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Music Review:
Robert
Lloyd Anderson’s Idolitry and Wet
Reviewed
by Jim Drew
Originally published in the Seattle
Men in Leather newsletter (June
2003)
When it comes to sex music, some men want a driving,
pounding, industrial beat not too far from what you hear in a
dance club. Others swear by custom mixes of 80s bands like
Depeche Mode, and there is even something to be said for the sweet
dreamy tones of Patsy Cline.
Myself, I like sex music with more of a trance
feel, even with some jazz touches to give a little variation and
lighten the ambient tone. For a long time, I thought that
the ultimate example of this type of music was Angelo Badalementi’s
soundtrack album for David Lynch’s television show Twin
Peaks. With its dark, moody melodies offset by effervescent
touches, Twin Peaks has long been at the head of my list
of Desert Island Discs, and has often been featured in my play.
But at IML in 2002, courtesy of Mephisto Leathers, I found an
artist whose work had so much of the flavor of Badalamenti that
I had to buy both his CDs: Robert Lloyd Anderson.
The first album, Idolitry, is built around
images of forced sexual activity. The album has some definite
hard edges, just a touch of that “industrial” tone.
With the second album’s title, Wet,
it’s easy to guess one fetish activity it may inspire.
But beyond that, Wet is more subtle than the first album,
with more ebb and flow to the music, more moody depth, giving
a different feel to the music.
Anderson’s works beat out Badalamenti’s
for a couple reasons. Foremost is that I am putting them
to the use for which they are intended: sex. Also, while
the albums are broken up into tracks, there is a sense of progression
to each one, that the entire album works as a single entity rather
than discreet three to four minute chunks. That is something
Badalamenti can’t achieve within the constraints of commercial
soundtrack albums.
You can buy both there albums and his brand new
release, Trial by Fire, at http://www.bestboymusic.com.
Sample tracks from each album available there. Turn it up
loud and just fill the room with these great sounds… whether
you are having sex to them or not.
[Addendum: since
this review was published, a fourth Anderson album has come
out, Earthbound.]
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