![]() There’s an ugliness to ‘Underneath The Glass’ that is so evocative of that time of cold war paranoia, mass unemployment and general dread (“underneath the glass….something brooding, soon to crawl…”) but this was a creative disgust that sounded/ still sounds harshly attractive. 'Save Our Souls' is cool and chilling, repeating that phrase with no belief that anyone is listening, while the closing 'Black Flowers' is sinister and anguished. The latter is literally true, stitching together screeching guitars, a weird electronic rhythm and odd vocals that alternate between left and right channels (a headfuck if you’re listening on headphones). It’s disaffected and astringent on the anti-war ‘Definition of Honour’ and the very definition of experimental electronica that owes much to Throbbing Gristle’s dystopic compositions on 'In Bits’ and ‘Distortion’. Fuelled by early 80s nuclear war anxieties, it has that early 80s electronic pop sound propelled by a home-made drum machine. It’s a little like Joy Division in the generally dark and desolate visions it evokes, though it’s a beautiful bleakness. ![]() Second Layer was a one-album only side project for Adrian Borland and Graham Bailey of post-punk band The Sound, released in 1981.
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