REVIEW: Jute - "Nerve Graft"

Nerve Graft (Narcolepsia 2024, narco129)

    Well, well, well, finally a harsh noise release that doesn't put me to sleep. That is of course a joke, as this year, and the past few years as well have seen some extremely innovative and all around forward-thinking noise releases, however within the sea of diamonds there is of course mountains of shit. While I'm no Will Vangorder (a true noise genius) I would consider my noise at least interesting. Certainly more interesting than a 10 hour bandcamp HNW comp, but I guess if that is the bar we're aiming for then we're all doing pretty okay I'd say. Anyway enough about how under appreciated muttering is (again, jokes people). Today we are discussing Jute. The solo noise project of Sam Risser, who I must say is a true noise troubadour. To say Jute falls into the aforementioned "sea of diamonds" category is a no-brainer. This Canadian based noise punk derives his sonic and artistic inspiration from his beliefs on anti-surveillance state rhetoric, his views on technology and its implications, along with his vantage point on war in the modern age. That statement is undoubtedly a somewhat generalized breakdown of Sam's intended vision for his project, though an evident place to land even for the layman who just picked up a copy of say Nothing Beats Reality (Abhorrent A. D. 2024) or even Paranoid Attractor (New Forces 2022) for example. These are admirable themes and topics to use in any project, as these are relevant and impactful to our daily lives. Who among us doesn't live under constant surveillance? As you're reading this some AI internet bot is sifting through your search history and email to figure out how to better sell you a cheap plastic piece of shit that will just end up in a landfill 2 months after you bought it, or better yet some AI is figuring out how to more effectively blow up Afghani children in remote villages. All that to say Sam might be on to something with Jute, so lets jump into the breakdown of this tape.

The Noise: Everyone's supposed favorite part, but we all know you just like the free feet pics The Rita includes in his artwork. Nerve Graft opens with a noise loop track titled "Nerve Graft." Various twittering, squelching, warped sounds clamor through each other in unharmonious succession. Sam layered this track nicely, and the mix is fantastic with the high end and mid range frequencies being clear and interesting, while the low end crackles and rumbles in and out. It is well done and tactfully paced, though it is hard for tracks like this to not just end up sounding like an unused Shredded Nerve B-side. Adding some other element, which I will not even presume to have the answer as to what that element is, would help to spice up this track in order to not sound like Shredded Nerve. Track 2 titled, "Pernicious & Debilitating," changes the pace of things by introducing the listener to Jute's more signature sound of well-crafted, straight-forward harsh noise. Readers of this blog will assuredly know what I mean when I say the terms "fast noise" or "slow noise," well folks this is more of a mid-paced noise track. Scrambled and pained distortions lumber and dash over themselves creating an ugly, battle-scarred auditory landscape. Somewhere in the not-too distant rubble there is a voice lashing out in anguish for the end of their disembodied suffering. Great noise that doesn't just sound like random distortion pedal smashing, and even if that is how it was made, well damn it sounds good! Noise is so horribly subjective which is what makes it hard when writing a review. That being said though, Sam's hear for good noise is finely tuned. He gives the listener the juiciest, most succulent parts of the recording, turning them into separate tracks of equal formidability which I admire greatly.

The B-side of Nerve Graft treats us to 3 more tracks of noise that are sure to titillate the senses. "Stimfucked in the sprawl," woof what a titled. This is the track that opens the B-side, and it does so with staunch authority. It sounds like what I imagine being shaved head-to-toe, wrapped in a giant blanket made of course sandpaper, and then thrown into a canyon made of discarded electronics, might sound like. The track is short which lends itself toe the ferocity of it's bite. Next we have "I.C. Sickness." Here is yet again another example of how to do blistering noise done right. By this point in the tape you know what you're in for, and you're probably welcoming it. Grotesque layers of distortion and feedback comprise this track. Supremely enjoyable, especially when the really high-end distortion breaks through the fold and commands your attention for a brief moment, only to be re-smothered by the enveloping crust of low-end barbarism. Sit back and enjoy the carnage. Now track 5 makes me sad, because every time I get to it I know the tape is almost over. Lucky for me though I have nothing else to do, so I can always just flip the tape back around and re-listen to it. "Hypertrophic Heatdeath Hallucination" is the last track, and like the rest it is phenomenal display of both fantastic noise skill, and tastefully weird sounds. It differs from the rest of the tape in that it feels like a live recording mixed with another recording overlayed. That is not at all a bad thing, in fact it is part of what makes this such a good track. It breaks up the just straight noise middle of the recordings, like a book end to the initial unexpectedness of the first track. It is short and slower moving than the rest of the tape, as if it were the sounds of the last bit of a crumbling metal structure slowly about to fall and join the rest of the rubble on the ground. A fading glory of a once proud monument, now reduced to pitiful nothingness. Lastly there is a very quiet voice recording of a woman saying something in presumably French. Whatever she is saying, I can only imagine it is a quick prayer that you get your hearing back after blasting this bad boy.

The Artwork: The artist of the collages and layout are uncredited on this release, but one can assume from prior knowledge that either Sam or Manuel Pereira (Narcolepsia's head honcho) crafted them as they fit with both artist's style. Pictures of war, a brain, electronic surveillance devices, bodily experimentations and the like adorn the cover and subsequent layout. It isn't unoriginal, but it isn't original either. It is unique to Jute I'd say. Cool artwork that serves to drive home the ideas portrayed. That is about it though. Nothing more thought provoking, or ambitious. It gets the job done. 

The Artist: Jute has a well defined and semi-sparce catalogue to date, with only around 9-10 releases under the project name in a span of 4-5 years. Honestly how it should be. When you listen to a Jute recording you can discernably recognize Risser's intentionality and prowess at play. He seems to labor methodically over each release. Not to say that other artists whom release more work regularly aren't methodical or intentional. Jute just feels genuine in his releases. Nothing is hastily jammed into the recordings, or left out. Everything feels right. I very much look forward to what else Jute comes out with next.

The Label: I won't spend too much time on this section, as I am admittedly not extremely familiar with Narcolepsia as a label. That being said what I have heard from Mr. Pereira's catalogue I enjoy immensely. I recommend to anyone reading, and to myself for that matter, to check out more releases from this Portuguese based label. It should be easy seeing as how distros around the world typically carry Narcolepsia titles.

Overall Consensus: 8/10. Buy it and listen on repeat. It is a good length of time packed full of great noise, probably the only drawbacks worth mentioning are the okay artwork and the first track could use some more interesting elements to make it sound less Shredded Nerve-esque. Other than those things this is a fucking banger. Play loud for fuck's sake.