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BARK PSYCHOSIS

Post Rock/Math rock • United Kingdom


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Bark Psychosis biography
Founded in London, England in 1986 - Disbanded in 1994 - Reformed briefly in 2004

Bark Psychosis gave the world Post-Rock. Formed in 1986, when the members were about only 14, they took from experimental innovators such as Sonic Youth and Joy Division, they soon created a revolution with their ambient soundscapes and textured rock, spawning countless bands of similar nature. The band at this time was bassist John Ling, drummer Mark Simnott and vocalist Graham Sutton. "Clawhammer" was soon released in 1988. Their first single was released in 1989; "All Different Things", and then "Nothing Feels in 1990". Soon after picking up former DISCO INFERNO keyboardist Daniel Gish, the Manman EP was released, each release showing huge growth in their sound. "Scum" was soon released in 1992, soon followed by the revolutionary "Hex", where post-rock was founded. Soon after, the band released a final single and then broke up in 1997, compilations following.

Each major release from Bark Psychosis is great, each better than the singles & EP's, all of them recommended.

Anyone interested in post-rock should naturally want to hear the beginning of it, and perhaps some of the best of it, a truly incerdible band. Any fans of Post-Rock, and maybe even the likes of PORCUPINE TREE should like Bark Psychosis.

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BARK PSYCHOSIS discography


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BARK PSYCHOSIS top albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

4.11 | 87 ratings
Hex
1994
3.88 | 91 ratings
Codename: Dustsucker
2004

BARK PSYCHOSIS Live Albums (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

BARK PSYCHOSIS Videos (DVD, Blu-ray, VHS etc)

BARK PSYCHOSIS Boxset & Compilations (CD, LP, MC, SACD, DVD-A, Digital Media Download)

3.79 | 10 ratings
Independency
1994
3.75 | 4 ratings
Game Over
1997
3.50 | 2 ratings
Replay
2004

BARK PSYCHOSIS Official Singles, EPs, Fan Club & Promo (CD, EP/LP, MC, Digital Media Download)

3.00 | 1 ratings
Nothing Feels / I Know
1990
0.00 | 0 ratings
Manman
1991
3.50 | 2 ratings
Scum
1992
3.00 | 1 ratings
Blue
1994
3.00 | 2 ratings
400 Winters
2005

BARK PSYCHOSIS Reviews


Showing last 10 reviews only
 Hex by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
4.11 | 87 ratings

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Hex
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by BrufordFreak
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

5 stars The album that gave birth to a new sub-genre of music: The name "Post Rock" came from some discussions which followed music critic Simon Reynolds' use of this term during his review of Hex. He was using the term to describe the new style of music being produced around 1994 of which Bark Psychosis was one group. To my ears this music sounds just like the music DAVID SYLVIAN was doing ten years before with his string of albums, 1984's Brilliant Trees through 1987's Secrets of the Beehive, especially the vocal stylings and syncopated drum tracks--plus the keyboard/synth work is amazingly reminiscent of RICHARD BARBIERI's work and the guitar parts in "Absent Friend" are Fripp-Sylvian-ish. (So, I have to ask: Where was Simon Reynolds when Sylvian and friends were collaborating on their 1980s ground-breaking and, apparently, ahead-of-their-time music?) While the album is definitely full of scaled down, slowed down, trip-hoppy, acid jazzy, ambient rock, it is also a collection of widely different songs. Most people will recognize in the album's last song, "Pendulum Man" (9:54) (19/20), as a perfect example of the prototypical Post Rock song. I particularly love the album's chamber-trip hoppy-jazz number, "The Loom" (5:16) (a sure tip of the hat to the amazing stuff DAVID SYLVIAN and his drummer-brother, STEVE JANSEN were doing ten years before) (9/10). "Big Shot" (5:21) (10/10) is beautiful and mesmerizing. "Fingerspit" (8:22) (19/20) is, however, the jewel in the crown. Over eight minutes of seemingly random unstructured free form atonal jazz music with many unexpected sounds, noises, and samples thrown in--just because they could.

A masterpiece of a sub-genre and a minor masterpiece of progressive rock music.

