Search - Richard H Kirk :: High Time Fiction

Kirk gives yet another difficult album

filterite | Dublin, Ireland | 05/04/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There's always a problem with difficult albums. A) It's not easily accessible and B) It may play with your nerves. Give them time though and you'll enjoy them all the same. This album is one of them. But for those who feel that listening to the 40 minute Dead Relatives is a little daunted shall rest at ease - it's a great song ( once you don't concentrate on it too much )Other than that the best tracks are Black Honeymoon with Kirk chanting something about " a chemical eye ", Nocturnal Children for it's sheer eerie synth work and Wiretrap makes it another eerie work from Kirk... This is a somewhat strange album because you're not expecting the synthesizers to sound THAT primitive. But given a bit of time the results do stand out for themselves. It also gives us that rare thing of a Cabaret Voltaire novelty track in Do The Snake where Mallinder ( at least I think it's him - his voice sounds so different than on later records ) intoning " Gonna make you slide gonna make you shake " and " Get up...no I mean...Get down " and just a generally fun song in all. The last three tracks Venusian Animals, The Outer Limits and She Loved You are all very paranoid with Mallinder whispering on the last track " She loves you, she knows your number, she says she almost lost her mind." Also The Outer Limits has the odd sound of cash registers opening and closing on the song. Definitely a paranoid listen"