Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 8.5/10
We have become used to living in a world where to be unique is to be viewed with suspicion, and to be amongst the masses is to be considered safe, to be protected in a shelter of the benign and the harmless. It is almost as we have taken the opportunity to cram every pore of those willing take artistic risks with stuffing and insulation just so we can exhibit them in a museum of the peculiar as a warning, as a cautionary tale to the timid and the apprehensive masses.
In the world of Scarla O’ Horror, for James Allsopp, Alex Bonney, Tim Giles, and Isambard Khroustaliov, the new offering of Semiconductor Taxidermy For The Masses is one unconfused boldness, of unflinching valiant device to scare and cajole the beige who gawk in terror as the unique reveal themselves to the world; and as the virtuosity of the foursome takes hold across the tracks Raccoon With Wound, The Rats Of Gillet Square, and Ermine Chowder, it is to the desire of length, of a continual spinning instrumental narrative that gives the masses controlled by fear nightmares, and those who seek the shining light of exploration hope and cheer.
In this second journey to the hearts of the brave, distinction comes with a heavy price for the soul of those who yearn for a hiding place, for the electronic/jazz collision that is circling its own heavenly body will not take prisoners, will not dumb down the overall charm just to give the one percent a chance of salvation or understanding.
Standing on the shoulders of giants such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, and Steve Lacey, is an honour; to step out on your own in such a short space of time, to be considered pioneers of the modern day is to be goliaths in their own right, and Scarla O’ Horror expands the genre with unrelenting groove.
Semiconductor Taxidermy For The Masses is a living, breathing entity, and it is on the prowl in search of followers and disciples.
Scarla O’ Horror release Semiconductor Taxidermy For The Masses on 20th September via Not Applicable.
Ian D. Hall