2 out of 5

Label: Thirsty Ear

Producer: J.G. Thirwell

Though it gets off to an amazingly rollicking, spazzy start, Deaf lacks the song-writing craft Thirwell would show on the majority of later releases, leaning more toward sound experiments once the album progresses.  I’m all for noise, but the aim of it is questionable here, with such discordantly catchy tracks chopped up by screechy, repeating bits like “What Have You Been Doing?”  These are all elements that come into better play on later Thirwell projects.  Even the offensive ear-bleeding attempted here is more effectively drilled out as ‘Wiseblood’.  Still, let’s take into account that this was happening in 1981.  The mad-scientist assemblage of elements that makes for some of the best tracks here – ‘New York or Bust!’, ‘Thank Heaven For Push Button Phones’ – is ridiculously inventive for something that dropped, at this point, over 30 years ago.  And even those shrieky moments are sonically impressive, even if they get exhausting and make you want to take a rest from Foetus for a while.  What’s satisfying (if the nom de plume used for recording this album wasn’t a hint) is that Thirwell has certainly always been Thirwell – while he might not have quite figured out how to hone his brainwaves into a fully palatable album at this point, the lyrical sense of humor and cynicism is as sharp as ever, and when he does hit a groove, it sticks in your head.

Unfortunately the balance tips more toward lose than win, but ‘Deaf’ obviously still has its place for anyone wanting to fill up their Foetus library.  (And who doesn’t want to fill up their Foetus library?)