Genre: Spoken Word / Breakcore

01. necessary evil
02. important stuff
03. i get ready for sleep and tomorrow I wake up and everything is the same
04. fantastic ass
05. public space
06. maybe these wounds won't heal anymore
07. how terrible it all is
08. spoons
09. rats & purpose
10. drinking and mutilated genitalia
11. murder & fucking
12. I react poorly to the way my head warps reality
13. is it wrong for me to hate her?
14. end

William Seward Buroughs was one of the first I suppose. He bunged out spoken worded recordings of his written work depicting his time as an honoured alumni of the junkie fraternity and his extreme obsessions. Which were many by the way. That’s the problem with writers. Most are fuck-ups in one way or another. Reviewers fall into this category as well come to think of it. Many other artists have followed in Mr Buroughs illustrious footsteps. Lydia Lunch…damaged goods in more ways than one, Jello Biafra…putting the dead into The Dead Kennedys. Henry Rollins…the muscle bound thug with brains. The list goes on. Of course some artists use the spoken word with accompanying music. Some make it an art form in itself. Who needs to sing when you can spew / yell forth your viewpoint on whatever happens to be bugging the shit out of you that day. The Extreme Electronic music fraternity have been doing this sort of stuff for years. William Bennett of Whitehouse being the eldest of elder statesman of the spoken rant and roll with accompanying visceral noise. Now though it’s time for a different take on the spoken word with musical backing. I give you…the spoken word with rampant blasting beats. Are you ready? I hope to fuck you are because this is one eye, or ear for that matter, opener.

The past: There’s this young guy. He’s called Squid. Not on his birth certificate obviously. His true identity remains a secret between close family and friends. Of which I’m neither. He finds he has a knack for making music. So he works within the Toronto, that’s a big fuck off city in Canada in case you didn’t know, music scene with some fairly well known Industrial bands. One day he takes the big step of starting his own Record label. He calls it Bugs Crawling Out Of People. Catchy but with a faintly disturbing aura. That was back in 2004...or thereabouts. Time means nothing. Unless you’re Dr Who of course. He releases the very good V/A - Revelation as a first release. This recording featured Nitrous Flesh, Iszoloscope, Scrap.Edx and Pneumatic Detach amongst others. Reviews were mixed. Aren’t they always? Squid then goes one step better and releases Dead Man's Hill - Lakes Of Sacrifice. A tasty recording when all said and done. Although Squid has contributed to other artists recordings in the past he has this urge to put his creative juices to better use. A seed is sown He needs an outlet for all the thoughts continually buzzing through his head. He needs a Robin to his Batman. He needs someone who can dig and go with his vision. Enter stage left Justin Brink. He of Pneumatic Detach. The seed takes root. What flowers no-one could have expected.

The present: The result of this combining of creative minds is the third release from Squid’s own Bugs Crawling Out Of People record label. Re-inventing himself as ‘it-clings’ Squid and Justin set down 14 tracks of spoken word pontificating over hardcore devastating beats, electronic squiggles and melodic tunes. The combined effect is awe inspiring and terrifying at the same time. Luckily the comprehensive booklet that comes with the release features all the words that Squid throws about with a gusto so you can follow / rant along with it if you so want. But be warned. Squid’s thoughts are very dark and disturbed and tinged with the whiff of misogyny. His words would make a whore or the Yorkshire Ripper blush. This is a man who apparently has serious issues that transcends onto the insanity side of things. Or at least he likes you to think he has these issues. He is after all an artist. And artists use their vivid imaginations more than others to shock and awe in their attempt to be creative. Tales of self abuse, loathing, hatred and murderous visions litter the release giving off a pungent stench that is hard to eradicate. If this is the ‘real deal’ then Squid is not someone I would want to meet in a dark alleyway. Not by myself. Certainly not without a weapon or two. Such is the strength of feeling he puts into his pronunciation that you start believing he means every word. A scary thought. The borderline psychotic he portrays is played to the hilt and comes across too convincing in places. Which makes the release the musical equivalent of Bret Easton Ellis’s ‘American Psycho’. Only without the riches and swish swanky apartments. And as Squid regales in the torments of his mindset Justin, whose contribution to the release shouldn’t in anyway be underestimated, provides the thumping backdrop…raising and dropping the tempo as required. The listener caught in the two pronged assault to the senses as the music and wordplay intensifies through each track. Anyone who can make that most innocuous of implements, the spoon, seem like the Devils own instrument of torture gets my vote. And another vote also goes for calling a tune ‘Murder and fucking’. The first line in the last track ‘the end’ says it all…‘mind blurred, can no longer think and I need some scotch and a long dirty stick that is twisted and corrupt’. Strong fucking stuff. After sitting through ‘the all too logical descent into madness’ a few times I know exactly how he feels. Squids words are a thunderous rain of verbal horror that torrents down upon the listener with no chance for a break amongst the black clouds. It stupefies and stuns and is more enjoyable for that fact. Nihilists will have a field day with this release. They should put it top of their shopping list if they haven’t already done so.

The future: well its looking bright if nothing else for our man Squid. The depressiveness of his words will strike a cord with many people. Having aligned himself with an approachable musical accompaniment, rather than using the standard extreme electronic fare found in similar recordings, gives him an unusual edge which he should be able to mine for a few years yet. Although the copyists are probably already out in force as I write this. That’s the way it goes in today’s music scene. In the meantime I’ll happily listen to more from his twisted mind so hope that this won’t be the last I hear from it-clings vs pneumatic detach. The success for his Bugs Crawling Out Of People record label is, of course, rightly assured. He'll be squids in as they say.