Gothtober- Looking Back in Anger at Throbbing Gristle's "20 Jazz Funk Greats"

It's time to give a critical listen to the album regarded as Throbbing Gristle's best work. These guys are revered as the forefathers of industrial music, but how good were they? How dark are they? Is this garbage that has been passed down as a sacred cow by hipsters working at record stores and college radio DJs? First off, this is 1979. Their debut was released in October 1977, and Bowie released "Low" in January 1977, so there was already weird and wacky experimentation to trace back to. In 2019, Pitchfork proclaimed this the best industrial album of all time, but was that magazine not a descendant of the hipster lineage mentioned earlier? So let's dig in.

The title track, which opens the album, is colored with some sounds that would later be expanded upon in Psychic TV; here, it offers a tongue-in-cheek intro. "Beachy Head" is a swathe of dark synth sounds, at this point nothing Hawkwind has not done better and turned into an actual song. It would be hard to imagine Hawkwind not being wedged somewhere within the subconsciousness of Uncle Al. "Still Walking" is the first song that would be considered industrial here. But playing around with weird sounds is not a new concept, as Frank Zappa had already released "200 Motels", as well as the "no-wave" scene, and a band like Suicide. Not to mention Boyd Rice's "Black Album" that precedes this band. 

"Tanith" features a bass line that wanders around, accompanied by ambient synths. "Convincing People" finds the grit beginning to work its way in. I like Genesis's vocals on this one. A good song if you are doing drugs, sober, it's more of a novelty. "Exotica" might be seen as an interlude if it were not dragged out for almost three minutes."Hot on the Heels of Love" finds them getting somewhere; the sound collected now would be called synth wave, but someone is slapping a piece a scrap metal here and there in the background.  Some of the doodling synth lines are almost comedic, but I like this for what it is. Electronic music pretty much just evolved in terms of technology, as this composition just works by adding layers. Granted, Kraftwerk formed almost a decade prior. 

I like the mood "Persuasion" creates with the deadpan vocals contrasting the chaos in the background, as this song drones against noise. 'What a Day' does have a more aggressive and angrier pound, which would provide an early starting point for the sounds we call industrial, but it sounds more like songwriting, which is what afflicts this album more often than not. I am not including the bonus tracks included in some of the reissues of this album, so "Six Six Sixties". The guitar line sounds like something Trent Reznor might rip off before; more intentional vocals and stronger beats kick in. Genesis talks his way through this one; you can hear the influence of the Velvet Underground on this. I think giving this album an 8.5, is fair enough, as it allows the adventurous nature of what they were doing to be taken into consideration against the lack of dynamics or attempt to write actual songs, far from the classic people make it out to be,. 

pst502

Psychic TV : "Alienist"

I first tuned into Psychic TV one hazy drug summer in the early 90's after picking up a copy of  their 1988 compilation "Allegory and Self" then went back and began listening to the albums preceding that. Last year I checked out "Snakes" which was more rock- n -roll than I remembered them being. So here we are with "Alienist". It starts off with a cover of Harry Nilsson's "Jump in the Fire" and finds a good balance between the more surreal side of their earlier work and this renewed interest in rocking out in a Hawkwind like manner. Here there is a more jammy and wandering spaciousness. There is is more surreal "I'm Looking For You" which is a conversation between Genesis and Lucifer. I always knew we shared similar experiences while on acid. This song sprawl out into ten minute out into the cosmos, but is so hypnotic that you barely notice how long you have been away from the Earth.

After the chilling epic before it, when Genesis and the boys launch into their cover of the Creation's "How Does it Feel" it doesn't feels as inspired. The band sounds like Alice Cooper's band from the 70's and Genesis also sounds a little like the Coop with more of a gravely rock n roll rasp.There is more funk to the title track than they used to have in their more electronic efforts. The vocals are a mumbled chant that asks if you ever felt like an illegal alien. This one drones on the same groove and rides it into the ground. I'll give this album an 8 because the first two songs are awesome and the second half of the album isn't bad by any means,  I am not sure it lives up to their legacy in the same way. If you are already a fan you can appreciate this , if you are just getting into them I suggest their pre-90's work first.

Uniform : "Perfect World"

I really like what I heard of Believer/Law, the band one half of this project hails from. The opening riff made me hopeful. However after some of the other sound were vomited into my earphones I found this was  more experimental than I expected. I like bands to take chances. But I also like bands to write songs. Industrial leaves more room for experimentation than other genres, but the reality of this is it's industrial with a rough outer layer of hip-ster abrasion. That's the New York scene for you. The punk rock vocals have not become a deal breaker. He is cursing the ground some one walks on. The novelty is still intact. I was hoping this would be more along the lines of Believer/ Law. On paper the punk attitude teamed up with industrial might bright the Lard project that Al Jurgenson did with Jello Biafra. One way to put it might be this carries more drone, another way to put it would be this songs are sonically monochrome."Indifferent" makes me want to be indifferent from the one trick pony of a vocalist that sneers over the wall of feedback. He seems to be mad about a fashion show, despite wishing his friend well. By the third song I can't decide if I am getting sick of the vocals or if they are growing on me.

The riff becomes more distinct on "Buyer's Remorse" which I am starting to think would have been a better title track for the album when the noise kicks in and begins dirtying up the place.Midway through the song it turns into chaos and falls apart, which the vocals just ranting around. They earn some industrial cred with Drew Mcdowall from Coil and Psychic Tv joining them on "Lost Causes" which finds the vocals toning down and almost carrying a melody. Here the droning nature of what they tend to do makes more sense with some ambiance to it. I think the industrial back drop also fits better at this slowed pacing.

The album closes out with "Learning to Forget". The guitar rings out with obtuse dissonance. The samples take the place of where vocals would be. I find myself waiting for percussive things that never come. So this really serves more as an outro than an actual song. I still find myself rounding this down to a 7, because the vocals on this turn me off despite some cool sounds that are put on the canvas of this album. If you are looking for some newer industrial to check out and like obnoxious punk then don't miss this one.