Throbbing Jazz Gristle Funk Hits

Started by ))))((((, June 27, 2023, 04:02:37 PM

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))))((((

Since the Melvins/Void Manes thread has been overtaken with shirt chat i thought i would kickstart the official album discussion thread. I only just realised that the cover for this album is a reference to TG'S 'Heathen Earth' cover art. The skull with the illustration style numbering around it.

the bloat

I will say that the "single", Discipline 23 has me all in a froth. Cool song and I can't believe it's Buzz on vocals. I think when the the songs hit, people won't be over here talking about it. All the convo will be happening on the main Void Manes thread

))))((((

My album REVIEW!!! TLDR - I give it a 6/10.


First up, i'm not too clued up on Throbbing Gristle and only a casual fan of noise or music of this nature. I've listened to some Wolf Eyes, Merzbow and Black Dice but that's about it. So bare that in mind. After my first listen i thought "hmmm i'm not sure about this one". I easily preferred Love or COD over this. Initially the first track i found a bit irritating and the rest kind of what i was expecting. There's calm stuff and more chaotic tracks. A few bits of vocals but not very much. On the whole it's essentially an instrumental record. I could appreciate it as it's own thing but i didn't think i would listen to this very much at all.

BUT a couple listens in and i've found i've started to appreciate the album a lot more. If you didn't know it going in, i don't think you would ever guess this was Melvins!!! Yet i have noticed a few effects and small moments here and there that seem similar to, or reuse parts on Love or COD. Which is nice in a way - it sort of links it to the band and their previous weird works like that. I read that this was Melvins first all electric record and yet i'm pretty sure there is a bit of guitar on this. Some you have probably already heard on Zyklon B Zombie, some manipulated on Maggot Life and most noticeably on 31 Jazz Funk Flavors. That one seems to be the closest the band have ever got to Beefheart territory!! It sounds a bit like Buzz doing Trout Mask Replica!!! Also the track Hot On The Heels Of Love REALLY gives me 80's Blade Runner vibes.

I think my favourite track on this record is the preview one 'Discipline 23'. That's certainly the one with the most vocals anyway. All in all i come out of this one wondering just how much of this is Melvins and how much Void Manes. I'd love to know or get a sense of what happened in the studio with all this. Also what instruments were played on each track or across the record. I think if you enjoy the Love side of A Walk With Love & Death you will very much appreciate this album. If like me you prefer riffs and more song orientated material you may grow to enjoy this as yet another Melvins oddity that sees them explore offshoot ventures. It's neat in that way - in it's uniqueness. At this point i'm unsure whether i would like to see the band delve back into Throbbing Gristle material again but it is fascinating.

Colonel Cheese

thanks for the review! my cd should be arriving in the mail this afternoon, will give it a whirl

amazonAMAZON

Finally got a proper listen with the volume all the way up in sequence.

I'm only really familiar with "Hamburger Lady" and a general recollection of Throbbing Gristle records that didn't pull me in. So I'm largely approaching this as "it's all new to me" and "just considering this a Melvins release."

Favorite tunes so far are "Maggot Life" and "Zyklon B Zombie" which are each in the middle of each side of the record. That's a good place to start talking about this actually. The record has three sides. Which seems strange when you listen to the CD. Because they last two tracks on the CD, "A88A" and "Discipline 23" which are actually on the bonus single, seem like they flow really well right after "Hamburger Lady." Listening to the CD my mind just immediately separated CD1-6 and CD7-12 as the two sides, but that's not correct.

Anyway, other than "Zyklon" i found side A rather dull. Like every song is mostly a combination of 80s-Casio-demo-key-songs-played-on-classic-analog-synthesizers, tuneless whalesong noises on synthesizer, and some nondescript background noise. None of those elements really strike my fancy. It sort of felt like "Z-Rock Hawaii" - a good idea on paper, but turns out more obnoxious than enjoyable.

Side B is quite a bit more interesting.  "Discipline" is by far my least favorite song on the album. It has that vocal (synthesized?) melody that sounds just slightly detuned and discordant. I don't know exactly, but something about this recording gives me a headache. Like it or not, though, this tune goes somewhere and has an effect. It is memorable and seems a rather important anchor for the album as a whole. Like it makes the lighter fare of side one more purposeful.

Then we get to "Maggot Life" which I've already mentioned is a standout, and "Hamburger Lady" which might be the most Melvins-sounding piece on the whole record. Both of these tracks gave me that Gregorian feeling from Discipline but without the headache.

Finally, the third side carries right on with more interesting harmonic substance amid the swirl of disoriented noise. Both "A88A" and "Discipline 23" deliver something new and moderately exciting.



It's certainly closest in tone and style to the LOVE disc. But where that left me perplexed, nauseated, and wanting to do it again, this one felt like listening again right away would be a chore.

Part of that probably is because I have no personal reverence for Throbbing Gristle. I'm sure if I obsessed over their discography for weeks and got really into it I could come back to this album and see connections and find clever things they did as TG fans. I hope it's there, and maybe someone more familiar can weigh in. But I am not yet inspired to do that. So without any deep sense of mystery to this record it just doesn't have a hook in me (yet).


amazonAMAZON

And a quick note on production:

The record sounds great. It's really easy for bands who decide to make a synth album to end up sounding really stale or cheesy. Other than the intentional Muzak-ness of some of it, these synths are all appropriately EQed and mixed. There's bite on the transients and warmth in the tones when it's called for. The soundstage is really good. They took some risks in the patches and the effects, made some decisions that I think paid off sonically. I was worried it would be a headphone-only thing but it sounded great on a big stereo, too.

))))((((

Quote from: amazonAMAZON on July 31, 2023, 12:46:14 PM
this one felt like listening again right away would be a chore.
Absolutely. For such a short record it is rather taxing. For me anyway. Normally with new Melvins releases i listen to them a lot for a few weeks. But this one really hasn't had me wanting to do that.

amazonAMAZON

The whole thing is growing on me.

"Discipline" still affects me bodily, like a fucking gas leak that song. Now that I know it's coming I kind of get ready for it and it still sneaks up on me.

The rest of the tunes do seem to each invent their own musical language and then deliver a whole dialogue in that language. I'm starting to find the record goes by too quickly which is a good sign. Not a slog at all. My likes and dislikes haven't changed much since I posted that brick of text above. Maybe "Adrenaline" has earned a few more merit badges.

))))((((

I like hearing your thoughts. I really wonder with this if it helps or hinders to already be a fan of TG - or familiar with them - when listening to it.

))))((((

Listening to this again. I really like this track and i think quite clearly shows the TG influence that probably bled into the recording of COD.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb28JGGQfxE