Cuneiform Records has a great program where they announce that an album in their back catalogue gets offered at half-price, and as I had been wanting to hear this band (they feature drummer, composer and friend Lukas Ligeti) for a long time, I decided to risk it. It was well worth it.
From the release’s Bandcamp site:
“The Austrian five-piece band, Kombinat M, was founded in 1987 by Walter Hollinetz, Andreas Leikauf, and Erwin Redl. The group’s members, all of whom are trained in music or visual arts, share an interest in rock and jazz-based music, classical minimalism, and fine arts.
One of the great Cuneiform ‘one and done’ ensembles, Kombinat M used an unusual combination of two electric guitars, violin, reeds & drums. The compositions vary in length from under a minute to over 10 minutes. Their approach combines aspects of the Glenn Branca guitar wall of sound approach with a touch of The Ordinaires & other “downtown” groups, but mostly their own style.
“Kombinat M have absorbed myriads of influence into their vivacious & powerful music [and] have much to commend them.” – Audion“