Released
1996
Label
Nettwerk
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Visit
Last Edit/Update
31 March, 1998
Skinny Puppy
BRAP
Track Listing
Disc 1:
1. Multimedia
2. Jackhammer
3. Splasher
4. Double Cross
5. Yo Yo Scrap
6. Carry
7. Guilty
8. The Soul That Creates
9. Brap
10. Sparkless
11. Dead Doll
12. Deadline
13. Last Call
Disc 2:
1. Multimedia
2. Uranus Cancelled
3. All Eyes
4. Reclamation
5. Spasmolytic
6. Grave Wisdom
7. Tin Omen
8. God's Gift
9. Convulsion
10. Nature's Revenge
11. Love In Vein
12. T.F.W.O.
13. Choralone
The
last Skinny Puppy release so far -- further volumes of Brap have
been rumored, but not confirmed -- was released in different versions in Europe and the
US. The American release features extensive multimedia tracks on both CDs of the set,
while the European version instead includes "The Left Handshake," originally to
have appeared as cut 10 on Last Rights.
It is a shame that the multimedia
tracks only are included on the American version of Brap, as they are the most
valuable aspect of the release -- a cornucopia of information that all Skinny
Puppy fans should have access to. These tracks include previously unreleased
lyrics, clips from videos and live shows, background history, a video tour diary from the
1988 European tour and much more, all presented in an interactive format, utilizing the
artwork of Jim Cummins as animated menu pages.
Following the multimedia track on
disc one are twelve previously unreleased Skinny Puppy tracks from
1983-5. Actually, four of the songs ("Brap," "Dead Doll,"
"Deadlines" and "Last Call") were released on Bites and Remission,
but the versions included here are different, more raw, possibly demos. "Brap"
is more noisy than the Remission track, "Deadline" has a few new samples,
and a croon that may, or may not, be Nivek Ogre, other than that, the main
differences between these versions, and those included on the early albums, lie in the
mixing.
The almost total absence of Ogre's
vocals on the first eight tracks, and the fact that the liner notes only credit Bill
Leeb and Dwayne Goettel as appearing on the last four or five songs, makes
the remainder of the material somewhat questionable as true Skinny Puppy.
However, whether these tracks should more properly be labeled as early cEvin Key
solo material or not, the fact remains that the sound is strongly reminiscent of the
material on Bites and Mind: The Perpetual Intercourse. The songs feature an
even balance between melody and percussion, and a strong reliance on media samples.
Several of the pieces bring to mind such songs as "Film" and "Dig It,"
while "Yo Yo Scrap" sounds suspiciously like an early sketch for the b-side
track on Censor -- "Yes He Ran."
The second disc of the set contains
live recordings from 1990-2. Unlike the Ain't It Dead Yet release, the material
included here has been culled from a number of different performances, and the individual
tracks have not been linked together in any way. Each track is a very well produced
individual piece; in fact the sound is so dynamic and smooth that one constantly has to
remember that these actually are live recordings.
The first track "Uranus
Cancelled" is instrumental, and obviously an intro piece to Skinny Puppy's
live shows at this period. The piece is rich on noise, space sounds and radio tunings, and
gradually builds to a deafening crescendo. "All Eyes," which follows,
constituted part of the extended live track "Walking On Ice" on the Spasmolytic
single. It is another chaotic track in the vein of "Uranus Cancelled," featuring
a drum solo by Key, as well as Ogre's strong sermon-like vocals.
Together with the former track, this is the only "new" material on this live
disc.
The remainder of the songs are
great live recordings that won't disappoint any Skinny Puppy fans,
especially not those dedicated enough to hunt for bootlegs (as the beginning of "Tin
Omen" will bear testament to). None of the songs diverge dramatically from the blue
prints of Skinny Puppy's albums. Mainly, there is a greater reliance on
acoustic drums, and, at times, Ogre's vocals are treated differently than on the
studio recordings. The only possible complaint anyone could have about this live material
is that the sound quality is almost too perfect.
