Pop goes The Body!? On this record, they’ve set out to create the “grossest pop album of all time,” adding 80’s synths, dance beats and female vocals to their two-pieced sludge attack. This might be where you’d accuse them of selling out… but does anybody really wanna buy this?
Oftentimes, the overall effect is more goth than pop. The sparse drum beats that begin “Wanderings” underpin a haunting, layered female vocals that encourages you to “go it alone” …and they’re even backed by what sounds like a tuba until the massive sludge attack kicks in. Suffice to say, this tune won’t be blaring out of a dance club’s speakers anytime soon.
A tribal drum beat begins “Shelter is Illusory,” coming off as a cross between Neurosis and Godflesh. The song itself is more industrial-tinged, with Chip King’s high-pitched screeches nearly drowned out by the mechanical droning. Female vocals remind me of Annie Lennox, with the overall effect coming off as a much darker version of the Eurythmics, which can also be said of another number called “Adamah.”
“Hallow/Hollow” is much more traditional Body fare, a heavy layer of blackened sludge punctuated by piercing percussion. But then they hit you with “Two Snakes,” a Gary Numan-style slice of synth-pop, complete with crashing drum beats and Chip King’s dying-man wails.
While I gotta give ‘em credit for trying something different, I’m just not sure who this album is supposed to appeal to. I guess it leans more towards the dark industrial/gothic spectrum, if you don’t mind the occasional lumbering sludge riff and screechy vocal thrown in. And fans of the latest Corrections House could find some enjoyable moments here. As an expression of artistic creativity, No One Deserves Happiness gets top marks, but the end result is about as grossly unappetizing as advertised.
thebody.bandcamp.com/album/no-one-deserves-happiness
thrilljockey.com/products/no-one-deserves-happiness
