Old Time Relijun, 'Catharsis in Crisis' (K)

Holy hell-raisers find heaven - and keep on going.

Old Time Relijun's seventh album has its precedents: producer Calvin Johnson's trademark no-fi pop, the Cramps' sexed-up shockabilly, Captain Beefheart's gnarled jazz and R&B (OTR's name even references a Beefheart tune). But in spirit, Catharsis in Crisis aims for transcendence, with singer/guitarist/bass-clarinet mangler Arrington de Dionyso yowling through 14 meditations on birth, death, rebirth, and the demons fought along the way. His cardinal sin: not quitting when he reaches that golden state (see the numbingly repetitious skronking of the album's latter half). 

Now Hear This:
Old Time Relijun - "Indestructible Life DOWNLOAD MP3