Hand Signals by Bren't Lewiis Ensemble
Since reactivating in the wake of the essential 2009 archival BUFMS box set, 'Induced Musical Spasticity', Bren't Lewiis Ensemble have released more than 40 titles of the finest avant ear wonk around. Much of this activity has proceeded with relatively little fanfare. Perhaps the number of releases is intimidating to some, or maybe well-adjusted society simply has little need for (in their own words) "screeches, recitations, injured vocalizations, inexplicable flurries of bleeps, bloops 'n' splats, and general oh-my-god-how-long-does-this-go-on-for" (personally, I find this latter scenario difficult to accept; hence the desire to release yet more of these bleeps, bloops 'n' splats into the world). Or, and this is the hypothesis that I am advancing, it may be due to the fact that much of this material has been released on that most maligned of formats, the humble CDr (the disdain for which, I emphatically do not share by the way). So, to test this hypothesis, here is a brand new Bren't Lewiis Ensemble album on the Mark Knopfler approved "real" CD format.
The sound of this CD is classic latter day Bren't Lewiis Ensemble: heavily edited sound collage; plenty of Orchid Spangiafora style word play; the sound of malfunctioning, sputtering machines; instruments/objects that are blown, shaken, scraped, and generally sabotaged in various ways; et cetera. If the CIA had access to this kind of arsenal during MKUltra, who knows what kind of damage they could have inflicted.
