Cult And Culture is a podcast led by Justin Pearson, best known as bassist/vocalist for bands such as Dead Cross, The Locust, and Deaf Club. Pearson works alongside Luke Henshaw (of Planet B and Sonido de la Frontera), interviewing bands and artists across a range of genres.
The Cult And Culture Podcast Compilation (Three One G Records) brings together tracks from various artists who have featured on the podcast, interspersed with clips from the show itself.
Kicking off the record are The Locust, with a John Peel session version of “Cattle Mutilation.” It is a whirlwind 30 seconds of Grindcore chaos punctuated by Hardcore screams and discordant guitar stabs.
Next is ADULT. with a cover of Tuxedomoon’s “No Tears.” It is a synth-led blast of horror Punk that bristles with raw energy.
COMA follow, with “This Worlds A Dahmer.” It begins with what sounds like a train, before transitioning into visceral, blasting and furious Hardcore that ultimately descends into a wash of noise and explosions.
Following this are Sonido de la Frontera with “Cumbia de la Frontera.” The track blends traditional Latin American music with Hip Hop and Rock to electrifying and eminently danceable effect.
Scottish punks The Exploited are next, with “My Life.” Full of catchy bass riffs and peppered with Wattie’s trademark snarl, this track features unrefined Post-Punk grooves overlayed with catchy Punk Rock melodies.
A remix by Planet B of Satanic Planet’s eponymous track follows. It is a delightfully weird combination of Hip Hop and Punk, with bizarre vocals and kooky synths.
Next are Doomsday Student with “I Piss Sunshine.” Mind-bendingly discordant guitars are splurged all over a pounding swing beat, whilst half-spoken vocals are spat out over the top of the dizzying music.
Following this is a cover of The Birthday Party’s “Blundertown” by Year Future. Based around a hypnotic bass line, this version retains much of the Post-Punk aesthetic of the original and adds Hardcore-inspired shouted vocals.
HIRS Collective’s “Avian Azure” is next. Brutally heavy and electrifyingly dynamic, it blasts through an earsplitting one minute and 30 seconds.
Martin Atkins is next, with “Beijing Taxi.” Bleeping synths merge with distorted electronic beats and sampled speech, before it all gives way to pounding industrial drums and Chinese-inspired melodies. Peppered with intriguing found sound samples, the experimental track progresses through various genre-blending stages over nearly seven minutes.
Jenny Piccolo follow, with “Joined At The Brain.” Clocking in at less than 30 seconds, it is a powerful and punishing slice of Grindcore madness.
Closing out the main part of the compilation are Swing Kids, with “Disease.” The track begins with drums and saxophone playing avant-garde free jazz, before morphing into unrelentingly crushing Hardcore Punk. The saxophone joins again later on, melding with the Rock instrumentation to create a weird but captivating experimental fusion.
The compilation also comes with a bonus two-track 7” single by Planet B bundled in.
The first of these two tracks is a cover of Grandmaster Flash and Melle Mel’s “White Lines” featuring Johnny Whitney. It features processed snarling vocals and furious Hardcore-influenced Rap over the classic bass line.
The final Planet B bonus track is “Rocket Surgery” featuring Oak Jackson. The instrumental track is characterised by meditative and spacey synth ambience that serves as a soothing and cleansing coda to the album.
The Cult And Culture Podcast Compilation presents a diverse and eclectic mix of music that manages to hang together coherently. The album acts as an extension of, and potentially an introduction to, the podcast itself. The wonderfully varied tracks brought together here are like a smorgasbord of alternative music that will no doubt provide intrigue and delight to the open-minded.
Buy the album here:
https://threeoneg.bandcamp.com/album/cult-and-culture-a-planet-b-podcast-compilation-lp
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS
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