s/t
Gorp
Save Our Sperms Records

s/t, short of 'same title', is a trio from Frankfurt that has released numerous singles, albums etc. since 1993. Gorp is an anagram. If you read it backwards you might get an idea of what this is about. Gorp is homage to the music of Peter Hammill and his band Van det Graaf Generator (VdGG). s/t has recorded cover versions of one song from Hammill's vast solo catalogue and five from the band's. The biggest surprise is the selection of songs. Here are four more or less obvious classics originally recorded in the late 1960s and mid 1970s. The last two are from VdGG's last album Trisector released less than a year ago. All of the songs have been part of VdGG's live repertoire after the reunion in 2005.

s/t is a strange hybrid. The vocals and guitars (lots of them compared to VdGG's versions) often sound closer to black metal than prog rock, whereas the tempos and keyboards are more faithful to the originals. Gorp is not the perfect introduction neither to s/t nor VdGG, but it's interesting and to some extent humorous. "Darkness", one of the most sinister songs penned by Hammill (along with "Gog", also present here) is treated with a light reggae touch and sounds quite laid-back. On the other hand, "Refugees", one of Hammill's most sincere and dear ballads, if ever he has written one, sounds harder, but still treated with respect. "Gog" and "All That Before" are merciless. The latter and "Drop Dead" made me pick up Trisector again, that I wasn't too impressed by last year. It sounded somewhat better by now.

To sum up: This album is what the writers of these songs would've characterised as 'Serious fun!' Great packaging and booklet, too. There's only one problem with Gorp as far as I can see. It's a limited edition of only 45 CDR copies. Hurry! The Pure Pop For Now People pages is the place to seek. (Editor's note: August 2009: Gorp is now available on vinyl also - same source - 500 copies!) And you might find out more about the band at the s/t home pages.

Copyright © 2009 JP