This came out of the blue so to speak, with no promo sheet, or if there was one it went missing. 'Nio systrar' is the debut album of Linnea Hjertén, from Stockholm, Sweden, who apparently does everything on this album except for some of the drums and samples. Born from the synthesis of Swedish folk melodies and ritual ambient, Linnea Hjertén's debut album 'Nio systrar' (‘Nine sisters’) is a wordless invocation of primordial energy – a psychoacoustic gateway to altered states of consciousness. It consists of nine tracks in about 35 minutes. To some extent the tracks are different, but really so much in the same vein you will have a hard time telling one from the other, as the wordless vocals do not give a clear thematic identity to any particular one.

The first comparison one is likely to make is with the Lisa Gerrard half of Dead Can Dance. There are uncanny similarities between Lisa and Linnea's vocals. The downtempo style of Linnea's vocals and (minimal) instrumental backing also supports this. The tracks are very low-key and somewhat mournful, perhaps even dirge-like. 'Nio systrar' has also been compared to the spellbinding chants of Kari Rueslåtten, and the minimalist Nordic atmosphere of Forndom. Obviously Hjertén's vocals are multi-tracked but extremely well-recorded and executed. Cold Meat Industry could have released an album like this in the '90s and it would have been a bestseller for them. It should be one now for Nordvis. Flawless and fasntastic!

It's been a while since I've received anything from French experimental/noise/industrial label Cioran Records, and I think that goes back to Camecrude in 2021. I can always tell a Cioran promo when it arrives before I even open it; they use all black packaging with handwritten lettering for my address. According to the promo sheets, Flagorne is the project of experimental black metal artist Maquerelle and industrial hardcore producer Afga061. Now just because I've never heard of these guys before doesn't mean you haven't, but unless you live in Europe, I'm guessing you probably haven't either. No matter, talent doesn't have to have a reputation to be good, and for what they are, these guys are pretty darn good.

'Les Couleurs D'une Fievre' ('The Colors of Fever') is five tracks in a mere 38 minutes, but you don't always need an hour's worth of material on an album to make a point, and Flagorne certainly makes its point emphatically, which happens more often than not in the industrial harsh noise genre. First track, "Salutations" begins on the lighter side of noise with an almost industrial ambient demeanor, but when Maquerelle comes in with anguished ranting in French, it won't matter if you know what he's saying or not. A little more than halfway through the noise, ranting and tumult gives way to a calmer but creepy electronic ambience with distorted speech and other odd sonic effluvia. While that track rolls seamlessly into "Addresses," it takes on thunderous bottom-heavy percussion and totally insane chaotic instrumentality with screaming vocals drowning in the morass. This is quite a lot to bear for five minutes, even for the most seasoned noise enthusiast. (Gotta love the snare hit and vocal "GAAa" at the end though. "Devore" seems almost the inverse of the previous track, but with a very strong sequenced beat and old school percussion that are reminiscent of Neubaten and Throbbing Gristle. Very industrial, and almost rock, with plenty of shock. Gotta love this track! I even like the way it peters out at the end with the eerie whistling. "De rien de bien" begins with loops that sound like a broken vintage videogame, but after only a little over a minute in, the crunchy medium tempo beat begins with more ranting from Maquerelle, and now we've got a real scene going on here. Just when you though it was getting a tad too repetitive, the scene changes to a beatless purgatory before plummeting into the hellscape it was always destined for, and Maquerelle ain't gonna let you forget it.

What I really like about Flagorne is, that as noisy as they can be (and that's a plenty most times), they temper it with non-harsh, sonically interesting passages. That is very evident on final track "Comme plusieurs" where the initial music is ominous but not overwhelming, and Maquerelle's vocals are more sung than ranted or screamed, somewhat in the style of a muezzin, rather than anything in the industrial rock vein. (Hey, he's got a really good voice too.) Strange, but oddly delightful and almost dream-like. For a debut, this is a stellar album.

Deborah Martin and Erik Wøllo are back with another collaboration of hybrid Native American/ambient music after their acclaimed 2009 'Between Worlds' album. I hadn't heard that album previously, so I found it online and listened to it for comparison's sake. What I heard on 'Between Worlds' seemed a lot more episodic, with compositions falling either into the New Age or Native American categories, while 'Kinishba' seemed more integrated between the two. I think if you are looking for Native American "flavor" in ambient music, 'Between Worlds' will likely satisfy you, but if you're looking for a deeper experience, 'Kinishba' provides it, although both albums were created to honor the Apache people and the sacred nature of Native American culture. Like its predecessor, 'Kinishba' was birthed from many years of study, on-site research, recordings, and collaborations with a variety of Apache tribal members, most notably Edgar Perry — who was a significant contributor to the preservation of Apache traditions.

