Bleep

A mere 35 years after the release of their groundbreaking debut LP Vibrant Stapler Obscures Characteristic Growth and Hastings Of Malawi have come through with their sophomore release. The inclusion of the word ‘visceral’ in the title of Visceral Underskinnings is apt. This two-track, forty-minute record toes the line between music and sound art as well as incorporating blasts of pure noise. Machines malfunction, strange voices chant, seasick computer melodies ghost in and out of the mix, and structurally the sides have plenty in common with the surreal collage of the album’s artwork. It’s a challenging record, but persevere and you’ll realise that Hastings Of Malawi have given us a Dadaist masterpiece.