Customer Reviews

Debt Dept

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This album is different from most of Excepter's work. It's vocals-heavy (not vocals-centric), and quite unlike what I think is their best album, Black Beach. You could say it masquerades as a rap album until the last track, when it inexplicibly becomes a masquerade of pop.

Still, this is recognizably a psychedelic album, just "weird psychedelic." Even though the whole album is meant to be listened to in one sitting, the tracks on this album don't really go anywhere. "Any and Every" is one of these; there's a lot of groaning (yes, groaning) and no build-up, no direction... It can't be called meandering. It's a purposeful absence which makes the atmosphere of Dept Debt a little strange. There are several male and female vocalists, none of whom take center stage. Occasionally the vocals suggest something that could point to a theme, or have the slightest effect of creating a mood, as they do in the second half of "Greenhouse / Stretch," but the mood is usually left to the beat and the bass line. Artistically, it's not a good sign that a very creepy song like "Kill People" is probably the most coherent track.

Debt Dept is best listened to with speakers or with bassy headphones that have large sound stage. Details aren't important on this album; what matters is heavy bass and being able to pick out instrument location. Recommend tracks are "Shots Ring," "Greenhouse / Stretch," and "Sunrise," all of which are a pleasure to listen to. At forty minutes, it's worth buying, but not the most polished or enjoyable Excepter album.

I don't see the appeal of this - and I usually like this sort of thing. Just put on a throbbing gristle album instead - it will be about a billion times as good. It is one thing not to bother writing songs, but there has to be something going for it, some creativity underneath. All that comes through is that they want to be a cool, loose, freaky anything goes noisey synthesizery band. This is completely self indulgent - but not in a good way.