Lake of Plenty- Glass Empty
The title of the brand new Therapy? record made me chuckle, I’ll tell you why. I was watching a dramatisation of “The Secret of Crickley Hall” by James Herbert (RIP) and the setting is a place called Devil’s Cleave. The little girl sees the road sign and says, “Is that like cleavage?” Her dad looks on suitably flummoxed, just really funny. It has no bearing on this review, it is just interesting how thoughts/occurrences can become connected by random things.
Therapy? have always been underrated, whilst others with possibly less conviction take the centre stage that these lads have been denied. It is with a nervousness and an immense pride that I sit down to review this.
This is straight down the line, gutsy, guitar driven rock. A glimpse into the disaster that is looming, or in fact it has already arrived one could argue – there will be no lutine bell, there will be no Birkenhead Drill. The cover picture is fateful – there will be no Gestalt therapy either as someone has set fire to the empty chair. We are going to Hades in a hand basket unless we stand up to our oppressors.
Straight out of the cannon we have “Wreck it like Beckett” to light a fire under the backsides of the complacent.
“Kakistocracy” (I had to look this up) is superb, the word itself defines the state of many nations, run by the corrupt, the base and the ruthless, who like to toy with the lives of the vulnerable and those that depend on them for leadership, equality and justice.
It is not okay to be ill, it is not okay to be poor, it is not okay to be homeless, it is not okay to be lonely. Those who are able and stable take note- sorry if I am interrupting anything “important”.
“Callow” is the Zombie apocalypse video, fuelled by Xanax and such like, inducing catatonia, sluggishness, and suitably scary skin ruptures.
“If you take my demons, you take my angels too”
There is a truth and a realisation that maybe having demons is part of our make- up, albeit an agonising one.
The juxtaposition of concrete and comfort is portrayed in “Expelled” as the music intensifies, and the words are “spat out” and they land Slap! Bang! Wallop! in your face.
A veritable kick to the proprioception- is there such a thing? Well, there is now.
Each one a tub-thumper – “Success, Success is Survival” is the anthem, we sing, we roar, and we propel ourselves head first into “Save Me From The Ordinary”, it is bold, and unforgiving even in the slower pace sections, and ends with an abrupt throw yourself at the wall. The vocals are unmistakably Andy Cairns on “Crutch” and evokes memories of Iggy Pop especially on The Passenger, it’s that chugging – constant and ceaseless.
“An old wound I can’t stop licking, like a scab I can’t stop picking”
Therapy? know how to tell ‘em; it takes a certain breviloquence, a sharpness and a no-nonsense approach to get the message across in three minutes or less.
“I Stand Alone” and “Dumbdown” are the effective and accurate one-two punch to the abdomen that signal the end (near enough) of this monolithic, impenetrable fortress of a record that try as you might, you will not break down, it is too honest, too blatant, too audacious and too brass-necked.
It is a head on collision with a power that has no respect, no regard for humanity. Elucidatory, succinct, Cleave defines the fractures in our world. Some are gaping crevasses, others like craquelure- delicate yet foreboding. This is not going to end well;( especially for me as I’ve guzzled three tubes of Smarties while listening to this record) but with these guys holding our hands we can face our fears, our nightmares and fight back with a bravado and an unapologetic two fingers to those who can make a change for the better but can’t be bothered.
As always, Therapy? are immersive and intense, this is a riotous collection of songs, prepare to be grabbed by the throat and flung into the next century. Electrifying, stimulating, vivifying, just a few choice terms to express admiration and utter delight for this album.
We finish with the line “My heart is so heavy”, in these troubled times, my friends,
I stand before you, with you, after you.
Therapy? – Cleave out 21st September on Marshall Records