Do you enjoy habitual beatings to the face? Do you prefer your bubble baths in hydrochloric acid? Does the site of a rusty kitchen knife arouse you? Would you rather hear your lullabies sung by Gilbert Gottfried gargling a mouthful of bloody nails than your mother?
If you answered "yes" to one or more of these questions, have I got the band for you! They're called Wolf Eyes, they make music called noise, and they just released their fifth album proper, Human Animal.
It isn't necessary to enjoy pain in order to enjoy the music of Wolf Eyes, but some theories do suggest that the pleasure one receives from noise music is often related to masochism. Others link it to some form of bizarre fetishism. There are those, though, who simply find the extremity of the music exhilarating. I believe (and hope) that I fall into the latter category.
The most important thing to keep in mind when entering the realm of noise music is that it isn't rock. I repeat, THIS IS NOT ROCK MUSIC. This may be mistaken with noise-rock -- but this is no Sonic Youth. In fact, noise was a completely independent growth of music that began in the early 1900s with artists like Luigi Russolo that was later fused with rock by bands such as the Velvet Underground and The Stooges, but many artists have kept it a separate entity.
The intentions of noise are very different from those of rock music. Wolf Eyes are not here to present a melody, and scarcely even a beat or tempo of some sort. Instead, what they have to offer is a series of dark sonic landscapes that focus on the unsettling and the unpleasant -- random explosions of drum beats; screeching, ear-bleeding tape distortions and guitar feedback; fuzzy, tortured and indecipherable vocals that melt into the music and simply become another instrument.
The band definitely takes its time to build to insanity on Human Animal. In fact, the first three tracks, which add up to a total of 15 minutes, are rather quiet, sparse pieces that nevertheless create a sense of building intensity. The threesome combines spontaneous percussion with distortion and squeaking saxophones to construct the impending doom which then explodes at the opening of the title track. The madness of the noise comes closest to forming into rock on "Rusted Mange."
You're probably waiting for me to tell you whether or not this is a "good" album. Wolf Eyes certainly accomplish what they set out to do, but it's no use making that judgment with their music. I guarantee that 90 percent of listeners will hate Wolf Eyes, and all noise music for that matter. (For example, my housemates forced me to listen to the album on my headphones while I was reviewing it.) But those of you who see that statement as a challenge will probably love it. In terms of the Wolf Eyes discography, Human Animal is a solid addition, though 2004's Burned Mind was stronger and much more intense. For those of you interested in seeing how far the boundaries of music can be pushed, this is definitely something to check out. (P.S. They are coming to the Satellite Ballroom Oct. 10, so be sure to check them out there, too.)
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