reassessing scissor shock
 

I'll bump this thread sometime in the future when this album actually comes out.. but..

Hey, there's a new scissor shock ep coming out on dfrp soon.. not sure when.. but soon.. that's nkondi dude's label! It's probably the best thing we've recorded.. here's an early review courtesy of damno te guy!:
http://noisear.blogspot.com/2007/08/...-skeleton.html
Scissor Shock - Tease The Skeleton


Artist: Scissor Shock
Release: Tease The Skeleton
Label: dollfullofrivets
Year: 2007
Format: CDr
Tracks: 8
TRT: 30:29

This is the lastest EP soon be released on dollfullofrivets. If your familiar with Adam Cooley and Scissor Shock you'll know it's not your average sytle of noise. There's a lot of going on's in this release and here's a short mention of the typs of sounds: Skipping CD sounds, vocal screaming, odd guitar playing, weird ass drums, Mario Brothers jumping for a coin?, buzzing, saxophone, lots of various samples, etc. This is free-rock-noise for sure. No structure and just plain fun! "Melting The Sun" is probably my favorite track on here as it's a total Free-jazz type track, in an odd way. I kinda wish the whole disc sounded like this track as it seemed to be the one with the most purpose. "Dissolved Stomach Calculations" is fairly insteresting as well. Great acid type sound using guitar tapping mixed with some decent drums. Overall this disc is a decent listen and something new for sure. If your a fan of Hobby Knife then you'll like this one. Lots of fun and a ton of sounds!

oh yeah, there are still copies of the mars travolta left if anyone's interested (they're going for about $500 on ebay now).

New song on http://www.myspace.com/scissorshock

it's probably the most complex song I've ever written.. well, maybe not, but it's up there. marimbas and shit.

damn I wish I could listen to it now. but jesus stickers destroyed my ear plugs. or they went bad while listening to them...

Awesome.

You gotta listen later, Al. It's a stereophonic treat! haha.

I think my computer threw up.

Nice work!

Thanks guys. Trivia!.. It's the first time I've ever played piano and marimba on a Scissor Shock song.

FISHBASKET (via discogs):
Okay, Adam Cooley has got to be the least predictable musician I have ever heard. I quite highly doubt that, without any prior knowledge, I would know that any two albums bearing his name were actually by the same guy. He and (whenever applicable) his band are capable of a wide range of styles and sounds, from Kid606 contracting the Rage virus to Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band and Volvox having a stand-off. Even in the course of a recording itself, Cooley's not afraid to whip the listener about on the end of the rope before pulling them up to safety, just to push 'em off so he can do it again later on. But he will not drop you, don't worry.
Scissor Shock is capable of conjuring up all kinds of moods, from lunatic catharsis to unsteady calm, but they have only one steadily followed modus operandi: Each album should differ markedly from the next. There is no clear-cut "sound" to describe them. You would have to hear this audio Calvinball for yourself and draw your own conclusions, and there in itself lies the fun.

http://www.myspace.com/scissorshock

"cat planet woman"

it's my most complex and fun track since.. uhm.. the song psychic existentialist... which i've finished and put a new, updated version of on the myspace!

....It's the damndest thing, after toiling away at this band for 7 long, busy years, I have gotten about 15-20 emails in 2010 from various people wanting to actually buy some OOP releases and whatnot. Reviewers started reviewing albums I mailed them literally years ago too... labels are finally putting out releases that have sat with them for years... It seems like when I stopped caring, that's when people started taking notice of my work. One time, years ago, I mailed 150 promo cd-r's out to every zine and website known to man, and got 3 responses. I used to play shows all the time, release stuff all the time, really work superhard. Now, many years later, working about 1% as hard as I used to, people are starting to care... Pretty fucking weird.

Anyway, new album is half done, it's a doozy, so watch for it.

whoa

That's awesome. I can't wait to get rich as fuck off all my SS cd-rs. kidding of course.

Computer's sound is awful. I'll have to put it on a cd and listen later.

it's because they think you're this guy

I've only heard one Scissor Shock song, the cover of Blue Mamba. Great song, barely sounds like Blue Mamba.

Haha thanks, that song's alright, kinda embarassing in retrospect, we did it all in about 30 minutes. Alan liked it though!

