Los Angeles duo Oort Smog (comprised of Patrick Shiroishi [Corima, Upsilon Acrux] and Mark Kimbrell [Upsilon Acrux, Solar Wimp]) somehow make two instruments sound like a dozen on their experimental jazz full-length debut Smeared Pulse Transfers. A record that gives no quarter, the first track, “Gurge Reaction”, opens with piercing saxophone amidst tinny cymbal crashes. The cacophony only intensifies throughout. Rather than lean into long-running epics, Oort Smog opt for brief, punchy displays of their craft — but make no mistake, their arrangements, at times, sound so complex you’d think they were venturing into time signatures with decimals, especially on “Loam yourself or die trying” and “Avoidance”. There seems to be very little post-production on the record, with the focus instead highlighting the organic interplay between the sax and drums. Jarring, yet captivating
- Words by Aquarium Drunkard
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2019 DEBUT LP BY OORT SMOG (Mark Kimbrell and Patrick Shiroishi)
LIMITED PRESSING on TAR BLACK WAX
TRACKLIST:
SIDE A
Gurge Reaction
Loam yourself and die trying
Bright Empty Future
Nystagmus
Fear
SIDE B
…ain’t shit but borrowed molecules
The hand that grips your guts doesn’t sleep
Borborite Obsolescence
Avoidance
Back Towards
About the artist:
“OORT SMOG is saxophone & drums + sweat & coffee. Slap the horn through some pedals and a guitar amp. Hit the cymbals hard. Hit the drums harder. Do it fast, before the world ends.
OORT SMOG is Patrick Shiroishi and Mark Kimbrell. They started playing together in the most recent iteration of Upsilon Acrux, the long-running brutal prog brainchild of Paul Lai. There’s a whole circle of crazy musicians in that scene. Seriously. You don’t know? You should check it out.
OORT SMOG released Smeared Pulse Transfers in 2019. They recorded it with Daniel Zaidenstadt, mostly in a single afternoon at The Record Plant. Daniel walks tall and makes shit happen. Ten songs happened. Direct blasts. Meaty bites with juicy layers. OORT SMOG chews fast, gulps it down, and burps rainbows.”
FFO: Upsilon Acrux, Frank Zappa, The Residents, John Zorn, Zach Hill, Hella, Tera Melos, Dillinger Escape Plan, The Mars Volta, etc.
SWEAT-046