To say that David Thrussell is a cynic would be an understatement, he would probably give ol' Diogenes a run for his money. But nevertheless, Snog, his "songwriting" project, make fun, intense records that make you think. Combining intricate networks of intricate breakbeat silliness that manages to outdo the Bomb Squad (especially on "Land Of The Bland"), with a fair wack of subbass and supertreble, a la Black Lung (his "freak out the neighbourhood pets" project) with some pretty startling tunes, with a stateliness in parts reminiscent of Soma (his "dub-meets-Morricone" outfit with Pieter Bourke), not to mention the inevitable lyrics pointing out everything that's wrong with today's consumerist world, "Are You Normal Enough?" being particularly savage towards the pinks. Throw in the odd goofy soundbite and lots of other stuff going on, not to mention the absurdly cheesy final piece with yet another twist, add great artwork courtesy of Chris Woods and you've got a great Snog album.

I should add that Thrussell isn't quite the most silky vocalist, coming in somewhere between Tom Waits and Stan Ridgeway, but on songs such as "Old Atlantis", the album highlight IMHO, or the opener "Late Twentieth Century Boy" his performance hits the mark. This is not to say it's all dour fare suited only for gothiks and Trots. (Even tho' Snog did apparently play at Convergence 7 recently.) The agenda may be sobering but with the beats and melodies it makes for a great subversive party album, and it's worth handing over your filthy lucre for if you spot it.