SCATOLOGY

Although COIL was a full-fledged group of sorts throughout its 30 plus year history, it was basically a duo at the core who controlled every decision regarding anything to do with the band. This duo was John Balance and Peter Christopherson. They in fact they had worked together for a while before they formed COIL but when Christopherson decided to leave behind his work with Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV the two began releasing albums under the name COIL.

On this debut release SCATOLOGY we hear what COIL were masters at. Starting with the very first track "Ubu Noir" they would take samples of different instruments, sound effects, vocalizations and create a dark, depressing and foreboding loop of sound that pulsates like a jellyfish propelling itself through the viscosity of the ocean's salt water. This album is filled with these melancholic pieces that mesmerise the listener by creating a sonic journey into some strange alien world where little is familiar and nothing is friendly.

Only in the very beginning of their discography do we hear more industrial sounding tracks like "Panic" or "Spoiler" which sound more like Skinny Puppy than any of the majority of future releases of COIL. These are the tracks that I tend to dislike as they just don't seem to fit in with the rest and create a lopsided effect for the album as a whole. The real surprise on this album is the closer "Tainted Love" which is a remake of the famous one-hit wonder Soft Cell, which isn't bad by any means but still seems out of place compared with the ambiance and industrial soundscapes that the rest of the album has to offer. Another factor that separates the early releases from the later is that we get actual sung vocals on a few of the tracks.

This is not my favorite COIL album and over the years of listening to the majority of their canon I have probably listened to this album the least but as i'm sitting here writing this review and listening to it I have to say that it is not a bad album at all. Uneven? Yes, but strangely charming and an interesting insight into the origins of these guys who would go on to create gradually more complex and sinister sounding ambient soundscapes that are beyond bizarre. I would say this is the perfect place for anyone wanting to explore their vast body of work to begin as their music only becomes stranger and stranger until at times it doesn't seem like music at all.