Whitehouse are a band that people either seem to love or hate with an extreme passion. I myself find myself falling into the first catagory, and this their 17th studio album isn't going to make those who hate them drastically change their opinion either. 'Bird Seed' is quite easily Whitehouse's most accessable(!) studio recording to date, but still remains to be a brutally uncompromising piece of work. The sonic assault of 'Why You Never Became a Dancer' (with the voice of Phillip Best belting out the opening lyric 'Can I suggest you: Get Fucked!') is a great start to the record, and a good lead into previous single, and already established WH favourite, 'Wriggle Like A Fucking Eel'. Probably the most powerful track on the album, and a definate high point in a similar way to how 'A Cunt Like You' was on 1998's 'Mummy & Daddy' record. I find 'Wriggle...' to be an oddly uplifting listen, and quite different to a lot of which follows it. 'Philosophy', a reworking of the first track on 'Mummy & Daddy' is one of the darker moments on the record, with an ear piercing screech being drowned out by William Bennetts sinister deep spoken vocals, and 'Cut Hands Has the Solution' could almost be drescribed as acoustic with Bennett and Best ranting over the top of the solid hit of what sounds like to be somekind of tom drum. The only disapointing part of 'Bird Seed' is the title track, another inclusion of Peter Sotos' cut and paste audio clips from interviews with victims of sexual abuse. What was quite chilling and effective the first time this was used as the track 'Private' on 'Mummy & Daddy', has now become boring and predictable (Although full marks to Aphex Twin for DJ-ing this at the Barbican last year!!!).
In my opinion, 'Bird Seed' is some of Whitehouse's best work to date, and is a lot more consistent than their previous record 'Cruise' (which was still pretty good). Whilst a lot of the extreme nature and mystery which surrounded the band in their early years has seemed to have wiltered away gradually over recent times, it's good to see that their recordings are still uncompromising. Even in this day and age, there is no-one really quite like Whitehouse, and how many other bands can you say that about?
In my opinion, 'Bird Seed' is some of Whitehouse's best work to date, and is a lot more consistent than their previous record 'Cruise' (which was still pretty good). Whilst a lot of the extreme nature and mystery which surrounded the band in their early years has seemed to have wiltered away gradually over recent times, it's good to see that their recordings are still uncompromising. Even in this day and age, there is no-one really quite like Whitehouse, and how many other bands can you say that about?
- From the Bird Seed Album.
- Bird Seed is the seventeenth album by power electronics group Whitehouse released in 2003 by their own record label, Susan Lawly. It was given an 'honourable mention' in the digital musics category of Austria's annual Prix Ars Electronica awards.
Because Whitehouse is unlistenable noise and I love unlistenable noise. Bird Seed is one of the band’s more recent albums (2003), and tracks like “Wriggle Like A Fucking Eel” and “Why You Never Became A Dancer” harken back to the bands glory days, and albums like Total Sex and Ultrasadism.
