Stimbox 12-01-2005

No, despite the title this not a live release. I don't wanna spell it out for you, but if you look closely at the cover, it'll give you a clue as to why this is an important date for Stimbox.
This is a single 62 minute track. Before you jump to a conclusion that it necessarily means it's an hour-long, self-indulgent spoogefest, let me assure you nothing could be further from the truth. I listened to this thing for the first time, pretty much riveted, for the duration and at the end wished there was more. The operative word here is FOCUS. Focus on withdrawal, focus on dependency, and commitment, articulated by a tightly controlled, but layered and evolving alien audio landscape. It's like several albums in one, but its also a meditation, or a study of one's own chemical makeup. Absolutely fascinating from beginning to end. It also features a spanky crisp recording, full range and crunchy but detailed and, well, focused. This is the finest Stimbox I have ever heard.

Here's a sample: stimbox_12_01_2005_sample.mp3

The hand-painted disc surfaces are all sold out.
This edition features high quality thermal transfers of four of the best individual hand-painted designs.

FEEDBACK:
From: Joe Lombardo
Ruff as nuts, yet with a subtle ambience, this will bore a hole through you just as if a wet burlap bag of eight penny nails is swung in a windmill like motion only to rip you shreds and have you pieces land on a bed of roses. Beginning with high pitches and careful orchestrated feedback the track weeps in pain and makes sure you are going to feel the brunt of it. An emotional piece that is torturous as it sounds and even more beautiful than I should admit. Like a wave of passion and desperation the noise seeps far into the flesh and takes root. Noise for the conscious and sub-conscious, sane and ill, a pleasure to experience as it is to drink as it sips on you. Pushing ever farther into the mind, this reminds me of Stimbox masterpiece NEIN. Harsh as it is smooth, like a cheep brandy chocolate for those you weren't expecting any alcohol, this surprises and continues as if the world were balanced with only a pedal of choice and club. As the sound continues weeping the noise punishes us all and leaves us an ever so new angle on what we might have on our plate. I thought I had problems, but this beautiful extension of the artist clearly tells me that I have it alright if I were only smart enough to realize that. I haven't been this moved by noise in a long time. You may think of sTIMbox as a pedal wielding madman, but this release will show you and other side to the brilliance that I have been enthralled with for over ten years now. If you're not sure what STIMBOX you might like and can't make up you mind as what to get, well, this is a perfect place to start and I'm pretty sure Tim would agree with me.

From: http://noisereviews.blogspot.com/
Ok, first things first. This isn't a live release. This is a 62 minute-long track. Just the fact that this legend in the noise can put out 62 minutes of original abrasive in one session is mindblowing. Ok, on to the actual noise. Stimbox manages to create every noise there ever was - harsh densed out noise, 'shrieked' noise, soft noise, calm noise, unpredictable noise, you name it, it's there. My favourites, of course, are the harsher and denser part, and the beginning. Listening to all of this in 1 sit could be the noise challenge of the decade. The tracks starts to get milder, or dare I say atmospheric near the 45 minute mark, creating unique noises i've never heard before. There's no harsh comeback near the end, but Stimbox manages yet again to create unique noises that I've yet to hear in any other noise, let alone experimental release. I can skip to any second in this loud 62 minute track, and no matter what, i'll get something different. Describing and enumerating every noise this CD goes through would take a lifetime, so i'll just stick to this: Stimbox has mastered the art of noise, and this release should go down as one of the greatest noise releases ever, no joking. Check out more of Stimbox' stuff, namely the 4x3" comp. on Obscurica. I have to go now, before I go deaf.

From: http://industrial.org/releases.php?t=27645
I had the pleasure a year ago of hosting Stimbox at the yearly Noise! fest here in Victoria. Having seen Tim's gloat worthy pedal array in the flesh this full length on Obscurica takes on an almost physical form for me as signature elements flash up a mental picture of a sweaty man crouched over his board greedily jamming cables into metallic orifices. Now that you have that pleasant image burned into your mind, onwards and upwards.
The disc is a long one at 62 plus minutes. Obscurica and Stimbox both deserve a swift kick to the crotch from a Japanese lady wearing Mary Jane's for the severe lack of track markers here. Expect to hear the first 20 minutes of this disc a lot more than the rest unless holding down fast forward on your CD player is something you enjoy as a hobby. Packaging is spartan but pleasing and suggests a limited tour release even though I believe that this was just a studio session for the hell of it. Sound quality is really clean and clear and works just as well on my crapola PC speakers as in my CD walkman as in my home stereo (yup, all have born the brunt of Tim's harsh noise fixation).
Key and centre of Stimbox's pedal array when I last saw him was some tube based monstrosity from Metasonix (a TX1 Agonizer I think). In some ways this release is a tribute to that pedal as the distortion here is about as distinctive as it gets, wet and gristly most of the time but hummingbird vagina soft even when it's smothering the breath out of you. The other key element is something (autowah, slow tremolo, who knows) controlling the amplitude like the regular, slow paced breathing of deep REM sleep. It's often noisy and squirrelly as all get out but the slow undulation turns it from hair clipper against the teeth to a re-assuring cuddle with your favourite love pillow. If you took away the swells this would be a lot more grating since underneath it all you have everything from angry birds to the noisy crumpling of plastic packaging to duct tape being ripped off the roll to wide open, fart in your face, CB radio squelch. Tons of variation, lots of movement, slop buckets full of fun.
While it may be a sucky alternative, this could have been called "pushing the envelope" since that is functionally what is happening (viva la voltage controlled amplifier). Although it is a major stretch (well, blatant lie) to say that Stimbox is making ambient here, that is what it ultimately feels like. A slow tilt-a-whirl ferry ride through a sea of garbage and sea gulls, complete with complimentary beernuts for your gut and tinfoil for your skull. I'll forgive the lack of track markers this once just because it tastes so damn good. Recommended.
posted by: moron on 2006-04-20 13:06:23

BUY IT, SUCKA!