00101101001 – 00101101001

 00101101001 – 00101101001

00101101001 – 00101101001 – Album Review

Nothin’ quite like settin’ yourself up for an impossible Google search…

I don’t know how secretive I’m supposed to be with…well…whatever this actually IS – I just had this mysterious record dropped into my inbox, called 00101101001.  Or at least, that’s what I think it’s called?  You’re looking at the same artwork that I am…I’m not seeing anything else there – though I certainly recognize the sound, style, and vibe to a degree and could pinpoint where that was coming from.  At the end of the day, I guess since the record is out there on the Memory Bank Records sites, and you’ll be able to see for yourself that label houses acts like Vessel Decimal and Evil Twin that we’ve featured here on our pages before…it’s not too much of a leap to assume you’d figure out this project ties into that whole scene of wild post-industrial sound…you’re savvy people, you’ll spot the clues.  I know the mastermind at the helm of all this…but I’ll let the man stay anonymous as I believe he’s intended with 00101101001 and let you find out how deep the rabbit-hole goes if you dare to go down it on your own out there.  While the man has always made tunes that are a bit, or a lot, outside of my typical realm of sound & style – the undeniable thread that you’ll find tying together everything I’ve mentioned here to clue you in so far, is the fact that you’ll never hear someone so into what they do as you will with this guy.  True to form, 00101101001 is an experimental odyssey that knows no limitations.

When you make music with as much goin’ on as you’ll find on this record, with as much volume, noise & raw energy on display as you’ll hear…as to why we need to go the ALL-CAPS route for the titles on songs that clearly have no problem speaking for themselves, I dunno, but here we go – “INTERDEPENDENT NEURORYTHM METRONOME” is up first in the lineup on this new bone-cutting record by 00101101001.  We’re talkin’ BIG SOUND right off the drop – “INTERDEPENDENT NEURORYTHM METRONOME” gives listeners the instant real-deal, the low-down, the skinny – it’ll immediately send a gnarly signal to your ears, and tell ya within about twenty seconds or less, whether or not you’ll be able to ride through the rest.  I appreciate the upfrontness of it all!  I truly do.  00101101001 lays its cards on the table right from track one – so if you find yourself somehow complaining by the time you’re in the middle of this record, just remember – you ASKED FOR IT if you hung around after this first cut came out swinging for the fence.  I know the reality here, and I’m sure that 00101101001 would as well – it’s not gonna be an experience that everyone out there can process or handle – but that by no means implies there ain’t a whole lot here for the rest of you to dig on.  When it comes right down to it, the main hook of this first cut actually IS the performance and the massive sound produced…there’s not so much of a real sing along vibe goin’ on here, you feel me?  It’s so much more about the in-your-faceness of it all, and creating a song that audibly just can’t possibly be ignored, which is absolutely what you get on “INTERDEPENDENT NEURORYTHM METRONOME” – it’s beastly, ferocious and capable of melting your speakers straight down to a puddle of goo…consider yourselves warned – 00101101001 ain’t fuckin’ around here; this opening cut makes that crystal clear to any set of ears that can handle what they hear.

Now…I think it’s probably fair to say that a track like “ACTIVE TRIPWIRE IN THE DARK IN THE JUNGLE” takes the record even further away from the grasp of the average listener in terms of its potential accessibility sound-wise – but I’d implore y’all to listen as closely as possible to this second cut – I think you end up with the most insightful clips that’ll clue you in to the main themes that run through this record overall.  At 2:24, this cut rips by quick – but what’s being said is crucial to understanding a lot of what you’ll hear to follow.  We’re talking about the whole “Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep” type-stuff, you dig?  What’s organic, what’s technology, what’s biological, what’s natural, and what’s also mechanical & robotic in contrast…a lot of these themes will show up throughout the course of listening to the material on 00101101001.  Sound-wise, you get a stellar mix of spoken-word & gripping vocals that combine straight-ahead samples & more effect-laden, mechanical vibes too…the whole cut is like a furious battle between what makes us human & what doesn’t…and trying desperately to hang on to that humanity before it’s lights out & our operating systems reboot to surprise us all in our new robot bods.

