Staff Reviews

Merchandise - A Corpse Wired for Sound

Review by Aidan Reynolds

The band have retreated back to their pre-4AD line-up and reined in the overtly pop instincts»

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Galvanized by Tampa hardcore and inspired by its miscreant noise, 'A Corpse Wired for Sound' signals a new chapter for Merchandise. Their second for album 4AD, Merchandise have stripped back to the core of Carson Cox (vocals, electronics), Dave Vassalotti (guitar, electronics) and Pat Brady (bass) to make 'A Corpse Wired for Sound'. The trio travelled to Rosaa, Italy to start proceedings, recording half in a studio there and the rest at home, in Tampa as well as in Cox's newly adopted bases of New York and Berlin. The album's metallic title is inspired by a science fiction short story by JG Ballard, but equally sums up the band's current state of mind; "we were 'reborn' as a rock band for our last record (After The End)," says Vassalotti, "and then we straight-up died again. It couldn't last. The result is this distended corpse responding to you from both sides of the Atlantic, forever singing in spite of everything." LP - Black Vinyl with Download. LP+ - Super Limited Blue Vinyl Version with Download.
description from www.roughtrade.com