Mass Suicide Occult Figurines

Many of the protagonists here, like Dante's sinners, describe their torment in vivid detail, all the while denying responsibility, and thereby ensuring eternal, self-imposed torment. "I know god hates alchemical work (I loved him lonely), but in the end what else to do? but begin again" intones the speaker in "Speed Lab" after the DEA has incinerated his operation. The pornoholic in "Bill Gates Must Die" blames the Microsoft CEO for his addiction, and as teeny tiny little teens pour out of his computer observes that "people stray, just don't say I'll never make it back intact." Other songs seek redemption in love ("Big Band Stars," "Josie Anderson," "Foothills of My Mind") but even these focus more on struggle and pain than on unity and joy.

The playing here (mostly Vanderslice, aided on several songs by members of his former band, MK ULTRA) is always on target (but never predictable) and the engineering by Vanderslice and John Croslin is revelatory (JV manages the acclaimed Tiny Telephone Studio in San Francisco).

Numerous posturers pretend to recreate hellfire and damnation in their 4-minute MTV schlock videos. John Vanderslice dispassionately depicts the lost world, much as Ray Davies chronicled the British working class. Mass Suicide Occult Figurines may not save your soul, but at the least it can tell you how you got off the path, and maybe where to get back on again.

John Vanderslice's album is full of quirky lyrics that somehow make sense and is packed with terrific playing. The drum beats in the songs are catchy. Vocals are good and polished. The track "Bill Gates Must Die" is a great classic rocking tune with amusing lyrics -- I'm a fan of Microsoft as well as its competitors and even I like the song. The single should be playing on "modern" and college radio stations across the country because it's better than most of the stuff on the air. Ditto for "Speedlab."

The last song, Mass Suicide Occult Figurines, is a great electronic/synth instrumental. There's a lot of variety on this album. Sometimes it sounds like Pink Floyd, sometimes Greenday, sometimes Kraftwerk. ...

There are a couple of tracks that I don't care for. The price of variety is not pleasing everyone on every track. There's plenty there to enjoy. I give this album four stars and highly recommend that you add it to your CD collection.