HR125 - Poison Dwarfs - Cut! - C46 — 1989
Side 1:
Sun day Future ways Scattered Daisy Flowers |
Side 2:
The dance Masquerade Further West-words 1&2 Postcard Cut |
REVIEW by Jerry Kranitz
Poison Dwarfs are the German duo of Hans Castrup and Ralf-Dieter Dlubatz. Cut! is an 11-song compilation of tracks recorded from 1985-1989, and was a co-release with Matthias Lang’s Irre Tapes label in Germany.
‘Sun Day’ opens the set, being a grooving and grinding slab of Industrial Funk. ‘Future Ways’ combines hip-shaking beats, funk, whiney Frippertronic guitar, and sci-fi atmospherics. I love the combination of energetic percussion, jamming guitar, and ear-gratingly haunting effects. The guitar sounds like Michael Karoli from Can, which caused me to do a double take on the title in case these guys were doing some kind of experimental take on Can’s ‘Future Days’. ‘Scattered’ is different, having a quirky Caribbean vibe, a jaunty melody and rhythmic pulse, and strange ‘song’ vocals, but also weirdly spectral soundscapes. ‘Daisy’ is another vocal number, with the singing contrasting in creatively interesting ways with the angst guitar and percussion, which descends into a densely industrial nightmare dirge before abruptly returning to the main theme. ‘Flowers’ is another alluringly oddball song, with surreal nursery rhyme lyrics sung to pleasantly plucked acoustic guitar and an acid dosed carnival melody.
Side 2 kicks off with ‘The Dance’, a psychedelically somber cross between love song and show tune. In Poison Dwarfs terms, this is lo-fi POP music! ‘Masquerade’ feels like it could be the theme to a Residents soundtrack, but with psychedelic punk-poet vocals that go from la-dee-da easy going to almost unhinged intense. ‘Further’ has lovely drifting melodies that contrast yet blend with edgy industrial bits. ‘West-words 1&2’ has a traditional feel, like a cross between folk song and dance music to an avant-garde Greek wedding. ‘Postcard’ is another driftingly melodic song. Finally, ‘Cut’ consists of swirling and grinding, pulsating waves of noise, machinery, and sundry sounds, ending the set on a gripping, tension-laced note.
Poison Dwarfs are the German duo of Hans Castrup and Ralf-Dieter Dlubatz. Cut! is an 11-song compilation of tracks recorded from 1985-1989, and was a co-release with Matthias Lang’s Irre Tapes label in Germany.
‘Sun Day’ opens the set, being a grooving and grinding slab of Industrial Funk. ‘Future Ways’ combines hip-shaking beats, funk, whiney Frippertronic guitar, and sci-fi atmospherics. I love the combination of energetic percussion, jamming guitar, and ear-gratingly haunting effects. The guitar sounds like Michael Karoli from Can, which caused me to do a double take on the title in case these guys were doing some kind of experimental take on Can’s ‘Future Days’. ‘Scattered’ is different, having a quirky Caribbean vibe, a jaunty melody and rhythmic pulse, and strange ‘song’ vocals, but also weirdly spectral soundscapes. ‘Daisy’ is another vocal number, with the singing contrasting in creatively interesting ways with the angst guitar and percussion, which descends into a densely industrial nightmare dirge before abruptly returning to the main theme. ‘Flowers’ is another alluringly oddball song, with surreal nursery rhyme lyrics sung to pleasantly plucked acoustic guitar and an acid dosed carnival melody.
Side 2 kicks off with ‘The Dance’, a psychedelically somber cross between love song and show tune. In Poison Dwarfs terms, this is lo-fi POP music! ‘Masquerade’ feels like it could be the theme to a Residents soundtrack, but with psychedelic punk-poet vocals that go from la-dee-da easy going to almost unhinged intense. ‘Further’ has lovely drifting melodies that contrast yet blend with edgy industrial bits. ‘West-words 1&2’ has a traditional feel, like a cross between folk song and dance music to an avant-garde Greek wedding. ‘Postcard’ is another driftingly melodic song. Finally, ‘Cut’ consists of swirling and grinding, pulsating waves of noise, machinery, and sundry sounds, ending the set on a gripping, tension-laced note.