PSYChIC Tv

Pagan Day/Allegory And Self Two post-Gristle outings from Genesis P-Orridge and friends

After the dissolution of formative industrial group throbbing Gristle, Genesis P-Orridge channelled his creativity into Psychic tV – a morphing, open-ended collective encompassing occult mysticism and multimedia creativity, experimental improvisation and glossy pop. two releases, issued on vinyl for the first time since the ’80s, show off different sides of the group’s oeuvre. Released in 1988, Allegory And Self – the final album with Alternative tV’s Alex Fergusson in the fold – finds the group approaching something polished and commercial. In truth it’s a bit all over the shop, and in particular “Godstar” – a cloying tribute to fallen stones guitarist Brian Jones – has dated poorly. But doleful folk number “We Kiss” strikes a note of unlikely romance, while “she Was surprised” experiments with jacking hi-NRG rhythms, a glimpse of the group’s future forays in acid house. More consistent is Pagan Day, a collection of song sketches and demos first released in 1984. stripped right back to guitar, organ and occasional drum machine, it explores Velvets malingering (“Opium”), florid orchestral folk (“Cold steel”), and naïve minimal synth (“New sexuality”), with a neat cover of ’60s psych folk group Pearls Before swine’s “translucent Carriages” among the highlights. Extras: None.