Experimental/Electronic preorders

Review: Formed from the ashes of Throbbing Gristle in the early 80s and later based in Weston-super-Mare, Coil remain one of the UK's most enigmatic experimental outfitsicombining ambient electronics, industrial rhythm and spoken-word surrealism into something ritualistic and deeply unclassifiable. This 2xLP reissue revives their final studio work, first issued in incomplete CD-R form in 2004 before being completed by Peter Christopherson and Danny Hyde in 2006 following the death of Jhonn Balance. Compared to the sprawling mysticism of their earlier catalogue, these tracks are leaner, sharperishaped by the influence of live performance and Christopherson's then-new fascination with digital production. 'The Gimp (Sometimes)' creeps through looped distortion and narcotic drone, while 'Teenage Lightning (10th Birthday Version)' refracts a prior track into a marimba-laced polyrhythmic pulse. The two-part 'Sex With Sun Ra' threads jazz reverence through throbbing synthesis, balancing paranoia and humour. 'All the Pretty Little Horses' is perhaps their most unexpected coveria whispered lament based on a traditional lullaby that closes the circle on Coil's fragile, feral grace. This isn't an archival exercise, but a document of Coil's transformationiwhere live-band muscle, software trickery and deep emotional currents pull their sound somewhere new. The result is bleak, bold, and eerily accessible by Coil standards.