Pere Ubu

Carnival of Souls (Fire Records)
15/20

“I live on the moon. I live in a box on the moon” begins the third track of Pere Ubu’s 18th LP. These are apt lyrics. Pere Ubu have hacked themselves such a bizarre path through the shady nether-regions of rock music over the last three decades that they barely seem to exist within it.

Carnival Of Souls bears witness to a strange mix of fantastical prog, metal, punk and ambient: the serious Malignant Sorcerer/ Foggy Heath shit that the bands of post-punk’s first wave would have detested, including, perhaps, Pere Ubu themselves. The uneasy, discordant chug of Bus Station; the crashing guitars and buzzing textures of Golden Surf II… make moments of this record truly menacing; one heightened all the more by a perfect storm of ritualistic vocals, demented lyrics and the generally monkish persona of founder David Thomas. In a month where Radio 2 listeners should have won awards for Safest Choice Ever of Greatest Ever Guitar Riffs, this album is a satisfying antidote, and Pere Ubu remain band for those of us who enjoy a little ugliness in our music.

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Words: John Clark