 Hex by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
4.11 | 87 ratings

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Hex
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Many consider this to be the first Post-Rock album although band leader and singer Graham Sutton was a huge TALK TALK fan and that's the band I thought of right away during my first spin of "Hex". I actually prefer the album they put out 10 years after this but there's no denying that this is an influential album. Sparse, ambient, lots of space are words and phrases that kept coming to mind as I listened to this. Lots of guests here adding vibes, flute, trumpet, djembe along with a string quartet. The main band adds vocals, drums, guitar, bass, organ, piano, melodica and more. I like that album cover as it reminds me of how good this is while listening to it at night while driving.

"The Loom" opens with relaxed piano as strings swell and recede in the background. Bass just before 1 1/2 minutes then drums and vocals join in before 2 minutes. I like the bass, percussion and atmosphere that follows as the vocals step aside. An experimental ending as well. "A Street Noise" opens with percussion and bass then vocals. Some trumpet comes and goes. It turns fuller with vocals just before a minute and contrasts will continue. Keys, bass and a very minimal sound starting after 3 1/2 minutes to the end.

"Absent Friend" has a relaxed start with sparse guitar, a beat and accordion-like sounds. It picks up a little with bass before a minute. Such a chill out tune. I like when the keys arrive making things brighter and they will come and go. Headphone music the rest of the way. Ambient is the word. "Big Shot" is laid back with organ to start. I love when that bass and drums takes over quickly reminding me of that great MOONGARDEN album "Round Midnight" especially when the vibes arrive.

"Fingerspit" opens with keys I think, a beat, atmosphere and reserved vocals. Trumpet around 3 1/2 minutes as the vocals step aside. Bass, drums and more continue. Vocals are back just before 6 minutes along with some rare outbursts of trumpet. It's building. Manipulated vocals after 7 minutes. "Eyes & Smiles" is a tough go, just not a lot going on over the 8 plus minutes. Sparse acoustic guitar to begin with as fragile vocals join in. Lots of space here as discordant piano arrives before 5 minutes along with some outbursts but then it settles right down again. Vocals are back after 5 1/2 minutes. Acoustic guitar is back late to end it with relaxed drums.

"Pendulum Man" ends the album and this is almost 10 minutes of ambience. A guitar line is repeated as atmosphere rolls in. Atmosphere only after 4 minutes but the acoustic guitar returns quickly plus trumpet at 4 1/2 minutes. Organ follows. Sparse and relaxed. Piano and atmosphere lead late.

This will sit nicely beside my later TALK TALK albums. I'm far from being blown away by this minimalist work but I have a great appreciate for it considering it's 1994.

 Codename: Dustsucker by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.88 | 91 ratings

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Codename: Dustsucker
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by Mellotron Storm
Prog Reviewer

4 stars I still remember clearly my first listen to this album. Ninety percent of the time my first listen to a new recording isn't a big deal, i'm just trying to get the feel of the album knowing there will be many more spins before I review it. This one was different though because i'd heard that BARK PSYCHOSIS were considered by many to be the first Post-Rock band, in fact that term "Post-Rock" was first used to describe the music on their debut "Hex". Now unfortunately I wasn't able to track down "Hex" until much later down the road as it was almost impossible to find at the time, so again my first listen to this their sophomore album which was released some ten years after the debut was interesting to say the least.

Bands that came to mind during that first listen were TALK TALK, THE CHURCH and NO-MAN. This wasn't as ambient as I thought it would be although it certainly is that, but we get these powerful atmospheric passages that brought "Together We're Stranger" to mind plus outbursts of noise and feedback at times as well. Male vocals from band leader Graham Sutton lead the way but the female vocals on a few songs really add to the enjoyment. Not surprisingly Lee Harris plays some drums on here, he was the drummer for TALK TALK who most certainly were the band that influenced Graham the most at the time.

"From What Is Said To When It's Read" really brings a song from EMBRYO's "We Keep On" to mind at the start, mainly the male vocals. It eventually drifts along with soft vocals. It's spacey 3 1/2 minutes in then it turns quite powerful. "The Black Meat" is the track that brings THE CHURCH to mind with that jangly sound along with the vocals. Check out the trumpet before 3 minutes sounding like TALK TALK. "Miss Abuse" starts slow but like a train leaving the station it starts to build. Vocals sing out of the darkness as deep bass lines come and go. A change 3 minutes in as the train stops but not for long. "400 Winters" opens with strummed guitar as fragile vocals join in along with vibes. A fuller sound follows and the vibes really bring MOONGARDEN's "Round Midnight" to mind. The bass and backing female vocals are nice touches. Piano only before 5 minutes. "Dr. Innocuous/Retard" is a short one minute piece with experimental sounds, a beat and more leading the way.

