Label Profile: Breathmint

BMO12 - Thurston Moore & Moz - Tribute to MLK Jr. - cd edition of 500

Moz's solo track is a pretty average melange of electronics and MLK samples, and the pencil sharpener (literally) recording from Mr. Moore surely isn't anything to get too excited about, but, surprisingly, Moz's remix of said sharpening is impressive…go figure.

BM028 - Newton - Attempts to Play in the Style of Ortho - cdr edition of 100

A thirty-minute study of the ape and its inherent value as noise musician. Wookies make an appearance as well. Oddly minimalist, the disc allows the primates room to move, perhaps the recording studio was crowded. Either way, Star Wars and, I think, Planet of the Apes samples make for oddly appropriate bedfellows with this noise music. Perhaps, further study of this phenomena is required. Even Mark Hammill’s whiny voice sounds nice obscured by meaty chunks of sound. Sometimes.

BMO29 - Newton - Destroy All Newton - 3” cdr edition of 100

A live track recorded in 2001, fifteen minutes of feedback and shredding guitar noise. Delayed picking offers ambience for the electronic squeal put forth by Rademan & co. (Newton is a three-piece here). Though noisy to the ear, there’s a subtly delicate feeling to this recording, perhaps the atmospherics that are created underneath the track’s more aggressive noise. After ten minutes or so, the track dies out, and audience applause ushers in a segment of angular, staccato guitar and wispy, ghoulish wails that slowly falls apart, destroyed by the track’s end, as heavy riffage is the only survivor.

BMO53 - Tan as Fuck w/ Newton - Translucent Yet Dirty - cdr edition of 50

Percolating electronics and distorted sheets of noise do battle in this (by Breathmint’s standards) extremely long recording. An hour’s worth of spaced-out noises, more restrained than one might think, with room to breathe and move, made with a good improvisational sense. The sounds are pretty diverse, and once they’re gone, they’re gone, the music has moved to a new plane, not to return. As with anything this diverse, some moments are better than others, but there’s not anything on this disc that will induce vomiting or squirms of disgust…which, I guess, is both good and bad.

BMO60 - Various Artists - Short Attention Span - VHS edition of 50

Nine bands in just under forty minutes. Newton dropping a guitar, a truncated Cock ESP performance, a full-on Pengo jam, and a clip from Cornelius Ape that’s (luckily) not in smellovision. This video delivers pretty much what it advertises, with quality that varies, but is never so lo-fi as to make the tape hard to decipher. Amazingly, a few of the performances drag a bit, but, on the whole, not a bad little viewing.

BM065 - Burning Star Core/Hair Police/Monotract - Café Tattoo (After) - cdr, edition of 50

Recorded after a date on the brain melt otherwise known as the BXC/Hair Police/Monotract tour of 2003, this disc features parts of the three bands in a recoding session that's more of a domestic field recording than anything. This is because Café Tattoo (After) is simply a recording people sleeping, and the ambient noise that surrounds them. It's not as bad as it sounds, really; the undulating hum of what seems to be a fan or air conditioning unit serves as a nice base for occasional sounds of movement and breathing that edges into snoring territory from time to time. But, it's surely not the usual release from any of the involved musicians, and, tracking in at almost an hour, it's a demanding listen, even, most likely, for fans of these difficult outfits. The awakenings of those involved aren't included, thus depriving the listener of what could've been the emotional climax of such a recording.

BMO68 - Herpes - Simplex Sessions - 3" cdr edition of 35

When ten songs clock in at 6:23, with most under 30 seconds, the ones that are longer than a minute seem like they'll never end. These ditties for stringy guitar, teeny keyboard, and goofball falsetto vocals go by quickly, and that's not really a bad thing. The lo-fi, lo-talent shtick has its place, and Herpes aren't always on the wrong side of that line, but there's not a lot here that belies any sort of idiot savant workings. There's a faux innocence at work that might find a home in the hearts of some listeners, but, unfortunately, six minutes of these guys seems like more than enough.

