The The - See Without Being Seen - CDBook - Out Now
Matt Johnson's contribution to many people's record collections in the '80s tends to centre on the holy trinity of albums Soul Mining, Infected and Mind Bomb. From the '90s onwards, the man's art has continued to be held in reverence by an ever-swelling community.
Before those heady days of his most familiar literary synth-pop and alt-rock, Johnson spent many years honing his craft in pub basements and tiny studios, creating what can best be described as anti-pop and disturbdances. This long-anticipated lo-fi collection initially issued on cassette, makes his solo 4AD set Burning Blue Soul sound like Pet Shop Boys. See Without Being Seen is rough, raw and ready for inclusion into the annals of The The history.
The first few tracks are probably beyond the realms of some music-making teenagers these days - seriously disjointed passive-aggressive avant-garde chants get, for want of a better word, curdled with atonal strumming and thumping before the whole affair begins to open up into something of an epiphany. It's not exactly the same as today's generation covering Sam Smith in a shed - this is a mid-teen recalling Throbbing Gristle, early Cabaret Voltaire or even Strafe Fur Rebellion.
The first few tracks are probably beyond the realms of some music-making teenagers these days - seriously disjointed passive-aggressive avant-garde chants get, for want of a better word, curdled with atonal strumming and thumping before the whole affair begins to open up into something of an epiphany. It's not exactly the same as today's generation covering Sam Smith in a shed - this is a mid-teen recalling Throbbing Gristle, early Cabaret Voltaire or even Strafe Fur Rebellion.
Suddenly during Spaceship in my Barn there's harshly-blown harmonica, brutally fedback guitar and that trademark Johnson baritone drawling over a portentous kickdrum from the bowels of hell. Looped tribal percussion and stoned basslines filter through Insect Children with gritty insistence reminiscent of early Factory acts (ACR springs to mind). My Vymura might be the first homage to wallpaper but it doesn't sound like it will ever be an advertising jingle anytime soon.
If you're struggling to decipher Johnson's slurred vocals, the hardback book outer includes lyrics and some rare sketches and imagery. If awards are up for grabs, I'm going to nominate "Humming my lines with my boxes of Dreft" as somewhat memorable. Six related extras have been added to the tape's original tracklist, the pick of which include People On Sight and the self-explanatory Empty Night Train Home. This is a fledgling Matt Johnson on the cusp of an incredible musical journey with destination Burning Blue Soul not so far down the line.
If you're struggling to decipher Johnson's slurred vocals, the hardback book outer includes lyrics and some rare sketches and imagery. If awards are up for grabs, I'm going to nominate "Humming my lines with my boxes of Dreft" as somewhat memorable. Six related extras have been added to the tape's original tracklist, the pick of which include People On Sight and the self-explanatory Empty Night Train Home. This is a fledgling Matt Johnson on the cusp of an incredible musical journey with destination Burning Blue Soul not so far down the line.
7/10