ANDY HAAS – Humanitarian War
reviewed by Heather Schofner
This album is piercing, like early morning mortar fire. It’s a live improvisation with no overdubs, and is meant to be a protest against “preemptive wars,” hence the irony laden title. Song titles include “Depleted Uranium Part 1,” “White Phosphorus,” and “PFM-1 Green Parrot.” A wide array of strange sounds came together to create this disquieting din. Andy plays sholar, raita, taal tarang, and fife on the release, as well as all of the live electronics. The fife playing on “White Phosphorus” is beautiful. I’d tell anyone into John Zorn’s more radical stuff to check this out. The ethics are worth it alone, but the interesting instruments and improvisation seal the deal.
(Resonant Records, no address provided)
