Controlled Bleeding - Odes to Bubbler (Soleilmoon)

By looking to the past, Paul Lemos has brought Controlled Bleeding to the future. This album may be more a collection of tracks from the past five years than a cohesive unit, but it maintains a consistency that proves CB have no plans to call it quits anytime soon.

The first six tracks concern the CB of the present, i.e., returning to the instrumental guitar noodling that predated the power electronics/noise onslaught of Knees and Bones. Driving, captivating and unpredictable, these musical meanderings recall the twisted krautrock of Tangerine Dream‘s Electronic Meditation and Ash Ra Tempel‘s self-titled opus, with a bit of late ’70s Heldon, Acid Mothers Temple and Sonny Sharrock circa Last Exit to keep things interesting. From there, things get stranger.

“A Love Song (In Two Parts)” collides a pastiche of Richard Pinhas-esque ambient sounds with Pulse Demon-era Merzbow-ish noise. The following tracks recall John Zorn‘s epileptic insanity (some with the late, great Joe Papa – R.I.P.) until “Rothko” – a Steve Reich-ish composition. “Splattered in the Key of ‘O’” finalizes the disc with extreme free noise jazz that would make Peter Brötzmann proud.

It’s nice to know that a band like Controlled Bleeding can still release quality material that remains fresh and invigorating after 32 years of existence. Here’s to another 32 and the noise it brings.