HR013
Mental Anguish — Shot In The Dark — C60 — 1985
Mental Anguish — Shot In The Dark — C60 — 1985
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Chris Phinney’s third solo outing as Mental Anguish features a 60 minute baker’s dozen of drum machine propelled electronic, industrial, space rocking experimental FUN!
Side A opens with ‘Famine’, a brief tune with a trio of off-kilter drum machine rhythmic propulsion, swirling synths and zany vocals. The drum machine on ‘Bossman’ rocks hard while synths and effects go all bad ass spaced out whooshy swirly, creating a high energy blend of edgy intensity, spectral presence, and tinkly melodic flourishes. It’s chaotic but damn good space rocking industrial electronic fun. I love the crazed free-jazz jamming keys on ‘Obscene’, amidst a tumultuous glom of volcanic noise and that tirelessly rocking drum machine. I’m really diggin’ the vocals. Phinney has gone from the poet ranter of the Skoptzies to a manic delivery that reminds me of the vocals on the Residents Third Reich 'n Roll.
‘I Am The Angel’ features a cool and strange combination of gothic dreamland and hyper-kinetic battle in space scurrying. The vocals have a drugged, industrial crooner quality. ‘Face Down In The Dust’ has a lysergic electronic Sunday mass devotional quality that gradually takes on a frenzied Phantom Of The Opera feel. The manic poet ranter is BACK on ‘Death Of Stench’, screaming “Death of stench! Death of stench!” I love the bizarre but seamlessly flowing blend of video game soundtrack, angelic melody, lo-fi symphonic keys, clickity clackity rhythms, and vocals that are both ranting and demonic growling. Phinney is mastering the art of creative chaos.
‘Lonely Streets’ opens side B and is an acid drenched, cosmic night at a piano recital. ‘Work’ recalls Phinney’s earliest Harsh Reality experiments, with vocal ranting to metallic/block percussion slamming and banging. He’s got more gear so it’s also heavily laced with miscellaneous synths and other effects. ‘Fucked Up - Don't Know’ is a thematically unbalanced blend of pleasantly drifting melodies and energetically rocking percussion, as Phinney scream raves about being fucked up but just not knowing.
We really start to groove on ‘Big Bug’. “Big… brown… bug… SMASH IT!!” Phinney covers the color spectrum of bugs, all of whom get smash, chewed, wasted, tortured, destroyed, and even kissed. ‘Starving’ makes much more subtle and interesting use of metal percussion, laying down a lightly clanging beat that complements the drum machine, as the now trademark swirling synth style ebbs and flows as Phinney’s spoken word is delivered loud and angry. ‘So Many Diseases’ sets absolutely manic vocals against a pleasantly spaced out synth churn and the most frantically paced drum machine of the set. Finally, ‘Scotty Doesn't Live Here Anymore!’ is the most danceable tune of the set, being a robotic mix of disco, hip-hip, and dance lesson #1 box step.
Chris Phinney’s third solo outing as Mental Anguish features a 60 minute baker’s dozen of drum machine propelled electronic, industrial, space rocking experimental FUN!
Side A opens with ‘Famine’, a brief tune with a trio of off-kilter drum machine rhythmic propulsion, swirling synths and zany vocals. The drum machine on ‘Bossman’ rocks hard while synths and effects go all bad ass spaced out whooshy swirly, creating a high energy blend of edgy intensity, spectral presence, and tinkly melodic flourishes. It’s chaotic but damn good space rocking industrial electronic fun. I love the crazed free-jazz jamming keys on ‘Obscene’, amidst a tumultuous glom of volcanic noise and that tirelessly rocking drum machine. I’m really diggin’ the vocals. Phinney has gone from the poet ranter of the Skoptzies to a manic delivery that reminds me of the vocals on the Residents Third Reich 'n Roll.
‘I Am The Angel’ features a cool and strange combination of gothic dreamland and hyper-kinetic battle in space scurrying. The vocals have a drugged, industrial crooner quality. ‘Face Down In The Dust’ has a lysergic electronic Sunday mass devotional quality that gradually takes on a frenzied Phantom Of The Opera feel. The manic poet ranter is BACK on ‘Death Of Stench’, screaming “Death of stench! Death of stench!” I love the bizarre but seamlessly flowing blend of video game soundtrack, angelic melody, lo-fi symphonic keys, clickity clackity rhythms, and vocals that are both ranting and demonic growling. Phinney is mastering the art of creative chaos.
‘Lonely Streets’ opens side B and is an acid drenched, cosmic night at a piano recital. ‘Work’ recalls Phinney’s earliest Harsh Reality experiments, with vocal ranting to metallic/block percussion slamming and banging. He’s got more gear so it’s also heavily laced with miscellaneous synths and other effects. ‘Fucked Up - Don't Know’ is a thematically unbalanced blend of pleasantly drifting melodies and energetically rocking percussion, as Phinney scream raves about being fucked up but just not knowing.
We really start to groove on ‘Big Bug’. “Big… brown… bug… SMASH IT!!” Phinney covers the color spectrum of bugs, all of whom get smash, chewed, wasted, tortured, destroyed, and even kissed. ‘Starving’ makes much more subtle and interesting use of metal percussion, laying down a lightly clanging beat that complements the drum machine, as the now trademark swirling synth style ebbs and flows as Phinney’s spoken word is delivered loud and angry. ‘So Many Diseases’ sets absolutely manic vocals against a pleasantly spaced out synth churn and the most frantically paced drum machine of the set. Finally, ‘Scotty Doesn't Live Here Anymore!’ is the most danceable tune of the set, being a robotic mix of disco, hip-hip, and dance lesson #1 box step.
