FOETUS: MALE
The “renaissance man of the underground,” Jim Thirwell’s body of work is not only large but also diverse, given his roles as musician, producer, label owner and artist. Using different pseudonyms to delineate each direction, Thirwell not only changes hats from project to project but also within projects. This live benediction abridges his achievements, gathering many of his long-time collaborators to perform selections pulled from 10 years of work. Monstrous production transforms the soundboard at CBGB into a clean, colorful explosion of high frequencies and low magnitudes. Thirwell’s vocals growl heinous exclamations against a voluptuous background, created by the sticky keyboards of David Ouimet (ex-Cop Shoot Cop), the unconventional violin of Hahn Rowe (Hugo Largo) and a group of ex-Swans: Algis Kizys (also Of Cabbages And Kings) on boundless bass, Norman Westberg (also Sugartime) on frivolous guitar and Vinnie Signorelli on drums. Traveling over the top, each element explodes into a gluttonous frenzy – an excessive musical extravaganza that makes you want to scream along with the overpowering obliteration.
CMJ New Music Report, Issue# 289 (19 Jun 1992), by Christina Zafiris.