"Burning The City" is led by strummed guitar, piano and laid back vocals early on. A beat and vibes join in. A change 2 minutes in as it settles right down as percussion, voices and piano lead. The vibes are back along with some experimental feed-back like sounds that come and go. "INQB8TR" has a heavy atmosphere like something out of the apocalypse to start. A beat kicks in around a minute as the guitar offers up some experimental notes. Vibes and vocals 3 minutes in then more of that powerful atmosphere that comes and goes. Female spoken vocals here as well. Cool tune. "Shapeshifting" opens with drums as guitar, female vocals, organ and more join in. Insanity before 3 1/2 minutes, amazing! It settles back and ends with strange sounds. "Rose" is sparse sounding with floating organ that creates a lot of atmosphere. Female voices come and go.

This really is a must for Post- Rock fans out there who enjoy the other bands i've mentioned in this review. Closer to 4.5 stars in my opinion.

 Codename: Dustsucker by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.88 | 91 ratings

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Codename: Dustsucker
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by admireArt
Prog Reviewer

3 stars I have heard many times this "Codename:Dustsucker" project and I found it to be quiet a treat. Great song composition and fusion of opposite flavors.... Of course they are not "discovering" this alliances; as Peter Gabriel realized some time ago; and even built a project around it (Real World Records) also of course Mexican and Brazilian proggers to name some. So it is not necessary to overblow this "attribute" about this band. Creativily speaking, song-wise; they pull up some amazing acts. The clash of opposites works out perfectly; so it is not mere latin- fusion; it makes sense; it has direction and I insist; great songwriting!.... So; is it essential in the ageless archives of progressive music ? (the famed 4 stars) Well; if it was not for the fact; that every time the male singer sings; I am completely thrown back to the works of David Sylvian after "Japan" to pinpoint it! (now I can affirm; how overlooked and underrated this guy has been to a lot of new prog-bands)... BUT; as soon as the female starts singing; everything returns to planet "Bark Psychosis" again; and it sounds like a different proposal entirely; the whole air is removed and cleaned; and it sounds astounding. So; if you dont mind the "David Sylvian" factor; I suppose for you is a 4 star project. - I am not; in that in that selected crowd; so an effort that could have grown to 4; will remain in 3good-work Stars. Great songwriting: I insist!
 Codename: Dustsucker by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.88 | 91 ratings

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Codename: Dustsucker
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

5 stars It's appropriate that Lee Harris, the drummer and percussionist for late-period Talk Talk, guests on this much-delayed second album by the masterful Bark Psychosis. Both Talk Talk and Bark Psychosis were absolutely key to the foundation of the post-rock subgenre - the term, in fact, was invented by reviewers scrambling for a way to describe the first Bark Psychosis album - but most of the second-tier bands who started playing post-rock once it had coalesced as a genre took their lead not from Talk Talk or Bark Psychosis but from groups such as Mogwai, Sigur Ros and Godspeed You Black Emperor, possibly because it was more readily evident how to mimic those bands' sound whereas Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden and Laughing Stock and Hex by Bark Psychosis seemed to be the result of brilliant, unrepeatable accidents.

Well, Codename: Dustsucker proves just how wrong that is, in that it manages to be a brilliant continuation of the sound of Hex which, if anything, broadens its horizons (there's some interludes which approach straightforward jazz) whilst at the same time beating most latter-day post-rock groups at their own game. In fact, whilst Hex suggested the manifold possibilities of the post-rock genre, Dustsucker does a far better job at actually realising their potential.

 Hex by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
4.11 | 87 ratings

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Hex
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by zravkapt
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Music writer Simon Reynolds coined the term "post rock" to describe the music on this album. So, technically it could be called the first post rock album. However, there was music by other artists before this that could be now labelled "post rock"; also, most of the latter day post rock groups don't sound too much like this album. Why 'post rock' anyway? There were a number of bands in the early 1990s (mostly instrumental) who were hard to classify: they were too weird and experimental to be just be labelled "alternative." These bands were referred to as 'post rock' because of the lack of riffs, guitar solos and big choruses that are commonly associated with 'rock' music.

