µ-Ziq - Lunatic Harness

Lunatic Harness - 1997 -

The "ambient-techno-drums & bass" label this album has aquired is well deserved. Much of it sounds like two different records forced onto one CD bitch-slapping each other for control. The first three songs fall into this category and the results aren't great. The drums on these tracks sometimes sound misplaced and although I am a big fan of musical experimentation what's happening here doesn't always work. The fourth and fifth tracks "Blainville" and "Lunatic Harness" are the high points for me. The convergence of the three styles present are most cohesive in these songs. By the time we get to the seventh track "My Little Beautiful" we're back to that Buddy Rich meets Steve Roach meets Florian Schneider crap, (actually that doesn't sound like such a bad band). The ninth track "Secret Stair Pt. 2" is another stand out song. Here again the disparate styles converage and compliment each other in a bitch-slappingly pleasing fashion. Track ten "Wannabe" meanders into what seems almost like drone or industrial territory and is a great song except for the exceedingly idiotic lyrics. The line "I want to be your lover baby, I don't want to be your friend" is repeated several times in a voice that I think was suppose to sound creepy but ends up sounding kinda faggy. Infact I don't think that the word "lover" can be used in a way that doesn't sound faggy, (unless of course the Holy Cohen is using it). One of the things I really like about this record is that there are almost no lyrics. Musicians are for the most part morons and will ruin perfectly good songs with inane ramblings about some slut named "baby", or stories of how their father's molested them when they were two years old. To it's credit there is none of that garbage on this record. I suggest you aquire this record in the near future.

Over all, on a scale of R to Cactus I give this record 2/5 of a Jandek.