Label: Temple Records – TOPY 004 Series: History Series – 4 Format: Vinyl, LP Country: UK Released: 1985 Genre: Electronic Style: Modern Classical, Experimental
Crucial instalment in the more experimental offering as part of the 'Themes' series by post-TG outlet Psychic TV. For me this one's the high watermark in a pretty volatile discography of genius highs and complete fails (still love u though PTV), here composing to accompany a film by Derek Jarman. One side is taken up by a meandering, psychotropic sound-college consisting of a horrifying satanical cackle, eery tape loops, murmurings in an ancient language called Enochian, topsy-turvy xylophone hits and scathing guitar feedback. A real party starter, all 18 minutes of it. Flip-side is more tape loop experiments, here obliterating, stretching and generally fucking with a short sample from revered Russian composer Alexander Scriabin to form this writhing, all-consuming mass of sound that comes with specific instructions (which I won't go into here) as to how to approach this one so you can fully LOOSE your mind. Again, PTV's overt references to ritual, consciousness-shifting, magickal powers ++ can get a bit much (myself incl.) but its part of it and there if you wanna dig deeper. If that's all been a bit much cue 'Elipse Ov Flowers', the perfect, super-pretty melancholic closer to this madness with its wistful guitar picks and sparse primordial drum providing the perfect accompaniment to late night serotonin-depleted listening sessions round these parts over the years. Personal desert island disc. (NM)
