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Sometimes I get promos sent to me that just
well, you know... sometimes you have to wonder
what the heck people are thinking.
Often that is a negative thing and you
realize that someone should have said, "No
pumpkin, no!" to this musician at some point,
but it didn't happen and the musician has
wandered down a hole into weirdness and I get
stuck listening to the results.
The things I do for you people...
But sometimes I listen to a promo that is
just drenched in chaos and strange emotions
and weirdness. Pure Gluttony is
a release in this second category. Brutus VIII
takes Skinny Puppy, the 80s, and Underworld
and blends them into a sort of aggro post-rock
dance fusion music. It makes for a fascinating
listen.
The first track is a recording of some girl
sarcastically reading an antisocial manifesto:
"You'll get shot in class by some virgin with
a vengeance and a stick up his ass", and then
the recording is slowed down as it goes, until
the voice is deep and mournful. And then
suddenly it's a slow beat and loud clanging
and a male voice yelling "I guess we're
building a bomb". The song is Building a
Bomb and it is electroclash a la Age of
Chance, and the transition is stark and
jarring, which I think was the intended
effect.
The third track on the record starts with
beats and drum samples going crazy in a faint
nod to Blue Monday. Then the vocalist
alternates between speaking dispassionately
and singing like mid 80s Bowie. For added
80s-ness, there is a nice sax solo!
The fourth track is the title track. The tune
is warbly synth bass and early NIN drum
samples, and a little guitar. It really sounds
like something off of Pretty Hate
Machine.
The voice is slowed down, deepening it, on Connie,
a song that bounces along menacingly. As
the synth beat of Connie fades out, a
guitar riff starts, sliding and grinding, and
every time I hear it I think Brutus VIII are
about to cover The Cradle Will Rock by
Van Halen, but instead the guitar stops and is
replaced by a steady drum machine and warbling
synths. This song is called Revenge, The
Kraken, and it is blends hard rock
guitar and synth pop.
The next tune is almost an interlude. It's
called Doomer, and a female vocalist
joins in. It is a slower synth tune, kind of
pretty. It channels 1980s synthpop. This is
followed by Creeks, which really
channels Underworld through a nervous beat
driving the tune along. Its a great fun tune,
just bouncing along with that late night
energy and good bass riff. It builds into a
throbbing rave beat, all flashing lights and
thundering percussion. Really good.
The next tune is a fun little pop song called
Neck Tattoo. It has a happy little riff
and kind of bounces along. But doesn't listen
to the lyrics -- they are a little dark, but
the melody kind of lightens the overall
effect. It transitions into Real Maniac,
another slower tune. He sounds like Nick Cave
here, that aching warbling despairing sort of
voice, singing about smoking and someone
leaving him over strings and beats. That sort
of thing carries into the final track, I
Don't Love You Anymore. Here the voice
is quavering and paired with a guitar and some
strings, beating you over the head with the
sadness.
It's a heck of a record on the whole.
Brutus VIII is the project of Jackson Katz,
who was the drummer in the LA band Slow
Hollows. I guess him being a drummer makes
sense with the rhythm intensive nature of the
music here.
When I websearch for the name Brutus VIII, I
find that it has something to do with the
Anti-Federalist Papers. Which is
well,
I am not a history buff, but it seems that
Anti-Federalism is tied to "states' rights",
etc. I wonder if Katz identifies as an
anti-Federalist? I mean, that's weird but
sure, why not.
But the album is a fun listen very intense
and chaotic, but interesting.
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