venerdì 26 novembre 2010

REVIEW: SPLATTERTRON - THE GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE (2010)

The album starts off with Roxy Game: a whimsical riff, like the modern version of a trumpet announcing a knight entering the castle precedes a whip-like beat. The gloomy atmosphere which follows soon after makes me think of a disco filled with unearthly creatures dancing along like crazy. No, like hell. It’s such fun, a rarefied voice repeats in the distance.. (pardon me if I misunderstand, after all English is not my first language) But yeah, I’m sure it must be a helluva fun. All those women dressed up like Dark Queens of the night whipping businessmen in tie and jacket. “Been a bad bad boy, huh?” “Shut up!” CRACK! SNAP! “Ouch!” Perhaps Beelzebub and a handful of his team are going to join the party later on, you never know how this kind of things end up.
But here comes ‘Penis’. All she want is my penis…penis..penis..penis… Hey, isn’t this stuff by one of those two guys who made music as Dupobs? This is nothing like noncommercial music. Nay, ‘tmust be like, the new hit that every music producer and major label big boss are looking for! Gotta dance along to this…Raise the volume and let's get on the dancefloor buddy!
And again, that gloomy obscure atmosphere…wow! This track is gonna galvanize the mob amok. (I can’t believe that timid DJ objected to the title, a penis is what a penis is in substance)
‘Snfc’ follows. Undoubtedly this is a basement where a haunting presence is hidden, waiting to leap upon somebody or frighten someone away. A voice speaks in Japanese through the speakers – must be Japanese, I caught a ‘mashite’ (well, it may also be an airport haunted with ancient demons) Terrifying whispers, demonic breaths and bizarre sounds from another world welcome us into a place that would be best kept closed to the public. You’d better get out of here as soon as you can, mate, terrible things are going to happen... we also hear the abrupt noise of a a dusty goods lift that's back in service all of a sudden, plain evidence that there’re spectres in the building...
And ‘Dream song’ is on. Bass semibreves (whatever type of bass it may be) beat the time while perfect quarter notes are played automatically in the background. The way the voice is recorded (or altered) gives a dream-like quality to the track. The title seems to be quite suitable. My love is the best love in the world...it knows no barriers...my dog is the best dog in the town...it's called a terrier...my lover's an expert in the world of polyamory... her sense is the sentence in the realm...
And last but not least, ‘Penis’ again, the extended version this time. Whip!boom whip!boom whip!boom…
Try to talk to her sometime ...try to take her to the line ...all she wants is my penis, penis, penis...
Rating: 4 and a half stars out of 5
These are the album notes on CDBaby: “the greatest gift is love" is the first EP, following on a number of online singles, by splattertron (aka Patrik Sampler, also of the satirical noise group dupobs). The EP is based around two versions of the instantly catchy, throw-away dance track, "penis", on which Sampler, sounding like Talking Heads' David Byrne, complains of a lover's obsession ("All she wants is my penis, penis, penis."). Tracks 1 and 3 -- "roxy music" and "sncf" -- have a dark, industrial '80s sound, reminiscent, perhaps, of Cabaret Voltaire, Coil, or Einsturzende. 

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