Thee Majesty — Vitruvian Pan
Genesis Breyer P-Orridge, despite his many eccentricities, is a charismatic, sometimes compelling personality. It's fair to say that his (his/her?) musical career is just a piece of the puzzle for an individual who approaches life as a kind of performance art. But as far as the music goes, P-Orridge is best remembered for his participation in Throbbing Gristle and Psychic TV, whose music most readers of this website will no doubt be familiar. As far as his solo work, and later Psychic TV are concerned, it seems as if the messages that go along with the music are more important to P-Orridge than the music itself. In other words, the music is just there as a vehicle for conveying his thoughts on society.
Unfortunately, despite flashes of interesting sounds, this project displays the same lack of concern for interesting or innovative music, though this time the music was put together by Bryin Dall. P-Orridge's rants are certainly interesting enough to listen to once or twice, but the music is simply repetitive and samey industrial techno, with minor avant garde flourishes.
The production is first class, and undoubtedly the best equipment was used to produce this music. Considering the relative success of P-Orridge's involvement in the recent Throbbing Gristle reunion, it's disappointing that his imagination hasn't been spurred enough for him to collaborate, and shape this into something a bit more fitting. Some people undoubtedly gag a bit at the thought of the reuniting of an incendiary band, whose creed was to end quickly. But P-Orridge on his own, and in this case, with Bryin Dall as Thee Majesty seems a bit lost and without any real forward motion.
There are a couple of interesting tidbits, but again, they only relate to the words. The most offbeat and unexpected inclusion is a bedtime story that Genesis originally improvised for his two daughters in 1987. It's a lighthearted, though somewhat bizarre little story about a couple of guinea pigs. Not what you'd expect, but that's what makes it one of the most interesting tracks. Vitruvian Pan is an album die hard fans will most likely enjoy, but for the sometime fans, and the uninitiated, this probably will not do the trick.