Search - Throbbing Gristle :: Mutant Tg

10 times better than it ought to be...

Irony Value | BAYOU | 04/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Fans (is that the right word?) of the infamous, seminal, and often more-influential-than-enjoyable Throbbing Gristle will have to wait until 3rd quarter of this year for Mute to release TG's first new studio album since 1980, but here's an interesting stopgap if you haven't heard it. I totally ignored it when it came out, having had my fill of badly remixed remix albums (usually the only kind out there), but took a chance on it in the used bins about a week ago, and funny thing--I love it.



As a person who has always found a substantial portion of Throbbing Gristle damn near unlistenable, I have to say that even my wife-- whose tastes run more to folk and synthpop--thoroughly enjoys this record. The main reason is likely that Genesis P-Orridge's vocal contributions are either nonexistant or seemingly pushed back far enough in the mix so as to not leave fingernail tracks on the blackboard of one's soul. If you haven't heard him sing, that sentence made no sense to you; for that I apologize. Trust me, he can't. Or chooses not to.



The remixes are frequently quite like the originals, but updated, lengthened in some cases, and generally fascinating and satisfying, even revalatory in spots. Most of the source tracks are from the poppier end of the TG catalog, so the starting points are already amongst their most listenable offerings. The only track I generally fast forward is Hamburger Lady, and that's only because I hate the original, though I will grant that the remix is a marked improvement.



Really deserves a 4.5, but a 5 will do since only one other person has reviewed it. If you enjoy it, your next move is to get a copy of 20 Jazz Funk Greats (13 tracks, no jazz, no funk, of course). And check out Chris & Cosey, the half of TG that was responsible for all of TG's most melodic material."