Tearing arms from Deities

reviews
ATTRITION - Tearing arms from Deities. review from Chain DLK 2006

There aren't many bands who have gone through 25 years of dark contemporary history and come out unscathed.
Attrition have, maintaining all the time a remarkable coherence and integrity. Martin Bowes, leading soul of Attrition , has compiled a new anthology of tracks covering the whole span of that history. It is very much a personal and intimate recollection of the different periods of the band (often just Martin and female singer Julia Waller),
The interest of the CD lies in the good number of rare tracks from hard-to-find samplers or 7” and new remixes of old tracks presented in the booklet with accompanying comments and memories by Martin himself. The very human exploration of the mysterious duality of man – like the Two Gods of the same title – comes across in the mix of dark ambience, pulsing rhythms, and the often contrasting voices of Martin and Julia. Part of the music ventures into classical moods, melancholic strings yearning for love, integrity, peace (see the 1997 Etude CD of classical interpretations). This is carried along by the wistful soprano voice of Julia Waller.
My own personal taste prefers the rhythmic nervousness of tracks like “Beast of burden” where the electronic programming skills of Martin Bowes show how Attrition rose from the dark industrial, cut-up electroculture of the early ‘80s. All in all a very fine compilation which can provide an excellent introduction to the band for those who have not yet listened to Attrition .
“The light and shades that make up the whole”, according to Martin's words, is what keeps together these haunting tracks, inspired by the passions, by the turmoils of love and losses witnessed by Martin Bowes in the booklet. Thus, the CD is also a journey where each track unravels a page in a very personal diary. The best surprise? The long, sparse krautrock symphony titled “A few of my favourite things”.

ATTRITION - Tearing arms from Deities. review from Musictap.net USA 2006

Musical experimentation and conceptual ideas that join together to produce compelling, if not altogether accessible, songs, complex in their construction and precise in their delivery, is the hallmark of Attrition. Attrition is the vehicle created by Martin Bowes to express and convey his feelings and thoughts, perhaps as cathartic medicine, and perhaps as a valve. Regardless, no one can say that Attrition doesn't challenge the listener in various ways.

Requiring the firmest of musical appreciation to get through, especially true for the casual musical fan, Attrition provides a satisfying ride into the heart and soul of imagination. Formed in 1980 and compiling a catalog of 15 albums - studio, live, and soundtrack - plus a batch of collection discs, Attrition makes a case for thought.

The new Attrition collection, Tearing arms from Deities: Attrition 1980-2005 is from newly formed Two Gods label and runs the span of 16 songs that move from the spaces of all of those past gems. The album begins with the classically soft “Prelude,” moves into the newer, metaphorical search of healing for the split parts of good and evil and human existence, a philosophic exploration that plagues many of us, in “Two Gods,” and the electronic funk of “Cosmetic Citizen.”

Bowes employs an operatic female vocal in many of the songs in order to infuse contrast to the often-used dark male vocal. There is a sense of cinematic urgency in many of the songs, all of which, when combined, produce a unique collection that is lyrically challenging and musically clever.

The 16-page booklet is as artistic as the remastered music found on the CD. Filled with intriguing photos of sepia tones, some with visually stimulating nudes and others of gothic flavour, the booklet adds extreme value to the collection. There are notes by Bowes, observations of each song, credits, and interesting cover art.

Attrition plans to be around for quite some time. With that future anticipation of life and spiritual expression, we can obviously expect another collection not too far down the road. Attrition will not be for the masses, nor do they intend to be. Such forays into the far reaches of the heart can only be interpreted by the willing. Attrition has no lack of that audience, and a few more converts would not hurt. But come prepared.

Attrition - "Tearing Arms From Deities " - review from Godsend Online. USA 2006

Condensing 25 years of songs, experiences, and history into one 70-minute CD can't be easy, but Martin Bowes has done so in this wonderful package, complete with plenty of lovely artwork and an informative booklet. This career summation is the perfect document of their finer work through the years. From the neo-classicism of the opening 'Prelude' to the kitschier 80s-electro-industrial / anti-consumerist rant of 'Shrinkwrap', ATTRITION have always balanced their overt dark edges with an outsider popsong stance. Bowes' gutteral vocals and Julia Waller's brighter, dramatic voice are a unique and recognizable counterpoint and a trademark of sorts. More recent work, like 'Two Gods', maintains a certain elegance and magical intensity in its' minimalist execution and subdued demeanor. 'Tearing Arms From Deities' is a wonderful cross-section and well worth seeking out, especially as this seems to be limited to 2000 copies.
(Two Gods / Voiceprint)

Attrition - Tearing Arms From Deities review from Compulsion Online. UK 2006

Tearing Arms From Deities is a 16 track retrospective of Attrition. This collection compiled by Bowes attempts to capture the essence of Attrition the UK based electronic outfit he has led for well over two decades, and someplace between 15 and 20 albums. Attrition may be known to most for their mininal electronic sound drawing upon experimental theatrics and dark industrial techno pop as found on releases such as The Hidden Agenda and Dante's Kitchen , but in their vast discography they've flirted with stark, doomy electronics, dark electro-pop to classical reworkings of their own material. Tearing Arms From Deities takes in them all, with more besides including their contribution to The Elephant Table album, Dave Henderson's album of "difficult music" that grew from his Wild Planet column in the now defunct music paper Sounds. Alongside 'Dreamsleep' there's the anti-vivisectionist track 'Monkey In A Bin' (that appeared alongside The Smiths, The Colour Field...), the anti-consumerist single 'Shrinkwrap', and the little known 'A'dam and Eva'. These clutch of tracks catch Attrition in a sort of post-punk phase, grappling with electronics. The electro-funk of these tracks is somewhere between Hula and the Associates, with 'A'dam and Eva' a dirty decadent tale with lilting keyboards and sax squall that sounds like Siouxsie Sioux fronting the Legendary Pink Dots, a band Attrition were once closely aligned with.

The most accomplished sounds on Tearing Arms From Deities feature the precise, electronics fused with classical textures with Martin's deep heavyset voice pitted against the operatic soar of Julia Waller. 'Two Gods', 'Cosmetic Citizen', 'The Mercy Machine' are the best examples here amply showcasing why Attrition have found willing ears in the darkwave and electro-goth side of things. The classical interpretation of 'I Am (Eternity)', meanwhile, is a strong example of their ethereal tendencies, with arrangements by a member of the Paris Opera.

For a band so closely associated with darkwave the scope of Tearing Arms From Deities and the breadth of styles Attrition have covered is quite surprising.
The history of Attrition has been one beset by personnel and label issues, now finding themselves on their own label I hope they can make room to develop other areas of their sound, outside of the gothic-industrial electronics. Bowes's handpicked selection here is wide ranging yet Attrition releases over the past decade only tell part of a story.