add n to (x) : add insult to injury

The synapse-frying analog synth experimentation of Add N to (X)'s last album, 1999's Avant Hard, was enough to make a walk down Broadway feel like a scene from a sci-fi thriller. But with Add Insult to Injury, the London-based trio has decided to trade Avant Hard's krautrock Grolsch for a vaguely poppy, watered-down Rolling Rock. Their latest album is more accessible and hardly a poor effort, but it's not up to the standard set by their previous release.

Add Insult to Injury's greatest flaw is a lack of cohesion. Of the album's 12 tracks, eight were recorded by Ann Shenton and Steven Claydon, while Barry Seven contributed four. The resulting LP, while not as bipolar as Spacemen 3's Recurring, never approaches the seamless feel of Avant Hard. Only time will tell whether the separate recording sessions bespeak tension of the sort that blew Spacemen 3 apart. Even if Add Insult to Injury doesn't herald the demise of Add N to (X), it sounds like a collaboration between two highly similar bands who fused their EPs into one full-length.

The songs themselves are a mixed bag. Shenton and Claydon's "Adding N to X," the disc's opening track, proves that gratuitous self-promotion can transcend pure masturbation. A sample of French kids repeats "adding een to eex" over sarcastic synth-pop. The result is sublimely and satisfyingly goofy. After three tracks, things pick up again with Barry Seven's "Monster Bobby," featuring a crowd of soccer hooligans over percussive feedback. The album closes with four solid tracks, the first two by Shenton and Claydon, the latter two by Barry Seven. "MDMH (Miami Dust Mite Harvest)" hints at Avant Hard's inexorable drive, "B.P. Perino" is Spiritualized smooth, and "Incinerator No. 1" and "The Regent is Dead" show Barry Seven at his best. The final song ends the career of the Black Regent, star of Avant Hard's standout "Revenge of the Black Regent." Maybe he's gone, but I'm hoping that Add N to (X) rediscovers his spirit in time for its next album. (Mute)

—Nathan Littlefield

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