Chicago's The Voluptuals describe themselves as skirting along in the 4th dimension and that's a fairly good appreciation of what they do. Listening to Terminal Patience and I'm reminded of how I felt when I first heard The Sugarplastic.
It's not that they are directly like that band, although the magnificent You'd Be The First (To Die In The Zombie Apocalypse) is as close as you are ever gonna get. It's just that this is so far Left Field that it's off the scales.
A 1001 ideas are bursting to get out and once you've acknowledged one, you realise they've already moved through three others. There are plenty of hints of Bowie and early Roxy Music glam, yet there are glances at Devo and B-52's. I'm even more drawn to comparisons with Deaf School. Overall thought, this album is so damn inventive.
Track to track, you have no idea what's gonna hit you on first listen. Everybody Loves You is pure Oingo Boingo. Cosmic Gutter Boogie is a cross between The New York Dolls and The Cars. Violence At Hyperion is a UK New Wave Joy and Ne Plus Ultra is Mink De Ville with John Shuttleworth's Bontempi.
Across the album's half hour, you have nine wonderfully inventive epistles. As you reach the closing number, with your head still spinning at the wonder of it all, you hit Pseudogamy In Athens, the album's finale. You'd expect it to be different to everything else, because the other 8 songs have and you are hit by a meandering anthem, almost Classic Rock.
I can't express enough how impressed I am with Terminal Patience. It's an absolute crackerjack of an album. The best thing I've heard this year thus far. I look forward to hearing far more from this quartet. Well done all!
You can listen to and buy the album here.
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