Come Records is primarily a cassette-based vehicle for Southern California oddballs Brutal Poodle and the members’ various side projects. This box set, assembled for the Japanese-themed LA shop Popkiller, consists of three CDs and three cassettes, showcasing the various sounds, moods and insanities of the eccentric label.
The three CDs comprise the three-volume debut Brutal Poodle release called Sheep Tights. Across 23 tracks (plus an extended bonus track from side project Balj), Anonymous Bosch aka artist Emmy Collins, Sir John Left and The Brutal Poodle create collages of sound reminiscent of Merzbow‘s earliest recordings. Noises collide with rhythms in an improvisational sonic dance. More than just noise, it’s music as well, though not any we’ve heard in this dimension. As far as first releases go, this one is quite ambitious and certainly achieves the heights it strives for.
Brutal Poodle returns in the first cassette, Luftwaffle. According to the liner notes, the three members were not in the same room while recording the tracks. These eleven tracks explore the world of Brutal Poodle, a place that sounds a bit like Sun Ra in his Cosmic Tones for Mental Therapy mode, though without the jazz. It’s more musical than Sheep Tights, though in a way unique to the Brutal Poodle mentality.
Vog‘s self-titled cassette is Emmy Collins’ solo project, 14 tracks recorded “live in one take.” It basically sounds like Wild Man Fischer playing with Sun Ra’s delay equipment, particularly on the second side where he rambles like a madman. Here, we get to see what Emmy, as Anonymous Bosch, brings to Brutal Poodle’s collaborations. Horrifying and humorous, it’s an engaging piece of improvisational art.
The third and final cassette is a split between Balj and Hernia. Balj is Anonymous Bosch and Sir John Left doing something that sounds mostly like The Master Musicians of Jajouka having an acid freakout. Hernia’s side, entitled “Dusty Shank,” is nine tracks of full-blown lysergic insanity from Emmy Collins as EMCO and The Brutal Poodle as Van der Beard. It’s The Godz on a really bad trip or 50 Foot Hose on LSD, mushrooms and DMT all at once. Imagine “A Small Package of Value Will Come to You, Shortly” from Jefferson Airplane‘s After Bathing at Baxter’s spread over one side of a tape and you’ll be close to the gist.
Though it may be completely crazy, and you may find yourself wondering why you’re listening to such dementia, this box set is a thoroughly entertaining collection of works from a label that pushes the boundaries of improvisational music into another universe. Escape this realm for a while with the schizo sounds of Come Records.
