Anemone Tube

Have spent the last few days listening to Anemone Tube. In particular their recent CD on Silken Tofu "Dream Landscape" and the split 7" with UK outfit Shift on Unrest Productions. Both are excellent releases. Anemone Tube is the project of Berlin based artist Stefan Hanser. Stefan began Anemone Tube in 1996 releasing on his own Transfixional Entertainment label and then in the early noughties kind of disappeared, but in the last couple of years Anemone Tube have become visible again and releasing strong and essential material.
"Dream Landscape" is 5 pieces in 23 minutes. "Above The Dark Waters" opens with electric swirl and dramatic keyboard...a maelstrom is present. "Dream Landscape" has an introductory feel, slow grinding guitar floating over a desolate (dream) landscape. The CD is packaged in an A5 fold out panel wallet and contains a drawing by Alex Tennigkeit .. a pictorial interpretation, I must say at this point that the drawing does nowt for me..... Track 3 "Demoniac Reign" has a Cocteau Twins guitar feel to it. The whole CD is very guitar based - that surprised me a little, but I soon warmed to it - strings pitched on the brink of feedback. "Winds Of Fire" begins with the line "soon the demon mark will spread and kill you" and descends into multi-layered guitar ... I don't remember Anemone Tube sounding like this, I think that was the biggest surprise and thrill ... I don't remember Anemone Tube being this "harsh" or guitar based. The final piece ""L' Enfer C' Est Les Autres" is a full 360 degree experience with guitars, amps and keyboards creating a massive whorle of sound before ending on bowed cello and wailing voices - the song "Cabbage" by Mass immediately came to mind here.
23 minutes over and two early 1980's 4AD bands brought to mind. Excellent.

The split 7" with Shift is two reworkings of the initial piece "Dark Waters". Two pieces of fine lock grooved power electronica. It works, it works really well - especially "Dark Waters 2" - it has a crunchy Boyd Rice feel to it. Bloody awful sleeve - limited to 111 copies and sold out from source.
Re-invigourated by the sound of Anemone Tube - I have dug out my copy of "Forget Heaven" the 1997 tape release on Bawler Tapes ... I'll give that a spin tomorrow.

Pictures.
1: "Dream Landscape."
2: "Dark Waters" 7" & "Forget Heaven" Tape.
3: Stefan at the Broken Flag Weekend, London. May 5. 2012.