- Three untitled tracks
Of the three versions of Angry Eelectric finger, Irr.App.(Ext) version is the least treated. It turns out that Matt Waldron, the main man behind Irr.App.(Ext) thought his brief from Stapleton was to make small additions to the material to complete it. Not to treat it as a canvas for his own work. Matt Waldron was thus quite shocked at some reviews describing it as the runt of the litter. So what we have here is pretty much the same material as found on the limited Zero mix vinyl, but with subtle additions. The first we hear of Waldron is some chattering children and very light touches to the background sound over the first five or so minutes. He threads slight suggestions of activity in between the tolling bell drone and bicycle sample. Xhol Carvans flute work stretched into a distant haze of melody over which more light tones and effects are distributed. It is the approach of a man adding colour where needed, rather than performing a full restoration.
The second track begins with the grinding and springing sounds of metal strings being bent and manipulated. Waldron adds more distorted vocal snippets to the surrounding area as the bicycle chain sample enters the mix. There appear to be some added metallic slides and crunches here added to the already warped sounds of the original. Like the first part there is little or no deviation from the original material in terms of flow or structure. Stapleton’s apocalyptic landscape of explosions and whirling noise is intact, augmented in subtle ways by Waldron’s flashes of dialogue or organic drone. At ten minutes the track begins to subside into a haze of thumping bass and exhaling drones before it clicks over to the third and final track.
Waldron again allows the original structure of the piece to prevail but adds some very interesting eastern sounding percussive and wind effects that lead nicely into Xhol Caravans material. Clean sweeping drones, the like of which Waldron employed on Ozeanische Gefuhle are used to add weight to Stapleton’s mist of mechanics and organics. The music enters into what I would describe as it’s mangrove swamp section with what sounds like frogs and crickets buzzing and croaking. Waldron’s busy flute work continues all the way. At around eight minutes the atmosphere becomes tense once again with drunken drones and swaths of electronic noise meander about light crashes and swirls of acoustic sounds, many of which have been added by Waldron. The album plays out to a very ominous combination of what sounds like fairground organ music and dense bass like drones. All vast caverns and long falls into darkness.
Taken on it’s own merits this is an excellent work of light and shade which has it’s own identity distinct from the original material and the two other collaborative versions. Whether the Angry Eelectric finger project as a whole has justified itself is debatable. Not least for the fact that much of the original material is comprised of reconstituted sounds from releases from the last five or so years. If I had to chose one to get hold of I would certainly get the Cyclobe version. If you want to get as close to original material as possible without paying shocking prices for the Zero mix on E-bay then get this version by Irr.App.(ext). In summing up the whole four CD (if you count the taster disk on Worldserpent) four vinyl set I would advise caution to the new fan. There is much to appreciate in the original work and the additions of the various collaborators, however true moments of inspiration are scattered sparingly across a huge amount of at times repetitive material.
