Rei Rea - Allergy Bummer [Dumpster Score - 2010]Upon picking up this DIY hand assembled cd-r one might think it's just another tangent of boring drone piece(s) as the art does not paint an accurate image of what you are going to find here. The art slightly confuses, but the overall packaging is by the book a decent looking release. "Fair juno" the opening track to Allergy Bummer sets things off in an awkward improvisational manner however focused with a repetitive rumbled, moaning background and glittering beeps over revved synthesizer tones. Coming through loud speakers this track provides a full atmosphere and stark presence that hints the artist has put forth a lot of thought into this recording and interpretation leads me to believe there is a concept behind these sounds. Tracks such as "Clothing Moke" and "Octave" Seemed to have most the gratifying textures on the album. The album has much of the same feel for a couple tracks (Clothing moke, Octave, and Odd Dum) and dwells on the overwhelming heaviness of background synthesizer sounds played in an almost drone metal fashion. Around the fifth track "Knife Bizzo" there is a much less moody breakdown where the tone simply seems to float there. It is a calming distraction from the murkiness that preceded the halfway point of this album. I can appreciate the length of these tracks as they are not too long that they dull out and lose momentum or too short that they would frustrate from lack of emphasis on the good characteristics of the track. "Cup of hige" rebels from its predecessors and goes into a more psychedelicindustrial mood without losing its void bearing nihilistic approach to dark ambiance. Among the bleak instrumentals there is a detectable presence of buried possibly flanged vocals and low end feedback ringing like horns from distant mountains. The track ends with its progression going into a section where it's all vocals that sound as if they are coming from beneath water.
I was really hoping the last track on this album would be some what darker in nature, but lamentably it's nowhere near that. It ends with some back and forth guitar twanging that completely derails from anything the album was building up to. Rei Rea's Allergy bummer satisfies despite its boring presentation. The final tracks of the album did not flow well considering the mood set by the previous tracks and ultimately the last couple of tracks were disappointing, but the first four tracks are worth giving a few listens.
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