Sparing you no quarter, “THE PIN NUMBER TO THE POISON EGG HATCHERY” will punch your fuckin’ face with sound.  Cuts like this one with such enormous teeth to it and such a catchy psychedelically-inspired freakout at its core remind me of how KMFDM paved the way for so many of these types of songs to exist…singles like “Drug Against War” & such…it’s just purely powerful sound ragin’ at ya at all times, and absolutely dripping & snarling with all kinds of attitude.  That being said – when you get to the explosive hooks that fuel the fire of the chorus on this cut, it’d be hard to argue against how savagely they connect…you feel the energy of “THE PIN NUMBER TO THE POISON EGG HATCHERY” like, RIP through you, and you can’t help but wanna be a part of this chaos in whatever way you can.  Next thing you know, you’re tossing chairs all over your studio, puttin’ holes into the walls, and throwin’ fists into the air like you’re a one-man industrial rave-king – or is that just me?  You get the idea – there’s a ton to latch onto in the wild vibes of “THE PIN NUMBER TO THE POISON EGG HATCHERY” – ain’t no doubt about its mad degree of intensity on display – the street cred it still intact, but it IS a more accessible cut.

I’m probably more personally in favor of a cut like “OBSERVING A SUPERNOVA AS AN UNEDUCTATED OBSERVER” – I dig bizarre spoken-word based tracks like this, and all the weird & wonderful strangeness that comes along with it.  That extra layer of piano that comes in for the final minute or so on this cut was simply the icing on the cake for me…it probably ended up being my favorite piece of this entire song, but make no mistake, I was already having a riot listening to this track long before it came along.  Just purely punishing beats and supremely textural sound comin’ atcha from the lefts to the rights – the production is genuinely exquisite to listen to.  Tracks like “OBSERVING A SUPERNOVA AS AN UNEDUCATED OBSERVER” are no easy task to mix when it comes right down to it – the enormity of the low end is a BEAST to harness successfully, and 00101101001 makes mincemeat outta this like it’s no problem at all and this project is capable of killin’ it all damn day, every damn day.  Most of this track, at the fundamental core of it all, is entirely based around the industrial beats pounding into your chest – there is plenty else happening as well if you’re listening closely to the impeccable details put into the background along the way to strengthen its eerie vibe…but it’s the very definition of captivating sound if you ask me.  You can’t take your ears off of “OBSERVING A SUPERNOVA AS AN UNEDUCATED OBSERVER” – sound-wise, straight from the drop, this cut comes straight for you and thumps its way into your ears, claiming 100% of your attention – and THEN you get the awesome spoken-word storyline to go with it afterwards?  Brilliant y’all…bloody brilliant.  Like I was tellin’ ya – by the time you reach the cherry on top with the piano, 00101101001 has already given you every reason to love the art you hear.

It’s quite rare to hear such a huge degree of such authoritative sound booming with such confidence, when it’s in a direction or style that’s virtually never been explored before, you know what I mean?  In most cases, you’d hear that trepidation as a band or artist ventures into the unknown – but not here, no.  00101101001 fuckin’ storms through this material with savage levels of confidence & capabilities – “PRESSURE ON THE SANDGLOBE” is a perfect example of just how resounding the commitment to the material really is, and how nothing is ever held back when it comes time to push record & perform.  You’re probably looking at a cut that’s a little bit more recognizable or comparable to something like Manson would put out there to a degree…which, while a more controversial figure than perhaps he’s ever been as of late, is still undeniably badass when it comes to the art of making punishing music sound real damn good – and the same is very true of this cut here.  All-in-all though, it’s probably the only cut you’ll find on this 00101101001 record that might even remind you of something else at all really, save for that one minor KMFDM reference towards the beginning…which was more of a universal comment in general anyway.  The point is – you don’t hear too much out there like this – which both plays to the advantage of 00101101001, and creates potential obstacles as well.  I am 100% sure that 00101101001 doesn’t care all that much about what the people out there may think…I don’t think you get to such inspired performances any other way really…when ideas are this creative & outside the box, it’s pure love of the craft and self-commitment that leads the way to the results, regardless of what anyone else may think in the final product.  “PRESSURE ON THE SANDGLOBE” sneers & snarls at ya before it starts lashing out with more Manson-esque hooks, it’s laced with brilliant samples whispering like the voices in the darkest corners of your mind, before roaring through your speakers in a full conquest for your soul.

