Arvo Zylo's recordings / talents run the range from truly overwhelming, confrontational / chilling harsh noise, to thought-provoking experimental sounds rooted in the 1980s Raplh/LAFMS/post-TG international "noise boom." Over many releases and collaborations, he has maintained a character of the unexpected, though one always wants to hear what that next sonic mask will be. In the projects Blood Rhythms, Saint Street, and Mister Fuckhead, and simply under his own name, Arvo guarantees provocative listening, and the "catchy" or more-easily-palatable nature of the work will naturally come and go, giving way to the horror.
The cassette-and-CDr album 333, his recent split with Death Factory, and some of the solo / live work he's done recently under his own name and as Blood Rhythms, all stand out to me as experimental music of the highest order from an original talent.
These two live sets represent that Arvo eclecticism, with the first challenging T.O.M.B.'s My Castle of Quiet performance for sheer terror points (T.O.M.B. and Blood Rhythms have a terrific split tape out on Land of Decay, btw), and set two, a sonic/conceptual collaboration with Dolores Dewberry, plays with the mind like some seminal, edgy Krautrock album side, with melody and post-Popol Vuh elements aplenty amongst the rubble. Both sets tickle the pineal, and make for some visceral listening.
Huge thanks as always to engineer Juan, for his versatility and many talents in shaping the sound for broadcast. Thanks to Arvo for making the trip out from Chicago, and for being a truly amiable houseguest!
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