Satanicpornocultshop - .aiff Skull EP [Vivo Records - 2007]In my recent review of Deerhunter's Fluorescent Grey EP, I made note of the fact that most EP's consist of about half worthy material, half filler. This EP, which really isn't an EP (it's over 60 minutes long!) in my mind, has a quality ratio of approximately 20% listenable to 80%, well, let's be generous, not so listenable. Satanicpornocultshop exude a forced wackiness which under the perfect circumstances can be somewhat amusing, and at others overly hysterical and grating. Unfortunately this EP (?) fits mostly into the latter category. Every moment is saturated with kitschy samples and sensory overload which amount to a kind of musical equivalent of fast food. There's a lot of calories and no substance in other words. There's nothing to grasp onto of interest, unless your cup of tea is an un-ironic take on MC Hammer's Can't Touch This. Add to that over-produced polished pop vocals and you've got a long 62 minutes ahead of you. I realize I'm being hard on these guys. Maybe it was marketed as an EP because the band didn't intend for it to be taken as an album, and it's for fans only. So if the joke's on me, fine. Now for a couple of beers and some aspirin. Erwin Michelfelder
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