I’ll listen to the sonic oddity that is “MISSING ACCESS PANEL” all damn day happily.  You probably won’t.  It’s a minute long, probably sounds mainly like static to old people, it’s anti-typical as fuck, and nuff said.

“ALL-CONSUMING ELECTRIC EARWORM” – c’mon now y’all – what an apt title right?  This is gonna be one of those crossover cuts that makes at least a few people out there consider what’s happening on this record and how close it is to something else they know, but flexing whatever that may be in a way more extreme direction.  LISTEN to this killer bass tones running through this cut though will ya?  Synth-wise too – 00101101001 is fuckin’ FIRED UP and proves that this project can be catchy as all hell, despite the odds.  What I love about cuts like “ALL-CONSUMING ELECTRIC EARWORM” is that a whole bunch of people out there gotta really think about this track – they KNOW they’re every bit as addicted to it as the title would imply – but it’s hard to figure out where it belongs between Michael Bolton and Imagine Dragons on their playlists – you diggin’ what I’m puttin’ down here?  I’m saying “ALL-CONSUMING ELECTRIC EARWORM” is the kind of track that’s gonna appeal to everyone in some way, inside & outside of whatever genre you’d believe 00101101001 would belong to…some might not want to admit it as much as others, some might find it difficult to reconcile with what they’d normally listen to – but make no mistake, what we’re all hearing is highly-addictive sound in action to the nth degree; it’ll catch us all.  Very much in the vein of early Nine Inch Nails vibes you’d find from throughout the Pretty Hate Machine era, but with the vibrant production you always wanted that record to have – 00101101001 surges with no fucks given, unapologetically putting an addictive track together here that the squares out there will have no choice but to turn up as well.  Gettin’ a LITTLE close to the Disturbed style of delivery when it comes to the hooks of the chorus, but I can forgive that with how much audible awesomeness is going on around’em…just be cautious 00101101001 – the last thing the world needs is another Disturbed.  “ALL-CONSUMING ELECTRIC EARWORM” sounds like it could eat the whole brain right outta your head.

“EMBRACING THE SWIRLING BLUEPRINT” corresponds a lot to how I felt about “MISSING ACCESS PANEL” earlier on, and also to how you’ll feel about it as well.  If you dig on listening to beat-driven cuts without a whole bunch else goin’ on, you’ll like this as much as I did & appreciate its controlled intensity.  These cuts are essential in keeping that mechanical aspect of the core theme kickin’ – like the machines are taking over along the way throughout 00101101001 to bust in with what they perceive as music.  I’m here for it – jam it up my mechanical friends – “EMBRACING THE SWIRLING BLUEPRINT” introduces an absolutely essential & outright insightful sample as a main hook at the end, and gives you arguably more to hang onto than “MISSING ACCESS PANEL” did in that regard…like I said, I got no problemo with either.

