OBSEEN EXSTREAM (Maruosa, Exstream 2011)

You know what riles my blood?

Poser chumps who claim to like violent sounds but actually are just following fashion.

Now Steve, I hear you say, surely all music has a fashion aspect to it? Even grind?

My response would be; of course it does, and don't call me Shirley. Or Steve.

However attractive a gateway to a scene, following something purely because you like wot the people wot like it like to look like makes you a glib effort vampire adorning yourself with the chance aesthetics of someone's genuine passion. Moreover it makes you into a soulless hipster (aside: if that upsets you it's because you are already a soulless hipster, sorry) and I suggest you direct your browser away from this fine blog henceforth.

Years of being this much of a cantankerous sod has made me seek some kind of voight-kampff test to determine which of my many, many, many acquaintances is a real human who likes music and

which are replicants.

The best method so so far discovered is to take SUBJECT A: grind fan claimant and make them listen to something like MARUOSA.

You see, this kind of abusive electronic music is the same as grindcore, but arriving from of different place altogether.

Freshly dropped from the consistently awesome GRINDCORE KARAOKE is the rather descriptively titled EXSTREAM, latest release from Japanese speaker-botherer MARUOSA.

It's brutanic, a hyper-confusing melange of digital blasts, aggro-style ranting and guitar slams and despite the overall 'digital feel' it's very song-oriented. In fact it's catchy! A lot of the tracks have a upbeat (as well as up tempo) feel, taken the terrorising nature of the music as a given you can tell it's maker is having an absolute whale of a time with this, which for me it totally refreshing.

Too much earbashing audio takes the easy route of covering itself with obvious samples in a tired attempt at attaining an oppressive sense of anguish (as recently covered HERE). The only thing oppressive about EXSTREAM is the square-waved 808 kick pounding you in the ossicles.

ABOVE: fuck you, y'know?

As far as this reviewer is concerned cutting up sampled beats and sounds is just as valid an expression of true grinding freakery as learning to play guitars (which we all know are for old men anyway) so before you all give me one billion comments about laptops aren't grindcore I invite you all to re-read my opening glop and take a long hard look in the shower.

And if that hasn't convinced you to give this a go then my name isn't Austin Derbyshire*

HAVE A LINKS:

MYSPACE

GRINDCORE KARAOKE

*it isn't