Blind Idiot God
Undertow
Indivisible Music
It’s good to see another survivor from the SST label still putting out records and making people scratch their heads. In the late ’80s, SST was using their revenues from Black Flag and Husker Du to put out odd jazz and noise-influenced records. Blind Idiot God were, and still are, an instrumental trio using hardcore punk as a jumping off point for experiments in sound that included dub reggae and Avant Garde composition. After bouncing around to other labels, Blind Idiot God went on hiatus for a few years in the ’90s. They’ve been playing and recording again since 2001.
Undertow is actually a reissue of the band’s second album. Originally released on the Enemy label in 1988, the album still sounds fresh and innovative. Among the stand out tracks are the funk/metal of “Alice in My Fantasies”, a George Clinton composition and “Purged Specimen”, which was written for the band by John Zorn and features his sax work. “Rollercoaster” is a whipsaw guitar burner. The dub-infused “Clockwork” and “Dubbing in Sinai” are outstanding too.
Included on this reissue are two versions of the only vocal track Blind Idiot God ever recorded. The tune was the title track to a movie called Freaked and features lyrics and vocals by Henry Rollins. I like it better than end-period Black Flag or most of the Rollins Band material.
So, what comes next, Blind Idiot God?
