KTRU Corner: Hexlove's Es Noonar Covencha
Noise and distortion are two genres that, admittedly, get played quite a bit at KTRU. Much of the noise that we play over the air is styled in traditional explosive noises and ambient soundscapes, but it's always a pleasant surprise when something takes the traditional form of a genre that itself is not traditional (noise) and bends it to loosely follow the conventions of one that is (pop). Hexlove's Es Noonar Covencha is one such musical funfest.Hexlove is the project of Zac Nelson, who has been featured in bands such as Who's Your Favorite Son, God? and Prints. Nelson's non-Hexlove work has leaned primarily towards the more conventional indie-rock side, so Hexlove comes as a bit of a surprise to those familiar with his work.
Running a grand total of only 20 minutes, Es Noonar Covencha is an interesting blend of poppish music and distorted noise. The album claims that it is music for an unmade film, and indeed, the sound as a whole would likely go well with such a nonexistent production. Grainy and distorted noises find themselves twisted into a likable composition that varies from a happy jingle in "boatride for the ocean or lake" to eerie, dispersed sounds complete with the sound of grasshoppers chirping in "heavy forest delusions." Each track averages one to two minutes, yet still manages to entertain.
Highlights include "charachtar frisebee," "boatride for the ocean or lake," "spicing and cooking excitement eating," "hills,mountains,wordless human" and "morning of gratitude but worried." "charachtar frisebee" is a good introductory track that will remind listeners of an old eight-bit game twisted and worn away by memories. A noisy grind at the beginning gives way to a more far-off version of itself as the track progresses, eventually sputtering and draining away.
"boatride for the ocean or lake" comes in at a leisurely pace that, true to its title, conjures the image of a calm boatride. The rotating, slightly-repetitive-yet-still-comforting background melody further fills in the picture with the image of a rowboat. Its hazy quality places this boatride in the realm of a childhood experience.
The album's most glaring fault is that it does not delve as far into the realm of blending as it could have. Although about half of Es Noonar Covencha heavily experiments with noisy pop, the other half either lightly touches on it or stays with a more ambient-noise feel.
Overall, however, the album truly takes some impressive steps towards combining two genres normally kept separate. Hexlove's interesting venture into eclecticism certainly earns it a place in KTRU's library. Keep your ears peeled - you might hear it on the air soon.
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