"X-Rated: The Dark Files"

This is the third tribute album to surface since Jhonn Balance passed on. Produced by Dutch radio station Kink FM, it is a mixture of artists who knew and worked with Balance and artists who have no relation to Coil whatsoever. Some of the songs are fitting tributes to the man but others are an insult to him and his art.

 

Steamin' Sounds

“Slateblue, Dark Seafed” by Scanner opens the proceedings and promises much about the rest of the album. Processed vocals and tribal drumming dominate the piece creating a very surreal atmosphere. There is a lot of attention to detail throughout the piece as little flourishes of synthesiser and segments of field recordings pop up all over the place but Rimbaud keeps it all tasteful and under control. This is followed by “Ode to Tzi” by Black Sun Productions. This piece shows, like a lot of their work, a heavy influence from Coil. I don’t mean this in a derogatory way at all; they sound like they picked up a lot of the magic from their time touring with Coil.

Aural Rage and the Legendary Pink Dots both contribute a fine track each. “I Don’t Need That Deviant Sex” by Aural Rage (former Coil engineer Danny Hyde) is quite different to anything else on the album; it is quite upbeat and weird in a funny way. It is a progression from his last album and sounds really good. “A Japanese Manual for a Crooked Wheel” by the Legendary Pink Dots, along with the Black Sun Productions explore the darkness and unknown that Balance was known to visit but neither one has that dramatic and humorous edge that pushed Coil’s music further than anyone else; Hyde captures much more of that side.

I’m in two minds about Steven Stapleton and David Tibet’s contribution. “Die, Flip or Go to India” is an alternative take of a song that originally appeared on Bright Yellow Moon. It is very good and quite different to the original version (it seems more vibrant and eventful in this take) but I wonder if an alternative take of an old track can be seen as a fitting tribute to a dear friend. As much as I like the track I don’t think it really cuts the mustard as a tribute.

Balance himself appears on “The Coppice Meat.” This originally was only available on the bonus CD from the Moon’s Milk in Four Phases compilation. I’m delighted to see this get a wider release as it is one of the finer tracks from the Coil back catalogue. Balance recites an Angus MacLise poem with powerful dark and swirling drones surrounding his voice. The time when this was recorded represents the peak of Coil’s career in my ears. This is a particularly fitting piece to pick for album in tribute to Balance; the music is superb and the lyrics are especially poignant.

Also of acute interest to Coil fans is Peter Christopherson’s new project The Threshold HouseBoys Choir. “So Young it Knows no Maturing” shows that his musical skills made it to Thailand intact. This is a far better song than the one included on It Just Is…, another tribute album. It consists of processed vocals (one or more of the Threshold HouseBoys) and synthesiser that reminds me a lot of the Musick to Play in the Dark albums. It is a haunting and beautiful piece and is worth the price of admission alone.

Of the rest of the artists, I have no idea who they are. The tracks included aren’t particularly interesting and, with the exception of Kah’s “Stokers Siding,” don’t capture any of the essence of Balance. It feels more like they were included to fill up time on the disc. A visionary and influential man needs a more fitting tribute than a few run of the mill dark ambient bands.

I think all of these tribute albums have missed the opportunity to make a perfect tribute by including a lot of sub-par artists. I’ll probably take the best tracks from X-Rated and put them on a CD with the best of the other tributes and make my own album. What I will say about this album is that there are a good number of quality tracks that make it worth getting but the few less than stellar contributions ruin the flow of the album and take away from the sentiment behind X- Rated: The Dark Files.

samples:

• Scanner - Slateblue, Dark Seafed
• Aural Rage - I Don't Need That Deviant Sex
• The Threshold HouseBoys Choir under the direction of Peter Christopherson - So Young it Knows no Maturing