Audion: Suckfish LP
Spectral

Yes, a review of Suckfish already appeared at textura, but the LP version, being significantly different from the CD release, deserves a separate look. The vinyl version includes six of the CD's eleven cuts and adds two new pieces, one a pounding mechano-burner (“Chance”), the other straight-up jacking techno (“New J.”); it's also worth noting that the pieces omitted from the vinyl Suckfish previously appeared on the three previously-issed Audion EPs (Kisses, The Pong, and Just Fucking).

Certain impressions persist, regardless of format: though Matthew Dear's coiled Audion sound draws upon the energy and spirit of Detroit techno, he demonically boosts its android sex vibe by slathering it with acidic grime, writhing synths, and distorted voice effects. “Uvular” intertwines clanks, whirrs, and voices to both playful and pulverizing effect while “T.B.” oozes infectious, sensual swing, especially when the recurring coo of a soft voice hook casts a subtle spell. Elsewhere, “Taut” merges what sounds like the steely thrum of a meat cleaver with a mastodon groove while “Rubber” fashions an insistent tribal cocktail of acid synths and jittery tech-house rhythms.

Aside from content differences, the major sonic difference is the considerable boost the tracks receive in the vinyl format. While the pinprick smears of “Vegetables” sound relatively restrained on CD, the vinyl version oozes bite, and the slurred voice Dear drags throughout the piece seems more prominent too (on the CD, the voice tends to be a somewhat subliminal element that rises to the forefront only at song's end when it speeds up, rendering its words more intelligible). The bass in “Wield” resonates so powerfully, one imagines it clearing underground tunnels with ease.

Of course, a small but passionate group of listeners has been championing the strengths of the vinyl format for years. Background Records' head Andy Vaz, for example, recently said, “I feel and always have felt that vinyl is the best format and that it should be saved and protected, and I only consume music in the vinyl format at home and at work.” (Vaz also noted vinyl's tactility as a key part of its appeal.) When Suckfish's details repeatedly come forth so much more vividly on vinyl, Vaz's purist belief begins to seem less and less extreme.

December 2005