Foetus: Damp

Release Information

CD Nov2006 Ectopic Entertainment EctEnts028 Made in the US

Track Listing

Purchase CD

01. I Hate You All
02. Antabuse
03. Chimera
04. Into the Light
05. Shrunken Man” (Matt Johnson)
06. Mine Is No Disgrace” (Buzz Osborne / Thirlwell)
07. Hemo the Cuckold
08. Not in Your Hands
09. Paging Dr. Strong” (Rotoskop / Thirlwell)
10. Blessed Evening (Phylr Remix)
11. Sieve
12. Cold Shoulder

Linear Notes

01. I Hate You All [03:26]
Originally commissioned for Japanese recording artist Atsushi, this furious big band stormer appears here performed by JGT for the first time. *previously unreleased.

02. Antabuse [01:51]
A brand new instrumental composition. *previously unreleased.

03.Chimera [04:55]
A lullaby/hymn originally written for the LOVE album. *previously unreleased.

04.Into the Light [06:33]
The definitive version of a the track that previously appeared on Null, this is the definitive version with a different improved second movement. *previously unreleased.

05. Shrunken Man [05:00]
This is a radical reinterpretation of a song by The The; it was commissioned by JGT’s dear pal Matt Johnson and previously only appeared on the very limited The The Interpretations EP.

06. Mine is No Disgrace (w/Melvins) [08:23]
JGT’s collaboration with the Melvins; it previously appeared on the Melvins The Crybaby album.

07. Hemo the Cuckold [07:29]
This unusual epic was originally written around the time of the LOVE album. *previously unreleased.

08. Not In Your Hands [05:20]
The classic track previously on the (not adam) EP; this is a re-mastered version.

09. Paging Dr Strong (w/Rotoskop) [03:50]
This track previously appeared on the Rotoskop album revolution:lost, but this is the raw demo version with a different mix. *previously unreleased.

10. Blessed Evening (Phylr remix) [04:12]
A remix of the blessed evening track from LOVE by Jim Coleman, JGT’s partner in Baby Zizanie (aka Phylr and Here; ex-Cop Shoot Cop). *previously unreleased.

11. Sieve [05:00]
This was performed by versions of the Foetus live ensemble for a couple of tours. Initially written as a live track, this is the first time a studio version has existed. It is newly recorded. *previously unreleased

12. Cold Shoulder [16:08]
A brand new sixteen minute instrumental. *previously unreleased.

All songs written and performed and produced by JG Thirlwell except:
01. additional drum programming by jay wasco
05. song written by matt johnson
06. music written by buzz and played by melvins lyrics written and sung by jg thirlwell with additional samples by jgt
09. music written and played by rotoskop lyrics written and sung by jg thirlwell
10. remixed by phylr
11. bass and guitar played by jeff davidson

All songs published by ectopic music except: 05 published by lazarus/atv/sony music
06. published by ectopic music / ipecac
09. published by ectopic music / songs utd publishing
The song no disgrace appears courtesy of ipecac recordings.

Sleeve design and photography by jg thirlwell. Art direction heung heung chin. Mastered by scott hull

Viel dank: jim phylr coleman, melvins, patton/ipecac records, rotoskop, jennifer charles, hacke-depicciotto, chippy, matt johnson, kronos quartet and cm von hausswolf

An ectopic entertainment. ect ents 028

Release Notes

Damp is a compilation album by Foetus, released in 2006 by Ectopic Ents. Officially called a “satellite appendix” album, Damp collects previously-unreleased material written since 2003; new recordings of rare Foetus material; and tracks written by and/or featuring The The, Melvins, and Rotoskop. The album is self-released by Thirlwell through the official Foetus website.

Reviews

Thirlwell helped kick start when he started spreading the news from Berlin to British labels in the ’80s. Damp is a retrospective limited to Thirlwell’s work as Foetus covering the last three years. Like Neubauten’s own retrospectives, there is a huge emphasis on not including previously released material and instead offering new takes and versions of familiar tracks and as much brand new material as possible. This is perfect for a Foetus fan like myself, despite owning most of the albums, I do not feel the urge to buy every compilation, EP or collaboration and as such I only already own one song out of the dozen featured on Damp.

Many of the songs here continue the lounge, big band and film noir vibes that have always been staples of the Foetus repertoire. The more industrial sounding elements have been pushed aside; it is only when the Melvins provide the music on “Mine is no Disgrace” that it sounds like older Foetus releases but the Melvins make it far more evil. On a side note, it would be interesting to see a full album collaborating with the Melvins as they suit each other perfectly. Lyrically, Thirlwell still packs a solid punch as over the course of the disc he sings about hating, dirty sex and disease, andraping nuns: themes employed by lesser artists as cheap shock gimmicks but they feel like they have more weight to them on a Foetus record.

Damp acts extremely well as a sister album to 2005′s Love, it’s not surprising as a sizeable portion of Damp was recorded during the same sessions. Playing the two discs one after the other highlights the similarities between the two but this release is perfectly capable of standing on its own two feet. “I Hate You All,” “Not in Your Hands,” and the epic “Cold Shoulder” make it obvious that Thirlwell still has buckets of ideas and talent to use. By far the jewel in Damp’s crown is the gorgeously melancholic “Chimera,” which is quickly becoming my favourite Foetus song. Considering how strong the pieces from recent years have been, I might review my Foetus purchasing arrangement as I normally concentrate on the main Foetus albums. Now I think I should be picking up any EPs or Thirlwell-related side projects that I come across.

As well as newer material, there is some reworked older material included. There is a new version of “Into the Light” from the Null EP as well as the cover of The The’s “Shrunken Man,” which appeared on the Shrunken Man Interpretations EP years ago.

To be honest, I am surprised that I enjoy this album as much as I do, even after I loved Love so much. Damp is a fantastic disc, showing that Foetus is not only still as strong as ever but I feel he is surpassing himself.

John Kealy, Brainwashed.com

Monday, 29 January 2007

“Tension-laden work such as this confirms for me once again that Thirlwell has plenty of  tricks still up his devilish sleeve….the more complexity Foetus has, the better it works and  DAMP is indeed one complicated fiend to have in your collection. Think I’ll go play it again.” paraphrased from review by Peter Marks at releasemagazine.net

UNCUT review by David Stubbs

Unreleased material from the last two years available from www.foetus.org

Although this album comprises material which never made it to his “proper” releases, JG Thirlwell aka Foetus has an exceptionally high standard of cast-off. You might descibe this as “Baroque Brutalism”. He plays out his red-raw lyrical aggression (“I feel I could rape a nun” he declares excessively at one point) against backdrops of grandly warped orchestral bombast. Opener “I Hate You all” is set to a stylish 50s big band accompaniment that only exacerbates the songs anti-nostalgic perversity, while instrumentals such as “Cold Shoulder” sweep majestically between extremes of noise and near-silence.

THE WIRE review by Edwin Pouncey

Foetus (aka JimThirlwell) returns with a compilation of previously unreleased tracks. It starts with a big band bang and ends with a 16 minute instrumental. In between are stacked collaborations with pals like Matt Johnson of The The, Jim Coleman and the Melvins, whose “Mine is No Disgrace” is the perfect stoner response to Yes’s “Yours is No Disgrace” prog anthem. Thirlwell howls like a wounded animal, producing one of this collection’s highlights. Damp is a valuable introduction for anybody yet to step into his precarious but surprisingly cinematic musical dimension.