Total Control
Pyre Island
2 Track, 7inch (2011, Hustle Muscle)
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Related: Total Control.
It's 1983. I'm at a Berlin discotheque and Total Control are playing to a room full of Germans being German in a New Wave club called “Anti Static”. The night before – surrounded by glue sniffers – I witness them tear up a punk squat. This, of course, is complete horseshit, but the trajectory and evolution of this Melbourne five-piece – from cold-wave punkers to kings of the disco – has been faster than the gentrification of Prenzlauer Berg.
From their debut 7” on Aarght! to this – their latest release on Hustle Muscle – Total Control sound like an almost completely different band. Last year’s 7” ‘Paranoid Video’ was a hint they were taking a more beat-oriented direction, but ‘Pyre Island’ takes the cold synth and gets, well, insanely more synthy. It’s actually one big bubble of Yamaha 606; one that mixes minimal techno, some warped messed-up vocals and guitars that sound like something off Talking Heads’ Remain in Light. It’s also incredibly rad. Like Canada’s Holy Fuck, the repetitive and simple beat makes you want to move in an awkward, herky-jerky fashion.
B-side ‘Mind Shaft’ doesn't have quite the same impact as ‘Pyre Island’, but it brings more bouncy, if not scattered electro boogie to proceedings.
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ooo, didn't know this was coming.
hello, holy fuck support! perfect.
???
total control don't sound like this live...
will there be any copies of this available on Sunday at the show in Newcastle, or should I try to order this?
coooool.
had a serious caffeine session with half of total control today, and by the sounds of it they will have copies of this at the Newcastle show.
Enjoy!
Really cool rec. It's good how they keep mixing shit up, still dig Paranoid Video more but whatever.
All these 7''s combined onto a CD/LP would be the greatest thing.
this is great.
herky-jerky. I'm stealing that.
this is fucking awesome
XLNT
Total Control, Stained Sheets, sell my soul, maybe even you
haven't heard the record but guessing he means the roland 606?
oh yeah you can listen to it here. fuck this sounds pretty good.
Although this rules, this would have been massive on DFA records in 2002.
Great track.
Sydney, we'll have copies of this record early next week!
Damn, wish I'd picked this up last night.
It's ace!
More a fan of this side of this band then the more punkie stuff.
awesome track!
I dunno. I like it, but I don't like it that much. I loved the first 7'' though.
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I have no idea why this hasn't happened.
sometimes it's nice to have a series of 7ers remain just that.
plus they have an LP out in a few months - sure a few of the tracks will make it onto that
yeah, i don't think the 4 7''s would work well together as a 12''
LP should be out in 2 months or so
I'd just like to say that the total control album sounds fucking insanely good.
I'll be buying one at the show for sure.
Agreed. Dudes are gonna shit.
I am readily poised to shit my pants upon listening to this record.
SHIT YOUR PANTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm shitting my pants just thinking about it
Q. How many of the hipsters looking dazed and confused at the Tote show were there after hearing this track and reading the Holy Fuck references?????
dunno. fuk'n bummed i missed most of their set. what i heard has been stuck in my head since.
have they ever released ''carpet rash'' on anything?
atp!
whoa!!
that's awesome for them.
Will be on the LP.
see the good news here? no? you should.
good news!
cool shit! buy
Can listen to song of album here
liking that track off the album, how late in the year is the release?
End of July most likely