After the release of The Psychedelic Years and Border: Live in Zürich in 1996,
Palinckx underwent profound changes, both in terms of personnel and musical direction. Brothers Jacques (guitars, composition) and Bert Palinckx (double bass) remained, as did drummer Jim Meneses, but gone were trombonist
Joost Buis and keyboardist Cor Fuhler, and with them the complexity and depth of the band's arrangements. Han Buhrs, who sang on the mammoth project The Psychedelic Years, has now become a full-time member, contributing lyrics to most of the songs. That is one of the main reasons why the band shifted from instrumental experimental free-form prog rock to a more direct avant punk song approach. Songs are tighter, simpler, more direct, and accessible. The psycho-kaleidoscopic effects, the zap-like 90-degree turns, the eclectic music quotes, the general
Zappa-esque varnish -- they're all gone, except for the magnificent "Supervixen!" (which has little to do with "Vixen" on The Naked Girls From Tilburg). Buhrs often sounds like a cross between
Led Zeppelin's
Robert Plant and
Pere Ubu's David Thomas. He uses a sampler to loop his voice in real time, a technique more interesting on this studio recording than in live settings.
It's Frontal Dog, recorded after a world tour, will appeal to fans of more direct avant-garde rock; old fans will have a hard time adjusting. Highlights include "Arms in Doubt (Chickensoup II)," the strange rock song "Placenta Boogie," "Henry's Waltz," and the incredible "A Short Klingon Opera (Sid in Space)," sung in Klingon and split into six parts over only 90 seconds. That one is a must as much for
Palinckx fans (think of "Lemmy 1" on Border) as for aficionados of the Star Trek series. ~ François Couture