Maison closE - S/T
We get to review another enigmatic album release from Nuit et Brouillard´s side-label Force Majeure. A self-titled album by a project called Maison closE, which means brother in English. This (solo) project is being narrated by M. Kopfring. The material inside was recorded in 1998-1999, and the album was released on CD in 2003, not exactly new and fresh... but what the heck!
Cover-artwork shows some nasty nurses, and the backside shows a patient being ready for an operation of some sort... he might be dead? Inside we see soldiers marching, with a kid beside waving the American flag. Injured soldiers in war, with evil nurses in the hospital... waiting for them. Why the project has been called a brothel, with nurses?... I leave it at that! Anyways 12 tracks, over 60 minutes long, let´s go.
The first track is called Vent d´est - Vent d´ouest (East Wind - West Wind). A slow (and classic) and heavy death-industrial humming-bass starts, with... (I think)... the sound of waves on a beach? Took me some time to figure that out, the sound of the waves is offcourse filtered and altered in an interesting cool atmospheric way. Some eerie sounds pop in and out of the murky ambient soundscape as well. Nice start, very simple but effective nonetheless.
The second track The Game Is On, starts with a movie sample... which I don´t regonize? Irritates me as u all can hear, I'm really good at movie samples. The sample ends, and a grinding and monotonous industrial soundscape kicks in. Not that far away from the early Anenzephalia. More sort of clinical sound, which suits the artwork really nicely. Sort of a thing between ambient and power electronics, but without the vocals.
The third track Most Of Them Never Come Back, takes one more sample from the same movie (I think). Sound of a clock ticking, and a male voice speaking... with a female. Talking about some war I think.
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The fourth track Jour De Gloire (Glory Day). Is it NOT a glory day, or is it? Layered soundscape containing sounds/recordings, probably from the Second World War. Sound of falling bomb-shelves, machine-guns, religious chants. Love the rawness of the recordings, might be a microphone recording some old VCR thing from an older telly.
The fifth track I Can Feel The Blood... Continues the recording/samples from the same movie. He talks about if it all is a dream, a recording of some doctor talking, etc. Nice menacing drone in the background.
The sixth track Temps De Guerre (Wartime) starts with a slowed-down looped alarm-sort-of-sound. Additional layers of filtered ambient noise are added later on. Like a brutal and acid-drenched nightmare.
The seventh track Ton -Nihil -Rec offers a true perspective on what death industrial is all about. You have the monotonous hum, a rising sort of tension building up, layers of subtle noise building up. And for the first time ever, we hear a vocal recording. Someone making a yell, altered by lots of reverb and echo.
There are a lot of heavy industrial soundscapes on this album, all in between the realms of power electronics, industrial, and ambient music. A bit boring in the beginning, BUT... it gets WAY more interesting (and good) as the album progresses. Some of the best tracks on the album are after when you are halfway through. Would recommend it to fans of German stuff like Anenzephelia, Dagda Mor, and Operation Claeanstrike.
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