The credits on
Daniel Menche's
Guts simply read "abused and thrashed piano guts," a description that couldn't be more perfect as a summary. It's not simply randomness in that vein, though, as the four tracks of the album find
Menche applying his sensibilities to sculpt involving and sometimes near-terrifying atmospherics. "Guts 2x4" begins the release with a cascading rush of metallic clatter, feedback, random squalling, and more all wrapped up into a fast-paced pulse of sonic rush that's maintaining a quick rhythm without being anything like a dance number per se. If anything it's more like gabber heard several buildings over in the middle of a war zone, with sheets of white noise raining down for good measure. "Guts One" in contrast aims for space and slow creep, buzzing tones and high-pitched sounds like a string instrument pausing constantly at the upper range of its limit surrounding deep echoed tones and more, though it slowly evolves into the kind of chaotic hyperspeed grind and mess from the previous track as the piece continues. "Guts Two" begins in a similar vein to "Guts One," though in this case quick, nervous string sounds are set again the deep echo bombs before everything again shades into another collage of sound waves gone increasingly berserk. "Guts Three" concludes in a similar vein to the previous two, in this case slow scrapes of bass-heavy sound overlaying on each other and getting increasingly louder. Together it's a striking study of making seemingly ruined sound turn into something new and deeply fascinating. ~ Ned Raggett