Spectreview: Thee Effluvium – See City Depravity

-DODGER BLUE-

“I giggle when I spit
I fuck when I’m nervous”

“No wave” as a movement was shot and buried after Brian Eno’s well-intentioned compilation created an indelible schism in the New York scene, but several artists of recent, perhaps being inspired by the current turbulence of America’s political and social climate, are inheriting the reins and making music that aspires not to be music. Violet Peterson-Wallace flies that banner with their debut record as Thee Effluvium, and for an album of purposefully abrasive guitars, atonal synths and spoken-word poetry, See City Depravity is surprisingly accessible. The album is both focused and sonically diverse, and each track manages its own personality, calling to mind Kim Gordon and Julie Cafritz’s Free Kitten but less obviously playful. The swooning nightmare of “Dizzy Angels” pulses with feedback and clanks like a night in Silent Hill, while “Panicatoast” churns queasily with a distinct rhythm. Peterson-Wallace’s polemic lyrics are poignant and powerful, though whether due to vocal processing or delivery they’re inconsistently effective: on “I Fuck when I’m Nervous” and the outstanding “Passerby” they radiate with acerbity, compared to the burlesque of “Getting Guff.” That aside, See City Depravity does atonal better than most, and at a brief 20 minutes it’s worth multiple immersions in the acid bath.

Recommended for soundtracking the next countrywide protest.