Genesis P-Orridge and Astrid Monroe - When I Was Young
(Important)
Following the (temporary?) reformation of Throbbing Gristle, Genesis P-Orridge has also recently announced the birth of PTV3. There is, therefore, justifiable expectation that concentration on these returns to roots will mean that the public is subjected to fewer projects such as When I Was Young. While inoffensive to a degree, this CD shouts out: “Why? This is pointless!” from start to finish.
Genesis P-Orridge has one of thee great speaking voices, but on When I Was Young it is almost invariably vocoded and warped into a painful, slow drawl that simply disappoints. “The Truth” has some pleasant sci-fi synth motifs, and is almost funky, but is ruined by the warped vocal (and shallow lyric).
Oh yes, the lyrics. For the sake of readers' sanities, I will cite only the worst examples. From “I.T” - sole lyric is: ‘First it was / Then it knew it was / And that was it.’ From “The Final Puzzle” - sole lyric is: ‘The Final Puzzle / Evades Me.’ The purpose of this CD evades me. Are these snippets of profundity or plain daftdom? You decide.
The music. This is either blatant Portishead rip-offs without Beth Gibbons' haunting and complimentary cigarette-inspired vocals (the title track, “I Want To Go”), or lame bass-led backing tracks with mournful strings over trip- or hip-hop beats. “Inside” may have a pleasant piano riff, but the bass sounds slapped a la Level 42! For my money, nothing has bettered the free 7" that came with My Bloody Valentine's Isn't Anything LP in the not-often-visited cinematic hip-hop backbeat scene.
The final two of the ten tracks are the most impressive, but fail to rescue the CD as an overall listening experience. With “Possession” you at last get a developed lyric and a touch of the Genesis P-Orridge macabre with ye olde descending gothic semi-tones. And “Eshu Me You” is ten minutes of eerie synth-work. Significantly, both these tracks eschew the cob-web ridden Portishead film soundtrack stylings of their predecessors.
I guess this review is necessarily tainted by the fact that when Genesis P-Orridge actually was young, he participated in some of the most interesting and challenging releases of modern times. We could blame Astrid Monroe, but no-one seems to know who she is. But there you go.
And on another, entirely unconnected note, when will Girls Aloud make it in the US of A? Infinitely preferable to Franz Ferdibland, they may not have the industrial pedigree, but they sure are prettier.
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