WaMü seem to succeed in functioning within the sphere of
organized chaos. The Seattle noise
rock/free improvisation group utilizes violin and alto saxophone along with
more traditional rock instrumentation to make for a pulverizing wall of
cacophonous sound. In this respect, they
share kinship with contemporaries Little Women, yet where the latter insist on
carving out slight homages to their free jazz ancestors, WaMü insist on revitalizing the brutal punk aesthetic of their
No Wave progenitors in a modern context.
This pulls more comparisons to bands like DNA and Mars, while Rachel
LeBlanc’s shrilly vocals are reminiscent of Lydia Lunch and Teenage Jesus and
the Jerks. Yet, despite all the
influence tracking and comparisons, WaMü do
manage to craft a sound of their own on Viafuckt
that thrives on the interplay between musicians and the willingness to shape
their wall of noise into ebbing sections rather than punishing the listener
from start to finish.
Opener “Diane and the Deep Bore Tunnel”
feels like a sick perversion of that iconic “Downtown New York” punk jazz
aesthetic that blasts the listener from the beginning, yet mercifully gives way
to slightly muted sections with plucking guitars and honking sax. Swiftly, WaMü transitions to a two-minute
improvisation with skewed, slanted violin strumming and backseat sax
doodling. This track displays the
demented chemistry that exists within the band, as back and forths between sax
and violin are as rewarding as they are dissonant. Standout “Nisqually Death Rattle” expands the
group’s sound with a collective improvisation that eventually collapses into a
sinister build, and it in this moment that the band displays what it is that
makes them special. The entirety of Viafuckt feels like an assault on the
senses, yet not every moment of the album is a twisted exercise in
maximalism. WaMü often follows loud sections with subtle yet foreboding
quiet sections, then build, collapse, ebb, flow, and circle around these two relative extremes of sound all while maintaining a positively frightening tone
throughout the entirety of the album. Viafuckt is an intimidating album, but
it accomplishes this through organized chaos that utilizes the entire spectrum
of dynamics yet expertly remains threatening throughout. Ultimately, WaMü has crafted a visceral listening experience that will both punch you
in the face and give you goosebumps.
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