Medicine Cabinet - Discordant Ovation (Love Earth Music)

Just when you though noise was getting all wussy, Medicine Cabinet’s Marc Schneider releases his second album in a successful effort to make your ears bleed.

Medicine Cabinet isn’t about pop melodies or black metal occultism. This is pure, nightmarish agony archived for your listening displeasure. The eleven untitled tracks nod heavily to the Japanese noise of the early ’90s, specifically, CCCC, K2 and Metalvelodrome-era Merzbow. There’s no pussyfooting here – squelching waves of frequencies crash against towering walls of static, producing sounds that are at once futuristic, apocalyptic and disturbing. Imagine listening to alien chatter on your short wave radio while slowly sailing through the endless void of space in your tiny capsule. Maybe it’s what computers listen to when we’re not around.

This is noise, pure and simple. You either like it or you don’t. Personally, I love it and Discordant Ovation is a welcome addition to my collection. See you on the other side of the galaxy!