Written by: Joseph Gates
Artist: Monte Cazazza 
Title: The Cynic
Label: Blast First Petite
Cat # PTYT042
Genre: Post-Industrial/Electronica
Tracklisting:
01. Interrogator
02. A Gringo Like Me
03. Break Number One
04. Terminal
05. Venom
06. What’s So Kind About Mankind
07. Birds Of Prey
Anyone familiar with the concept of Industrial music should definitely be aware of the music and character of Monte Cazazza. In the 1970s, he was a performance and mail artist who became friends with the members of COUM Transmissions (Genesis, Sleazy, and Cosey, later of Throbbing Gristle) because of his controversial and notorious status. Cazazza is attributed to many antisocial physical actions relating to performance art, including the use of armed bodygaurds to protect him as he subjected a group of “serious artists” to sitting at a dinner table with the decaying body of a dead animal. His prankster nature and black humor underlie a sensitivity and deep-rooted desire to understand the the basic question of life, which is, of course, “WHY???” Cazazza’s earliest material was recorded in conjunction with TG-proper, with (the now dearly departed) Peter “Sleazy” Christopherson and Genesis P-Orridge assisting Cazazza in uncovering the Burroughs and Gysin-influenced concepts behind Cazazza’s experimental work. This material is covered fully (along with some extra material) in the completely essential compilation titled “The Worst Of Monte Cazazza.” Anyone who is interested in the history of industrial/noise music should be at least familiar with the incredibly seminal work presented on the first several singles made in collaboration between Cazazza and TG, absolutely essential listening for understanding the concepts behind “industrial” and the ideas shared between Cazazza and TG (also recommended is the “Nothing Here Now But The Recordings” LP of William Burroughs material released on Industrial Records and produced by Sleazy and Genesis…). This release is easily the best work by Monte since the glory days of the Industrial Records era, and in many ways easily trumps the recent work of other artists from the same era. The spirit and energy of the tracks on this release are very much in keeping with the spirit of classic TG, and in many ways this record (although brief and released about 30 years after the initial Industrial era) fits into the IR story very well as Monte’s own contemporary version of TG’s “20 Jazz Funk Greats.” Similar to that record, “The Cynic” has a wide variety of surprisingly diverse sounds and styles tempered by an intense commitment to a personal worldview that is both unchanging and completely unique to the creator behind the release.
A brand new album from Monte Cazazza in 2012 is something that a lot of people should be taking note of! A collaborative effort between Cazazza, Brian Lustmord (SPK), and Fred Giannelli (Psychic TV), this was released very quietly on the record label run by Paul Smith, who had been managing Throbbing Gristle on their recent reunion. The original ideas and some recordings for this release date back to the 1990s, but thankfully Monte and his collaborators completely re-worked the old stuff and made mostly brand new material for this surprising and incredibly enjoyable release. The electronics sound extremely current and fresh, and are interspersed with field recordings and little soundtrack touches that add a storytelling quality to the sonics. This thing is beautifully recorded and sounds extremely current… Cazazza’s recording of “A Gringo Like Me” is a real stunner, a spaghetti western soundtrack amalgamation that could be played over the closing credits to the next Quentin Tarantino film. A compelling blend of Ennio Morricone-based atmospherics and modern cut-up production that carries on the original aims of Cazazza and TG’s concept of “industrial” music- using modern technology to bring reality-busting concepts such as those of William Burroughs and Brion Gysin to life. Ultimately, rather than consciousness-expanding notions, the majority of this release is concerned with death and decay, identifiable even on the cover art with the decaying remains of some poor creature presented in detailed and rather beautiful photography. It is natural for an artist who has been around as long as Cazazza to be exploring the themes of death, aging, and decay, but in many ways his work was always centered around these themes. The main difference on this release is that the presentation in much more succinct and mature, with an emotional heft that transcends the dark cynical humor and instead attempts to embrace an ecstatic relationship with the more intangible aspects of our existence.
The fact that this is one of the first releases to emerge from anyone related to the TG camp since the recent passing of Sleazy is extremely significant. Although this release was in the works for quite some time previous, the passing of such a dear and beloved artist from the original Industrial era, who had so much to do with the career and work of Cazazza, can do nothing but temper the mood and energy of this recording. Many of the tracks are atmospheric instrumentals illustrating longing and the passage of time, a major theme of the record… the timing and the relation of melodies to one another seems to suggest a process of decay flowing throughout the entire release. Ultimately, it strives and reaches for a cathartic understanding of our basic mortality, with Cazazza achieving in simplicity what others attempt to explain with complexities. Cazazza’s vocals are far less abrasive than in the past- his voice slinks and flows through the tracks that they appear on in a natural cadence and rhythm like that of flowing water or dripping blood… creepy and ominous but reassuring and beautiful. “Terminal” illustrates the basic concepts of the record very clearly, with Cazazza intoning a modified version of the classic “Never laugh when a hearse goes by…” skip-rope rhyme over ominous repeating guitar- structurally similar in some ways to TG classics such as “Persuasion” and “Convincing People,” but discussing decay and rot instead of the process of making friends and influencing people. The lush and very 90s electronica of “Break Number One” reminds me a bit of Orbital or even Pet Shop Boys (things that were influenced by TG and the music that Cazazza inspired…)- really beautiful stuff. There is some excellent guitar work as well from Fred Giannelli, one of the most significant collaborators in Psychic TV (basically the musical mastermind of their “acid house” era) as well as a great electronic musician in his own right… but I didn’t know that he played such beautiful acoustic guitar! Really nice work from him and Brian Lustmord on this release in the musical department- I didn’t really know what to expect with this CD but those two really work extremely well with Mr. Cazazza… it almost seems like an industrial renaissance at times on this release. The ten-minute “What’s So Kind About Mankind” sort of reminds me of a mid-tempo cynical post-Industrial take on the Macarena. It reminds me a lot of the Macarena actually. If you told me a few years ago that in 2012, Monte Cazazza would be making dark sociologically probing techno music that sounded like a slow, morose take on the Macarena, I would probably have thought you were pulling my leg. Right now, I am hearing it, and it is awesome. “Birds Of Prey” closes things out with a rocking power ballad in a dark synth/neo-folk sort of flavor about carrion birds. As a lifetime fan of Throbbing Gristle and Industrial Records, this CD is more than welcome and in fact fills me with an immense joy. As dark and cynical as any of Cazazza’s previous work, but with a maturity and temperance that comes with time and experience. If you already have the “Worst Of” collection and are wanting more from Cazazza, this compact disc is an absolutely essential purchase… demand a copy now and tell them that Heathen Harvest sent you! And demand more new records from Monte Cazazza (maybe also in collaboration with Mr. Lustmord and Mr. Giannelli too?)… and world tour while you are at it! The world deserves it. “The Cynic” is the Industrial/synth-pop record that the planet asked for, and is not arriving here a minute too early. Completely awesome stuff… more please!
Rating: 5/5