Hex has elements that you will find in later post rock, but more importantly elements that you find a lot of in *early* post rock. Along with later Talk Talk and early Tortoise, Bark Psychosis had a jazzy feel to them which would later almost disappear with later, more popular post rock groups. Even though I am on the Post Rock Team I find the majority of post rock boring and derivative. Originally Sigur Ros was the most popular post rock group, but it was Mogwai and Godspeed You Black Emperor who ended up influencing the future of post rock; many a post rock band sound like grade B versions of those two bands. One of the reasons I was invited to join the PR team was because of my knowledge of early post rock and the styles of music that influenced it.

Arpeggios and cross-picking, crescendos and soft-loud dynamics...these are not things you will find a lot of in Hex (although you will find some). The early PR bands were a lot more experimental and adventurous than the majority of the latter day ones. Bark Psychosis were an English band from east London. They started out as a Napalm Death tribute band(!), although the music of BP is almost the polar opposite of the grindcore of that band. Before this album the group, led by one Graham Sutton, released a 21-minute single entitled "Scum." It was a live improvisation of ambient music recorded in a church. Hex was also recorded in that same church because of the natural reverb it offered.

Let us get into the music on this album for now, I'll get into what happened to this group afterwards. This does, to a certain extent, sound like some later post rock but also like later Radiohead. That band was very much grunge-meets-Britpop at the time of this albums recording. I'm still confused as to whether Radiohead influenced Post Rock or vice versa. Maybe they influenced each other? Overall the mood here is mellow and the vocals are some sort of talk-singing, very subdued and not attention grabbing. "The Loom" opens with almost New Age-y piano and some strings. Later subdued vocals (there really isn't any other kind here) with some exotic sounding percussion and atmospheric keys.

"A Street Scene" you can listen to on PA. This starts with some tremolo guitar which sounds like later post rock. The drumming here sounds like some of the drumming on later Radiohead albums. Some trumpet and something close to a 'chorus'(probably one of the reasons this track was picked as a single). Later on goes into a light jazzy post rock-before- post rock vibe. "Absent Friend" has more tremoloed guitar and what sounds like accordions. The dub reggae influenced bass playing (similar to early Tortoise) adds a lot to this track. Later you hear some of the classic arpeggio/cross-picking on guitar which later became mandatory for many PR bands. Some hypnotic yet melodic sequencers and some Tortoise style vibraphones at the end.

"Big Shot" is the standout track for it's dub-y drums & bass and overall atmospherics. Some more vibraphone here. Great production in this track, it really sets a mood. This is the only song on Hex recorded as a trio since one member left (more on that later). "Fingerspit" is more mellow light jazzy ambient rock. Parts of this song sound similar to some of the stuff some 'alternative' bands were doing at the time. Especially when the guitar and vocals get a little more loud and intense. "Eyes & Smiles" has more light jazzy drumming along with chorused guitar and the never offensive vocals. Atmospheric keys join in. Later the drumming gets less jazzy and some strings get added.

An atmospheric middle section with chorused guitar arpeggios slowly getting faster before all the instruments come back. Near the end the noisy free-jazz trumpet playing reminds me of Art Zoyd. A repeated phrase on distorted vocals to end it. "Pendulum Man" has 2-note guitar playing as atmospheric synths and another guitar playing 2 notes (but different notes) enter. Some tremoloed guitar arpeggios add to the atmosphere. Then a 2-note bassline as the original guitars get slightly more varied in their playing. Some ambient atmospherics as the bass plays randomly. Ends with chorused and delayed and tremoloed guitar and a few piano notes. No drums or percussion at all. Very ambient but also the least interesting song here; good thing it's at the end of the album.

Hex took over a year to record. The sessions for the album took its toll on the members. Supposedly Graham Sutton was not the easiest guy to work with. Some members quit and Bark Psychosis never toured for the album. Apparently their live shows at the time rocked more and were more spontaneous than the atmospheric music of Hex. According to Sutton 50% of the album was made using a computer. It doesn't sound like it (but it doesn't sound like it was recorded in a church either). There would finally be a follow-up album released in 2004...a decade later.

For me post rock reached its creative peak between 1996-99. The early stuff like Hex sounds like a blueprint but not so much a statement. The late 1990s saw an explosion of creativity for post rock groups. But the early 2000s saw both the original PR bands starting to loose steam and newer bands with a somewhat more watered-down formula starting to ascend. Hex is an important album as far as '90s rock music goes. It's not quite as influential on later post rock as some make it out to be, but at the same time shows how diverse early post rock really was. It's hard to give a rating to this; it has historical significance but at the same time I'm not a huge fan of the music overall. The vocals in particular I don't really care for. An interesting album nonetheless, I will give it a 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars.

