Notes From Thee Real Underground

2 (Invisible)
By Lex Marburger

Just reading off the bio should tell you all you need to know: “These bands (on Notes from Thee Underground 2) will soon follow in the path paved by Tub Ring, Pointy Teeth, CEOXiME, The Follow…” You get the picture. You don’t know them, they don’t know you, and neither one of you care. Unless you’re the kind of person to wear eyeliner, fishnet stockings on your arms, and black fingernail polish, but still call Goths “fags.” Which is too bad, for us and for you (bet you can’t guess where I fall into all these deliniations), because there are a few bands on this two-disc set that actually shed some new light and promise in the stagnant and shit-filled world that we know of as the modern music scene.

For example, did you know that Kind Rhythm successfully melds turntablism and industrial music on “Return of the Dope Noize?” Or that Flutter licks their palms and tries to stick post-rock guitars onto faux-chamber music Goth vocals (tries, I said, tries)? Or have you heard of Boxcar Satan, who take avant-jazz as a base, and then gets their best Captain Beefheart impersonator to riff on anti-metal (yeah, both his voice and some of the guitar licks) [I gotta say, this is one of the more interesting things I’ve heard from Invisible in quite a while]? Howabout Acclimate, who get all dubbed out & worldbeat downer on yr ass, like Bill Laswell on a hype trip, getting’ ya grooved out & downtime, all at once? Of course, to get to these jems, you have to slog through the likes of Lo Fi Scorpio, Blue Eyed Christ, Moth, Dexsta D.V.S., Coup D’etat, Found Objects, Hypoid, Esion, Hale, eLysium, Sunshine Blind, Grim Faeries, NoizFaction, and Defragmentation [all sic]. If you wonder if it’s worth it to suffer the fools with distortion pedals and computers, remember: There is good shit out there, if yr patient. Very, very patient.
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