Only one of several multi-artist entries in the latest Buried in slag and debris. batch (which also includes a collaboration between label alum dang. and Howard Stelzer and a sprawling 2xCS faceoff between household names Knurl and ARTBREAKHOTEL), this inspired pairing of two newer voices in minimal analog noise takes a less contrastive curatorial approach than the Slow Blink / Stomachache matchup reviewed last week, instead featuring artists with similar but nonetheless distinct sounds. Toronto-based project Murmur (Ross Henteleff) has been around since at least 2021, self-releasing scuzzy low-profile music on digital platforms and DIY physical media, but even 2022’s excellent Anecdotes and this year’s untitled CD-R also seem like stops along the road to the four short pieces that comprise the A side of Balcony. Henteleff dexterously mines both the caustic and the clement textures of a tape-centric setup: the rough-hewn second cut wields the former; the pensive third the latter; and the fourth both at once, stitching together sandpaper loop tendrils as an almost tender undercurrent swells. Not much information about Fowl (Ben Symonds) is available yet, but the side speaks for itself. These tracks seem scraped from an even grimier undercarriage than the previous four, hissing and sputtering like an off-brand infernal machine. They lean toward stagnancy in a way I really enjoy, especially the third, in which paranoid clunks and creeping feedback inflect the filmy stream draining from a rusted sonic spigot. The aesthetic comradery between both projects makes for a cohesion rare among splits; Fossils’ and Darksmith’s Million Year Spree comes to mind as another example (that also serves as a pretty good RIYL).
Noise Not Music 