VARIABLE AMBIT

This newly released album by Aube is jam packed full of alienating discomfort. Fortunately, I kind of like it. I've been a fan of other Japanese noise artists (Merzbow, Masonna, etc.) for some time now, and Aube is always an interesting listen. This album, Variable Ambit, is not far off from other albums in the noise genre, but it comes of as a bit subdued when compared to albums that are being released by Aube's contemporaries.

The sound of this album is often earsplitting. I would believe that just about any other human on this planet has an evolutionary response to shun anything that sounds like the music present on this album. But, if you can get past that response, the earsplitting ambience and drones are quite pleasant. If you've ever been in a silent room all by yourself, and suddenly your ears start to ring and everything else around you seems only slightly louder (dripping sink, oscillating of a fan, ticking of a clock, etc.) then you'll understand the sound of this album. The resonating and echoing qualities of this album give it an eerie industrial kind of feel that is actually very refreshing, since Merzbow tends to be full-force train-wreck soundtracks. The Kiyoshi Kurosawa film Kairo (a.k.a. Pulse, here in the states), though I don't recall the sound of the soundtrack, I would imagine would be greatly paired with this album for its ghostly and computerized/industrialized manipulations of terror and insanity.

Maybe this review doesn't make this album sound pleasant at all, but I'm sure fellow noise fans will understand my position. I'll be honest, the first few seconds made me believe that Variable Ambit was going to be completely unbearable. I figured that the earsplitting demonic zap at the album's start was a precursor to complete brain-scrambling frequencies, and I need my brain, me being a very serious student. Fortunately, this album is just as enjoyable as my favorite noise albums, and has definitely become one of my favorites. This isn't very accessible by any means, but again, I'm sure other noise fans will find much to love about this noisy album.