Pig Heart Transplant — For Mass Consumption

Seattle (by way of Oakland by way of Reno) artist Jon Kortland, known best for being one half of powerviolence act Iron Lung, is back with his second solo release as Pig Heart Transplant. Song length and aggression are all that PHT shares with Iron Lung, though, as synths and other distorted sources are the main attacking force on For Mass Consumption. However, with 28 songs running at 44 seconds each, does Kortland allow himself enough time for his songs to take hold?

Distortion is the name of the game for Pig Heart Transplant's sophomore effort. Cranked volume and amped up crunch almost hide the fact that 90% of the loops and beats sound quickly slapped together and haphazard. Having experimented with sound for fifteen or so years, I understand discovering new sounds, but appreciate when they're played with until they work. Tracks like "Film,"Gift,"Male," and "Pigs" (to name a few) have that quickly constructed, thrown against the wall and see what sticks type of feel. Awkward beats looped and heavily distorted, although easy to create are seen through just as easily. 44 seconds is definitely an adequate amount of time for these tracks, and one can see how PHT was able to come up with that many different songs.

That's not to say that it's all lackluster, though. Considering that all the songs are short and different, the distortion manages to keep them together pretty well. There are a couple of synthy respites, too, that, although simple, work well in breaking up the album. These moments of restraint show that there's something to PHT that, with proper restraint and self-review, could be of note. Until then, though, despite comparisons to well respected acts, Pig Heart Transplant can remain on one's back burner.