The Legendary Pink Dots - The Gethsemane Option (Album Review)
Friday, 26 July 2013
Written by Ben Bland
There’s something unquantifiably intriguing about the Legendary Pink Dots. It partly surrounds their enormous back catalogue, which includes 32 studio albums in 33 years, but the real appeal of the band is their wilful disregard for standardised musical forms. They have navigated the nether regions of avant-garde, without being afraid to dabble in the world of pop.
Their heyday was, undeniably, the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, when they released a string of albums that have since been hailed as underrated masterpieces. Such efforts have clearly inspired devotion among their fanbase and Liars guitarist Aaron Hemphill once confided that after he first heard them, he went straight out and bought every record they’d ever done. Whether it's completely necessary to own all that material is debatable, though, and ‘The Gethsemane Option’ certainly doesn’t fall into the masterpiece camp.
On its seven tracks, which unfold over nearly an hour, the Legendary Pink Dots find themselves exploring minimalistic, primarily electronic terrain, with only the occasional barrage of sonic tomfoolery keeping listeners on their toes. Such an approach lends the suspicion that, for all its strong points, this album doesn’t really go anywhere.
That would be a simplification, though, if not a complete untruth. There are developments in texture and sonic palates across the album, but they are subtle, and grounded in the same, largely percussive, focal points.
These tracks shuffle along with little hints of organic instrumentation alongside the inhuman electronic sounds that are most prevalent. It’s also a shame that the lyrics leave something to be desired, maintaining a bizarre contrast between deeply philosophical and almost trivial throughout.
If you can ignore this occasionally blasé approach to lyric craft, however, there should still be plenty available to admire in ‘The Gethsemane Option’. It’s no doubt a more complicated offering than is apparent on early listens, and even if it is not an essential part of the band’s catalogue, it retains the appealing sense of curiosity that has always been a part of their charm. As such it looks set to become another worthwhile entry in their ever lengthening discography.
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