That's neat. The song mostly makes me think of Deerhoof's cover of My Pal Foot Foot which sounds equally unlike the original.

But I have to amend my statement. I've also remember hearing Harmonizing With The Refrigerator and Demon, Detuned. I remember singling those out because I enjoyed the titles.

Both were severely inaccessible which is the germ of the charm. They flirt with quarter written riffs that are left behind almost immediately after their introduction but find resurgance at unseemly intervals. There's an almost amnesiac(not the album) quality attached, like the music is trying to remember what it is. The drums don't even attempt rhythm but would rather feign the idea under thinly veiled absurdity. It sounds Beefheart in theory but something else in execution. Scissor Shock in execution I suppose. The noise glitch thing at the end of Harmonizing reminds me of the middle of level one on Monster Party on the NES, when all of the happy plants and sky violently and painfully start shifting in an out of reality and are replaced with blood gushing skulls and deformed statues. It's almost irrelevant whether I like or dislike these songs. The result is the same.

Haha thanks for the mini review. That's really interesting stuff haha.

We don't sound anything like those songs anymore (they're 2 years old).

by Incentive, Newest Members 04/26/10 17:44:13

If I could think of one quote, from an important American historical figure, that could help describe the insanity that is Scissor Shock, it would have to be, "I just made a giant masterpiece printed all over the greatest world newspaper nerds."

This is not music for everyone. It's brutal, yet charming. Violent, yet tranquil. I find myself in a schizophrenic world every time I listen to a Scissor Shock release. I like that a band can mess with my entire world, shatter everything that I believe in, yet still make me satisfied and happy. These are truly the current gods of progressive music, not only in the midwest, but anywhere.

http://www.myspace.com/scissorshock .. new song "KNIFE IN THE HEAD OF ALL FALSE ABSTRACT EXPRESSIONISTS". most complex ever!

Adam, PM me about a remix trade. Dead Air Fresheners are putting down an all collaborations disc in a couple months.

I definitely would like to do that, when I free up some time (this album should be done in a few more weeks).

Makes me wonder where my emergency anti-psychotics are in the best way possible.

I got one more song left to record for this new monster and I'm officially done. I can't wait for people to hear it. and it's nice that it seems like some people are actually anticipating it. Absence makes the heart grow fonder?

Anyway, I just did a 9 minute track that is definitely the most complex, challenging, abstract, and bizarre musical recording I've ever heard, let alone played on. It changes time, instrumentation, tuning, tempo, etc. on a dime, has about 80 different instruments playing, including some of Harry Partch's! I have spent the last 2 years writing this song and recording it was an epic bitch, trying to get everything to sound right. But it's all there.. sax and trumpet solos, a retarded ass broken drum machine that only keeps time properly when it wants to, a detuned fretless bass, detuned tremolo picked and finger tapped riffs, parts jumping from 7/4 to 4/4 to 3/4 to 7/4 to 4/4 to 19/11 in the course of a second or two, layers and layers of synths battling for supremacy, chopped up robot vocals, female vocals singing the same notes an acoustic guitar is playing, junk/trash can percussion, finger picking acoustic guitars, crazy organ lines. And that's just the first minute!

Modesty is the best policy. :)

Oh, I didn't say it was good or anything! But it's definitely worth hearing if people are into complex and challenging music.

But yeah it just feels so good to finally record some of these songs, a few of which -- like I said -- I've been crafting for over 2 years now. Though obviously the album has overdubs (I played every instrument), the songs are played straight through on guitar or whatever, because I've played through them hundreds of times by myself. It's just an insane little album. I'm proud of it. I'll post it here when it's done.

Have you ever done anything under Scissor Shock that wasn't intending to be complex and challenging?

I'm not making any judgement, of course. I tend to prefer a gradual approach into that kind of music, like entering a hot bath.

Sure. I think I've done quite a few easy listening songs. I don't think most of the material is really that challenging; I'm trying to just do different things, trying to be "forward-thinking" I guess... But when I play it for other people, they certainly use words like "challenging" to describe it. Everyone I've played the new album for has just said "this is ridiculous. What the fuck?" Some people can't handle 90 different riffs a minute I guess.

The cd-r after 'kids candy delicious''s name escapes me right now but that had Jonny Merzbow Tearjerker on it and was smooth jazz throughout. Spread Ebola is also real easy on my ears.

have you ever considered that your music is shallow and facile?

