OPAQUE � NEW WAYS TO CRITICISE CD 8M/CONSUME Are guitarists Lee Cummings & Murray Johnston �asking for it�? The CD�s title could certainlt give many a reviewer a field day, but I�ll not stoop to poop at such stinky �n� pongy silt layered depths�about 3 or 4 inches once those sluice gates have been opened. This album �is the culmination of a years worth of recordings� (what, full time? Part time? One day a week? One day a month? Eh?) and, says here in the polite promo blurb, is the bands �most varied and challenging work to date�. Further, it sees them �pushing the Opaque sound into new, extreme sonic territories�. Well, yeah�hmmm�look, understand that I�ve been a hard-cock�s-on-fire Whitehouse fan for the past 22 years now and, without going on & on & On & on & on & on I HAVE heard all thee other stuff as well, Ramleh, Maurizio Bianchi, Throbbing Gristle, Merzbow, CCCC, The Gerogerigegege, the Susan Lawly and Tabula Rasa label releases, etc, etc, etc, etc. �Extreme� is such a fucking over-used word in this, ultimately bland and vacuous age we are prey god, prey any fucker, hopefully just passing through. I see �extreme� applied to so much utter sensationalist shite these days � extreme police chases, extreme sports, extreme sunny weekend breaks in Cliftonville, extreme cooking up some turd-that-passes-for-food in the kitchen, extreme Teletubbies, extreme pottering around the garden shed with grandpa and his arthritis & so on & so forth. Point made, I�m sure you will agree. Ok, so it�s ltd to 520 copies (why not 510 or 530?) and comes in a �unique cardboard gatefold sleeve��ooohhh!! Well, this �unique� sleeve ain�t gonna win any prizes at the next Cardboard Engineering Enthusiasts annual awards but, if Opaque say it�s special then I�ll just have to take their word for it. Looks much the same as any other cardboard CD slipcase to moi�except for the red felt inlay. Great. Can you still buy Fuzzy Felt by the way? I used to love that. Still do. A run through of the annoyingly pain-in-thee-arse-to-read 12 track titles has us teetering on the edge of our MFI swivelling office reviewing chairs (pale grey with cobolt blue upholstery) pumped to the highest setting. �Edgar blows up�, �My hosts must have wondered why they�d asked for an expert and been sent this hooligan instead� and �Hospitalised your dad with an iron bar��So, wha�d ya make of it all? I suppose actually playing the CD might help. Yes, that�s a good idea, I think I�ll try the �playing it� approach this time, you know, get into some �extreme reviewing��tis a whole noo concept and it is being pioneered right here and now before your very eyes in Snipper Glug, ya lucky cants!! I had a funny feeling this would start off with a high pitched electro-static buzz. Aldrin. An intense, painful and overwhelming power electronic guitar duet balanced out with introspective razor sharp hypno-ambient drones that, at times, have a filmic quality. It�s good to see guitars still being used instead of this genre�s traditional synths and, in recent years, uncomfortable looking laptops although, in essence, it doesn�t actually matter how the sounds are produced, it�s the end results that count�I�ve just got a �thing� about guitars in the same way I have a penchant for vinyl and �hard copy� porn mags instead of computer-based monitor wank. There�s oriental chic pluckings, distorted shuddering almost-dance beats that are so much like some of Esplendor Geometrico�s output you could be forgiven for confusing the two, and micro high-end bottleneck pickings as if a pair of spotty teens had just been given Argos guitars for xmas. This, at first listen, doesn�t give the impression of being good, especially as, by this far into the CD, we know Lee & Murray are much more capable than to put out mere novice material and, just to prove my point, this particular track (number 9) �The squalor and intimacy of a man in a suitcase� does eventually evolve into a creditable, atmospheric and mature piece of experimentation�I don�t mind having to admit to eating my words after (track 10) �3 hours of torment at the grubby paws� of Opaque, a long, drawn-out floppy strung bass chugs along almost imperceptably closer & closer until the whole structure starts to twist & warp under it�s own weight�this is sonic sculpturing at a craftsmanlike level of proficiency, a hand thrown, lathe turned Tanguyesque (eh? what?) conception of sound. Without splitting hairs & notwithstanding the use of the �E� word, I take back my previous misgivings, for this CD certainly does live up to the promise hinted at on the promo sheet. If only Opaque had got themselves a slot at the Hinoeuma �noise� festival last november because, along with the outstanding Merzbow performance, they could have blown the rest of the other artists away. A kind of avant/experimental/industrial �Never mind the bollocks�� sentiment so-to-speak, if you will, and all that. Gary Simmons 22nd December 2003 Contacts: Opaque, Flat 2/1, 7 Kennoway Drive, Glasgow G11 7UA, UK Or http://opaque.8m.com Or E:[email protected] Or www.consume.freeserve.co.uk Or E:[email protected] Or�oh, that�s it. Thank fuck for that then. |