he CD reissue of this Wolf Eyes cassette is worth the price tag if only for the discography inside the booklet. Obviously, it’s hard to keep track of the group’s output, but collector scum and record store clerks can now rejoice. With over 50 releases in the past two years (probably more like 60 by the time the CD came back from the press), “prolific” doesn’t really do the band justice. And people go apeshit over these guys! Imagine if you’re favorite band put out a new release every other weekend. Yikes! Then imagine they were obsessed with making these releases available in limited quantities that usually fall in the fingers-and-toes number range. This is the life of Wolf Eyes fan: Constantly wanting to stab your roommate who has the four cassettes you’ve always wanted and knowing he’d gladly smother you with a pillow for your paltry collection.
So where does Slicer fall in the Wolf Eyes universe? It’s by no means the top of the greatest effort they’ve put forth, but that by no means relegates it to gathering dust on the shelves. There’s a reason these guys are prolific: even their weakest tracks annihilate their “peers” in the experimental electro-world. These aren’t hipsters who became avant-garde on a whim, they are experimental artists who seem to have stumbled on an unknown coolness.
The first track doesn’t really do much for me. The cut-and-paste vocal samples may or may have been the inspiration for title, but they don’t inspire me that much. As soon as they’re gone though, the static intro of the next piece has me pumped well before the beat even kicks in. And this theme seems to play out throughout the disc. Though the group may miss it here and there, the simplest little gesture can pull you right back in and leave you floored. The standout for me is the fifth track (no titles are listed, by the way) in which a treble-less piano track is overlapped (and occasionally obscured) by off-kilter beats and distorted high-frequency loops.
The album as a whole seems to represent the transition period of Wolf Eyes. Any one who asks how the group managed to transform from danceable party noise into Throbbing Gristle will probably find the answers they seek here. I wouldn’t go so far as to call it a marriage of the two styles, but it’s close. The darker side definitely outweighs its counterpart, but each shines in different spots on the disc.
Some may question the constant flow of releases - especially when the group varies and you have no idea what to expect - but Slicer puts things into perspective. It may not be their finest moment, but it’s still pretty damn fine. And as far as the widely-available material by the group goes, it’s definitely up there. Most importantly, though, it works great for the group: no fan would be disappointed to own this and it makes a good starting point for those new to the Ann Arbor scene. Consider it a safe bet.
