Issued in the early eighties by Terse Tapes, run by Severed Heads’ Tom Ellard, Carnage’s ‘Untitled’ is the kind of obscure gem coveted by Altered States Tapes. When it comes to reviving Australian oddities of yesteryear, the Newcastle imprint are keenly aware that the well’s yet to run dry.
Cooper Bowman, the brains behind Altered States Tapes, explains that he’d been trying to track down Anthony Maher, of 80’s Australian experimental-dub project, Sheriff Lindo, for a year or so with no luck. After the label released Patrick Gibson and Michael Tee’s ‘Space Light Music’ a couple of months ago, a “US-based 80’s Oz experimental music aficionado” finally connected him with the elusive artist.
Carnage was a trio consisting of Anthony Maher, Annette Messenger and Martin Day. With no clips to be heard online, only the artwork for their 1982 album hinted at the kind of sounds contained within. Based on this, Cooper had expected the kind of industrial murk of the self-titled track. More confounding was the stripped-down minimal-wave, subdued dark ambient and left-of-centre dub that followed. Skeletal and spooky, ‘Lung Cancer’ is perhaps aligned most closely with the first of these categories.
‘Untitled’ is out now via Altered States Tapes. Order a copy from Bandcamp.
TRACKLIST
1. Carnage
2. Service For Someone
3. Broken Mind
4. Radio Effective
5. Chrome
6. Spell Of The Mirror
7. Lung Cancer
8. Recent Apocalypse
9. Resurrection
10. Mediterranean Minor
11. Two Brain Boy