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.

Sansava
Untitled CD-R
[Pinch Records, 2004]

Mogwai to the lazy, Sansava are more reminiscent of acts like Hood, Stars on the Lid or even Matt Elliott’s more serene material. The problem with much of the quiet end of the post rock sound is that it gets very boring very quickly. Shifting through overlapping drifty opium chords just isn’t enough these days, and this trio bypasses that problem by investing the songs with both a clear sense of melody and a simple analogue production. Drones, chiming guitar, gentle percussion, disembodied voices and a huge dose of intimacy are the essential elements on this forty-seven minute mini-album of beautiful lysergic recumbent rock.
[Scott McKeating]

Burning Star Core
Tell Me Something CS
[Chondritic Sound, 2004]

Picking up a new Burning Star Core release is a mystery; you could be getting anything from distorto-violin squeal to wordless vocal improvisation. Tell Me Something is two side-long pieces of psychedelic ambient bliss, reminiscent of Matthew Bower’s electronic work with Sunroof! more than anything else. Drones rise and fall as clicks, whirs and buried melodies struggle through the white noise. The warm, hazy feel of this recording is a welcome change from the stark, bleak noise that many of Spencer Yeh’s contemporaries churn out. Highly recommended, especially on headphones.
[Ian Johnson]

Yasushi Miura
Society 3” CD
[Instant Construction Series, 2004]

Yasushi Miura? I don’t know who he is, but his computer stabbed me in the earhole. Society, which has a picture of a pink carp on the disc, seems to be frenetic digital gabber. Every track has a highspeed, hollow kick drum banging away allowing a brittle 4-bit gamelan to improvise over it. There are few basslines as such, but they do appear occasionally, along with some primitive hihats. Despite the fact that it sometimes hurts to listen to, I won’t deny that there’s something I like about this abrasively cruel sandpaper-techno. So go ahead and hurt yourself a little.
[Francis Henville]

Cyne
Growing EP
[City Centre Offices, 2004]

A surprising foray into hip-hop from City Centre Offices, but it turns out to be an easy fit. The release’s eight tracks include four vocal tracks accompanied by instrumental versions. Instrumentally, the title track’s querulous guitar lines and vibes imbue the song’s laconic beats with a sunny spirit, while “The River” inhabits a moodier realm of elegantly plucked acoustic guitars and vinyl crackle. All tracks are pushed along nicely by phat bass-driven beats. On the vocal side, the rappers’ delivery is smooth and musical enough if largely conventional, although (at the risk of seeming overly prudish) it’s a shame Cyne doesn’t resist the urge to drown “Stomping Ground” in profanity.
[Ron Schepper]

Dynasty Yellow Swans with John Wiese
Basement Ghost/Castle EVP
[Helicopter, 2004]

Probably the most structured/rhythmic material John Wiese has been involved with. “Basement Ghost” builds from a low throb to a steady Wolf Eyesque grindcore anthem. The churning rhythm is the steady anchor to hold as you’re tossed through this raging sea, and it only makes it seem like you’ve got a solid purchase; by the end, the drums are as chaotic and uncontrollable as anything else. “Castle EVP” starts more calmly, but soon its built up to a droning squall, all metallic shards, air-raid sirens, and throat-ripping howls. Mastered like shit, thankfully, they included a CD-R with the same material to make up for the shoddy vinyl.
[Ed Howard]

Mahjongg
Machinegong EP
[Cold Crush, 2004]

Clearly, Mahjongg, a five-membered group hailing from the Windy City, has yet to find its niche on Machinegong, an EP which alternately evokes memories of Can, Publicre to genre only underscores its talent, from the aggressive groove (“Jamdek”) that opens it through the accessible pop tune (“Aluminum”) at its core and into the experimental dirge (“Turf War”) that closes it. The band’s next outing will likely not be as diverse as this one, but at the same time, I can’t wait to see where Mahjongg places its focus from hereon.
[Kareem Estefan]

Noggin/John Wiese
Noggin/Wiese
[Helicopter, 2004]

Now this is a strange one. This 7” features solo pieces by the violin duo (!) Noggin and laptopper John Wiese and, on the b-side a collaboration featuring all three. Noggin’s “Untitled” is three minutes of harsh violin scrape and clatter. OK, I guess. Wiese’s “Magical Crystal Blah” uses fast-paced squeaks, creaks, and drones that share some territory with the Noggin piece, but Wiese handles it better. My dad compared it to 1950s novelty singer Spike Jones, which is a little off but not by much. B-side: Wiese tweaking Noggin, sheathing them in an expectant drone, making them sound like an unruly orchestra tuning up.
[Ed Howard]