Some of you may have read my review of Mosquitoes’ Drip Water Hollow Out Stone 12″ that came out earlier this year, in which I gushed about its bizarre, broken groove jaunts and unique deconstruction of the rock format. In fact, I still gush about that album to most people I talk to about music; it’s that good. Komare, a newer project that consists of two members of Mosquitoes (I can’t find much about the identities of the members of either band), explores similar territory with an even more detached and alien approach on their self-titled debut. The same unintelligible vocalizations are muttered and groaned over sputtering, half-formed industrial rhythms, with the spidery bass work also returning. The soundscapes built with this sparse palette are cold and intense, and range from the short burst of loud, confrontational dissonance on “Orientation” to long form atmospherics with creeping synth buzz and vocal effects that sound like a crowd of dying robots on “Ice Belt”—and these two tracks are right next to each other! Komare covers a lot of ground, but it always keeps things patient and restrained, with something unfamiliar always lurking in the shadows. It’s a distinct project from Mosquitoes, with entirely different things to offer, but the two are still a bit similar in that they are the only artists that can create this immersive and harrowing atmosphere.
Noise Not Music 