The Pink and the Black Compilation Review

Delinquent
15
1998


The Pink and the Black twin-pack combines an au courant gothic disc (black, of course) with a contemporary glam CD (pink, natch). The end result corrals a staggering and intimidating superabundance of obscure performers and hidden treasures. First the dark news, as the black unveils fifteen diverse and killer acts. Seasons of the Wolf courts a bewitching metal sound (One can almost hear Rob Halford being strangled.). Sleepy Hollow lives up to the moniker (not the flaccid movie) with a fuzzy, multi-paced chiller. Welcome to the nightmare of Industry Eleven, where folks wake up dead. And there's one in every shrouded crowd, as Bitter Grace conjures founding fathers Bauhaus. Morphine Angel supplies the juice for a KMFDM (or is it MDFMK) electric rocking chair. The specter of Vincent Price is right at home here, and many tracks interweave a spoken word segment. Captivating and chilling, Flowers and Machines unearths an "Eden" of subterranean beauty. Attrition and Decades also deserve mention, but the whole of this mesmerizing and overwhelming collection holds the listener's attention and, through time, will take you to places you never dreamed you'd enjoy.

How can you resist the pink CD, highlighting a vastly different sect of painted nails, clinging to a decadent decade when men were girls and girls were cherry pie. Dee Snider leads the pack with the apropos "Kids are Back." The indispensable Pretty Boy Floyd gives the Bay City Rollers a run for the money with a new "Saturday Night." Little Rebel rocks out in that opening-band-discovery kind of way. Blazing harmonica kicks off a homespun hummer by Paradise Alley. Does anything need to be said about a band called Detox Darlings doing "Pretty Little Junkie"? "Porno Star" by Black Rose Garden is sick and cool. Like many of these acts, Garlic tricks out its hair the power pop way for "Drown." The Starry Eyes selection is nothing short of outstanding. Krissteen wields brilliant fuzz chops and broken Bowie quotes. The always ridiculous D'Molls take a shot at the "Limelight." Sunset Strippers Spiders & Snakes recite a slick and weird nursery rhyme. Forbidden Planet spins some more incredible hair pop. Smelly Boggs goes nuts over the "Sexy Telephone." Foxy Roxx gives nothing but a good vibe in "Hanging Out." With 21 tracks, this author could go on and on but already has. Just know these bands live up to the ridiculous names. The sound quality is fine with limited pro gloss, for The Pink and the Black showcases a solid batch of great tunes you might miss otherwise. The only gripe stems from poor annotation on the back and a lack of labeling next to the myriad pics. With this much material, a dude likes to know who he's listening to. At any rate, stick it out with this fascinating set of two great tastes that go great together.


-STONE, Cheap Trash NYC
 
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