Rx - Bedside Toxicology
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CDs catalogue:
- X-RX - Gasoline and Fire CD
- X-RX - Crank It Up CD
- X-RX - Activate The Machinez CD
- X-RX - Update 3.0 CD
- X-RX - Stage 2 CD
- X-RX - Unmoglich Erregend CD
- [X]-Rx - Update 3.0 - 2010-06-20
In May 1998 Nivek Ogre (Skinny Puppy) and Martin Atkins (Killing Joke, Ministry, NIN, etc.) released their album Bedside Toxicology. The project Rx or its previous version Ritalin in its style refers to the groups of the 1990s. Yet the sound has already passed that stage, making the album closer to the contemporary British electronic music.
I wasn’t really prepared for Scarecrow – you can perceive this music as conscious dissociation from the previous projects. Plus who places a cover song right after No. 1 on an album? There’s a method to their madness, it seems. The scarecrow, which is also the title of the album, chases away old witchcraft. Those who seek for a continuation of Skinny Puppy’s music should confine themselves just to listening to Syd Barret’s track. Now the time of experiments has come, be it Ogre’s debut as a guitarist. The next song seems to be exactly what I have expected from the music of this album - heavier, more melodic, and less psychedelic. In KY Re:amin you can hear Atkins’ dominant influence. Reuptake constitutes a comeback to Ritalin and for me, this is the best moment on the CD, where every tune was thought through before being made and their order deserves some credit as well.
It’s time for another cover track - Petula Clark’s Downtown. This once light song now has revealed some hidden depths and a healthy dose of irony thanks to Ogre’s rough vocals and a sadistic modification of the sound. Imago is a step into a maniacal mind and another experiment – a descent down the stairs into a cellar full of crime memorabilia. If you have had an opportunity to see the movie Killer Clowns from Outer Space, you will agree with me that the soundtrack to this film could feature Crackhead Waltz. The Daze is like banging your head against a brick wall – the vocals bring to your mind the angry buzz of an annoying fly. Ogre’s can use his voice in a way that he can convey all the emotions embedded in the lyrics. And When leads the listener back into the daylight. Of course, we haven’t turned to optimists– at this point we have only left the cellar. The next two tracks Idle Contact and Exofiliate are garnished with innovative sound to the extent that I forget the year of the album release. The closing For Dusts and Mists is a sort of bracket, it’s related to Scarecrow, an experiment. Throughout the song you can hear sounds resembling those of a dog eating dog food and the tone of the instrument added from time to time enriches the track. It might indicate a situation when the listener, having listened to the CD, is fed to gills.
Well, I am not and I could easily find room for more. The middle part of the album doesn’t raise my blood pressure – it was supposed to be more original, but there is too much monotony or distinctive mantra. If they had cut it off, the album would be more consistent, but some quality would still be missing. As a whole, the album is interesting but it is not a knockout. Bedside Toxicology is a modern compilation that deserves some more publicity. You can hear some genuinely new sound, yet you can also become a bit disappointed.
Tracklist:
01. Scarecrow
02. K Y Re:amin
03. Reuptake
04. Downtown.
05. Imago
06. Crackhead Waltz
07. The Daze
08. And When.
09. Idle Contact
10. Exofiliate
11. For Dusts and Mists
Other articles:
I wasn’t really prepared for Scarecrow – you can perceive this music as conscious dissociation from the previous projects. Plus who places a cover song right after No. 1 on an album? There’s a method to their madness, it seems. The scarecrow, which is also the title of the album, chases away old witchcraft. Those who seek for a continuation of Skinny Puppy’s music should confine themselves just to listening to Syd Barret’s track. Now the time of experiments has come, be it Ogre’s debut as a guitarist. The next song seems to be exactly what I have expected from the music of this album - heavier, more melodic, and less psychedelic. In KY Re:amin you can hear Atkins’ dominant influence. Reuptake constitutes a comeback to Ritalin and for me, this is the best moment on the CD, where every tune was thought through before being made and their order deserves some credit as well.
It’s time for another cover track - Petula Clark’s Downtown. This once light song now has revealed some hidden depths and a healthy dose of irony thanks to Ogre’s rough vocals and a sadistic modification of the sound. Imago is a step into a maniacal mind and another experiment – a descent down the stairs into a cellar full of crime memorabilia. If you have had an opportunity to see the movie Killer Clowns from Outer Space, you will agree with me that the soundtrack to this film could feature Crackhead Waltz. The Daze is like banging your head against a brick wall – the vocals bring to your mind the angry buzz of an annoying fly. Ogre’s can use his voice in a way that he can convey all the emotions embedded in the lyrics. And When leads the listener back into the daylight. Of course, we haven’t turned to optimists– at this point we have only left the cellar. The next two tracks Idle Contact and Exofiliate are garnished with innovative sound to the extent that I forget the year of the album release. The closing For Dusts and Mists is a sort of bracket, it’s related to Scarecrow, an experiment. Throughout the song you can hear sounds resembling those of a dog eating dog food and the tone of the instrument added from time to time enriches the track. It might indicate a situation when the listener, having listened to the CD, is fed to gills.
Well, I am not and I could easily find room for more. The middle part of the album doesn’t raise my blood pressure – it was supposed to be more original, but there is too much monotony or distinctive mantra. If they had cut it off, the album would be more consistent, but some quality would still be missing. As a whole, the album is interesting but it is not a knockout. Bedside Toxicology is a modern compilation that deserves some more publicity. You can hear some genuinely new sound, yet you can also become a bit disappointed.
Tracklist:
01. Scarecrow
02. K Y Re:amin
03. Reuptake
04. Downtown.
05. Imago
06. Crackhead Waltz
07. The Daze
08. And When.
09. Idle Contact
10. Exofiliate
11. For Dusts and Mists
Other articles:
- M'era Luna 2015 - 2015-09-25 (Live reports)
- Amphi Festival 2013 - 2013-10-02 (Live reports)
- Amphi Festival 2011 - 2012-04-18 (Live reports)
- [x]-Rx - Update 3.0 - 2011-02-05 (Music reviews)
- [x]-Rx - Stage 2 - 2009-04-28 (Music reviews)
- Interview with [x]-RX - 2009-04-08 (Interviews)
