DECAYCAST Reviews: MAX NORDILE “Primordial Gaffe” (Paisley Shirt Records 2019)
Bay Area punk/skronk/noise-jazz stalwart and member of Bay Area angular Jazz Punk trio, Preening, Max Nordile offers a cassette of short improvisations ranging from minimalist abstract percussion collages, to droning amplifiers, reeds, kitchen sink falling down the stairs type of vibes here via SF label Paisley Shirt Records. Plethora of interesting textures here and lots of start/stop/STOP going on which often sounds like a full free jazz band about to blast into a ring of chaos but they keep getting stuck in the beginning, creates an edgelike tension which is hard to replicate in a studio/recording, but Nordile accomplishes this quite nicely with raw room recordings rather than overproduced studio isolationist techniques. Some tracks are more raw experiments with often just one sound source, however others are more developed, using multi-instrumentalist strategies where percussive objects clang and bang into each other while strings and a plethora of reeds bleed through in the background.
My favorite track is without a doubt also the albums longest, “Decaying Tab (with Mirror)” which navigates more into Mort Garson on acid territory with yelled vocals, womping horns, muted, angular guitar riffs, and a percussion shit storm- a true cacophony invoking Trout Mask era Beefhart at times. Highly recommended for fans of skronk/free jazz with a punk sensibility.
D E C A Y C A S T Magazine 