I had not heard of Ennaytch, but they hail from Tucson, Arizona and describe themselves as “an industrial noise artist . . . with a diverse catalogue, exploring a wide variety of dark and experimental genres of sound.” The label describes this disc as “Sleepy-time muzak for the mentally unwell. Conceived as 3 volumes, about 20 minutes apiece, audio soundscapes specifically geared to make comfortable, those who are uncomfortable, so you may sleep. Even the disturbed deserve rest.” Sounds promising, so let's dive in.

We kick it off with “Ashamed of My Own Presence Yet Alas I Cannot Escape,” which is a jagged sort of drone number with bits of analog weirdness buried in the mix and a whole lot of bass. True to the description, this is just off kilter enough to not work as ambient music, but not really noisy either. The glitchiness is subdued enough that one can overlook it for a short time until it emerges to make itself known.
We close it off with “Crawling Out of My Skin and Slithering Into a Hole.” This is less bass and more midrange noisy drone with a lot of high-end hiss and hum. The result gives the feel of being in a beehive, only the bees are enormous and you are an unwelcome intruder.

Overall, this does what it sets out to do, which is provide a kind of “Sleepy-time muzak for the mentally unwell.” Indeed, one could put this in a similar vein as Nurse With Wound's “Soliloquy for Lillith” in impulse, if not quite in execution. Where “Soliloquy for Lilith” is a bit smoother in feel, this is much more dissonant and abrasive. That said, you didn't pick up a disc on Inner Demons because it would help you sleep, now did you? This definitely makes me want to hear the other two segments that seem to be in the works.

We are all likely familiar with the Battle Hymn of the Republic, but I was less familiar with the work of Fabio Keiner, who hails from Wien, Austria and describes his work as “came alone, will leave alone and all my lifetime I stayed alone (zen buddhist wisdom:)).” The notes state that “These 3 tracks are Fabio Keiner's rendition of Julia Ward Howe's famous 'Battle Hymn of the Republic' (so often misappropriated by the most diverse political forces for their own purpose) as a short tribute to the spirit of the fight against slavery and racism; a fight which still is raging in US as well as the rest of the world.” Sounds interesting, so let's march on.

We begin with "Truth is Marching On," which is droney and heavy, with snippets of voice interspersed, like someone yelling at you from a distance in the middle of a storm. There are a lot of layers on this giving it a sense of weight. "Shall Never Call Retreat" is a bit noisier than the previous track, and the whole thing is more unsettling, with a lot of hiss. Heavy synth layers are still present and accounted for, but this is the sound after the battlefield has become still. If I had to describe this in one word, it would be "spectral." We close with "Let Us Die to Make All Free," which is a bit more cinematic, with a suspenseful feel. Bass strings and heavy synth are the bedrock of this composition.

Overall, this is very well done and does a good job of evoking a kind of feeling, but not the one generally associated with the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Rather, this is the haunting aftermath of war, where broken soldiers return to bombed out homes to see if loved ones are still living. There is no parade. No tickertape. No marching band. Just memories and dreams. This was very well done and well worth picking up. This is limited to 42 copies and weighs in at around 21 minutes.

Like many artists on Inner Demons, I had not heard of Ibiza Shock Troops, but they are the work of Carl Kruger on beats and Chefkirk on noise. They describe themselves as “Doomed to dance since 2007.” I had not heard of Carl Kruger before, but I enjoyed Chefkirk's last outing on Inner Demons, so let's dive in and see what we have here.

This disc consists of 6 tracks of around 3 minutes each. There are no titles to give us a sense of what we are in for. As for what we are in for, all I have to say is “Holy analog filter and feedback, Batman! What the hell is this?” We kick it off with serious analog noodling, like playing with a stylophone through a distortion pedal with a basic beat riding through it. I suppose one could dance to it, but this is techno on acid. As we move through, the “oonce oonce oonce” beat keeps relentlessly marching on, seemingly oblivious to the cacophony going over it. Lots of noise and a synth line joins in the fun as they keep adding more and more high pitched analog squalls and whatever they have on hand. I was listening to this and found myself moving to the beat before I even realized it. I guess the Dead Milkmen were right, and we'll dance to anything.

I have to admit that this was a lot of fun. The beats play the straight man to the noise's comedian and this makes for a weird juxtaposition. Give this to your favorite techno fan and see what they think. This album weighs in at around 18 minutes and is limited to 42 copies.

When I get a package from Inner Demons to review, there is one genre that I do not expect: blues. Now don't get me wrong; I like blues. But it generally isn't in Inner Demons' wheelhouse. Enter this release by SAM, which is the work of Marcin Kaczmarek, who describes his work as “recording strange blues since 2016.” Kaczmarek hails from Opole, Poland and describes his improvisational process in this work as “building subsequent blocks of melody and sound.” Blues from Poland? Sounds like a good time, so let's go stand out in the rain with SAM.

This is an interesting bass and guitar-based number. The melody is simple and repetitive, but peaceful and calm. Partway through, it adds some slide guitar, which gives it a whimsical quality, while still maintaining the previous themes. This slowly fades out at the end leaving us with a bass thump.

If you are looking for something noisy, this is not going to scratch that itch. In fact, this reminded me a bit of some of the incidental music of This Mortal Coil: peaceful and lovely. Kaczmarek states that “The mood I wanted to recreate plays an important role here. The constant rain makes an unpleasant impression. It's wet and cold. Nothing bad, but if you stand outside, it will get wetter and wetter. There are very similar situations in life when small things become more and more of a burden. Then there is hope that the rain will stop, the sun will come out and a rainbow will appear. So, everything will change, and it will be wonderful. But for now, it's wet and you're waiting...”

Overall, this is well worth checking out if you want something to just sit back with and relax. It doesn't demand much of the listener. Then again, neither does the rain, but it still gives us rainbows. This disc is limited to 42 copies and weighs in at around 18 minutes, so pick it up while you can.

Mig Inc is the work of one Gabriel Berteaud, who hails from Bordeaux, France. If the name sounds familiar, you may remember them from their collaboration with Maruda. I previously reviewed that disc and enjoyed it, so I was interested to see what Mig Inc sounded like solo. The liner notes are worth a read, and they conclude with this statement: „I make music for the same reason that apple trees make apples: that’s my way of being alive. Music doesn't solve any problem, doesn't heal any wound. What it can do is accompany us, enter into us, vibrate within us, then come out of us, charged with what inhabits us. There's nothing else going on in this EP, and that's worth it. I mean, really.” With a title that translates to „But the Dead Will Have the Wifi,“ it seems that we are in for an interesting ride, so let’s dive in.

There is a lot going on in this short disc. The beginning reminds me of some of the older Zoviet France albums, with electronic bird whistles and bits of synth woven in with the fluttering sound of distant helicopters and field recordings. You almost get the feeling that this is the incidental music in a Looney Tunes cartoon that was too weird for Tex Avery. This shifts gears to be a bit more ominous and droney, with the sound of 1950s sci-fi computer sounds and the ever present bird whistles providing continuity throughout. Towards the end, we have pounding percussion that creeps in over an increasingly noisy background. With a brief flouish of piano, it is over.

This is intricately crafted and well worth checking out. It is engaging and shifts around without the listener realizing it. This disc weighs in at 17 minutes and is limited to 42 copies. Highly recommended.