Oh!  There you go – lighters up y’all, here comes the baby-maker…the ballad…the slow jam…annnnnnd – of course I’m kidding around here, what are you really expecting to find at this point on 00101101001’s record?  YES “SUPRISING MUTATIONS INTO THE FINAL ACT” is a slower cut, but no less hard-hitting than the rest when it comes to the sonic depth you’ll find…if anything, it’s enhanced big-time through the additional clarity of a bit more space in the mix.  Vocally, it gets pretty far out there…I’d say this track has the most questionable moments you’ll find on the record in that regard…but like I’ve been tellin’ ya from the get-go too, there’s something about hearing someone really throw themselves into the craft without a second’s hesitation like this dude does, that pulls us onboard a bit more easily.  You start to genuinely want a project like 00101101001 to succeed as a result of the efforts being put forth in what you hear…and I’d suspect we start to soften a little when it comes to what we might accept.  Personally, I think there’s lots of value in the unpredictable way this song is sung…and I dig the way it’s structured in a call & answer design that connects the vocals straight to the sound…it all feeds off of itself, and as a result, it continually finds a way to slide straight into unique highlights along the way.  Love the space in the break for us to absorb the samples – and the kick back in around the 3:15 mark is massively effective.  Vocally, 00101101001 gets more weird with it the longer it goes on…arguably its most accessible moments are pretty much wrapped up before the three-minute mark, but I think “SUPRISING MUTATIONS INTO THE FINAL ACT” still carries enough inherent uniqueness in comparison to the rest of this set of songs, that it’s quite likely to get the share of credit it deserves when listening to this record.

“ANTS MARCHING TO THE VIBRATION OF FLUORESCENT LIGHTS” – indeed, we most certainly are.  It might be the whole industrial-music thing that a ‘march’ sounds like a hyper-speed battle like you’d find in the movie 300, only based a million years in the future, and blazing at a furious pace.  You hear the beat to this cut and it ain’t all that far removed from the backbone that held up “March Of The Pigs” by Nine Inch Nails, though the song itself will twist its way in several different directions to make the entire experience incomparable otherwise.  I felt like the most obvious influences on 00101101001 show up here in that regard though…I don’t know if there IS an “ANTS MARCHING TO THE VIBRATION OF FLUORESCENT LIGHTS” in this world without a “March Of The Pigs” existing before it long ago.  Only 00101101001’s gonna know for sure just how much that played a role in there being any similarities to examine between the two songs…I’m just callin’ it like I hear it…seems a bit coincidental to me, despite the differences to be found in the final results.  Because make no mistake, we’re still talking about two entirely different cuts here, that’s the facts – but energy-wise, very similar in that all-out attack mode each song starts with.  From there, ya branch out pretty significantly into their own unique vibes, and the vocals you’ll find in the mix of “ANTS MARCHING TO THE VIBRATION OF FLUORESCENT LIGHTS” are actually quite poetic in many ways too.  Chances are, it’s a tougher sell to the masses out there, but I dunno…call me crazy…at this point 00101101001 has warped me so much that I’ve got no problem diggin’ right in like I have with the rest of this set.  There’s art being made, however harsh it may appear or sound…I’ve got love for that at the end of the day – these songs take serious commitment to create.

The sensational production & combination of textural tones, weird frequencies, and sensory sound has led the way for a lot of these extreme experiences to have a broader appeal to them than you might assume it would for sure.  I listen to a cut like “GLITCH CULTIVATORS” slip into its main Matrix-inspired grooves and how catchy it is at the peak of its intensity & cleverness of its central hooks, and I kind of sit here & wonder how folks out there COULD miss what’s being laid down here.  YES it’s experimental to a large degree, YES it’s strange…undeniably strange stuff, YES – but it’s also pretty damn accessible in parts along the way, allowing the average everyday set of ears at least an opportunity to find a way in.  The main riff in the synths here is extremely powerful, catchy as all hell, and equally addictive if you ask me.  “GLITCH CULTIVATORS” is fairly chopped up into pieces, making that natural flow & rhythm to it come out in more stuttered shots and fragments as opposed to a completely fluid design…which will no doubt make it a bit more challenging to listen to for some in that respect – but I’m still of the mind that what’s catchy & attention grabbing on this track is 100% universal…we’ll all feel the vibes of this cut work its magic on us in some way, shape, or form.  It’s hard to argue that 00101101001 hasn’t left a little on the table here with how underused some of the hooks in this song really are…but if there’s a track on this record that’ll give you tiny pieces that are insatiably addictive & designed to bring you back, it’s this one.  “GLITCH CULTIVATORS” doles out its best moments at its own damn pace & that’s how we get’em.

