THE JANITORS – Noisolation Sessions Vol1 [2020, Cardinal Fuzz (Europe) / Little Cloud Records (USA)] 

RELEASE INFO:

Label: Cardinal Fuzz (Europe) / Little Cloud Records (USA)

Format: LP, Album, Limited Edition, Transparent Blue Vinyl, 400 copies

Release Date: 13 Nov 2020

The Swedish Janitors – Peddlers of heavy drones and fuzzed nightmares since 2004 – are back with their 5^th album, new recordings, courtesy of Covid, and Lockdowns! The press release explains all: “Noisolation Sessions Vol.1 is a testament of three months in disturbing times. In March 2020 The Janitors had their new Album written and studio time booked – ready to unleash their latest shamanic fuzz meltdowns, then corona hit and everything changed. They figured they would go down into their own studio to work on those tunes some more until things passed over. While working there they recorded what they felt was a most apt tune for that moment back in Spring 2020 – A cover of Joy Divisions – ‘Isolation’ – It was epic and the reaction they got confirmed it. It re-energized The Janitors and in doing so the creative juices flowed and a thought kicked in – that the next week they just start writing new songs, but with the same dogmatic rules, one night of recording, one week of mixing, and then it’s done – A challenge of just letting the creativity flow but then leaving the song as a testament to that moment.
These six songs are the product, All of it The Janitors came up with on the spot, all ideas were welcome as improvisations lead to new and far-out places, but also the occasional wrong note, lyrics reflecting the strange days we were witnessing and how they affected us, the people we love and the world. The Janitors say this is by far their least worked through art, but it turned out to be some of the best songs The Janitors have ever produced.
The next album will be recorded as soon as corona is gone, until then we’ll see if there will be a volume 2 of the Noisolation series. Always and forever, fuck all right-wing and capitalist oppressors. To create is to resist. To resist is to create. Fuzz love from The Janitors…”

The album consists of 6 fuzzy droney noisolation compositions and it kicks off with “Through The Storm Into Chaos”, under a slow and ‘controlled-noisy’ sonically distorted background the band unfolds its heavy personal and characteristic sound with an 80s industrialized aura emerging a stoned gothic-like intense feeling! “High On God” is a fuzzy-droney reverberated tune full of futuristic Shamanism, a blend of Goth and Psychness, acting like a dark sonic chaotic cyber-thing! Under the same sonic distorted noisy background, “Indifferent State” emerges a creepy slow attitude while Ian Curtis’ psychotic figure is all over the track, ending in an intoxicated mantra-like atmosphere! “Thing Is Rising” is another tune flooded into this kind of unique mutated psych, it’s heavy, mysterious with some great guitar sound taken straight out of “Unknown Pleasures”… “The Mind Is A Terrible Thing” is a more rhythmic tune than the previous tracks on this record and slowly the Joy Division influences are becoming more clear than ever! This is a fantastic dark n’ heavy compact tune that acts like a mind-a-delic blender! The album closes with the Janitors’ version of Joy Division’s “Isolation”, they succeeded to ‘adjust’ this ‘piece of musical history’ into the nowadays needs! A respectfully and well-executed inspired reinterpretation! The Janitors continue on moving in their own direction, keeping in it heavy and noisy and intellectually droney! Feel free to follow… TimeLord Michalis