The Rubber Room column is a weekly look at recent and notable releases that don’t fall into the rubric of traditional reviewed material—namely 7”’s, 12”’s, 3” CDs, EPs, cassette-only and MP3-only releases.

Animal Collective
Who Could Win A Rabbit CD-S
[Fat Cat, 2004]

You're already going to buy Sung Tongs. If you're not, you should; I was at a bit skeptical of the hype at first, but the b-side to the "Who Could Win A Rabbit?” single has convinced me. "Baby Day" spends half of its length on an intro that sounds like Wolf Eyes-esque pulsing drone and clatter until the harmonies break in, channeling The Beach Boys at their trippiest. The song changes character in an instant, from glum and eerie to ecstatic and high, though the pulsing and sparse percussion never leave. The refrain has been stuck in my head all week. Check it.
[Ian Johnson]

The Clientele
Ariadne EP
[Acuarela Records, 2004]

Inspired by a series of paintings by Giorgio De Chirico, the five tracks here take The Clientele’s muse of hazy, autumnal melancholia and expand it in directions they had begun to hint at on The Lost Weekend. Ariadne comprises two short piano instrumentals, a hazy, wordless reverb-reverie, one song that sounds exactly as you expect The Clientele to sound, and, at its heart, a beautiful, spectral, 9-minute ambient organ drone, unlike anything they’ve done before. That this beautiful, beguiling EP is released on a tiny Spanish record label is a minor tragedy, but then its rarity is part of its charm.
[Nick Southall]

The Apes
Tapestry Mastery EP
[Birdman, 2004]

Tapestry Mastery employs the same structure and instrumentation as OddEyeSee, but sucks the intrigue dry from its predecessor, attempting another concept – which this time around, is simply mind-numbing – and dulling its furious sound into something mildly infuriating. “Warp and Wolf” is the only song on the release to deviate from the Apes’ signature sound, and more critically, the only one with a memorable melody. If this is the throwaways from OddEyeSee, then this is nothing more than an inessential collection of mediocre material. If, however, it is any suggestion of things to come, then the Apes need to come up with some ideas quickly.
[Kareem Estefan]

LHD
Hands of the Priestess 7”
[Miisc, 2004]

This 7” from the duo of John Wiese (Bastard Noise) and Phil Blankenship (Lefthandeddecision) is another powerful outing, once again earning them their self-description of a “double-flamethrower unit.” Harsh squeals and crunchy low-end gravel, and what I swear sounds like a bird merrily chirping characterizes the a-side. And if anything, the b-side is even more daunting, opening with a crushing wave of compacted noise that could probably contain both sides in a nuclear war without much trouble. Prime LHD: two quick bursts of drawn-out noise that leaves you shell-shocked and grinning.
[Ed Howard]

Narcotic Syntax
Calculated Extravagant Licentiousness 12”
[Perlon, 2004]

Narcotic Syntax follows its Superlongevity Three stunner "Pingpong Voodoo" with three deep tracks that sound more macrohouse than micro. "Electric Liquid" (a spilled gin'n'tonic in this case) is all smooth house grooves under a soft female recitation, sweetened by burbling bass and shiny hi-hats. "Romantic Infinity" begins samba-like, with vocals recorded in what sounds like an echo chamber. Heavy drum patterns open the flip's "The Drumpads of Jericho" with Japanese lyrics (ostensibly a musical tour guide) delivered by Mariko Neumeister.Shibuyahot. The mechanistic array of drums and hi-hats churns underneath throughout, eventually lumbering the 12" to a lascivious close. Let's hope the full-length planned for late 2004 sparkles as brightly.
[Ron Schepper]

K.K. Null/John Wiese
Arc Seconds 7”
[Helicopter, 2004]

One-sided 7” mail collaboration between the aforementioned Wiese and Japanese guitar devastator K.K. Null is everything you’d expect—and more. It opens with the expected buzzing tinnitus hum backed by squiggly chopped-up noise, but when the gorgeous pseudo-IDM melodic segment gracefully folds out of the crunching noise—sounding like an alien dinner bell gently tinkling on some Martian back porch—you’d be forgiven for forgetting what album you’ve got on. Of course, the overpowering digital wall of noise comes crashing back down again before you can really breathe in the atmosphere, and then another pulsating lull before everything comes slamming to a sudden halt. Short, sweet, and out-of-control good.
[Ed Howard]

Porn Sword Tobacco
Porn Sword Tobacco EP
[City Centre Offices, 2004]

The leading 2004 candidate for greatest disjunct between perception and reality must be Porn Sword Tobacco whose song titles “Wife Beater,” “Riot Control,” and “Snake Cake Station” imply hard-core hip-hop more than anything else. Instead, the half-hour disc’s a magisterial ambient fusion of Gas and Harold Budd. Ten haunting, meditative pieces feature glimmering pianos and plucked guitars soaked in towering waves of reverb, thrum, and crackle. Assisted by three friends, Henrik Jonsson recorded the tracks at a hundred-year-old schoolhouse in the middle of the Swedish forest. And the band name? A shop in those same Swedish woods that sells only pornos, tobacco, and weapons, naturally.
[Ron Schepper]

Ceylon Mange
Charlotte Church Burners C-30
[Since 1972, 2004]

The newest release by the trio of Karen Lollipop, Dylan Nyoukis and Bill Nace is, for the most part, a collection of distorted loops, drones and electronic squiggles. Side One is mostly given over to ambient drifting and wretched human gurgling. Side Two has better variety; it begins with clicking and gong stutters before accelerating into the sound of a buzz saw, swamped with screeching feedback by the piece's climax. The afterglow is a beautiful but disorienting gamelan piece. Recommended for fans of mystery.
[Ian Johnson]