The Legendary Pink Dots 10 to the Power of 9 Review
Legendary Pink Dots - 10 To The Power of 9
The scene is ready on 'X O'er Nine' where in a backroom of an function in London, one of the 10 seats lies empty. With gentle wording Ka-Spel relates the impact of the absence of one of the elite fellow member over crunchy textures, slow guitar twang and washes of dreamy electronics. One of the highlights of 10 To The Power of 9 comes early in the course of 'The Virgin Queen' which throbs to a whimsical rubbery thumping rhythm riddled with elastic twang. Ka-Spel is in fine form hither, as he sings in his customary nasally whine of an unnamed monarch who unleashed war setting "brother against blood brother".
Much of 10 To The Power of ix is taken past sound excursions like the industrial atmospherics of 'Primordial Soup' replete with metal percussive crashes and Ka-Spel'south indistinct harmonies. The hallucinogenic 'Malice' is spliced with sped-up Pinky and Perky type vocals of subverted nursery rhymes over fried electronics and errant stabbing synths, travelling though synthwork before the Dots go all Krautrock on 'Freak Flag' with a collage of samples and open-ended space rock guitar riffing.
At that place are slight diversions throughout, such as the pulsing electro-popular of 'Your Humble Servant' which is given a sinister edge by Ka-Spel'due south treated whisperings. Things get slightly more dramatic on 'Feeding Fourth dimension', which on vinyl closes the first book, where Ka-Spel over frosted tones, bleeps and audio squiggles signals the intent: "we're here to delight" with a need for variety and showbiz, which in its references to music hall styles displays a distinct Englishness which characterises much of the Legendary Pinkish Dots discography. "It's feeding time" he continues fuelling the concept, before settling into an uneasy subdued temper.
Volume 2 opens with 'Olympus 2020' with deep tones uttering a monologue intoning - "and the meek shall inherit the earth: the clay, the ash, the chaff, the dust, the stench...."- personifying the mood of the discontented masters, ensconced in their mountaintop, over effects and suitably serene keyboards. The warbling tones and disembodied piano notes of 'Open Season' are drenched in atmo-synths, where Ka-Spel in a restrained sneer obliquely revisits 'The Virgin Queen' in lyrics alluding to "targets" with a snare drum echoing dub techniques. 'Room For Ii' is an atmospheric electronic slice, laden with a dusty stylus sound, where couched in childlike melodies, Ka-Spel sings of a haven, a solace, far removed from the clutches of the ruling elite, while whispered mutterings merge with drifting atmospherics culminating with beckoning voices: "delight come home" earlier the looped ending of "I tin't find him on the internet".
10 To The Power of 9 finishes on 'The Elevator', an expansive experimental sound collage combing samples, celestial choirs (which hover over much of the album's tracks giving it an epic cinematic border), disembodied piano chords and electronic treatments. It's an apt closer, since much of this is innocuous and ephemeral. The Dots have produced much more focussed work, and even here the concept is hard to discern, given that both volumes are brimful with fleeting moments of sound. As I write this, an expanded edition of The Legendary Pink Dots' seminal release The Maria Dimension has just been released making it difficult to recommend this disruptive new release. I've got a lot of time for the Legendary Pink Dots merely despite the occasional adept track ten To The Power of 9 left me feeling slightly underwhelmed which is a rare response to a release from the Dots. For more than data go to world wide web.rustblade.com
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