My reviews of albums by This Heat:
1979: This Heat (9/10)
This is like some unholy combination of ’60s avant rock, early industrial music and the earliest post-punk. And that description really isn’t fair.
Really, there’s little out there like this, especially so stylistically diverse. Usually experimental music is experimental in one or two ways; this manages to run a whole gamut.
Like little else.
Read my reviews of albums released in 1979.
1981: Deceit (9/10)
This Heat’s debut album is a challenging, difficult record but it is one of the great experimental rock albums of the 70s, full of all sorts of crazy ideas, paired with a DIY attitude that frees it from some of the more academic trappings of previous experimental rock.
So imagine my surprise when listening to this record, to hear that they’ve brought that crazy fusion of ideas to post punk. The result is surprisingly great and probably even more successful than their debut. Frankly, I cannot think of another band that started out so radical and managed to jump onto an emerging genre while maintaining their avant garde roots. It should be a lesson to every other band that seeks to gain a little more commercial appeal while remaining creative.
This is just a great record. I like it so much.
Read my reviews of music from 1981.