The Pitch: Female-fronted Oslo noise group releases 4th album with the help of reknowned pop producer Jørgen Træen and contributions from Japanese noise project Pain Jerk and string duo Sheriffs of Nothingness.
What I Like: That opener knocked my block off. It's like a more aggressive, experimental take on Cult of Luna's album with Julie Christmas. The aggro poetry reading/spoken word approach to the vocals is enticing and never comes off as even remotely cheesy. To the contrary, I was hanging on every strange word. Guro has the spirit of Janis Joplin and Björk brewing within her. And the groovy, disjointed drum and guitar parts that back it up create a sense of claustrophobia and dread. Very unique and oddly enjoyable.
What I Don't Like: Certain moments are more grating than fun in their noise experimentation (e.g. much of "Paris").
The Verdict: Examination Of The Eye Of A Horse is a wild ride that captured and mostly maintained my imagination. While some tracks get a little too noisey and weird for my taste, I think the successes outweigh the missteps.
Flight's Fav's: "Realm of Refuge," "Saccades and Fixations," "Wild Horses"