Bonnie Baxter - (2019) Axis CS

 

Hausu Mountain ‎– HAUSMO 95

Hey, didn’t Björk get some attention for exploring the iPad’s music production capabilities a while back? Apps in that vein have certainly progressed since 2011’s Biophilia, but puritans of every nationality have to be rethinking these technological advancements now that Bonnie Baxter’s discovered their utility in creating music that strips you of your innocence about as quickly as a priest with extra wafers in his quarters.

Baxter released her debut solo album Ask Me How Satan Started last year after gaining some industrial attention via the Kill Alters project (w/Nicos Kennedy and Hisham Bharoocha), and that release proceeded naturally in terms of Baxter’s wayward vocals and the claustrophobic percussion that limited any escape potential. Parts were downright uncomfortable. Are you into that sort of thing? If you are into that sort of thing (+ continued iPad usage), please read on.

AXIS is set for release October 11 on Hausu Mountain; and even though the claustrophobia is still there, replace the noise of her previous effort with an attempt to let her vocals breathe, and suddenly Baxter is really allowing you to absorb the apparent mania. The sound seems less dissonant overall compared to Ask Me, and shockingly, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the track “SPIRIT ENEMA” with a remix of a 90s lounge song. It seems we’ve entered the mushrooms phase of this adventure.