Long Hind Legs - Feb. 4th - 14th 1998

Label: Kill Rock Stars

Year: 1998

Due to my allegiance to Unwound, I purchased this record sight unseen based solely on the fact that it was the work of Vern Rumsey, and to a lesser degree because I thought the name Long Hind Legs was real cool.

So, I bring this home, put it on, and am completely assaulted by the plink-plonk ridiculousness of early 80's synth-pop. And not assaulted in a good way, assaulted in a totally terrible way, like, bent over the pickle barrel style assaulted. There was no way this could have been birthed into this world by an Unwound alumnus, could it? Sure, Unwound were beginning to incorporate keyboards and noise into their more extended jams, and yeah, Replikants were certainly a side-project that was not afraid of a tape loop, or ambient jazz meander. But this, this was an unabashed affront on my sensibilities.

I furiously forwarded through the remaining tracks, and while admittedly they were far better than the opening salvo, but I was so pissed by that point that the cd was ejected, never to be heard from again.

Until very recently.

It was pulled from the mothballs to see if, like a fine pinot musigny, it would have aged to perfection. Or, conversely, if my ears had evolved to the point that they would accept Long Hind Legs for what they are (were), a dark wave, vaguely gothic lovechild of old New Order and Brian Eno.

Jury's still out.

The first song still sucks. The remaining songs have a certain charm to their misanthropic drones and disembodied vocals. I'm not sure that I'm completely "ready" for Long Hind Legs, but, I would like to think that I can live in a world alongside Long Hind Legs and allow them to express themselves in the manner they see fit, free from my own audial prejudices.

The name Long Hind Legs still does rule though.

DL