Data Breaker

First, Lou-Lou have a fresh 33-minute CD-R titled Annie’s
Bitter Gut, which, says leader Ryan Tranum, is based on a sci-fi
short story he’s been writing. “It’s more about love, and the
strangeness of love, than it is about the loss of love,” he says.

So, the material here is more song-based than on their previous
Bad Puppy, but things are still pretty strange. Tranum and his
wife, Sarah, sing introspectively over minor-key analog-y ditties
tinted a deep shade of maroon (percussionist Alan Gutierrez plays on
this record but has since moved to New Orleans). It sounds like the
Residents during their more “commercial” phase or Chris &
Cosey’s gentlest moments. “The Explanation” bears one of those
majestic, cyclical Bill Laswell–ian bass lines, but it’s
contrasted with xylophone or toy-piano plinks and synth emissions that
recall Mort Garson’s spookier output. “The Cabin” is a morose ballad
that seems as if it’s being sucked into quicksand. “Chlorine Eyes”
plumbs Bügsküll’s vein of hallucinogenic, miniaturist
songcraft, while the relatively buoyant, quasi-new-wave “The Beam of
Light” could be Lou-Lou’s hit. One can (weirdly) dream.

Cursed Chimera (Benatos Thompson) brings a more
traditional IDM gestalt to his new album, Infinite Caustic
Change (on Chinese netlabel Bypass; bp.bai-hua.org). He cites
British duo Plaid as an influence, and similarities are
apparent. Like that Warp Records artist, Cursed Chimera flaunts a
varied palette of sounds and approaches. Infinite Caustic Change starts in surprisingly pretty style (given CC’s previous
industrial/dubstep productions), brandishing florid melodies above
complex rhythms, all of it executed with an acute ear for sound design.
Like Plaid’s best work, it sounds rich. These tracks come across
as if they’re being meticulously massaged into being on hardware, but
Thompson admits to using plug-ins.

By track 6 of Infinite Caustic Change, “Ghosts,” things
turn wonky, with the rhythms spazzing out and the synth textures
taking on a harsher attitude. “Constant Ghost Fucking” intensifies the
noise and increases the chaos, changing the tone dramatically. But
“Fellow Spirits” ushers in a more chill, chipper atmosphere; it’s
tailor-made for soundtracking a moment of resolution in a drama.

With “New York Winter,” though, he channels late-’70s
Kraftwerk—all glorious, Teutonic melodic pomp and
precision beats. “8 Bit Bitch” caps the album with staccato bass
bumps and strident synth palpitations. It’s as if Cursed Chimera is
saying to hell with beauty and deciding to go out with a belligerent
jab to your brain.

Lou-Lou perform Thurs March 26 with Pawnshop Boyfriend and Snacks
at the Mix, 6006 12th Ave S, 767-0280. Annie’s Bitter Gut is
available at Wall of Sound Records.