Hissing Prigs in Static Couture

Recorded at Oz Studios, Baltimore, Maryland.
Most people don't know enough to miss the inimitable Tim Taylor, but those who followed Dayton, Ohio's unpredictable Brainiac have a poignant understanding of his death's impact. As Brainiac's singer, Taylor injected manic, cartoon-crazy energy into the band's quirky, experimental junkyard electro-punk. The arsenal of vocal personalities at Taylor's disposal was on full display in 1996's HISSING PROGS IN STATIC COUTURE, Brainiac's final full-length LP. His scorched falsetto on "Pussyfootin'" is simultaneously ridiculous and deeply soulful, the sound of a white geek performing Prince with no shame or restraint. And his discordant, electronically augmented screams on "I Am a Cracked Machine" make him sound like just that. Throughout, it's tough to tell whether he's keeping up with the music or it's keeping up with him, but broken whirrs, bleats, static, and other inorganic interruptions deform both the songs and the singer equally.