Severed Heads - Clean

Super deluxe and comprehensive first standalone reissue of Severed Heads insta-classic second album. What I always loved about Tom Ellard’s work is his intuitive ability to oscillate between the punishing and the accessible while attempting to forge what was a brave new sound. Clean represents the apotheosis of that early SH style, a splatter punk electronic collage of primitive synths, loops, and disorientating samples. Amazing still that this emerged from Australia in the late 70s, parallel to what now seem like obvious contemporaries Throbbing Gristle, the Normal, Cabaret Voltaire et al, possibly unaware of their existence... how can otherwise unconnected people have the same ideas at the same time? I’m thankful they did. And the muscled up rush of Food City and Heavily dystopic ambience of Tattooed Men and Women easily hold their own among the best work of their British counterparts. Also included here are an additional 13 bonus tracks, a good portion of which are previously unheard.