This is a weird one. What do you get when you mix Big Black, mid-period Wire, Flying Saucer Attack (minus the massive amounts of noise), some ultra-low fi version of Kraftwerk & A Flock of Seagulls, a piano recital, tweaked out guitar amps & a lot of free time? This CD. Most of this works well and other times it’s just too weird for its own good.
((1)) Total Big Black worship (think “Atomiser” & all of their early 80’s stuff) complete with the metallic guitars (not heavy metal style rather literally made out of actual metal like the guitars that Steve Albini used in Big Black & Rapeman). ((2)) Slower, more melodic mix of oh say..a lo-fi OMD & more Big Black-like guitars & slightly distorted poppy vocals. Odd but interesting. 3) Trippy, random electronic noises & ambience then weird, distorted new-wave pop. A Flock of Seagulls with thirft store electronics. 4) Experimental oddties. Ultra-distorted guitar harmonics vs. mellow, melodic keyboard flurishes. Sonic portrait of the artist as a young man with a Korg, a Fender copy & a cheap amp.
5.) Even more experimentnal nuttiness. High-pitched tweaked-out guitar goofing around (yep, this is guitar ‘cause I used to noodle with ood tunings many moons ago, too) with a circa: 1984 Commodore 64 keyboard program through a mini-Marshall stack with all knobs to the right.
6) Super-fuzzed out/distorted guitars with Dr. Um Machine on percussion. 7) Sounds like the opening notes to Big Black’s “Cables” but slower & repeated over & over. 8) ULTRA-long piano piece. Is this some one’s long lost recital? Rather pointless but makes swell audio wallpaper. ((9.)) Floating, sort of noisy almost Throbbing Gristle piece that tunnels in & out.
10.) More super-distorted guitars & vocals & overkilled bass & repetitious as hell patterns - gets annoying quick! 11.) Melodic, chiming guitars then more of a structured sligtly catchy/slightly warped new-wave/dying Frogger arcade machine sounds with buried poppy vocals.