Pere Ubu - Carnival of Souls

Pere Ubu

Carnival of Souls

9 September 2014

Fire

 

4 stars out of 5

 

 

Post-punk pioneers and general weirdoes Pere Ubu, like fellow Ohioans Devo, were instrumental in the coming of age of the American indie scene, gently guiding it away from the loving mother’s teat of the British parent scene back in the late ‘70s through a series of innovative, unusual, and undeniably American records. Thirty-six years after their first LPs (both released in 1978), Pere Ubu have released their fifteenth, Carnival of Souls, and it is every bit as uncompromising as The Modern Dance or Dub Housing. (On a related note, I recently found a used copy of Tout Ubu, a compilation of all of Alfred Jarry’s writings and promotional material concerning Monsieur Ubu, for a mere $2. Score!)

 

One listen to “Dr. Faustus” will let you know just exactly what David Thomas & Co. have in store for you on Carnival of Souls. The track has no verse or chorus to speak of, no beat, no consistent tempo, and no actual singing, but still works as a song on many levels. It’s The Residents crossed with Einstürzende Neubauten, and it’s fantastic. When the Ubes do decide to approach the frontiers of pop song country, as on “Bus Station,” the results are predictably unpredictable. Everything falls apart and comes back together multiple times, without any warning. The closing track, “Brother Ray,” a nod to The Velvet Underground’s “Sister Ray” in both title and twelve-minute length, is a simultaneously chaotic and graceful revisitation of many of the album’s previous tracks.

 

Though the terms “post-punk” and “Ohio” have long united Pere Ubu and Devo in the minds of the public, in truth the bands are approaching the genre from completely different angles. Devo is pretty much synonymous with “clever,” or perhaps simply “weird for the sake of weird.” Devo are a joke that everyone is in on except The Man. Pere Ubu, and David Thomas specifically, are not a joke, not even remotely. When you listen to Pere Ubu, you are listening to naked, unedited pain. Where Devo is smug and distant, Pere Ubu is fragile and desperate. This is why Pere Ubu never get old or tiresome—they’re always giving you the truth, no matter how ugly and frightening it may be.

 

reviewed by Richard Krueger