Album Notes

Atlanta's Pineal Ventana have always transcended categorization. Their sound amalgamates punk, improvisation, tribal rhythms and noise rock. But past releases, such as '97's Breath as You Might, had an experimental feel that few listeners could easily consume. There seemed to be six musicians performing individually, and not as a group. So, rehearsal and maturation have played an integral role in Pineal Ventana's blistering new release, Malpractice.

The industrial/noise outfit's sound has jelled with the help of NYC producer Martin Bisi. Bisi's impressive resume includes shared production work on recordings by Sonic Youth, John Zorn and Bill Laswell. What's laudable here is Bisi's ability to capture PV's caustic energy, and to create a corporeal representation of the group's powerful live dynamic.

Malpractice also unveils the evolving musicianship of percussionist Mitch Foy (ex-King Kill/ 33), vocalist Clara Clamp and bassist John Whitaker (ex-Damage Report). Foy brings the big industrial rhythms -- care of percussive instruments that include an eclectic array of car parts, even a gas tank -- which serve as backbone for most of Malpractice's songs. Clamp's versatile vocals range from haunting spoken word to ephemeral shrieks, while Whitaker holds the group together with his thick, reverb bass lines, perfectly syncopating along to the tribal rhythms. This triumvirate, along with Jason LaFarge (violin/guitar), Shane Pringle (sax) and Kim Chee (guitar/percussion), forms PV's first steady line-up since its beginnings in '93.

Malpractice is a rich, phantasmagoric album, which proves to be more and more cathartic upon each listen. As enigmatic as they may be, Pineal Ventana seem to improve with each new project. -- Jeremy Arieh (Creative Loafing, April 1999)