THE NORTH SEA "Never Stop It" c46 (Hooker Vision)


Brad Rose's output as The North Sea launches at quite a prolific pace. Whether a cassette of his will contain calm transmissions or piercing walls of feedback, it's somewhat difficult to infer what a release will sound like without the aid of an audio sample. Rest assured, though, that Rose's latest tape on the Georgia imprint Hooker Vision would be of the latter persuasion. Side A's "Destroy Her Blue Eyes" manages to keep a 20-minute manipulation of a single tone engrossing throughout; at times, it peaks at a shrill frequency and at others, it rumbles like a seismic abuse.

On the flip side, "Quiet Underneath," Rose's titles really seem to disconcert the listener, because it resembles death-- not the band, I'm just referring to dying; slowly being crushed by the largest boulder conceivable, and screaming for a hero that will never arrive. Physically, it's an awful experience-- but aurally, the saturation is pure ecstasy. Easily, it stands as Never Stop It's most climactic passage, and piques my interest to the point where I feel puzzled as to why I don't own more of Brad Rose's material. Though not as demanding as your average HNW recording, the uncompromising aura brings just as much unease to the senses.

Limited to 100 pro-dubbed chrome cassettes, featuring a nice fold-out j-card by Rachel Evans and a vellum insert.

http://myspace.com/lenorthsea/
http://hookervision.blogspot.com/