Back in the early-’90s, US duo [a]Consolidated[/a] helped forge a new strain of political rock; a fiercely intelligent, potently PC creature that strode purposefully through a molten soundscape of rap, hip-hop and searing industrial noise.
But time has not been kind to [a]Consolidated[/a]’s Adam Sherburne and Mark Pistel. For, eight years after the seminal ‘Friendly Fascism‘, ‘Tikkun‘ finds them still grappling with the same political and personal bugbears, their agenda as uncompromising and – unfortunately – familiar as ever.
) may have had grunged-up youths stomping their Doc Martens in approbation, such rabble-rousing now seems merely gauche. Similarly, the bulk of ‘Tikkun”s musical components appear forever pickled in 1992-scented aspic. Thus, ‘Subtext‘ is an arbitrary rage against the washing machine rant, ‘Ventana‘ is essentially Faith No More‘s ‘Epic‘, and ballad ‘Impermanence‘ is, hideously, Sting with daft, hip-hop bells on.
And though there’s no doubting [a]Consolidated[/a]’s sincerity (the album – titled after the Hebrew word for ‘heal’ – was inspired by the work of the Men’s Rape Prevention Project) any genuine impact is dulled by over-complex theorising and hectoring soundbites.