An interesting record from Mute, and definitely BIRTHDAY PARTY influenced. Did I say “influenced”? Why, it’s…Rowland Howard on guitar, Mick Harvey on drums, and Simon Bonny singing. There are some great tunes here: “Shaking Chill” is hopping and the rest grind on with apocalyptic moments characteristic of the style.
Boyd Rice is NON and Frank Tovey is the main FAD GADGET. This is a stripped-down noise record that plays with rhythms and repetition created by mainly non-musical objects. A party record.
This LP includes material from the last 12″, and even the new material sounds like a rehash of his past few records, though it’s more thickly layered and more difficult than before. However, ex-POP GROUP’s Stewart and Adrian Sherwood still create some of the best haunting wildness and lyrical nightmares. Still will keep the fans happy.
Too many years have elapsed since WIRE’s prime to make this record an event. The four songs here seem more like a rock-ier extension of DOME than the kind of dense, rich songs WIRE and COLIN NEWMAN used to do. Nonetheless, “Drill” has a nice beat and interesting vocal rhythms.
