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Released
1997

Label
Invisible

Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund

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Last Edit/Update
01 March, 1998

Pigface

A NEW HIGH IN LOW

         
Track Listing

Disc I
1. Radio Bagpipe
2. Kiss King (high high high)
3. Burundi
4. Bring Unto Me
5. More
6. Nutopia
7. Methylated
i. breathalised
ii. crystalised
iii. synthesised
iv. immortalised
8. Aboriginal
9. Metal Tangerine
10. First Taken Third Found
11. Warzone
12. You Know/You Know/You Know

Disc II
1. The Howler: An English Breakfast
(Chapter 1, Part 1)
2. Train
3. The Howler: An English Breakfast
(Chapter 1, Part 2)

          The new Pigface album is dedicated by Martin Atkins to his wife Katrina and their two sons, and it does seem as if family life has made Atkins come of age on A New High In Low. The double-CD is saturated with a social conscience that did not exist on previous Pigface releases, the old male rowdiness and heavy electronic post-punk approach has been replaced by more minimal compositions, utilizing acoustic instrumentation and female vocals on many of the tracks. Disc one of the set feature twelve songs of quite diverse influences, but with more conventional structures and Pigface's usual revolving roster of musicians. The second disc contains only three, albeit very extended and experimental tracks, with Genesis P. Orridge as the dominant voice, and Mick Harris and Dave Wright supporting Atkins on the musical side.

          The track "Radio Bagpipe" opens disc one, and uncharacteristically the piece features no percussional elements of any kind. Instead, a continuous drone of 'radio interference' serves for the background of the song, over which Martin Atkins chants in duet with Curse Mackey of Evil Mothers. The song is relatively brief and leads straight into "Kiss King (high high high)," which is more indicative of the music that follows on the rest of the CD. A strong sitar theme and powerful rhythms with ethnic flavor lend the song an air of exoticism. Occasional 'scratch' samples infuse the music with an element of metropolitan anxiety, and Marydee Reynolds delivers the vocals.
          "Barundi" will please fans of older Pigface releases. Replete with a heavy 'industrial' beat, scratch and additional sounds and atmospheres generated by Dave Wright of Not Breathing, "Burundi" is supplied with vocals by Marc Heal and Dirk Flanigan singing in sweaty unison. If "Burundi" has a certain gutter-feel to it, the next song -- "Bring Unto Me" -- descends into the very sewers of American society. In explicitly stomack turning terms, Alex Welz aims a scathing spoken indictment at the great lie of the 'American Dream.' The piece is fittingly stripped musically, allowing nothing to distract from the poignancy of the lyrics.
          Returning to the exotic soundscape of "Kiss King," "More" is one of the slickest and most dance-oriented songs on the CD. Obioma Little gives a beautiful, seductive vocal performance, Bobdog again delivers a groovy sitar theme, and Atkins outdoes himself with a dynamic melange of processed and acoustic percussions. "Nutopia," which is thematically related to "Bring Unto Me," follows. The song is sung/narrated by Meg Lee Chin, but unlike "Bring Unto Me," the words of "Nutopia" are set against a vivid musical backdrop. A lilting theme with occasional scratch samples supports Chin's vocals throughout, while the choruses are sheer eruptions of grungy guitar riffs, powerdrumming and indignantly yelled vocals.
          "Methylated" is another very dance-oriented cut. The music is appropriately trippy, with euphoric acid loops and pumping percussions. Amy Larson and Dana Cochran sprightly invites the listener to "let yourself go, and your mind will follow," all the while a male voice sample advertising "Extacy" is inserted into the wild free-for-all party atmosphere of the song.
          The CD again gets low and dirty with "Aboriginal." Jim Marcus' angrily grunts the vocals, and Atkins hammers away at the drums. Towards the end of the song, the percussions are interrupted by a cavalcade of hilarious media samples taken from the chaos of modern big-city life.
          Featuring the combined vocals of Dirk Flanigan, Mark Spybey and Vikki Omega, "Metal Tangerine" too is designed for the dancers in the audience with powerdrums, heavy use of scratch, and a pronounced reggae spirit lingering in the background of the piece.
          "First Taken Third Found" boasts a strong tribal beat with folksy vocals by Obioma Little, the coarse delivery of which in a strange way recalls Tom Waits. Obioma Little shows the full range of her vocal talent on this song, and the two closing tracks -- "Warzone" and "You Know/You Know/You Know."
          On "Warzone" -- which again extends upon the theme of "Bring Unto Me" and "Nutopia" -- Little's voice sounds almost as if it was sampled unto the song. "Warzone," like so many of the songs on this CD, have a strong ethnic atmosphere, and with the use of a stand-up bass in conjunction with drums and scratch, Atkins again treads upon new musical paths. The song dissolves into "You Know/You Know/You Know," which is best described as a gospel song. Considering Pigface's past efforts, this is about the last thing one would ever expect to hear, yet, it is a pretty, blissful little tune -- complete with birds chirping and the hopeful message: "You know...we can make it better" -- that brings the CD to a fitting close.

          The second CD of A New High In Low is no less of a departure from past Pigface than the first, and the three extended tracks included on this second disc (running a total of 74 minutes) is a brave move on Invisible's part.
          Both parts of "The Howler" feature Genesis P. Orridge delivering the kind of grotesque, free-associational, narrative vocals that were used for Download's song "Separate." The supporting sound-picture is centered around Atkins' constantly shifting and mutating percussion patterns, and Mick Harris' booming bass riffs. A number of other sound effects, amongst othes a 'space-whistle' and various bells and chimes, make brief appearances throughout the pieces, and all of it is constantly enveloped in a thick haze of echoes and distortion.
          Transporting the listener from Part 1 of "The Howler" to Part 2 is a 25-minute sonic voyage entitled "Train." This piece is an evocative sound collage created by Not Breathing's Dave Wright and Martin Atkins. A barrage of metallic tappings, hammerings and clankings, along with screechings and the sound as of a door swinging on rusty hinges are played over a constant hovering drone. Later, a pulsating synth beat is combined with various metallic and acoustic percussions, creating the aural impression of travelling on a speeding train.

          Taken as a whole, A New High In Low is an impressive and versatile CD that can almost be seen as a catalogue of Invisible's current musical output. The amount and complexity of the music included is slightly overwhelming, and it is a release that it takes a number of listens to become truly acquainted with. Invisible is planning a true 'supertour' for the spring of 1998, partly in support of the new Pigface album. The title of this coast-to-coast tour is The Lowest Of The Low, and while the roster of featured musicians will change from venue to venue, F.M.Einheit, Not Breathing, Scorn and Pigface should be constants throughout.

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