“HOT FLASHES AND LACTIC ACIDS.”  See:  “MISSING ACCESS PANEL.”  See:  “EMBRACING THE SWIRLING BLUEPRINT.”  Same-same…I feel the way I feel about’em – I dig what I hear…I know I’m not gonna seek it out every single day cause I’m just not always in this mood – but when I am, right on, these cuts will be here for me.  They’re all intros & interludes of sorts…I ain’t opposed to’em but I ain’t jumpin’ up & down over their inclusion out of some kind of real excitement either…they are what they are & it is what it is.

Tracks like “FORCING THE HALLUCINATION THROUGH A PINHOLE” have me appreciating just how much of this record really was right up my alley after all.  Largely fueled by the samples that lead the way through the BIG BEATS that 00101101001 puts together, most of what you’ll hear is so scrambled up & jumbled that it’s tough to make those words out…it usually is on these tunes; and that makes me even more curious as I listen personally, so for me, I’m all about it & cuts like “FORCING THE HALLUCINATION THROUGH A PINHOLE.”  I think there’s a large argument to be made that we don’t really need to catch every single word all the time, not only for repeat value purposes, but just in general – sometimes we just kind of need that extra addition to guide us, like the voices in our head that are always there too, you know what I mean?  Or is that just me again?  I feel like I hear the traffic of voices like you find floating throughout “FORCING THE HALLUCINATION THROUGH A PINHOLE” in my head all day, every day – don’t we all?  Right as I typed that, I hear “you’re different” come through my speakers like the painful & pleasurable reminder I needed right then.  Don’t get it twisted, this has a hard-hitting core of strong bass-driven sound…but overall, it’s remarkably controlled and 00101101001 plays this cut fairly chilled compared to the rest for sure.  Again, I think the extra space tends to add a bit more allure to these songs when we get it…I felt like this track was every bit as hypnotic as it was engaging altogether.  “I’ve been trapped so long that I don’t even remember what it was like to be free” you can hear in the distance…that’s kind of what it feels like to listen to this cut, but don’t mistake that for me complaining.

When the spoken-word sample fades away at the start of “GREASED HANDPRINTS OF THE PSYCHEDELIC MECHANIC” and the musical hooks begin…damn…it’s pretty much a case of good game from there – that’s seriously tough sound to resist y’all.  I think it says a lot about the music of 00101101001 too – ultimately you can infer from a cut like “GREASED HANDPRINTS OF THE PSYCHEDELIC MECHANIC” that if 00101101001 wanted to play things more straight-ahead and just make cuts that listeners would universally dig on, the opportunity is always available; but rather than choose the blue pill, this dude continually chooses the red, and creates art out these tunes by twisting & morphing their catchiness into a more malevolent design.  Lots to dig on in this final cut though – vibrant sound that pounds at ya from every angle, crystal clear in its production to a punishing degree…”GREASED HANDPRINTS OF THE PSYCHEDELIC MECHANIC” makes for a strong ending, and comes to a complete dead-stop to finish this album off with an instant chop.  Straight up ominous to start, it expands with precision, professionalism, and serious punch in the production…this whole record deserves such a shout-out for the way it’s mixed – the ideas might be strange to ya – but then again, to some of you like me, they’re gonna make perfect sense.  Depends on how much time you spend inside & outside of the Matrix I suppose.  It’s by no means any kind of typical record, but I think the kind of uniqueness & skill & craft you find at work in the making of this material and the extraordinary results achieved are gonna supply a whole bunch of ears with quite the unexpectedly welcome listen, and an interesting experience they probably wouldn’t have even thought they’d enjoy if they were to look at it written out on paper in front of them.  To listen makes all the difference in the world – like I told ya from the start, no one out there gets into making music quite like this dude does, and it’s because of that commitment when it comes time to hit the red light in the recording booth, that 00101101001 comes out with such enormous & all-out creative vibes.

Listen to more music from the Memory Bank Records label at Soundcloud here:  https://soundcloud.com/user-789164454

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Jer@SBS

http://sleepingbagstudios.ca

"I’m passionate about what I do, and just as passionate about what YOU do. Together, we can get your music into the hands of the people that should have it. Let’s create something incredible."

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