Sutcliffe No More — Normal
Normal is album number three from Sutcliffe No More. It finds the British two-piece severing up nine tracks- which blend together elements of extreme electronica, muffled ‘n’ deformed beats, and noisily swooping bays ‘n’ drones. All topped off with male vocals that shift between ranting, unhinged, chilling & vein-popping.
The release appears on Austria's Klanggalerie. Presented in the form of CD- with a simple but effective six-panel min gatefold. On it’s outside we have simple white mirrored text on a black background, and inside it’s black text the right way around on white. The CD comes in a white slip- which also features a single white text & black inlay, outlining some of the album's themes.
The Sutcliffe No More project began in the year 2021- bringing together Kevin Tomkins & Paul Taylor, both formally of infamous/ but often creative Power electronics Sutcliffe Jugend- who ran from 1982 to 2018- releasing thirty-two albums, as well of course a fair selection of singles/ EP’s/ etc. I reviewed Sutcliffe No More's debut album Domestic (4iB Records)- this was a double disc affair focusing on a lulling- if highly uneasy/ disturbing sound. With Normal they are certainly looking back to their PE past- but invigorating & warping it with the addition of extreme, yet creative electronica.
Things kick off with “Genesis Of The Teenage Politic” here we find a rapid ‘n’ taut synth bass tone weave, searied by baying noise lines, and Tomkins vocals shifting from sarcastic/ mocking spoken word, to ranting & sourly warbling. Moving on we have the glitching-to-bouncing electronics ‘n’ beats of “Aesthetic Pathetic” which see Tomkins shifting from angrily theatrical, baying, to robot sound- all edged with searing, spinning & grating noise tone details.
The second half of the album moves from the stabbing electro-flow ‘n’ groove of “No Control”, with its glitching at times overriding sonic circuitry, and wavering-to-ranted vocals. There’s the electro-modified horn-like pump ‘n’ dart of “Jacobs Ladder” with its subtle slicing noise glitches. With the album playing out with the title track- which brings tightly woven & choppy electro-noise tones, warbling pitch detail, with later sear detail & Tomkins electro-warbled vocals repeating the track's title.
As an album Normal perfectly balances the feel of danger & uneasiness, with sonic flare & creativity. It’s certainly coming from a PE place- but it’s warping & bending it to something a little bit fresher, challenging, but also rather engaging. I wanted to give this a three & a half, but as we only do full marks here, I’ve gone for a four.