Corpusse

Toronto's Corpusse is a two-man musical performance art unit that combines elements of sound poetry, avant-noise rock and gothic Kabuki shock opera. The CD's sound is crisp and dry, with only Lorenz Peter's creepy analogue synthesiser and Corpusse's own, unmistakable bellow driving the songs along. The tracks themselves deal with, as the album title suggests, twisted desires, secret sins and their inevitable quenching. The opening track, "Now And Again," tells of uncontrollable urges to do unspeakable "acts of insane measure," while the very next song asks the listener to "Donate Yourself" to the band. If the carnal "Hard Tonight" was a plain old punk song, it could easily be confused for a vintage Dwarves track. However, the Doctor Who-like keyboard freak-out modulations make the song far more sinister sounding than any mere guitar-based rocker. Speaking of rock, the amazing instrumental, "Rock Song," is somewhat reminiscent of a Duty Now For The Future-era Devo jamming it out, kind of like in the beginning of "MR.DNA." Proving he's not just about raunch, Corpusse presents a softer, more romantic side on the tale of lost love that is "Decline To Embrace," as well as on the almost-sweet "Flower Mountain." The 14-minute title track travels through several different soundscapes, from pensive to disco-y, and cements the Bacchanalian theme of the album. A great live bonus track added on at the end of the record tells of a late-night convenience store encounter and must hold the record for the most times the words "pop-rocks" are uttered in a single song.