Charles Gayle, Milford Graves & William Parker – WEBO (Black Editions, Jun 21)
The last installment in Black Editions’ Milford Graves archival series, Children of the Forest with Arthur Doyle and Hugh Glover, was a shoo-in for inclusion on this list last year. But WEBO is truly on another level, a three-LP box that immortalizes some of the best free music ever performed (and accompanied by an interpretive live-painted cover by Jeff Schlanger). Echoing the incendiary brilliance of Gayle’s titanic Knitting Factory quartet material and the psychic interplay of Parker’s legendary In Order to Survive band, these recordings capture the three wizards at the height of their powers, complete with wholesome stage banter and an appropriately enthusiastic crowd. One of my most-played albums this year.
MC Money & Gangsta Gold – Da Hard ov Frayser remastered LP (Now-Again, Oct 15)
With all of the nostalgic Memphis reissues and unearthings in recent years from Snubnoze, Trill Hill, L.A. Club Resource, and others, it was probably only a matter of time before my favorite tape got the modern recognition it deserves. But that didn’t make it any less of a surprise when I saw the news that MC Money and Gangsta Gold’s eternal Da “Hard” on Frayser, produced and now licensed by the one and only DJ Sound, was getting a remastered vinyl treatment. Though it doesn’t include the fantastic bonus tracks from the 2006 CD-R release, this LP pressing comes with a booklet and photos that honor some of the most formidable artists of this legendary scene (RIP).
Tobe Hooper & Wayne Bell – The Texas Chain Saw Massacre score (Waxwork, Dec 13)
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre is an important movie to me for many reasons, but perhaps in largest part because the iconic score was what led me to discover the existence of a curious little thing called noise music. After decades of bootlegs being circulated, the original master tapes finally emerged last year, then lovingly transferred, remixed, and remastered by Wayne Bell himself, just in time for the classic Southern slasher’s fiftieth birthday. It’s almost surreal to hear the creeping industrial soundscapes without dialogue still enmeshed in the recordings. What a time to be alive a walking pile of meat.
Ezio Piermattei – Gran trotto remastered LP (Holidays, Dec 20)
I love everything Piermattei puts out, but Gran trotto surpassed his already high standard and steadily settled into masterpiece status. First released as a humble limited CD-R on Chocolate Monk, these naturalistic audio-diary entries and their easygoing openness were perhaps always meant to find their fullest life on wax. The sounds and the way they amble through spaces both defined and surreal are timeless (even beyond, as Ed Pinsent notes, the fact that no “modern” noises are present); a reissue three decades on would feel just as welcome.
OVMN – Hard Driven Resonance pro CS reissue (Advaita, Jul 27)
No one can understate the importance of mainline Macro to the noise genre, but for me personally it’s always been the various auxiliary mutations that have gotten the most play time. OVMN (Optimum Volume Maximum Noise) was/is the side project that blurs the lines the most; the personnel for Hard Driven Resonance—first released in an aluminum-wrapped, extremely limited promo edition in 1996—simply consists of core members Roemer and Stella, but for whatever reason this bloated, loose-strung, sweat-soaked, fiercely unserious slab of harsh scratches an itch that Crack or Grind don’t. Kudos to Advaita for some great work recently.
OsamaSon (as Lil O) – Leaks Tape vols. 1 & 2 (self-released, Dec 13)
Part of the double-edged sword of musical success is the risk of losing control, whether legal or creative, of your own art. Even with seemingly nonstop leaks and label fuckery (as well as a brutal dox), OsamaSon always manages to come out on top. Despite the rollout of his highly anticipated upcoming record Jumpout being delayed as a result of these dramas, 2024 was a great year for the young MC, culminating with the surprise drop of these two leaked track roundups. The first volume is better than most official full-length albums by other rappers (“My Bad” and “Hope” are standouts), and the second features the entirety of the fantastic Christian Boultan EP he released under an alias back in May.
Sawako – Sounds (12k, Apr 26)
I know of the late Sawako Kato thanks to both her beloved album Hum (also on 12k) and her spellbinding 2012 live improvisations with hofli, Kazuya Matsumoto, and Yui Onodera. As friend and collaborator Kenneth Kirschner highlights in the poignant eulogy that comprises the release notes for Sounds, a collection of recordings she sent to him in 2003, Kato was enamored with the small, delicate, near-silent whispers that glimmer at the jagged edges of the noise of life. These colorful miniatures express appreciation for both the former and the latter, as well as the elusive connections between them. A fitting swan song for a force gone too soon.
Hingst – Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Wall Riders (AAD, Apr 9)
Hingst, the Swedish super-duo of Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt and Edvin Norling, have become one of the most reliable sources of satisfying analog crunch-harsh in the mere handful of years they’ve existed. This handsome catchall digipak collects their first three self-released tapes—a self-titled C20, Hingst På Dude Ranch, and Årets Album— for a wider audience. Though their debut CD that also dropped this year was great (see my review), Ska vi älska så ska vi älska till Wall Riders was really what cemented this project as a clear new favorite.
Smell & Quim + Expose Your Eyes – Quasi-modo Cacandi CD reissue (ODMOWA, Jan 13)
The latest in a string of excellent re-releases from these reclusive “exotic audio purveyors,” this collaboration first saw life as a cassette from Stinky Horse Fuck in 1996 and is now available as a six-panel digipak. Originally performed by infamous perverts Smell & Quim, the source recordings underwent merciless “split-stereo abuse” by Expose Your Eyes, who also assisted ODMOWA operator M. Wrzosek in the remastering process. Satisfyingly sleazy and encrusted with grime, it retains its diseased rawness even when imprisoned within the most sterile format.
Teignmouth Electron – You Are Not Alone (adhuman, Apr 26)
I loved this back in the spring when it came out, but the moody paranormal atmosphere only became more fitting as the days shortened and darkness fell. Another meta factor that works in You Are Not Alone’s favor is its archival origin; acts of exhumation occur on multiple levels, from the snaring of errant frequencies from the great beyond to the disinterment of the 25-year-old material itself. Only listen if you have a free shoulder to look over. Original review
Noise Not Music 