"To listen is an effort, and just to hear is no merit. A duck hears also." - Igor Stravinsky
Venetian Snare is one of my favorite artists not just because of the technical brilliance of his music and the awesome time signatures, but also the wide variety of styles and aesthetics he has explored over the course of his discography.
Venetian Snare is one of my favorite artists not just because of the technical brilliance of his music and the awesome time signatures, but also the wide variety of styles and aesthetics he has explored over the course of his discography.
In this blog I list and explain in brief terms some of my favorite albums/eps he has done. These are listed in chronological order of release:
printf("shiver in eternal darkness/n"); - 2001 full length
"I am punishing the atoms. I am making an example of them. An object lesson. A thing."
Fellow computer science nerds will quickly note that "/n" is not how you tell printf (in any language I know of) to print a newline, but instead "\n". Anyway, this early full length release from Snares is a dark one, as the title would suggest, but it is not as focused as something like "Doll Doll Doll" which would come later or as experimental as "Songs About My Cats". "printf" is one of my favorite snares albums, largely because of the combination of its dark mood and brilliant samples - there are so many memorable moments on this album without it being as difficult to process as some of his denser work. Songs like Salt are some of the most rhythmically abrasive he has ever done, yet this is on the same disc as one of the most straight forward songs he has ever done in Intense Demonic Attacks. "printf" covers the widest spectrum of the aesthetics of darkness of any of his albums, and can be both challenging and relatively easy to listen to.
Favorite Songs: Cruel Whole, Punishing the Atoms, Salt, Intense Demonic Attacks
Songs About My Cats - 2001 full length
Doll Doll Doll - 2001 full length
"Spirit of poison. Howling spirit. Killing spirit that walks. Spirit creature not wearing the shape of a man."
DDD is Snares' densest and sickest album. As someone who came from a background of extreme metal where no subject is taboo, I was immediately interested to hear what this album sounded like, considering I had been told the concept of the album revolved around torturing and murdering children which even for extreme metal is something that is never written about seriously - used only for gimmicky shock value. I suppose DDD can sound like it's about whatever kind of violence and sadism you want, but the influences are clearly there, from the samples of Fallout's "childkiller" dialogue to the Jonbenet Ramsey tip hotline. Like printf, the mood here is dark, but it's more than just dark: It is violent, sadistic, and oppressive. Some may find DDD difficult to listen to just because of its subject matter, but even beyond that it's actually a really difficult and abrasive album to listen to; it took me the better part of a year to really get into the harsher tracks. "Pressure Torture" sounds pretty much like the title sounds - you could probably torture people with it because of how violent it is. Imagine Merzbow on every methamphetamine known to man and you're halfway there. DDD is kind of unique in the sense that I find the last half of the album is a lot better than the first half, considering most artists are eager to load up the first half of their albums with the best tracks to capture the listener's interest. The whole album is strong, but the epic and terrifying 9 minute closing track "All The Children Are Dead" might be the greatest song Snares has done in his entire career. One of my favorite Snares albums for its uncompromising sickness and the immense challenge it provides a listener with.
Favorite Songs: Dollmaker, Befriend A Childkiller, Pressure Torture, All The Children Are Dead
Find Candace - 2003 EP
"I remember when I was a kid... And seeing a dying dog, you know, one of those old dogs that comes to die under the porch of the house. And at the last moment it yelps in terror... As if it has seen something real."
Find Candace is Snares' brief continuation of DDD. It has that same sense of sadism and sickness, though it is not as violent, dense, or overall as difficult to listen to as the album which it succeeds. It is a less visceral experience, though perhaps more reflective. Mercy Funk is an amazing track not just because of its samples but because of its simultaneous rhythmic unpredictability and cohesiveness. This release also features Snares really experimenting with strings and more classical instruments on tracks like Bind Candace which are more ambient in nature than being proper breakcore songs. A very worthwhile release if you enjoyed the evilness of DDD.
Favorite Songs: Mercy Funk, Children's Limbo
The Chocolate Wheelchair Album - 2003 full length
"It's about time, it's about space, about strange people in the strangest place"
In sharp contrast to the preceding releases of Doll Doll Doll and Find Candace on this list, Chocolate Wheelchair - as the title suggests - is one of the most playful and lighthearted releases in the whole Venetian Snares catalog. That's not to say this album can't be interesting just because it is "fun" in nature - some of the tracks are quite challenging and aggressive, like the closer "Herbie Goes Ballistic" which basically sounds like someone's descent into insanity. There's a memorable moment on "Herbie Goes Ballistic" where a sample sounding like someone's grandmother asks "Herbie aren't you ashamed of-" but before she can finish her sentence, the song itself representing Herbie's consciousness goes completely ballistic and cuts her off. This level of richness of perspective is certainly part of what makes Venetian Snares' music so great, and that greatness is definitely present on Chocolate Wheelchair, although it's being expressed in less grim and serious tones than on his earlier albums.
Favorite Songs: Abomination Street, Einstein-Rosen Bridge, Epidermis, Herbie Goes Ballistic
Rossz Csillag Alatt Született - 2005 full length
"Why am I frightened so easily? Pigeon, why can you scare me? Am I not a part of your life anymore? Am I not welcome anymore? Am I not part of your life?"
Already in his career Snares had experimented with Noise (SAMC), Jazz (DDD and Find Candace), Funk and Rock (Chocolate Wheelchair), but what will probably be considered his greatest experiment happened on this album, and it was an experiment with classical music. RCAS sounds, in a single word, grandiose. The classical samples on this album carry the music some of the time, especially during the rising actions and calmer parts of the album, while the electronic and notoriously schizophrenic breakcore that defines the artist is played in accompaniment and takes center stage when the music is at a climax. RCAS is accessible in a way that no other Venetian Snares album (with the possible exception of My Downfall) is. If I'm recommending VS to someone who I'm not sure will enjoy the darkness of printf, or the evilness of DDD, or the weirdness of SAMC, I recommend RCAS first and foremost. Even someone who is not really into breakcore or remotely difficult music usually respects RCAS because of how consummate, polished and beautiful it sounds. This album is by far the best way to get into VS if you are interested. It goes from gorgeous to ugly and back again, from relaxing to violently neurotic, and - well you get the idea. Hajnal is really the centerpiece of the album, containing a really definitive string melody that sets the stage for the song, in addition to some jazz and one of the most memorable and iconic breakcore passages in the genre's history. RCAS is extravagant, grandiose, vain, and vulnerable. An enchanting album about disenchantment.
Favorite Songs: Szerencsétlen, Hajnal, Második Galamb, Szamár Madár
I am considering adding Hospitality (2006) and My So Called Life (2010) to this list but I need to relisten to his 2007-2009 releases a bit more first.
I really enjoy reading and also appreciate your work.Armani
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