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Pere Ubu - Dub Housing |
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ALBUM REVIEWSPick of the Chick: Our Favorite Releases, 1999-Present |
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Pere Ubu are one of those bands that defies easy labelling. Although commonly herded under the banner of new wave or punk, the band rejected both the pop leanings of new wavers and the musical minimalism of punk purists. Instead, Pere Ubu harnessed the raw energy of punk and used it to propel their own style of heady art rock. The result was one of rock's strangest, yet most compelling, hybrids. Despite Pere Ubu's novel contributions, many of their albums have been hard to find in recent years. This past summer, however, the Thirsty Ear label reissued their 1979 fringe classic, Dub Housing--one of the weirdest sounding rock albums ever made. The demented warbles of vocalist David Thomas dominate Dub Housing. Thomas's vocals are intense. His words give the album a sense of urgency and instill a feeling that things aren't quite right upstairs in the Ubu household. Synthesized noises that range from buzzing ("Navvy") to gurgling ("On The Surface") to alien ("Blow Daddy-o") also haunt Dub Housing. As if the mood wasn't eerie enough, a wailing saxophone and lost voices weave in and out of the songs. All of these elements congeal to form a highly schizophrenic mix. Many of Dub Housing's songs, like "Thriller!" and "Drinking Wine Spodyody," are propelled by jerky rhythms that resemble marches. These strange yet infectious beats lure the listener into the band's twisted parade. There are a few moments on Dub Housing where Pere Ubu flirt with mainstream rock. "I Will Wait" and "Ubu Dance Party" are outright catchy at first. Any commercial potential is killed off, however, by the quirky production and slow bridges that derail the momentum of the songs. Dub Housing closes with "Codex," where a drunken ska riff dog paddles over hollow chants. "I think about you all the time," Thomas sings like a man who hasn't slept in days. The song conveys obsession in very raw terms--raw enough for most people to seek a restraining order. It's an unsettling ending to a jarring album. If you thirst for art rock with a delusional edge, Pere Ubu's Dub Housing is a reissue that's worth checking out. PIGEONHOLE: Art punk with a delusional edge.
Andrew Helminger |
PERE UBU