 Codename: Dustsucker by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.88 | 91 ratings

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Codename: Dustsucker
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by BrufordFreak
Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars Out of nowhere comes an album and group I've never heard of producing amazing music! I'm hearing Stereolab, Ben Watt, David Sylvian, Lunatic Soul, Ulver, Massive Attack, No-Man, Tortoise, XTC, Bill Evans, Koop, The Jazzmasters, Robert Fripp, Ryuichi Sakamoto, The Beta Band, Adam Plack, Alain Eskinazi all mixed into one in a way in which the sum of all these parts is breathtaking! If this is Post/Math Rock, then this is my new favorite album from the sub-genre. And such diverse sounding songs! Though all the offerings could almost be considered low-key lounge music, there are so many subtle, interesting, brave, and virtuosic things going on within each song as to be totally engaging--no: engulfing! And it's so beautiful! And just listen to the wonderful drum work! And the power of the growly (à la Ulver's "Garm" and David Sylvian) male and breathy female vocals. All five star songs but two. Another modern masterpiece. Highly recommended as essential for any prog rock lover's music collection!
 Hex by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
4.11 | 87 ratings

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Hex
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by Warthur
Prog Reviewer

4 stars Though the debut album by Bark Psychosis was not the first post-rock album - other bands such as Talk Talk had made early explorations of this territory - it was the piece which caused the term to be coined, as reviewers grasped for ways to describe the music presented here. The influence of the last two Talk Talk albums is clear to see, particularly in Absent Friend, where Bark Psychosis engage in tranquil jazz explorations which are very obviously inspired by those on Spirit of Eden.

Whilst the album does not expand the boundaries of post-rock to any great extent and lacks the sweeping scope and inventiveness of the classic albums that preceded it, it's still a carefully- composed and elegantly performed piece which is enjoyable in its own right. Plus it provided proof that it was possible to capture the late Talk Talk sound without enduring the sort of extreme recording sessions and massive expense those albums entailed. Not an absolute classic, but still a very fine achievement.

 Hex by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 1994
4.11 | 87 ratings

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Hex
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by memowakeman
Special Collaborator Honorary Collaborator

4 stars One of the first Post Rock albums!

When i became part of the PA family some years ago, one of the sub gernes that were totally unknown to me was the Post Rock one, i just knew Godspeed and Sigur Ros, not even EitS at that moment, so i felt the need of getting myself some of the genre's music in order to understand what was it about and also to increase my self-knowledge. I remember that little by little i started listening to different albums not only from the big names of the Post Rock, but also others like the one i am reviewing now, which fortunately left me very pleased and with a great taste of this music.

Bark Psychosis is the name of this band and Hex is the album's title, which was released back in 1994 when i am almost sure the label Post Rock didn't exist or it was maybe giving it's first steps, i don't really know, but what i am sure, is that the music created here was not the music the people were used to at that moment, so for me this is a landmark album, one of the very first Post Rock examples and to my ears, one of the best ever released.

Hex contains 7 songs and a total time of 51 minutes, my real knowledge about the band is very limited, what i know is that their leader was a man called Graham Sutton who gathered a serie of friends and musicians who had similar ideas and way of seeing life, the line up here is very vast, several people contributed in the creation of this beauty.

The album starts with The Loom, with a piano introduction and then with a delicious atmosphere created by the percussion and synths accompanied by Sutton's vocals, which by the way is very particular. It is a great and warm opener song, though at the end of it, it fades out with a strange manner. Let me tell you that this is an album that you must listen with good headphones, since there are some hidden sounds that may not be caugh by the listener without headphones.

Then we have A Street Scene , where the bass repeated lines predominate and create the rythm of the song, some seconds ago we will listen to a trumpet here and there along with a soft guitar playing, the vocals appear again and gives to the song it's needed flavour, the kind of abstract background created by the synths is wonderful in my opinion.