Hm. No. Not at all. It's probably easier for someone to write off this stuff than to actually listen to it though. No biggy.

here's my shallow and facile new album:
http://www.sendspace.com/file/tr5ces

wow, the response to this album has been overwhelming! I'm glad everyone (on last.fm, facebook, blogs, and other boards) is digging this album so much!

Yes!

I've already been told by 3 people -- who have always been completely honest with me about my music -- that this is the best album of 2010. I'm so happy!

cover art by someone on this board!

actual copy coming very soon. The label guy loved it!!

Actually, the response has been so good that I'm actually happy for once.

lyrics for your illegal copy

psychic existentialist
aloha! psychic - existentialist
you destroy the culture that destroys culture... See More
you circumscribe -- BEAT ME IN THE HEAD!
the random displeasures of hypermediated self-conscious vomit sense -- DO THE WORLD A FAVOR!
definitions diminish as they depress the deconstructed narrative
dillute the crackpot ontology
after the car accident, i became a psychic existentialist

cat planet woman
take away what i lack
replace your god with a synth
i have no use for people
what do they hear?
psychic existentialist.

ghost/shit electronics
i have thrown myself onto the mantle of self-delusion and fallacy
it's no shock i hate myself, throw myself into the toilet
smarter! - joy!
subvert normality
replace my blood with codeine
forget the fuck -- what do you know of a dead body?
doing nothing for years with a gun in my mouth
in my hand is the rising sun
stomach acids eat the heart, eat the mind, fuck the face
vampires feed on one note simplicity schemes salivating in the ambient polaroid afterglow of an undilated fragmented lifeless pixelation, distilled dystopian nemesis neglect
...all the good pills
put a hole in my nose
permanently destroyed myself
in the shadows
they're a tool
i use to manipulate objects with,
to entertain myself
they're my best friends

black like the father's soul
black.. like the father's soul
hands of god made
award-winning movies
with shadow puppet iconography
cigarette surgically attached to my mouth
and my liver's made of cough syrup now

psychic existentialism
i visited the funeral
and
i laughed ha ha ha
PSYCHIC
EXI
STEN
TIA
LI
SM
i'm now relaxing near the fireplace
where the beauty queen was left defiled
as a mass of bones...
the funeral home is a good place to meet a psychic existentialist

knife in the head of all false abstract expressionists
better you read than think and say
past the painted house - gun in mouth
destroyed the face - body melt
peel back your lips and show me your fangs

bring back the guillotine
i was wondering
if you could, if you would
laugh at god
haaaaaaaaahhhhhhh
haaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh
i know you could
i know you should!

man of the graveyard man
man of the graveyard man
[answering machine msg: hey jb. this is jb! i'm trying to get ahold of raymie. sorry if i got the wrong number. this is justin.]

tearing the wings off of a pigeon
i was pretending to fuck the plague
but i fell out of tune
wasn't good enough for you
showed you the mouth of hell
the gates of hell
i would have shown you the hole in the head of god
but i wasn't
good enough for you

That's all.

What values does scissor shock stand for? Is there a particular meaning to your lyrics? Do you like Charlie Brooker?

See More


It stands for that.

I have this problem where every time I post something on this board, I feel like I have to go back and delete the "proof" that I wrote it, like on facebook.

As for the lyrics, they're about are about psychics, showbiz, chances, criminals, prisons results of the Boer War, pop, cruel jokes, paranoia and stimulants of all kinds, demons and more.

since the sendspace link will expire soon

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=J8FEPZCU

Bump. If you don't have it, get it.

Thank you, Hayden. I met you before we were on this board together, I believe, and it was because you sent me a letter saying SUPER YUM SURGEON BOY was one of your favorite albums of all time. As a fan of mine damn near since the beginning, your praise means a lot to me.

I have to rely on my friends and fans to help me promote this stuff; strangely, I've noticed people on the noisefanatics board to be my biggest supporters; I get PM's all the time from people who have said they've been fans for years, which blows my mind, since it seems in a way like I have an invisible audience sometimes.

But yeah it's very difficult to promote ... avant-prog rock in opposition noise free jazz ambient synth exploration no wave... stuff. So, thank you, anyone that has helped me!!!

oh and...