garage

Rip It Up, Issue 165, 1 April 1991, Page 28

garage

STRAP ONS Infectious Substance Who would've thought they knew how to make such a big ugly noise in Dunedin? Side A is called 'Dogflesh' — loping grunge riffs flayed with screechings / feedback, sampled voices looming in and out of the mix, a karmic headkick from nowhere. •_ On the B side, 'Shotgun' pulses with* didgeridoo beat overlaid with exotic female vocal samples. 'Can You Smell If is more aural weirdness delivered with enough control to make Infectious. Substance more than just another bedsit wig out. Never heard of 'em before, but would like to hear more. Obtainable from PO Box 6127, Dunedin North. DONNA YUZWALK

THE WHITE GODDESS Bigger Than God (Heaven Heaven Tapes) Paradox number one: Bigger Than God (a nom-de-guerre for reasonably well known local sophist Steve "Bacchus" Lothian) is very serious about the irony of his every gesture. As any garage metaphysician will tell you, this is like wanting to be believed when saying "I am a liar". Even disregarding that, his pre-announced playfulness denies the listener the safety net of categorising the music as unusually well produced guitar pop with rather pompous lyrics; we have to keep making conscious decisions about how to take things. Bearing that in mind, generous listeners will want to believe that the well judged song structures, the cartoon-Bach organ in 'Sol Invictus' and the pretty cover image are for real while the bits that sound like mid-70s acoustic Pink Floyd are part of the joke. Whether this is actually the intention we'll never know, as Mr Lothian has gone on a pilgrimage to Maiakovsky's grave or something, so perhaps we should just be pleased that he's risked crucifixion for "pretentiousness" and produced something that can't be understood immediately. MATTHEW HYLAND