

|
"Ladies and Gentlemen"
introduction.…at Machine, Boston |
| Martin Bowes: Vocals,
prepared backing tracks Christine Reid: vocals Craig ward: Live Sound/Vocal effects/Analogue Synthesiser *James Duffin: Keyboards, analogue Synthesiser …and with Carl Howard: additional analogue synth |
| All recordings direct to mini disk. Edited and mastered by Martin Bowes @ the cage, Coventry, England May-June 1999. |
| art
& layout by Johnnie Clapper live photos by E.Katie Holm |
CD
2000 Trinity records TRI040. Germany
A limited
edition of 666 copies.
Legends
magazine. USA. 2000
Opening
with the melancholic viola from Prelude, Attrition quickly shifts gears
into the live version of Acid Tongue. The song's viola intro segues well
and alludes to Attrition's well thought out live performances.
This is the first chance many fans have to hear Attrition's new vocalist.
Julia Waller has meandered off, to be replaced with Christine Reid. It's
a change. It's not the same band. Julia's disaffected, angelic voice has
been replaced with a sultry street smart wail and whisper.
The live version of Acid Tongue seems more straight ahead, more electro.
I was thinking the majority of the live versions would lend themselves to
the same treatment, but Atomizer actually sounds remarkably similar to the
album version.
The Second Hand actually sounds much different. Slower, perhaps, and we
finally get to hear Christine really color a song. Her wails lend the song
more despair, while on I Am she sounds more stately.
In a couple of places, the updated performances add intriguing new touches
to Attrition's music. Cosmetic Citizen gets an extra little turnaround on
the main sequence that gives it more bounce. Their classic, Lip Sync, sounds
like it could have come off of their last album, The Jeopardy Maze. The
Mercy Machine invokes the same effect. Maybe he's using a new keyboard?
Attrition encore with their all-time favorite track, A Girl Called Harmony.
Whether or not we like it, Julia's vocal interpretation marks the song indelibly.
It's just not the same with Christine's voice; not a reflection on her.
It's just not the same.
Overall, a valuable record of Attrition's live sound.