“A machine gun is just a symbol of automated American death, something people are into no matter which side of the trigger they’re on. As Malcolm X said, “the price of freedom is death”. For everybody else, let’s just party on some meth and crack and watch movies of people killing each other with machine guns.” Dave Unger.
Rather nihilistic words, but quite pertinent, given the imperceptible slide towards the modern version of a Hieronymus Bosch painting that seems to be taking place in our contemporary world. The above take on the machine gun as a American symbol, comes from Brooklyn’s Dave Unger, who contributes vocals on “Take My Advice, Open Up Your Tired Eyes”¢ on the second album from American/Portuguese sound-shapers U.S.S. The musical accompaniment is a convincing scattershot doom/free/jazz/rock hybrid that ends up sounding like 90s math-heads (not methheads) Polvo jamming with The Muppet Band.
U.S.S. is orchestrated by Jonathan Saldanha, and Scott Nydegger, and features a cast of notables including Dan Kauffman from Barbez, and tenor saxophonist Steve Mackay (who played on The Stooges Fun House, with LAFMS alumni Smegma, and Italy’s Zu). The predominant sound of Machine Gun is a (post)rockist jazz soundscape that would not sound out of place on the Tzadik or Ipecac labels. Militaristic-themed spoken word segments add a layer of creepy unease, as they serve as a link between tracks. I don’t want to meet the old timer we hear on “Sevad Kooh a big guy,” who’s been carrying a M1911 Pistol for so long he doesn’t even notice it (and no doubt kicking some serious ass).
Moments of “Sevad Kooh” remind me of Godspeed You Black Emperor! jamming with a slightly-less-than-ecstatic Albert Ayler, (not German free-jazz skronker, Peter Brotzmann, who also had a album named Machine Gun) from beyond the grave. “A Vision in a Mirror in a Movie in a Dream” starts off spacious, and slinks into a debased blues/rock territory similar to the early efforts of The Jesus Lizard. With a hefty roster on this track, Nydegger and Saldanha obviously have an astute ear for production, as the demented gamelan and Magma-esque rock, remains compelling throughout. A subtle commentary on the United States military-industrial complex? Maybe. Leaving didactic positioning aside, U.S.S. blend genres with dexterity, showcasing the quality of the musicians involved in this project.
Oliver Laing
