Noise has and will always be a classification that I constantly question. When I go to a noise show, I always find myself questioning the legitimacy of what i'm witnessing; is this good? Is this music? What am I doing to my ears?… Things like that. To me noise is more of a performance art than a genre of music; a really hit or miss performance art. Sometimes it's laughable to me when these kids who obviously have no idea to play an instrument act elite because they can crunch and manipulate static with a couple pedals… On the other side of the coin there are artists like Tiger Hatchery, Ghost Ice, Raglani, and now defunct Raccoo-oo-oon, who produce powerful and intricate noise and ambiance that is really good and aids to the side of legitimacy of the art. Then there is Yellow Swans, well there was Yellow Swans, a group of two dudes that I like to describe as the Godspeed You! Black Emperor of drone or Stars of the Lid's evil twin. These dudes didn't just make static bullshit, they make god damn epics. Yellow Swans is a force to be reckoned with; beautiful, haunting, complex, interesting and fucking awesome. Going Places is the groups last recordings, a cinematic narrative of abstract sounds that feels expansive and original. It's a shame that this collection of pieces is their last work, because it feels extremely fresh and introspective. Noise groups are a dime a dozen, these guys should be an example to anyone wanting to explore the genre.
-YtWt
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