Add N to (X)

Add N to (X)'s Add Insult to Injury should come with the disclaimer "no analog synths were hurt in the making of this album." The trio made an art of abusing their instruments on albums like 1999's brilliant Avant Hard. However, on their fourth full-length album they show a surprising streak of humanity toward their equipment, resulting in a curiously subdued, inhibited-sounding work. The division of labor on Add Insult to Injury is also curious. Ann Shenton, Steven Claydon, and the High Llamas' drummer Rob Allum wrote and performed eight of the album's songs, while Barry 7 wrote the other four. It gives the album a less-than-cohesive feel; most of Shenton and Claydon's songs, such "You Must Create," put textures ahead of melody or structure, making them sound like cuts off of old synth reference albums. However, the fuzzed-out "Brothel Charge," the sleekly menacing "Kingdom of Shades," and "Hit for Cheese" -- an S&M-tinged synth-punk duet between Shenton and a robot -- are standouts. Meanwhile, Barry 7's tracks, which include the excellent "Monster Bobby," a stomping chant sung by soccer hooligan androids or a robotic Gary Glitter, and the streamlined, cute-as-an-iMac "Plug Me In," are more focused and accessible. "Incinerator No. 1" recalls On the Wires of Our Nerves' beautifully ugly noise, and "The Regent Is Dead" is both elegiac and martial, mixing a synth choir with theremins and a snare-driven beat. Add Insult to Injury still feels like a small step backward after Avant Hard's synapse-frying creativity and energy, but it reaffirms that Add N to (X) are still a step ahead of most other vintage synth-based groups. Hopefully, they'll return to what they do best: sacrificing their keyboards in the name of art. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide