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The four tracks here continue the spoken jazz ambient experimentations of Lunch after the implosion of Teenage Jesus and The Jerks. The screeching vocals of Teenage Jesus are a long way behind her as she’s matured into an accomplished performer.

The title track takes her sultry voice into art-rocker dinner jazz up a dark alley as the deviant bass thunders. On ‘Lost World’, the Devil made her do it to the computer electro beats of jazz poetry; “Everybody smokes in hell” apparently.

The bass playing is brilliant throughout while the sax of Niels Van Hoorn (great name) is in keeping with the spirit, if not the style, of Chance’s playing. Guitarist Nels Cline gets a chance to do a little free-styling and it’s also worth noting the Nels appears on the cover disc of this months’ Wire magazine.

The stand out track on this 12” is ‘Pass Life Night’, which is like a cross between Patti Smith’s ‘Horses’ and the jazz vibe of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wild Side’. I don’t know what the rest of the album is like, but Mule Musiq certainly have picked some great tracks to benefit from a vinyl release.

To catch up with the best of 1979, I’d also recommend N.Y. No Wave on Ze Records. Peel loved this stuff.

Hectic Mix nomination: ‘Pass Life Night’

Reviewed: Lydia Lunch — Smoke in The Shadows (Mule Musiq) Cat. No.: MULEMUSIQ 010 12” Release date: 20th November 2006 Notes “Licenced From Lydia Lunch”
Tracklisting:
A1 Smoke in The Shadows
A2 Lost World
B1 Blame
B2 Pass Life Night

Links:
www.lydia-lunch.org
www.nelscline.com
www.mulemusiq.com Mule Musiq 5-6-3 Nakameguro Meguroku Tokyo Japan
www.test-icicles.com