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 Caught in the Carousel - Music Reviews and More
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Psychic TV
Hell is Invisible Heaven is Her/e
Sweet Nothing
Not being one to extol or eulogize the merits of a bad pun, and finding the whole storied device to be entirely unappealing, it is with great emphasis and fervor that I lament the album title of Psychic TV's "reunion" album. Tearing past the tundra and surface of things (...and the baffling, awful cartoons displayed on the cover--perhaps it was designed by a pock-faced and freckled nephew of P-Orridge, one who bangs around the local high school with a lowered head of thatched and shaggy hair, grimly passing on to his remedial science class with a worn and frayed notebook of "lyrics" slung below his little mitts...), and taking into account the nature of first impressions--all of which are unfavorable--one peels out the music from the rind. Frankly, this shit should have stayed buried.
It's truly puzzling because the revival of Throbbing Gristle was actually quite good--their reunited effort actually accomplished something, and while being a comparatively lesser-work in the ol' canon it had something—anything--to it. Despite the presence of the exalted Gibby Haynes on a track, this has absolutely nothing to recommend to anyone. Whoever thought a slap bass would be advantageous to music like this is half-cocked and certifiable, as most of the record comes off either like Marilyn Manson or the latter-day permutation of PiL (neither of which should be commended or endorsed in any way). Sinuous and grating high-pitched, nasal squawks between layers of distorted guitars and sound bites, interminable drones that last upwards of 9 or 10 minutes, my beloved Gibby Haynes...dammit this should've worked.
I find noise as endearing as anyone else (I used to employ Metal Machine Music as my nighttime, soporific and off to sleep soundtrack, much to the chagrin of my roommate), but this is absolutely terrible. The music seems to absolutely loathe itself; it has no pulse or will to foster on and sounds as if it was mirthlessly recorded. It's self-defeating to make music like this and my principle reaction to such things is "what's the point?" If they're not enjoying themselves or the music they're making, who possibly could?It isn't even threatening, just silly. I doubt "silly" is anything anyone anywhere is aiming for.
--Brandon DiSabatino
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