Cahier (Orchestra) - "Desacreditado"

Cahier (Orchestra) - Degradación de la Madera II (Dustin Must Die 2007)

Cahier (Orchestra) - Desacreditado - Dustin Must Die

For a few weeks here recently I've felt the gravity of big-name releases. It's not something that's happened consciously, but hitting up a Dizzee Rascal record or the latest Simian Mobile Disco does after an extended period of time make me feel a bit average. So maybe I've listened to the new Art Brut and plan on making a case for them... But forgetting the lesser known artists, the guys out there working alone in their bedrooms or their kitchens or with friends on a four-track, would be forgetting why I bothered to start writing here in the first place. Marko Neumann is one such guy, a flood of musical talent unleashed all over his various aliases including Body Odour, Kasvain, Candy Cane and Polka Dot Sunflower Bed Orchestra. In short: Like a lot of other homegrown noiseniks, Neumann doesn't sit idle for long.

Desacreditado, his latest release under the Cahier name, is a perfect example of the Tampere, Finland native's knack for switching up styles just when you think you've had enough of lo-fi freak-fucking out in the violent woods of the way up north. A track like "Luna Llena" gets stuck in a looping melodic rut before abruptly halting in time for the overamped, grunged-out "En Apuros" which clocks in at a mighty 51 seconds. Nothing runs longer than 3 minutes 34 seconds. It's a gloriously short, gloriously vibrant noise record that demands just the slightest bit of attention and duly rewards not long thereafter.

Part of the reason for its brevity is Neumann's background in hardcore and punk bands that he has been involved with since he was in his early teens. That all-or-nothing approach to playing, however badly, has bled on through to his other works and ultimately down to Desacreditado. Originally the product of some downtime while recording Candy Cane's first album, Cahier has come to solidify itself as an organically avant-silence branch of Neumann's personality. Interestingly, though his biggest inspiration is a lack of sound, there is rarely an untouched moment during the album's nine-track runtime. If it isn't the reversed percussion of "Un Traidor" or the guitar fury of "Colcha," it's the looped disorientation of "Degradación de la Madera II" that closes the album in the same way its forerunner opens it.

The tricks veer between Hair Police and Xela, but it's never boring or long-winded. Which, at the end of this album, is its best asset: As opposed to the sometimes excruciating and aimless experiments that marr assorted Wolf Eyes projects, Cahier has focus and a broader appeal. It may not always be easy to swallow, but that's part of the point too. Rarely this year has pure noise sounded better.