Pissing Graffiti - Saxaphone

I appreciate the enthusiasm which this artist possesses but there's too much NIN in the mix for me to get into it. If this had been released in the 90s, Pissing Graffiti would have been at home alongside Sister Machine Gun, Stabbing Westward and Gravity Kills, however, what's going on here has been done to death. The percussive touches, the jingling key lines, the heavily processed guitars are all there. The only thing missing would be some nice screamy vocals ala Reznor or perhaps Patrik from Filter. The work on here sounds like unfinished demos which Trent would have done in between The Downward Spiral and The Fragile and we all know how good the one song which escaped the studio, 'The Perfect Drug' was from that era... Ministry's late 80s efforts could also be listed as an inspiration, some of the drums on here are eerily reminiscent of what Hypo and Hermes achieved with "The Land of Rape and Honey".

There is definitely a conscious effort to put his own stamp on this sound which Pissing Graffiti are attempting to do but due to the constraints of format (yeah, genre, why not) it's just not happening. Much melancholy is on display throughout "Saxaphone" and at times it is a very angry affair. The lack of vocals is a wise decision yet it cannot disguise the influences overwhelming this EP. If he drops the guitar and some of the more recognizable song structures/hooks, I'm sure he'd come across much more convincingly. The sombre piano work is just too much, I keep expecting to see Reznor floating out of my speakers ala "Closer" in his shiny vinyl gear replete with pouty scowl and puppy dog eyes. The final two tracks on this release displays some very nice musical discord with "Damaged" descending into pure white noise mayhem and "Distaste" revealing a lean, twangy resignation at the coda.

Here's hoping this is a sign of things to come. Jul 01 2011