Bark Psychosis – Hex
One of the most severely underrated bands of the ’90s, Bark Psychosis was formed in East London by friends Graham Sutton and John Ling when they were just 14-years-old. Precociously consuming music (everything from Talk Talk and The Blue Nile to Miles Davis and Lee Perry to Butthole Surfers and Psychic TV), the duo aimed early on to craft a sound that was entirely their own. Bark Psychosis’ masterpiece debut would arrive about a decade later in 1994 and spark the term “post-rock.” Recorded during a turbulent period that would eventually lead to the band permanently splitting up, Hex captured a truly dynamic sense of tension swaying between moments of serene ambient to visceral noise with unconventional arrangements, key changes, complex time signatures, as well as a mixture of electronic and live instrumentation. Encapsulating jazz, dub, rock, avant-garde, pop, experimental music, and more, the album would lay the blueprint for countless post-rock bands to follow.
Recommended – Full Listen
A1 The Loom
A2 A Street Scene
A3 Absent Friend
A4 Big Shot
B1 Fingerspit
B2 Eyes & Smiles
B3 Pendulum Man
Bass, Sampler [Samples], Programmed By [Programming], Percussion – John Ling
Cello [The Duke Quartet] – Ivan McCready
Design – Graham Sutton
Drums, Percussion – Mark Simnett
Engineer – Bark Psychosis, Darren Westbrook, Mike Long, Mog (2), Nick Wollage
Engineer [Assistant] – Henry Binns, Lee Harris, Pete Molyneux
Flute – Phil Brown (7)
Keyboards, Piano, Organ [Hammond] – Daniel Gish
Mastered By – Chris Blair
Mixed By – Bark Psychosis, Roy Spong
Photography By – Peter Morris (8)
Photography By [Inner Bag] – Alastair Thain
Triangle, Programmed By [Programming] – Neil Aldridge
Trumpet – Del Crabtree
Vibraphone – Pete Beresford*
Viola [The Duke Quartet] – John Metcalfe
Violin [The Duke Quartet] – Louisa Fuller, Rick Coster*
Vocals [Vocal], Sampler [Samples], Programmed By [Programming], Guitar, Piano, Melodica, Organ [Hammond] – Graham Sutton
Written-By, Arranged By, Producer – Bark Psychosis