Earsplittingly good

Harsh noise, the genre that moms everywhere have been conflating with metal since the ’80s, is a real thing, and it has some history in Portland.

Although you, the Portland music enthusiast, may be unaware of these artists, you now know that they exist. And you have nobody to blame but Whitehouse and Smegma.

No, I’m not talking about Washington. D.C., or penis goo. I’m talking about the oddball trio-gone-duo from the U.K. that brought the genre of “power electronics” and, later, harsh noise to the mainstream forefront and the Portland-based noise ensemble, respectively.

Simultaneously, other overseas acts like Nurse with Wound and Venetian Snares paved the way for artists like Wolf Eyes and Hair Police that helped the genre reach its arguable zenith in the mid-2000s.

Amid that zenith, Portland acts like Yellow Swans, Argumentix and Subarachnoid Space rose to power. For a while, noise was everywhere, opening metal shows around Portland and grabbing its own piece of the musical pie at venues like Food Hole and Satyricon. Local artist Blowupnihilist opened for screamy punk rockers The Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower on their last tour ever.

Sadly, the noise genre fell somewhat out of vogue, leaving local sonic sculptors no options but to join “real” bands. Thankfully, some of these artists are still around.

Brizbomb
Vancouver, Wash.
Sounds like: A Dälek burrowing into your skull
Next show: June 30, St. Johns Nofest 2012

Those who have had the pleasure of seeing Brizbomb (a.k.a. “the human”) do his thing remember it vividly.

Brizbomb’s shows are memorable because, unlike a lot of noise acts that feature destroyed tape loops and mixer feedback, his setup is a towering Bunyan-esque rack of effects with enough patch cables to stretch to Wisconsin.

Fixed to the top of his monolith are two law enforcement-grade light beacons, just in case your senses aren’t being assaulted enough. The show consists of “the human” hot-plugging patch cables into various orifices on the tower and letting the effects envelop the listener until he or she cries uncle.

His sonic manipulation is quite a show if you’re into sound. And of course you are: You’re reading an article about harsh noise in a college newspaper.

Pulse Emitter
Portland
Sounds like: Being physically afloat on an ocean you’ve dreamt of
Next show: June 30, St. Johns Nofest 2012

To those involved with Portland’s alternative electronic scene, Pulse Emitter needs no introduction, but you may be surprised to find out he’s from Portland. After all, he travels all over the world, delivering lush soundscapes for all to hear. Sometimes they get a little noisy, which is only fitting because Pulse Emitter was a Portland harsh noise heavyweight at one point. Now, he only makes noise that sounds like waves of LSD washing over your cerebrum.

Lick

Portland
Sounds like: Audio from a David Lynch movie—including the dialogue—corrupted beyond recognition
Next show: None scheduled; tour with Defenerate in the works

It’s been a while since Portland had a truly oddball ambient/noise band to call its own, and those not yet in the know would be proud to call Lick just that. Featuring an army of theremins, bit crushers and a cast of ethereal noisemakers, Lick wants to play your art gallery opening, and then they want to make your eardrums earn their existence.