Absent Friend is the first longer track with more of 8 minutes, and believe me that this particular track reminds me to some Talk Talk moments, in specific the drumming from the fifht song of Laughing Stock whose name i don't remember now. There is an strange atmosphere here in the first part of the song, suddenly some nice guitar chords enter along with some other string instrument that plays it's own game within the song, the second part of the song is envolved by a beautiful mood which may provoke on you either a sense of tranquility or depression, it depends on you how you want to receive the music.

With Big Shot we finish the first half of the album, this song starts with a mini keyboard introduction, and then the rythm is marked again by the bass lines and soft drumming, there is always a kind of spacey and mellow sound created by the synths, at the half we have a little change with some piano notes and a triangle giving it's extra sand grain, the synth effects are always at the right moment, but in my humble opinion, this song in particular fades out all of a sudden when it still has something more to offer.

Fingerspit is a very curious song, while the most of the time we will listen to an over calm mood giving you a feeling of peace, it has several moments where guitars and vocals start a crescendo that sounds like if they had a rage inside that are trying to release in those parts. In the second part of the song there is a moment when actually everything sounds like an improv, as if they were just playing with the music, a part where seems there is not a goal to reach and has an incoherent sound. That may be good for the listener, or that may be the worst moment of the album.

No we have Eyes & Smiles which again reminds me to some Talk Talk moments, the soft and delicate playing of both guitars and drums along with the mellow vocals may intrigue you, what i like of post rock is that the music can take you whenever it wants, i mean if you listen carefully the mood create it will take you and make you feel the emotion the song is producing at the moment, it happens a lot with this song because i personally create some images in my mind, so this is what we call visual music, the song also has again the trumpet sound, very cool song which at the end has some kind of screams.

And everything has it's final episode, the one here is Pendulum Man that also is the longest track of the album reaching almost 10 minutes but well the first minute is just a repetition of a guitar note, inviting you to stay tuned there until it finishes, this is a clear example of what post rock is about, s piece of rock element created by the guitars, an atmosphere totally ambiental, and an important sense of minimalism within the composition, i repeat, with your headphones you will catch the sound much better, and will catch what the music really transmits. And with this representative song, we have reached the end of Hex.

I personally love this album, which without a doubt is on my top 5 of post rock, i invite everyone who loves the genre to appreciate this, and for those who like me wanted to explore more the realm of post rock, i highly recommend this album. My grade, 4 solid stars, excellent addition to any prog collection!

Enjoy it!

 Codename: Dustsucker by BARK PSYCHOSIS album cover Studio Album, 2004
3.88 | 91 ratings

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Codename: Dustsucker
Bark Psychosis Post Rock/Math rock

Review by tragiclifestories

4 stars As the band who happened to be at the front of the queue when the Wire were distributing the latest batch of slightly grandstanding genre names, Bark Psychosis have gathered quite a reputation among post-rock fans. Sure, Hex may have come after Spiderland and Laughing Stock and Millions Now Living...but it was the album that finally booted the music press into action, and made them see a constellation in the diversity of different bands that were to fall under the term, however unwillingly.

This album is not Hex. It's better than Hex (ho ho ho), if less singular. It has a vibe of its own, and it is a vibe that hides very well the fact that mastermind Graham Sutton has spent the intervening near-decade making, of all things, tech-step. Perhaps it is the presence of Lee Harris in the drumstool, but Dustsucker is very much more in the shadow of Talk Talk than its predecessor. It is easy to forget what a great skinsman Harris actually is, a master of slow but busy grooves with lots of jazzy work on the cymbals and hats. (Most of dustsucker fairly crawls along, rumbling in the lower registers, with the only bright notes coming from those cymbals.)

And if Harris's turn here highlights how Talk Talk was more than Mark Hollis, Tim Friese-Green and a lot of heroin, the overall sound itself brings out the collaborative elements of the original line-up. Those famous dubby basslines have followed their creator off stage, replaced by intermittent threatening growls and a general focus on atmosphere rather than groove. The synths are almost gone, barring some very subtle atmospherics and a 10mph acid line on Miss Abuse.

So what we have is less Hex 2 than Laughing Stock '04. And that's no bad thing, really. It's odd, given how influential that record was, how little use has been made of its most interesting devices; schizoid instrumental performances, wild sweeps in dynamics, intervention of harsh noise in the most soporific possible way - all power Dustsucker magnificently. By turns gorgeous, tense and terrifying, no post-rocker should be without it.

Thanks to Retrovertigo for the artist addition. and to Quinino for the last updates

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