Terror Terror – How it feels to plant a knife EP
More fruit from the fertile musical orchard that is Belgium and another vehicle for the gifted Pierre Lejeune . Regular visitors will already be aware of Lejeune’s lauded forays as The Oslo Deadtrash Project – a kind of morose, retro futurepop – heavy on irony and even heavier on analogue synthesisers. More recently Lejeune has been reviving nineties alternative rock with his Britpop/grunge infused band, Hudson . Terror Terror is a world away from his venture. I suspect it is a reaction against his recent past in fact . Pierre himself told me, “I just had to tear everything down, Brett” . Coming from a man I last saw smashing his guitar to pieces this is quite some statement.
Delicious title – how it feels to plant a knife. Think about it, not satisfied with a mere cut or stab, Terror Terror advocate burying the blade in their victim, possibly even leaving it there. It is a distinction which has escaped other reviewers and only adds to the EP’s clearly intentional shock tactics. This release is highly experimental in the main, yet amongst its seven tracks there is enough genuine music to hang your hat on. Yes there is feedback, white noise and the occasional scream, but there are also melodies. The better tracks, ‘Instant death’, ‘Hang Yourself’ and the title track are clearly more related to The Oslo Deadtrash Project than to Hudson. The violent titles and subject matter cannot disguise a terrific tune. ‘Instant Death’ is probably the standout song here. Lejeane excels at writing verses so when he adds a killer chorus his songs are up there with anybodies. ‘Instant Death’ is one such song. I’m reminded of the early work of Matt Johnson and The The – think Burning Blue Soul . Here the driving percussion work and off-kilter vocal countermelodies really characterise the record. The more I play this EP, the less I think about murder or violence. All that stuff fades out for me and I just hear the music.
Only time will tell how long-term Terror Terror will suit Lejeune’s needs. I think he’ll go back to Oslo Deadtrash Project at some point. He never went away to be honest. But Terror Terror is close enough. Just don’t expect him to break through on Saturday Morning kids TV shows with songtitles such as ‘H.A.T.E.’ and ‘Throat Cut’.