Reviews...

New York Rocker #25: Filet de Forty-Five, Ralph Buonagura

Bomis Prenden "Test" (Artifacts)

When music is consciously obscure and difficult, it's usually in order to make some kind of point. But when obscurity is the only reason for a record's existence, one wonders if "dilletante" begins to apply. Bomis Prenden's "Test" is an 11-song, ten-inch flexi-disc encased in an elaborate sleeve. It starts off with promise (the electronic reggae of "Rastamunkies") and then descends into a morass of spoken word, twisted electronics, and treated everything. It reminds me of the Residents, only without that band's sense of purpose and direction, and it's clear that the choice of label name was not a capricious one.