THE BARNACLES INSIDE

Ultra strange groaning sheets of electronic feedback are at play during 'The Story Of Amber And Tom A. ' This is basically like traveling through a time tunnel. Not backwards, but forwards to a land devoid of humanity, where only clocks prevail. Loud screeches of electronic skullduggery will batter you around the head until submission in this queerest of queer albums. All sounds are electronic in nature. You're not going to find a drum, bass, guitar or vocal anywhere around here.

Loads of mental spliced and diced vocals are cast around like birdseed amongst a truly crazed backdrop of clicking and tocking of big fat beefy clocks leaving the listener shattered after only 5 minutes. Huge slabs of tuneless bass and clipped snippets of distorted vocals are prominent. Rapidly looped vocals occur continuously creating a sickly atmosphere as 'the Benz' starts crushing my skull with all that crazed looped cycling of literally everything that's played.

A crazed clock factory with chiming tiny bells is the only way to describe 'I Know What Beuys Likes'. A massive swooping bass attempts to destroy everything in its path but those looped chimes and bells make their way to the forefront, damaged and broken beyond repair. Strange bloops and squeaks make their presence felt as a mighty underwater drum drowns out those chimes. We're left with a harsh metallic banging that gives way to those pretty little clocks.

A ghostly atmosphere permeates 'The Numbers Cage'. From its hair-raising opening it quickly devolves into loud metal banging indignation with warped tom-foolery which morphs into staccato piano stabs without any semblance of tune.

For the uninitiated this really could be torture noise from the depths of hell. For those of us with a more enlightened mind, it's really quite therapeutic.

'The Stain That Darkens' has a groaning deep sea diving feel to it. It's so deep and heavy that you almost feel you're at the base of the Marianis Trench with solid metal just about imploding into your face.

I've no idea what 'The Insect-Like Actions Of Children' is all about. It's just of unsound mind - where electronic whistling echoed notes are deranged beyond recognition.

The hugely looped 'My First Prison Riot' means as much to you as it does to me. I'm lost here. This guy's completely away with the fairies... Swirling loops of what was once music is twisted and broken. Little children shout, Hammering drums intrude. Men and women wail.

A soft pneumatic drill with squeaky bleeps and electronic phases introduce 'A Dangerous Level' This is quite 'Nurse With Wound' 1992 sounding. Randy Greif however has a more organic sound and has far more going on.

'The Barnacles Inside' is one truly mental album only suited to the most open minded of listeners. Most folk will find this an abomination of noise, Luckily for me I find it a thing of beauty.

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