Word: chorused
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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Knox's sound revolves around primitive Casio drumbeats, trebly guitars overdriven to the point of mushiness and his own strident warbling. Many of the tunes are based on progressions so simple that the verse and chorus are actually sung against the same set of chords--a technique which results in mind-numbing, repetitive songs. Almost every track also contains some old-school synth rhythms which, when used over and over again, quickly start to sound hackneyed rather than inventive...
Towards the end of the album, things really begin to fall apart. The songs get longer and lose the one thing that made them at all compelling in the first place: pop song structure. Without verse-cho-rus-verse (or, in some cases on YES!!, chorus-chorus-chorus), Knox is completely lost. The final 18-minute track is a masturbatory opus of noise, static and tape and synth-looped sound effects...
...song writing talent more than the show: studio technology enables Deal to sing her own harmonies, and Todd Mund effectively uses studio guitar tricks to create a colorful portrait of sound. Deal's songs often have the character of a musical sketch rather than the typical plot of verse-chorus-verse, and studio effects enhance her ability to create the haunting atmosphere that she does on tracks like "Box." A swirling guitar echoes distantly in the background while the bass and another guitar play a repeated two chord motif. The drums play a simple beat with a closed...
...tunes with unrelentingly rhythmic bass lines; and Deal leavened the raw power of her vocals with sensitivity. Her muscular voice never strained, and she displayed impressive range and intonation. At times she could be sweet and velvety. Then she would let loose from the diaphragm and sing a chorus with no mercy. Such was the case with "Brillo Hunt." The song began coy and reserved, but the chorus exploded into crashing cymbals and distorted guitars as Deal's forceful voice ranged over surprisingly complex musical terrain...
...more complex passages. The band set aside three chord convention for a more multi-layered style. Although influences of R&B, Black Sabbath and, yes, The Breeders came through, the song writing was strikingly original. However, some of the songs sounded half-finished and left the listener expecting another chorus or a bridge...