d floated through the small collection of reviews I read regarding their debut album – after much demo / cassette releasing and tour buzz – My Mother the Vent and noted the comparisons made, but was surprised at the lack of AW. The Quietus clarifies that that band are MMtV’s “avowed avatars,” and appreciably drops other Skin Grafters in the same breath – U.S. Maple, Arab on Radar. I’m… totally aligned with this – clearly all that matters – and would make those comparisons without denigrating what Guttersnipe bring to the noise table themselves.

Though, er, sorting that out can be a bit puzzling. The pseudonyms and somewhat-in-their-own-language lyrics, which float through either graphic or naturalistic imagery (depending on your bent, but the stuff is at least brunt), put the band in a kind of Zeuhl-adjacent realm, blended with the costuming and mythology of, I dunno, The Locust, and Eric Paul-like obsessiveness. But none of these are quite right either, as the duo ain’t in costumes, and the way they interview is similar enough to the lyrics to suggest that the world of My Mother the Vent is very much part of their world – not just an act for the stage – though that same Quietus interview mentions that Confusa and Gigas have both floated through many bands and styles, with Guttersnipe being the most “right” outlet at the time of its release.

Continuing to draw from that source, Captain Beefheart get namedropped as kind of a starting point, and if we ping-pong from their to art freaks AIDS Wolf, I think we can get a picture of Guttersnipe being deconstructors of volume. This has the aural blast of Athletic Automaton and seeds the AIDS Wolfiness into presentation – where the artwork and text used and song names all feed into the identity – but isn’t just about hitting you with noise, rather carefully structuring (most) tracks around recognizable fills, which brings us back to the musicality of some of Beefheart’s and Maple’s best works. Is that musicality anything to play for your mum and dad? I mean, maybe, but probably not the average mum and dad I’m summoning for imagery, here.

Both sides of My Mother the Vent balance some structure with chaos. Because the relatively structured works are so strong, I think the chaos is a little less impressive; it takes up a little too much runtime overall, though I appreciate that each side of the LP is about half and half. It’s just so rare to draw memorable riffs and (buried) a kind of poppiness in this style of music that I admittedly wanted more of that. Soundwise, I think the bands mentioned give a gist, but somewhat precisely: AIDS Wolf howls with Athletic Automaton barrage, with Lightning Bolt drumming, but with U.S. Maple build-and-retreat jazzy structures. I can’t make heads or tails of the lyrics beyond their emotion, but sometimes that’s enough. Shakeeb Abu Hamdan’s production is quite perfect, embracing the band’s balance of synths with their guitar, bass, and drums in a supportive way – it’s not all about assaulting your ears – and overall getting a great mix of vocals and instrumentation.