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OK, so half of this album was originally released as a lathe cut on the swans boyz JYRK Collective label in an edition of 30 so don't feel bad if you've never heard it before. Maybe I did back in the day, but I can't remember. D Yellow Swans put out so many damn CDRs and lathe cuts and tapes on every single little noise label known to man that it is nearly impossible for a man like me to keep up with it. A man with no money. A man who depends on the kindness of my fellow music friends to give me copies of their releases when I see them to be able to ever hear any new music in the world. The other half of these songs are from "an unreleased split with Nice Nice" so this is Portland music, you. Back when D Yellow Swans lived in Portland they really gave it up for the music scene. Pete and Gabe are some of the most supportive dudes the underground could have. I mean, Collective Jyrk as an idea and a presence in our world is a testament to how much Pete and Gabe care about creating, supporting and encouraging abstract musics and arts. And that's great. I really appreciate that. And a lot of other dudes in town appreciate it as well. That's why, even after they moved on to San Francisco (for God knows why), we will all be there when the Yellow Swans come to town. We will listen to their newest developments in noise and electronics and violent phaser guitar shrieks and tape loop vocal destruction and dancehall meets grindcore drum machine beats. And some dudes will even dance. Some guys just nod their heads to D Yellow Swans, some you will take it a little bit deeper, with some classic hardcore jive, but I have also seen the real thing: full on hippy freak out style un-selfconscious dancing to the Yellow Swans. Such is their celebratory nature just as the music sounds of destruction and oblivion, their vibe says come together, lets be here, lets have a party. Listen to this bass drum bang you. Damn. So maybe D Yellow Swans are a funk band? Sure you're gonna get your array of noise sounds. Your occillators pushing into square waves, your internal feedback non-linear rumbles and squeals, shrapnel, resonating tones of unknown origin (probably Gabe's guitar), electronic damage farts in stereo, brain-wave stimulating stereo sync pain. And this is all well and good but does nothing to set Yellow Swans apart from any other neo-power-electronics music. So, what does, you ask? HI HATS. Lots and lots of hi hats.

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