One key difference on 'Kinishba' is more prominent vocalization from Deborah with more lyrical content. There is also a natural drama to this work, enhanced by traditional tribal instrumentation throughout. Martin's voice acts as a spirit guide in “the house of the ancestors,” and the healing power of ceremony. Kinishba, named for an abandoned pueblo on the White Mountain Apache Reservation, is a reflection on this theme, a vivid collection of 10 pieces that open a respectful, authentic window into remembrance ceremonies of the Apache people. It may enhance your listening experience to have some affinity for Native American music, but regardless, this is excellent work melding tribal and ambient in a most authentic way.

The bio starts that nula.cc “is the brainchild of intermedia artist Lloyd Dunn, a founding member of the Tape-beatles, and editor and publisher of the zines “PhotoStatic” and “Retrofuturism.” It comprises hours of sound works, hundreds of photographs, travelogue essays, and similar digital artifacts, which often reflect the artist’s frequent travels and esthetic thinking.

Side A is “Cicadas of Lake Lisi, on a rise overlooking the Saburtalo district of Tbilisi, Georgia.” This is exactly what one would expect, and for those unfamiliar with the sound of cicadas, it sounds like a million maracas shaking in unison. It is repetitive, but still fascinating and hypnotic.

Flipping it over to side B, we have “Bells of the Transfiguration Cathedral of the Spaso-Efimeyev Monastery in Suzdal, Russian Federation.” This is an interesting composition of bells pounding away, but the actual effect is rather soothing. Overall, this is quite nice and concludes with some people clapping, voices talking and animal noises.

One can think of nula.cc as a kind of curator of sound, and with these field recordings, he has pointed us to the everyday in an extraordinary way. If you enjoy field recordings, this will certainly be up your alley. This release weighs int at around 16 minutes and is limited to 250 copies. For those who prefer it digital, it also comes with a Bandcamp code.

The Brain is the Alias of Karl Gottlaus, a German-born guitarist and electronics engineer now living in Portland, Oregon. This is released on “Workshop of Filthy Creation, which is an allusion to Frankenstein. I was unfamiliar with either the artist or label. The label describes the album thus: “Featuring a battery of analog synthesizers, audio generators, and tape machines, as well as slashing, angular guitar and thunderous drums, All Human Is Error takes the molten past of 70s-era “kosmische musik” as an aural starting point before erupting into a volcanic hailstorm seething with calculated menace and unpredictable mayhem that at times recalls the instrumental fury of King Crimson and the industrial fumes of Heldon and Lard Free.” Sounds promising, so let’s drop this on the turntable and see what we have on the slab.

“Latent Violence Part 1” is a slow grooving guitar-based droning number. I was just starting to wonder where the experimental side would come in when “Latent Violence Part 2” kicked in with sweeping analog sounds and more Moog than you can shake a stick at. You could look at Part 1 as the solid and Part 2 as the gas version, in that one is much more solid and put together and the other is much more airy. “Red Noise in a Distortion Field” features “guitar, Minimoog, ARP Odyssey, ARP Omni, Audio Generator, Moog Filter Bank, Mu-Tron Phasor, Tapes” This is an analogfest with hiss and crackle and a repetitive beep throughout with a whole lot of phaser effects. Think 1950s sci-fi background sound effects and you’ll be on the right track.

Flipping the album over, we have “Scission,” which is almost funky with some serious drum lines by Body Hammer, who I could find nothing about, other than the bio that describes him as a Japanese drummer. “No Peace In Our Time” opens with a political speech snippet and then kicks into a repetitive synth line and sweeping synth washes. Finally, “Iron Lungs for Cities That Rust” closes it off with an atmospheric piece that evokes the title. Body Hammer plays both drums and sheet metal over The Brains sweeping synth, guitar wails, and static to evoke a post apocalyptic wasteland. Then, it just suddenly ends.

This is interesting stuff, and the variety is nice. If you like experimental with structure, this is well worth checking out. This album weighs in at around 41 minutes and is limited to 200 copies.