Drosofile – “Mal” b/w “Your Roberts” 7” (SDZ)
I’m more interested in the story of why a Frenchman who identifies with punk would exile himself to Columbus, OH, probably more so than the output on this single, which is in itself pretty good.
I’ve just learned the story, and it wasn’t that exciting (grad school, shoulda guessed – other reason might have been “love” but I don’t sense much of that going on here). So, yes, the music is more interesting, particularly as it pairs Murer, he of noise outfit Mulan Serrico, up with Guinea Worms’ Will Foster, for two monochromatic scatterings of proto-electronic punk misery. Neither “Mal” nor “Your Roberts” have a lot to say, but the message is banged out in a direct, borderline barbaric manner, with a limited palette built for such punishment. Knuckles drag, beats kling und klang, words are mumbled and moaned, but there’s purpose to all of this, and in a way it sounds like a starved and degenerated Guinea Worms, which suits them. Pretty alright. (http://sdzrecords.free.fr)
(Doug Mosurock)