Chris Phinney INTERVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
JK: Shot In The Dark is your third outing as Mental Anguish. I’m not clear on the exact years of the releases, but clearly these tapes are coming out fast and furious. But it’s interesting to me all the wild variety of collaborations you’re doing, but there’s the solo work as well. What led to recording this new Mental Anguish tape?
CP: I just decided to do it. The drum machines were pretty much all off-kilter on most of it.
JK: Oh yeah, it’s very drum machine heavy.
JK: Another thing that jumps out at me is the variety of vocals. For example, we’ve got what I keep calling the punk-poet ranting style on ‘Death Of Stench’. But you’ve got these really crazy vocals on ‘Famine’. And in my review I describe the vocals on ‘Obscene’ as “a manic delivery that reminds me of the vocals on the Residents Third Reich 'n Roll.” So I really liked all the different vocals on the album.
CP: Yeah, I was just switching around, doing whatever.
JK: And there’s a lot of tracks on this 60 minute tape. Very concise.
CP: I shortened them down. Nowadays I seem to do nothing but long shit. That’s just the way it is. But I was so used to doing shorter ones anyways.
JK: I like the blends of space rock, industrial and electronica…. The variety just made it a good all around set.
CP: I’m glad you liked it. I’m not too fond of it (laughs).
JK: Why not?
CP: Just because… I mean, it’s old shit. I’m not really happy with the way the drums were.
JK: But looking at it from a historical perspective….
CP: I like it. All my shit progressed over the years of course. So I go back and listen to one of these old tapes and wonder what the fuck was I thinking?
JK: You had to develop as an artist. And I imagine you were learning at an exponential rate during this period.
CP: Oh yeah.
JK: Shot In The Dark has already been online on Bandcamp. Regarding the hear you used, Hal’s Bandcamp notes speculate what you may have been using. Maybe you can shed some light?
CP: Boss distortion, Ibanez delay pedal, Korg Poly-800 synth, Yamaha RX-15 drum machine, ARP Axxe synthesizer, ART Proverb 200 rack effects processor, Digitech 7.6 Time Machine rack delay sample, Boss Digital Delay 3.5 second sampler pedal.
JK: Speaking as someone who knows almost nothing about gear it sounds to my ears like you did a hell of a lot with what was available to you.
CP: There’s was a hell of a lot going on on that album! I think sometimes there might be too much going on. Which is what disturbs me somewhat about that. But as an artist you’re going to go back and listen to your old shit like that. You’re going to be like, oh man this is terrible. What was I thinking at that point in time.
JK: You’re going to be self critical. I get it.
JK: Shot In The Dark is your third outing as Mental Anguish. I’m not clear on the exact years of the releases, but clearly these tapes are coming out fast and furious. But it’s interesting to me all the wild variety of collaborations you’re doing, but there’s the solo work as well. What led to recording this new Mental Anguish tape?
CP: I just decided to do it. The drum machines were pretty much all off-kilter on most of it.
JK: Oh yeah, it’s very drum machine heavy.
JK: Another thing that jumps out at me is the variety of vocals. For example, we’ve got what I keep calling the punk-poet ranting style on ‘Death Of Stench’. But you’ve got these really crazy vocals on ‘Famine’. And in my review I describe the vocals on ‘Obscene’ as “a manic delivery that reminds me of the vocals on the Residents Third Reich 'n Roll.” So I really liked all the different vocals on the album.
CP: Yeah, I was just switching around, doing whatever.
JK: And there’s a lot of tracks on this 60 minute tape. Very concise.
CP: I shortened them down. Nowadays I seem to do nothing but long shit. That’s just the way it is. But I was so used to doing shorter ones anyways.
JK: I like the blends of space rock, industrial and electronica…. The variety just made it a good all around set.
CP: I’m glad you liked it. I’m not too fond of it (laughs).
JK: Why not?
CP: Just because… I mean, it’s old shit. I’m not really happy with the way the drums were.
JK: But looking at it from a historical perspective….
CP: I like it. All my shit progressed over the years of course. So I go back and listen to one of these old tapes and wonder what the fuck was I thinking?
JK: You had to develop as an artist. And I imagine you were learning at an exponential rate during this period.
CP: Oh yeah.
JK: Shot In The Dark has already been online on Bandcamp. Regarding the hear you used, Hal’s Bandcamp notes speculate what you may have been using. Maybe you can shed some light?
CP: Boss distortion, Ibanez delay pedal, Korg Poly-800 synth, Yamaha RX-15 drum machine, ARP Axxe synthesizer, ART Proverb 200 rack effects processor, Digitech 7.6 Time Machine rack delay sample, Boss Digital Delay 3.5 second sampler pedal.
JK: Speaking as someone who knows almost nothing about gear it sounds to my ears like you did a hell of a lot with what was available to you.
CP: There’s was a hell of a lot going on on that album! I think sometimes there might be too much going on. Which is what disturbs me somewhat about that. But as an artist you’re going to go back and listen to your old shit like that. You’re going to be like, oh man this is terrible. What was I thinking at that point in time.
JK: You’re going to be self critical. I get it.