Clone Defects coasted to a dead stop in late 2004, freeing Timmy “Vulgar” Lampinen to work up the spattered, enjoyably unhinged art-punk of Human Eye. Recorded with the Piranhas’ Ryan Sabatis, the band’s self-titled In the Red debut emphasizes muddy, two- and three-note basslines that give Vulgar’s third-generation Iggy vocals something weighty to lean on. The guitar skitters on the edge of that bass, too — “Girl Namned Troble,” (sic) “Episode People,” and “Age” hew closer to a recognizable structure, but Human Eye is better when the instruments freak out as much as Vulgar. “Car Was Alive” is a series of staccato phrases fighting with studio echo, “First Taste of Crime”‘s take on vintage English punk could explode at any second, and “Seymour” showcases Vulgar’s irritating/captivating version of singing. Human Eye aren’t strangers to guitar feedback, but there are also stretches of what could be an echoplex or some other destructive sound device. They wail pure noise on “Time Continuum” and spend part of “Sly Glass Foam” exploring a similar space. (Sabatis’ guest sax on the latter is a nice touch, as is the xylophone tinkling politely beneath belches of electronic squelch.) Single “Chew Raw Meat” cleans up a little, offering a compact guitar riff over bass hum, hyperactive drums, and a title chant guaranteed to make it an anti-radio hit. But Human Eye’s best showing has to be “Kill Pop Culture”.” As leering keys and deliriously fuzzy guitar fill out the bass-heavy background, lines like “I’m gonna kill Eminem with a pair of sheers/Electrical rollium guitar attack with ear piercing noise,” make Vulgar sound like Jonathan Richman on a very, very bad day. – Johnny Loftus
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