Geraldine Swayne, James Johnston and Steve Gullick have a cohesive vision. Building repetitive textures and ominous sound walls with balance disturbing tonal shifts. This is all oddly balanced between a few beautiful melodies and a large amount borderline scattered noise.
The original cover drawings by Geraldine are stunningly good. I would like to own an original.
This record is not one bit toe tapping and I could identify no levity. It’s just pure somber from beginning to end. There are a few highlights.
The gentle thorazine drift vocal on “Louder and Louder” is planted over psycho warped spaghetti western guitars creating a off beat tension.
“Trouble Is” a gentle piano – vocal number tempos down to the point of deconstruction. The concise soul searching lyrics hold your attention through the near collapse.
One particular standout track is “Laugh with Me”. Featuring a raw dual vocal that hums along like a hybrid Fairport Convention number fused with the Stooges “ We Will Fall”.
Most of the record comes off like a soundtrack for the doomed. Bender is a master at making sound become building blocks of tension. It’s blues for dancing under atomic fallout. It’s the patriotic anthem on repeat in the syphilitic mind of a road spent cattle rustler. I found it enjoyable overall but the operating of heavy machinery while listening not recommended. One more thing… there is a hidden track if anyone still looks for those.