BMO75 - Various Artists - Eye Candy - VHS edition of 50

Lots and lots of selections live music, some more alluring than others, but all in accordance with that odd Breathmint aesthetic that offers a window in Mat Rademan's head. Buy it to see the members of Foot (Moore, Fleming, Verlaine, etc.) sit in a car, and catch tons of hectic performances recorded on camcorder, not one like the last. Not all "big" names, but the Breathmint legend wasn't built on big names. Cock ESP, Neon Hunk, Newton, An Oxygen Auction, and more combine to make one mess of a video compilation. Blacked-out Radiohead eyes, indeed.

BMO76 - Various Artists - North vs. South - 3" cdr edition of 50

Philly vs. Richmond, Civil War style. There aren't any winners, though, because it's all done in good fun. Unicorn Hard-On play catch with a coy dance track, followed by vintage Lotus and unexpected prettiness on "Song 44." Val+gina Tron's "Driving" is simplistic Casio beats and uninterested spoken word, shadowed by the eleven minutes of precision-molded static laid down by Newton immediately afterward on "Hair Net Sandwich 2." Team Rocket make do with cluttered atmospherics and mangled samples, making the ghost of Jefferson Davis proud.

BMO77 - Newton - Park - cdr edition of 25

Supposedly, this cdr contains a field recording from a park, but, after the usual Newton treatment, it comes out sounding like a mash of noise and distortion. If, in fact, the cdr does contain source material recorded outdoors at a placid park, it would be interesting to find out how Mr. Rademan treated it, as I'm hard pressed to identify even the sounds of wind in the mic. If my local recreational vistas sounded like this, I might be convinced to go play tennis there more often.

BMO78 - Unicorn Hard-On - Untitled - cdr edition of 25

A two-lady rhythm 'n' noise machine, Unicorn Hard-On make basement dance music that hides its beats under spooky synths and electronic squibbles. Small samples break through the mix, but they're inconsequential compared to the bulk of the disc, which marries upbeat rhythms and the sounds of ufo exhaust and electronic knob-tweaking. The ladies aren't afraid to get dirty, either, slathering some of their beats with dingy distortion to make them extra crunchy. The music could use a little extra body, but Unicorn Hard-On probably don't have much trouble making the bodies move...

BM075 - Newton - Deadbeats - cdr edition of 25

Deadbeats is a collage of old material discovered and repackaged by Herr Newton. Diverse material over a whopping 72 minutes (what happened to leaving them wanting more?) is perfect for the Newton completist, or someone looking for a more long-term headache. There are some great moments of distorted rhythmics here, but, on such a long album, it's no surprise that Deadbeats contains some moments that are, shall we say, less than striking. Grit and feedback reign supreme, lo-fi style.

BM083 - I'd Like to Stab You in the Fucking Eye - Because of Everything - 2cdrs, 1 vcdr edition of 25

A stars 'n' stripes collection of the band's entire discography, including a reunion recording from 2036 and a VCDR containing photos of their first recording session. Five men, distrorted to hell and back, making claustrophobic rock music that doesn't really come off too well on cd. The lo-fi quality squashes the sounds into one large lump, and it's hard to feel the music as much as would have been able to do seeing the band perform live. Bonus points should be awarded for instrument identification on some of this stuff. Wish I could've seen them live at least once.

No Number - Various Artists - Spoken Word by Noise Artsists - cdr

An interesting idea, to be sure, with twelve tracks full of all sorts of utterances from noise artists of all sorts, from the meta-discourse of Crank Sturgeon, Weasel Walter's extended session live jokes (and a killer Cosby impression), a Bunnybrains tour diary, adult sounds from Panicsville, and a prank phone call from Zartan. Luckily, the disc isn't all concept over substance, and the majority of the tracks prove to be quite interesting; even Carlos Giffoni's reading of "Un Mundo de Permutaciones," in Spanish, contains a certain musicality that makes it listenable to those of use who don't speak the language. Recommended. Co-released with E.F. Tapes & CDRs.