Wall of Noise

After splitting from electro-metal Metal Urbain in 1979, wild Frenchman Eric Débris tightened up the grit, cranked up the guitars, and unleashed Doctor Mix & the Remix. Spiking the graphic equalizer right up the middle, Wall of Noise collects the total output of this limited but just-right-when-you're-feelin'-it band and concludes the label's Metal Urbain and the solo projects trilogy. The self-penned material here is forgettable, the disc repeats their cover of the Stooges "No Fun" three times, and the band loses their way toward the end of the disc when the later "experimental" years are covered. But there's an EP's worth of gritty, detached, visceral excellence here and you can't blame Acute for Doctor Mix's supernova-styled career. Surrounding the brilliant middle of the disc with clunky history puts some context into this otherworldly noise. It's easy to hear the band's fascination with Suicide in the early days, but the Doctor added some new tricks and became an influence on his own. The Jesus and Mary Chain stole the guitars, Sisters of Mercy stole some of the style and the drum machine, and Smersh and Rancid Hell Spawn stole just about everything. The overdriven versions of "Sister Ray," "I Can't Control Myself," and "Brand New Cadillac" are worth the price of admission on their own and the liner notes are fantastic. Tighten up the disc for everyday listening and bless the quirky-smart folks at Acute for digging this deep into the muck.