Darling Kandie - People Next Door. A Review

First, a brief background. The album is a series of eight demos recorded by Groovie Mann and William Tucker. Tucker, unfortunately, has passed away, and so these songs are likely the bulk – if not all – of what this side project was to yield.

The cover art represents the album well – highly reminiscent of the old TVT/Wax Trax, late 80s Chicago industrial scene. Yet, there's a sense of humor about it. On the front appears to be a woman with a noose around her neck. On the back, a similar or the same woman screaming, with a finger in an electrical outlet.

The interior art is a surprise, and shall not be spoiled here. Believe me when I say that it alone is worth the $12.

Onto the music. Tracks 1 & 2 truly do sound like a crossover between the Thrill Kill Kult and Ministry. It's not, technically, but the harsh yet beat-like lyrics of Ministry collide with the sleaze and nuance of TKK. From here on, the album maintains an undeniable and unique style, but truly branches off into its own work. Track 3 “Clearfire for the Fallen,” delivers where a certain certain shock rocker who TKK refuses to perform with ever again promised and failed to do the same. And Darling Kandie's song was a demo, no less.

The following songs run an interesting gambit, taking a detour into delightful sleaze and decadence for the durations of the sixth and seventh tracks. But where Thrill Kill generally prefers sleazy poetry to blunt profanity, Kandie fused just enough good old fashioned cuss words in to have a great effect.

At thirty five and a half minutes, the album is a bit short. However, that's 35:32 where not one beat, breath, or note is a waste of your money. Again, not a bad way to spend twelve dollars at all.

I don't like to give perfect scores to things, because those should be reserved to something really special. This album is really special. Figure out whatever chart you prefer me to use, and give it full ranks.

It's just that good.

I hear voices on the radio...

I get my cds today. Seven or eight of them from Inivisible Records. Depdning on whether they sent a bonus cd or not. And maybe a poster.

I'm most excited about the Darling Kandie album (Thrill Kill Kult's Groovie Mann and William Tucker, general member of the TVT/WaxTrax/Scattered/now-Invisible/Underground Inc. industrial scene). The samples I heard at cdnow/amazon were too enticing to pass up.

It's Monday, which means working, stopping for milk on the way home, then cooking dinner. I did just about nothing again yesterday, for the second Sunday in a row. It felt good. But that's why the lack of updates. If response is good on last Saturday's picture post, then I'll try to do another one next weekend.