If you are a music nerd particularly in the “underground” side of things you have to know Venetian Snares.
Whenever anybody mentions this infamous experimental breakbeat producer, the other heads in the room all nod involuntarily - some faces contorting with mild fear, hoping their bluff won’t be called.
The truth is in this day and age many people don’t have much exposure to his actual music, they just know he’s one of the craziest dudes in the world of fast high-pitched electro-drum soundcraftery.
Or they’ve seen this video which really is incredible:
I am one of these people, by the way. Apart from a few listening sessions in high school, I haven’t given much time to the music of Venetian Snares.
Where Can I Find The New Venetian Snares Album?
When I saw The Needle Drop’s post about the new record, I realized this was my chance. I’ve been crushing new records left and right, so I added this to my listening list with exuberance.
It did not disappoint.
The record, full title “She Began to Cry Tears of Blood Which Became Little Brick Houses When They Hit The Ground” (no relation to Brick Body Kids Still Daydream, another great record), is dense.
The word dense is used in many ways and for many reasons when it comes to music. In this case, I am referring to the density of how many individual notes happen.
Each track’s core is made up of fast-paced pitch-shifting click-clack noises, these weird percussive synthesizers that hint at notes without quite revealing them. Every sound falls somewhere between percussive and melodic, with no one characteristic winning out.
Most of these notes hold only a light dose of reverberation. Once or twice per second, a note will extend or explode with a shock of long-tail reverb. The combination of staccato and plosive airy sounds makes up a lot of the foundation of the record.
But, between these crazy bursts of ideological static is a surprising amount of variety - different tones, hints of different chordal progressions, obscure motifs just beneath the surface.
It’s a tour de force, abstracting away the fundamentals of a genre that is already built on lightning-pace abstractions.
Is The New Venetian Snares Album Good?
This thing is guaranteed to be an adventurous listen no matter how out there your musical taste is. It’s likely that Venetian Snares has created a new style of song with this record, one that has never been done before and may never happen again.
Whether interesting will correlate to good will depend on your taste. Most people will find this record overwhelming, or perhaps a good one-time-only experience.
My first listen was intense - by the end, I’d had enough. That was through headphones, where the detail became perhaps too intense. The second listen, on speakers, was much less punishing and more cerebral.
Though my first impression was “holy shit, this is a one-time listen,” now I’m warming up to the record. I would say that it is good. I’ll probably listen to it now and then when I want that crazy intellectual electro vibe with some energy attached.
Favorite Tracks from She Began To Cry Tears of Blood…
The tracks blend together so much that it’s hard to point out the best ones, but here are two that seemed particularly interesting:
Crazy Painted On Eyebrows Staring Out The Front Window Eating Hot Dog Buns
The Shriek She Made When She Died Was Erased By The Sound of Lightning
What Do You Think?
If you’ve heard the record, or at least sampled the tracks above, I’m all ears to hear your opinion. This is a love/hate record, I think… which side are you on?