Made Out Of Babies
Coward
7.3
Synopsis:
The bitter result of merging Neurosis with heavy PMS…
Review:
Having seen this record on a few of 2006’s year end lists and that the band resided on Neurot Recordings, I decided to check them out. And while I enjoyed this, I could have gotten the same result by getting in a fight with my wife.
At the forefront of MOOB’s genuinely nervous and disturbing sound is the twisted and bitter ranting of Julie Xmas (also in Battle of Mice) whose discordant wails and whispers are delivered with the venom of a battered spouse seeking revenge. The mix of Julie’s bitter prose, Steve Albini’s strained production and the music’s tense and nervous cacophony make for a tangibly unpleasant (metaphorically speaking) record that reminded me in part of Circle Takes the Square, Neurosis, The Jesus Lizard and spousal abuse.
Starting with the caustic bite and shriek of “Silverback”, and ending with the self-loathing lumber of “Gunt”, Coward’s nine tracks are cathartic expositions that seem to explore the former relationships of Ms. Xmas (including guitarist Brendan Tobin), and that personal factor seems deeply rooted in each track. The genuine sense of unease that drips from the likes of “Proud to Drown” and “Out” isn’t an easy listen and has a sense of brooding spite in each track as opposed to languid acoustics, but does have that sense of Neurosis-ian build and ebb (the gnarly yet hypnotic “Fed” and “Death in April”). Even the so called instrumental “Lullaby” is an uneasy transition to the cacophonous “Mr. Prison Shanks”.
When Coward ended, I felt myself let out an exasperated breath, but I also felt brow-beaten and ashamed, like when an argument with my wife has finally ended.
