That Pitchshifter were intensely political is also worthy of note, granting their compositions a depth that perhaps helps cover over some of the more formulaic numbers in the oeuvre. Still, the whole slow-verse with rousing sloganeering-chorus blueprint threatens to cast an air of unwelcome predictability to the proceedings, something which is nullified considerably when graced with visual accompaniment.
The performances here are pretty much flawless, Clayden sneering about the place and yacking about "Thank you very fucking much" and other gratuitous swears. Stuff like Genius and Please Sir are immensely powerful when presented, as here, as communal events.
"If dysfunction is our function", sneers Clayden, "Then we must be some kind of Genius!!!"
Grammatically inaccurate, of course, but powerful all the same.
There's a staggering amount of extras here, some of which reside in the audio-only field, ie, a bunch of unheard remixes and some tracks from other folks on the PSI Records imprint, but there's also a fascinating featurette concerning the recording of the PSI album. Well, fascinating provided you give a rancid toss about any of it.
Added to this is some backstage footage from the Nottingham gig, and best of all, the promo videos for Genius, Shutdown and Hidden Agenda, featuring commentary from J.S Clayden. The video for Genius, in particular, is fantastic, although the print featured here is a tad ghosty. The band perform in a warehouse as riot police trample about the place hosing them down and flinging batons around like there's no tomorrow. Pretty impressive, all round.
God knows what's next for these fellas, although it seems another record under the Pitchshifter name probably isn't on the cards. Still, judging on the strength of the extra-curricular recordings contained here, it's safe enough to assume that a load more techno-metal shenanigans are in the offing.
Good work, Pitchshifter. The Duke salutes you.
The Duke resides at Mondo Irlando
Article comments