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1,000 shiny new pennies. That’s how much it cost me to buy this Dove Yellow Swans release. Mind you the P & P was included in the price so I shouldn’t complain. It may cost you more. Unlucky you.My record supplier loves my money as much as I love them. Of course this being me I then get asked to review the bloody thing as the good people at Release the Bats had sent in a copy to our beloved taskmaster for the AP site. One flutter of her eyes and I just couldn’t refuse. I’m so fucking easy. She’s going to send me out a press release…got to be factual at all times…but fuck that. I’ll do it without the help of any promotional guff if you don’t mind. My money. My rules.

Which then got me thinking. What in fucks name did I buy this for in the first place? The answer was in the sales pitch from my crafty dealer. Here’s how it went…"‘Live During War Crimes' is a collection with the best parts from various older releases, all remastered and edited to work as a new full length album. The result is epic mayhem. An industrial wasteland of futuristic electronics, hypnotic feedback assaults and atmospheric drones - beautiful, yet grim, sonic bliss. The material is taken from the Dusk tape, the Demonic CDR and the Drill CDR. Comes packaged in a special full colour digipak with cover drawings by Devendra Banhart. Ltd x 1050." Sold. Taken in hook line and sinker. Money sent. Recording received.

So who are Dove Yellow Swans? I’d never heard of them before so did a quick check of the good old Internet. It does have its uses apart from downloading hardcore porn. Though the porn is nice. Well the group come from some backwater in the USA…everywhere in the USA is a backwater as far as I’m concerned…and the two main members are Pete Swanson and Gabriel Mindel Saloman. They first played live in 2001 and are well into sonic abrasion using all manner of instruments and electronics. They remind me of the more aural excesses of Sonic Youth, Big Black, Merzbow, Splintered and Heroin all rolled into one. Expressive excessive elegance. But I’m not complaining. Boy am I not complaining. All the words used to sell this to me were spot on. Wave upon wave of the most uncompromising and challenging abuse spread over the six tracks which is free form and avant-garde / experimental in nature yet skilfully crafted to sound like something totally different. Wigged out. Freaked out. Far out. Out of their fucking minds and out of mine after hearing their unrelenting nuclear blasts. Searing white heat sucking out the surrounding air. Fuck it's good. Noise may annoy but not in this case.

1,000 shiny new pennies. Money well spent.

ANM