Material

Okay, ready? Here goes: tracks one through four are the contents of Temporary Music 1, the first EP by Material, which then consisted of bassist Bill Laswell, keyboardist Michael Beinhorn, and a few of their downtown friends. Tracks five and six are both sides to an early single. Tracks seven through ten were originally released as Temporary Music 2, and tracks 11 and 12 were originally part of an EP entitled American Songs -- the rest of the EP consisted of the two sides of that early single mentioned above. And in case you're not confused enough, this CD duplicates an early and now quite rare vinyl LP called Red Tracks, except for a different song order and the addition of two extra cuts. The music? For the most part, it's not quite as interesting as the disc's colophonic history. Lots of plodding, samey rhythms and dreary, glowering songs with titles like "Slow Murder" and "On Sadism." There are enough exceptions to make the album recommendable, though, including the confrontational "Discourse" and the skronky "Dark Things," which features a flanged percussion sound that was unusual for the period. A worthy effort from a band that would later do much better. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide