thighpaulsandra: the golden communion

Thighpaulsandra presents his seventh full-length album and his first since 2006's The Lepore Extrusion. Well over a decade in the making, The Golden Communion is his debut for Editions Mego. It comprises ten songs and runs well over two hours, with individual pieces clocking in between four and 28 minutes. Featured musicians on the album include regular collaborators Martin Schellard and Siôn Orgon, plus the odd guest/ghost from bands with which Thighpaulsandra has worked in the past. Listeners who have heard any of Thighpaulsandra's previous albums will know that it's best to approach this work with no fixed set of expectations; once again, Thighpaulsandra changes genres and defies easy classification, sometimes more than once within one song. Drawing on his long-time background as a key member in such diverse groups as Coil, Spiritualized, and Julian Cope's band (in each case arguably at the height of the group's creative prowess) and his work as producer and sound engineer for an even larger variety of customers, he offers classical passages next to hard rock riffing; krauty experimental work-outs turning into super-catchy, almost radio-friendly songs; and more. Many adjectives have been used to describe Thighpaulsandra's work -- "epic," "challenging," "timeless," "idiosyncratic" -- but certainly never "predictable" or "boring." Possibly his most rewarding album yet and a welcome and unusual entry in the Mego catalog, The Golden Communion will entertain and astonish listeners who are fond of having their minds severely altered by sound.