Less than 30 seconds into the stop-start freak-out of “Wifemother”, the opening track off the self-titled full length debut of the Portland-based artist known as Body Shame, you know that you’re in for a strange experience. Synths shriek and roar like sirens as a drum set gets pummeled and slashed by some unseen maniac who doesn’t seem to attempt for rhythm so much as alternate between abusing the skins and the cymbals. But you keep listening, and patterns emerge– blaring sonic clusters from synths fight for space with scurrying outbursts from the drums to create doomy marches towards oblivion and gleeful rollercoasters meticulously planned to run slightly off-kilter. Every outsider sub-culture of terrifying dystopian electronic sounds came together for a love tryst with the wild and woolly end of the avant garde, and while the result is an odd spectacle to behold, there is a certain gravitas to its grim intelligence and tightly-controlled bombast.

Even for SadoDaMascus Records, who have been putting out very radical outsider sounds (Check: ABSV’s dubby noise and The Transulent Spiders’ absurdist sound collage, among others) as the release arm of Sonic Debris Multimedia for over three years, this one really stands out for its harrowing rawness. Body Shame takes self-abuse to the level of the sublime. Call me weird but I think I’m going to go put it on again.

For my Portland readers: you can pick up a copy of the limited tape release of Body Shame this Saturday for Cassette Store Day, and attend the release party for the album next Tuesday, the 20th at Valentines. The release party will feature Body Shame, Alto!, and Consumer, along with live projections by Arjuna Dingman. Hope to see you there.