seven

So, yet another Coil CD. It seems as if in the past year, the outfit has put out more stuff alone than in all the previous years of its existence. For the most part, this recent slew of material has been exclusively in the territory of flowing, arhythmic, and ambient drone work, the pinnacle of which were the excellent “Music To Play In the Dark” works. Still, while most of these were of high quality, the relative sameness in style has led many to question whether Coil was starting to wear a bit thin, and that it was time for Coil to go in a new direction. They must have been listening, for here we have “Constant Shallowness Leads To Evil.”

In some strange way, perhaps, things haven’t changed. The basic construction of the music is still built on upon layers of droning sounds and the thoughtful, introspective vocal styles are still very much in evidence. In other ways, however, this is a radical break, though the direction has been hinted at in past releases. Say what you will, but the criticism that Coil are repeating themselves definitely doesn’t stick here. The drones are still there, but this time, the distortion has been turned up, WAY up. The use of dissonance is more prevalent than any previous Coil work. Make no mistake, this belongs firmly at the noisy end of the industrial spectrum, hearkening back in many ways to the old-school industrial tradition that Christopherson and Balance came out of in the early 80’s. I would hesitate to actually call it “noise,” however, as it lacks that the all out raw emotionalism and sonic brutality of that genre. This is no Merzbow. This is more restrained more “structured” in the traditional sense, perhaps closer to the European power electronics tradition than anything. But, compared to most music, and previous Coil works especially, this is definitely a harsher experience.

So, most importantly, does it work? Well, sometimes. Things open with the appropriately titled “Higher Beings Command,” where a razor sharp drone alternately swells and falls back while all the while seemingly surgically placed bleeps shatter the flow. Exactly as its title suggests, a track that when listened to, gives the full impression that you’re head is being experimented upon by something beyond comprehension, as well as being the perfect soundtrack for watching some Lovecraftian monstrosity rising from the depths. “I Am the Green Child,” follows, a quirky track that brings to mind previous albums, with an exotic percussion loop laying the foundation and disemboweled, treated vocals providing a surreal element. Even this is firmly rooted in the new direction of this album, however, with high-pitched, squirming frequency ejaculations that skitter over the track and burrow into every part of your brain. The next 3 tracks that follow are really one, flowing uninterrupted into one another. Basically, it’s one long concoction of layered, heavily distorted electronic drones. For me, these tracks really went nowhere. They were there, and that was it. Maybe they work better when you’re stoned. But it seemed no more than filler. “House of Goats” gets things back together with a wonderfully pulverizing loop of jagged noise that revs up, shuts down, and roars back to life again much like a dying engine on a car, while a high pitched whine that sounds like 15 cats being run over by said car dominates the background. A wild ride that’s definitely my favorite. This segues immediately into “Please God Fuck With My Mind” Parts I-XVII, a twisted and massive journey through 17 tracks of controlled chaos, dynamic noisy drones, ear splitting frequencies, and pseudo-rhythmic movements, all highlighted by the sudden intrusion of dreamy vocals in the middle. And I do mean sudden. The first time I listened to this, they scared the living shit out of me. The ethereal style of the vocals would seem to be out of place with all the mayhem around it, and yet this contrast works extremely well. Finally, silence kicks in, and sinister laughter closes out the disc. The interesting thing about these tracks, is that they begin and end with no set demarcation. For a truly fucked up experience, then, set your player to random.

Despite a subpar middle, on the whole “Constant Shallowness…” is another superb Coil recording showcasing the outfit’s talent for creating atmospherics with few equals. And with the new direction showcased, here, those tired of Coil have a reason to check back in and see what’s going on. As usual, of course, listening to this Coil recording in pitch blackness is recommended.