16-17 – When All Else Fails...

Side one opens with "Sneak Preview" built on an Industrial/Jazz hybrid backing, it has a wild, runaway sound with the saxophone behaving a little like an electrified horse trying to converse in a churning rhythmic white water flood of madness. It reminds me a little of CLOCK DVA circa "White Souls" - the sax & the same synthesized guitar sound, although this is perhaps slightly more structured. "Pedestrian Dub" comes next, opening on the sax (sounding like a cage-full of lemmings hung over an open fire), this loose beginning forms into a beat piece with hard drums trying to batter the sax into some kind of order before submitting & joining in with it's crazy squealing & belching. Some moments are truly inspired, creating a whole new Sound of scattered detritus. "Browbeaten Bert" comes next basing itself on a mad freak-cut drum pattern which might at any moment collapse into chaos or silence. Over this is played the thin wowing guitar sound & the sax, which this time merely fills in, not daring to challange the dense drum dirge. Side two opens with "Who Planned All This?", again visiting the outer limits of madness - the cacophony of sounds which blend together into this crazed, almost Punk form of Jazz, seem to be overall greater than the sum of their parts - the combined pushed-to-the-edge sounds form a fast moving thrash-out which is dense with fascinating sounds, "Clap Trap" follows on the previous track's footsteps, the sax milling around until the drum join in with a dense barriage of machine-like intensity - very impressive. This succumbs to a more varied Sound which sprawls in apeshit Intensity all energy flowing as if limitless. "Spit It Out!" closes the EP/MLP using what sound like distorted vocal samples & voice, all as hysterically wild as the instruments which join in with minimal jabs & pokes. All is built on a slower, less dense drum base, which is deliberately thin & minimal, adding enough to keep the sound nervy. It then zooms off at high speed, under the influence of it's self-Inflicted madness. Raw electronics show through as if burning through their very own wires.

The cover burns the eyes in the sane way as the sound burns the ears. This is not my favourite musical form, but I have to admit to being well impressed by this. Its not a music to hear while tired or in any delicate mood, but is so full of twists & turns, it's well-worth seeking out. It reminds me of early BLURT only is perhaps more Anarchic, with a sound much more full & experimental. It was recorded live, suggesting they are worth going to see. Savour a little insanity.

Originally reviewed for Soft Watch.