Superbugger: Aku

OK, hands up, I give in! From black and death metal to jazz and funk, I've been sent it all to review on Sea of Tranquility and whether they are my usual listening habits or not, with a little effort it is possible to get under their skin and find the grooving, growling, parping heart of any of these genres - and all in between. Superbugger I have to admit, have me beat. This is drone for psychedelic fans, otherwise known as Noise Rock (really?). I mean me falling down the stairs with a 27 piece drum kit (you can't have too many cymbals now, can you?) and landing on an amp at full volume with loose connections could come close to making the same noise "created" on Aku. But only if I had done all of those above things in a cardboard box contained in a metal room, setting up microphones outside of both, to collect the muffled din.

A duo of New Zealanders Antony Milton (Mrtyu/Glory Fckn Sun) and James Kirk (Black Boned Angel/Sandoz Lab Technicians), Superbugger eschew melody, toss away structure and laugh in the face of song. In the end it all comes across like either a pair of talented musicians having a tantrum, or a test on the theory that if you give an inordinate amount of monkeys instruments, they'll come up with a few tracks of music. OK, that last bit is harsh, but whether you like extreme metal, indie pop, prog, fusion, ambient, AOR or avant-garde there are themes, melody lines, motifs, or wild solos to grasp on to. No such things exist on Aku. In fact Aku is intentionally opposed to all of those.

Muffled bass, fuzzed beyond belief guitars, the odd hint of drums with the merest suggestion of voice is a fitting description of all six tracks on display on this album. If that sounds appealing, then also be aware that the results are all placed in a blender and poured out on to the floor before you get the chance to sample them. I've no doubt that some will disagree, but if Aku is your idea of an engaging listening experience, then I've no idea why.

Track Listing
1. Strobe
2. Lips
3. Plate Spinner
4. Concrete Steps
5. Bus Girl
6. Elemental

Added: October 5th 2012
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: HCB Records
Hits: 1769
Language: english

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