The third release from Kalamazoo/Chicago-based label Already Dead Tapes is ‘Seconds’ from Problems That Fix Themselves, the focus of former Kalamazoo resident and Rotten Wood Moon member Joshua Tabbia, who recently migrated to Chicago.

“Seconds” finds Tabbia (with a little help from Tori Blade and Grow Fangs’ Ray Jackson) exploring a wide palette of sound in the electronic/noise territory, but that double-description unto itself does not do justice to this widely varied release.  The instrumentation ranges from synths, samples, and static to acoustic guitars, something that sounds like accordion and maybe a melodica (if they aren’t organ or keyboard imitation), recurring pieces of an oddly-phrased man doing spoken word and even bits of Conway Twitty songs.  More often than not, there is a beat, groove, pulse or melody to latch onto, maintaining enough hooks amidst the madness to encourage even somewhat-sensitive ears to come back for repeated listens and find more to behold in the less-accessible sections.

The album begins with a peacefully sparse, subdued lullaby sang by Tori Blade entitled “Noelle”, a complete surprise to me upon first listening. It’s a wonderful album opener and, despite the reappearance of Blade’s singing toward the end of the tape and a reprise of the melody to “Noelle,” this is definitely an anomaly on ‘Seconds’. If this opening piece does nestle the listener into the cozy Land of Nod, their slumber shall quickly be disrupted by the jagged edges of sonic shrapnel which follow.

Despite the abrasive tone of much of the sound found on ‘Seconds’, it should be noted that little-to-none of it feels aggressive or, more specifically, violent.  This is FUN noise, colorful and inviting.  Even “Gone,” which ends side one and is a bit eerie, is far from threatening.  Side two opener “Virginia Woolf” contains the random previously-mentioned Twitty bits bookending  the most industrial soundscape found on this release, falling very close to sounding like Nurse With Wound before the electro drum beat kicks in half-way through the piece.  This track can currently be heard at Problems website, http://www.problemsthatfixthemselves.com/

An exciting adventure that only gets better with repeated listens, this release shows a man (with a little help from his friends) on top of his game.