I don't think one needs much exploration into Blackhouse beyond this particular tape. They had a few preceding releases, and a slow trailing ooze (up until 2015) on other formats, but "5 Minutes..." seems to have caught one of their more continuously engaging sessions of weirdtronics. The first tape easily delved into Broken Flag's style of brutish noise (in places), with most other releases (including this one) exploring a Throbbing Gristle inspired softer side (they're nowhere near as sloppy as TG, but that quaint creepy ambiance still lingers)."5 Minutes After I die" does contain buzzing rhythmic pulses, but nothing ear-dissolving. There's plenty of found sounds, and looped sounds, and scraping in metal barrels and other pretentiously-named stuff, but Blackhouse has a talent for precision and a near compositional feel to the tracks. Basically, there's no improv cheater bullshit here masquerading as "art". I have to prop them for their production and design ideas too. The tapes all look clean...um, Broken Flag in feel to the layouts (I'd swear up and down they had access to one of the earliest desktop publishing programs...that or they were O.C.D. as fuck with a Letraset sticker sheet). Just all the usual visual cues that tell one "industrial", but "in the cool way". As for the noise, I have no clue the type of equipment they use to make OR record, but through the mild tape hiss it's sharply defined and...kinda pleasantly...mixed with attention to detail.
This is the first of two posts celebrating the Sovie-Homie Paul's birthday. I don't want him to be the only one who clicks that lonely link...
