YELLOW SWANS - PSYCHIC SECESSION (LOAD 090)

BY THE TIME OF THE RELEASE OF PSYCHIC SECESSION YELLOW SWANS WERE UP TO APPROXIMATELY THEIR THIRTIETH RELEASE. "YELLOW SWANS" WAS THE MONIKER APPLIED TO "PROPER" RELEASES IE ON "PROPER" LABELS WHILST THE REST WOULD BE CD-R RELEASES UNDER SLIGHTLY ALTERED NAMES LIKE "DRILL YELLOW SWANS". THE LARGELY IMPROVISATIONAL APPROACH AND THE FACT THAT A LOT OF THIS COMES FROM ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS MEANS THAT YOU CAN JUST DO THAT: RECORD YOUR SET, RECORD YOUR REHEARSAL, AND PUT IT OUT ON THE MERCH TABLE. I REALLY LIKE THAT. IT'S A FUCKING HEADACHE FOR ANY YELLOW SWANS FAN. BUT WHATEVER.

PSYCHIC SECESSION PRESENTS 4 TRACKS UNFOLDING LANGUIDLY OVER 50 MINUTES. IT'S A BIT "AMBIENT" AND NEW AGE-Y IN PARTS, OCCASIONALLY INDUSTRIAL, MAYBE EVEN ITALO, AND THEN AT SOME OTHERS MORE NAKEDLY AGGRESSIVE OR JUST HOSTILE WITH SOME HIGH TONES THAT DO THE OPPOSITE OF SOOTHING. BUT LOOK AT THAT PIC: THE USE OF MIXING DESK ON STAGE. TO ME THIS PUTS THEM IN THE SAME BALLPARK AS DUB. SHAPE-SHIFTING, AMNIOTIC, BLURRING THE LINES BETWEEN SECTIONS. PERCUSSION DRIFTS IN AND OUT. IT'S LIKE A WEED REVERIE ON SOME CHEAP SHITTY STUFF AND IT'S ACTUALLY FREEZING FUCKING COLD OUT.

I ALWAYS FOUND YELLOW SWANS' MUSICALITY AND...NON-NIHILISM? ELEVATED THEM ABOVE A LOT OF THEIR NOISE AND ELECTRONIC CONTEMPORARIES IN THE 00S. THEY COULD GET AGGRO WITH THE BEST OF THEM BUT THEY WOULD ALWAYS PRESENT THESE LUDIC DIY ENO DREAMS OF AN ERA WHERE ALL DREAMS ARE DYING FROM TIME TO TIME.

CERTIFIED: GOOD.