Paul is into synths. His latest stuff is heavy electronic stuff. well shit i guess his old stuff is too. i suppose he was always the “tech” side of ministry side projects.
Paul is into synths. His latest stuff is heavy electronic stuff. well shit i guess his old stuff is too. i suppose he was always the “tech” side of ministry side projects.
I have a feeling that it was Paul who kept Ministry at least partially grounded in it’s roots, whether it be song structures or the synth/programming work.
I’m super excited about this. The single was great. And I’m stoked for the tour!
Is there anyone else going to the Portland show? (I seem to remember at least one other person on here from Portland.)
As for keeping Ministry grounded, from interviews, books, etc. It seems like in the “good old days” Ministry was really a freewheeling collective. I remember Ray Washam (not a fan of Al in later years) saying (kind of grudgingly while he was disputing Al’s claim that he wrote every note of Houses) that Al was really good at getting great musicians together and then picking great parts from them, that he was a good selector. If that’s the case, then the group he selects from would really heavily influence the end product, even if Al had the final say and the guiding hand in both cases. I think (if I’m remembering right) that most of the band quit after Animositinsomnia and a few came back for Houses. But after that there was a near total turnover (with the exception of Mikey who was in and out over the years). So that’s one explanation without invoking either the “he’s selling out to give metalheads what they want” or “he’s so fried he’s lost it” explanations (though it doesn’t rule out any combination of the three).
I hadn’t really thought of this before now, but, in a sense, selecting riffs, beats, etc. from the work that the other musicians bring to the table is a bit like the process of sampling (at least analogically).
In any case, I really dig all of Barker’s stuff. I’m also a big fan of his singing. I tend to really like singers with a-typical voices, where it’s not just more of the same. (Speaking of which, The Jesus Lizard are on tour again!)
Al J does indeed have an uncanny knack for finding those with talent, and surrounding himself with said talent and getting the best out of them…Chris Connelly has always been up and down in his like and dislike for the MIND album as an example, considering that - while his input on it took up a third of the record - he keeps coming back to it with that viewpoint since the “sum of its parts” principle made it what it is now (and what it was then).
I love Paul a lot, he’s very talented - his post-Ministry output is hit or miss, but in the end I know that whatever he does he’s doing because he genuinely enjoys it, whether we like it or not. It’s fun! BIM and LIG have been a long time coming, and my thoughts kind of solidify that since he’s been running his company, dicking around w/sounds, collaborating…good stuff. I look forward to seeing him again at Coldwaves, and getting this new stuff at the booth. Those of you who dig Paul, def check out this new tour if not for him, then for ohGr!
In any case, I really dig all of Barker’s stuff. I’m also a big fan of his singing. I tend to really like singers with a-typical voices, where it’s not just more of the same. (Speaking of which, The Jesus Lizard are on tour again!)
If you haven’t seen JL live do so. David is a maniac live. The show I saw in Chicago was so tight and fun. Check it out!
Paul’s got a lot of hazy atmospheres and grinding synths in his LIG/FB stuff that really remind me a lot of the general vibe of LoRaH and DSotS more than anything
And shame on the internet for falsely getting me excited about new Flowering Blight
This is a good record. Ive given it quite a few spins up to this point. I really like how hes got real drums happening, gives the record a real organic feel even though its electronic.
Theres some drums throughout this record that sound exactly like ministry drums. As it should. The tune THESE UNKNOWN is a fucking Thrill Kill Kult song. “WE’LL TAKE TOMORROW” is also a good one.
