CoH - IIRON

Ah the smoldering beauty of COH. To the few who know and collect his work, he's a constant source of aggravation due to his almost non-existent presence on the web and a release schedule best termed as spastic. There will be years of hardly any activity from him and then, suddenly, all hell breaks loose. Case in point, this album, which continues his archival approach of late. Last year we were graced by a compendium of rare and compilation-only tracks called 'Rated Z'. This year we're shown into his emerald realm via the black velvet of 'IIRON'. This may, or may not, be a sequel to his 'Iron' record of many many moons back but you can be assured it is one thing above all: unique.

It should be pointed out before I go any further that Ivan Pavlov (who is COH) was indeed half of the mind-bending ensemble known as SoiSong (rip Sleazy) and obviously the time spent in that outfit gave him more than a few maniacal ideas to put to tape for posterity. Check out the clips on youtube to get an idea of just how far they went...

"War End War" was written in 1988 but now, some 23 (chaos anyone?) years later it is completed. The guitar is a focal point in this composition, as it is in all the pieces on this record but what he builds around, through and even within them is hardly recognizable in any terrestrial sense of what a guitar is used for. His love of minimal synthetics continues with various bleeps and almost insect-like skeletal programming nimbly and dexterously darting all over the place. Many sounds bounce between channels before getting mangled by the aforementioned guitar being thrust upon them like an ugly duckling. An uninvited guest upon the electronic palette, some would say. To me, it's Pavlov doing what he has always done: sonic alchemy; auditory pillage. As with a swarm of locusts, 'IIRON' cuts down everything in it's path. We consume the leavings gratefully.

Much of the aural landscape on 'IIRON' puts the taste of fluorescent filament in my mouth. You know it's damaging but you grind your teeth into the grit all the more. By turns, there are also some truly beautiful interludes between the white knuckled electronics; a peacock which presents it's plumage to lure you in. I've long enjoyed the original, wildly conceptual synthesis of COH, though only one other person I know whom I've played him for has actually gone out and bought any of his work. He doesn't make it easy in any sense of the word to take in what he does, there's no rosetta stone album nor is there that "one unifying song" which gives it all away. COH is meant to be listened to in it's entirety or not at all.

So bite down hard and savor this delicacy. Who knows when he'll be back. Mar 11 2011