Standing in the attic... lost and found... "The Truth in dark corners" is a treasure.... Restored by Martin Bowes from recently re-discovered live cassette recordings of the 1985 tours of Holland and the UK....
This album Including two never before released songs from ATTRITION's "Smiling, at the Hypogonder club" period - "In the attic" and "The aftermath"... plus a rare vocal version of the track "The wrecking ground", and radically different earlier versions of many tracks from that album... "Smiling, at the Hypongonder club" was ATTRITION's second album proper and was seen by many as a classic darkwave / industrial record.... The Truth in dark corners" is the perfect accompaniement....
The cover artwork includes rare photographs and sleeve notes by long time friend and fan Justin Mitchel of Cold Spring records...

Side-Line:

This is not exactly a new album, but a live recording from 1985 (!) in The Netherlands. This is the kind of ‘dated’ album that will appeal for the biggest fans of the 80s and the collectors of Attrition. We get a spoken introduction (in Dutch) to the concert featuring nine songs (on this album). It seems that Martin Bowes restored some old demo-recording from this gig in The Netherlands. The songs are mainly taken from the “Smiling, At The Hypogonder Club”-album plus some old singles as well (cf. “Shrinkwrap/Pendulum Turns”). The bonus of this album is for sure the previously unreleased songs “In The Attic” and “The Aftermath”. Both songs are rather experimental, totally fitting to the 80s musical style of early Attrition. The opening song from the concert (cf. “The Drop”) is a bit less experimental and revealing a new-wave touch. The quality of the recording (sound) is quite honest while the songs are showing early tracks like “Pendullum Turns” or yet “Hallucinator” in a different (live) version. This album is mainly recommended for the heaviest fans of the band! Notice that the pictures of the concert (on the front- and back cover) were taken by Justin Mitchell from Cold Spring Records. Back in time he was a big fan of Attrition and finally become a friend of Martin Bowes. This album is pure nostalgia.

Chain DLK:

In the last years Attrition reissued all their old albums and also some rarities (see the Vinyl On Deman "Demostro 1981-1986" double LP release), so it was quite a surprise to see this Other Voices release. "The Truth In Dark Corners" is a recording of live tracks coming from the band's 1985 Holland tour plus a closing track coming from a London gig. Back then Attrition were releasing their second album "Smiling, At The Hypogonder Club" on Third Mind and this release contains many tracks coming from that one plus "Shrinkwrap" (which was a single) and two unreleased tracks "In The Attic" and "The Aftermath". Formed on those days by Martin Bowes, Marianne Teunissen and Alex Novak, the band was creating their distinctive darkwave electronic sound which was capable to mix danceable rhythms and electronic experimental attitude. "The Truth In Dark Corners" contains good recordings of classic Attrition's tracks (or at least they are what I consider their classics) like "Mind Drop" or "Pendulum Turns" and here you can listen them sounding direct and powerful. These recordings represent quite well the essence of the band on those days so I don't consider this album only a release for hard core fans. As artwork you'll find photos taken by Justin Mitchell back then. I'm quite sure that if you a long time reader of our magazine you know this guy, because when he knew Attrition he was an electronic music enthusiast who became their friend but soon after he founded Cold Spring Records.

Mick Mercer:

Old tapes hold many treasures, and Martin Bowes was right to rescue these old live recordings from Holland in 1985. Sleeve details note that many of these songs were reworked for the “Smiling, At The Hypgonder Club” album, but we also have two exclusives with ‘In The Attic’ and ‘The Aftermath.’ ‘Introducing...’ doesn’t count, being some Dutch bloke introducing them, but then we lumber curiously into the robust atmospherics of ‘Mind Drop’ and it’s a sour, clammy, interesting sound, because back then you still needed to have your wits about you to make electronic music work, instead of staring desperately at equipment which refused to work. There’s some fine feedback, then they move into a bruising pop segment with a deeply truculent synth line. ‘In The Attic’ is weird, an agonised make vocal taking over a spoken female voice, and over a bony pulse beat some weirdo is wailing about hearing someone running away, and that he can hear you thinking. His hair maybe on fire as well as his mind, but that could be my own hearing problems. Either way I wouldn’t go in that attic for a while. ‘Feel The Backlash’ is coy pop too, in away, with moany female vocals floating, and some curdled sax sloping around. ‘The Aftermath’ has a sharper, twisting spray of sound, with a buoyant synth curve keeping it lively while the vocals whip around darkly. ‘Shrinkwrap’ is harsh, like The Normal gone mad. ‘Talk to me…shrinkwrap,’ go the opening lyrics. (What sort of lifestyle is that, hoping to listen to shrinkwrap? That said, these were primitive times, none of us having ever seen bubblewrap.) It sounds mental as someone groans, ‘we are what we eat’ but it saved momentarily by some fizzy percussion. ‘Hallucinator’ includes lots of howling and yelping, over a meandering bass and clattery metal base, orchestral synth stabs and distressed vocal claims on paradise. “The walls have ears, and the ears have eyes.” Now that’s interior design! It’s a powerful sound, and then there’s nice contrast offered by the sleepy mausoleum intro of ‘Pendulum Turns’ which has a beautifully creepy synth, out of which an arthritic dance form emerges, with church bells then appearing out of nowhere. ‘Fate Is Smiling’ is neater in sound with the music and vocals operating in the same sphere, and the mournful effect is quite wonderful. Some of the vocals are a bit raw, but this is doubly impressive as it’s a live recording. ‘The Wrecking Ground’ seems to be some sort of scream aversion therapy performed to a Kratfwerk backing track. It’s on coagulated side of hectic. A fascinating step back in time.

Attrition
The Truth in Dark Corners

Release date:July 17, 2011
Catalogue number:VOX8CD
Packaging: 4 panel matte laminated digipak
CD Pressing: 500 copies
File under: Darkwave / Industrial
Artwork by: Oleg Galay

1. Introducing...
2. Mind Drop
3. In The Attic
4. Feel The Backlash
5. The Aftermath
6. Shrinkwrap
7. Hallucinator
8. Pendulum Turns
9. Fate Is Smiling
10. The Wrecking Ground