Lungfish - Rainbows From Atoms

Transcendent meditations from veteran post-punk crew

Formed in 1988 in Baltimore, Maryland’s Lungfish are disciples dedicated to a decidedly singular vision. Their highly hypnotic vistas are propelled by circular riffs and motorik rhythms that seem destined never to arrive at their journey’s end. But it’s the voice of the group’s shamanic poet and frontman, Daniel Higgs, which is the focus of this album. His enigmatic lyrics dealing with birth (check out the beautifully mesmeric Creation Story) and death (Open House) and everything in between are brimful of exotic, often baffling lyrical imagery (“A fish realised it held a monkey inside itself and expelled it on the beach in a larval salamander form”).

No matter how surreal the going gets, each and every line is delivered with nothing but the utmost conviction. Higgs’ performances are studies in controlled energy and simmering beneath-the-surface tension. With the band currently on an indefinite hiatus as Higgs pursues an absorbingly eclectic solo career, it may be a while until we hear anything new from these meditative missionaries. Still, listening to the stridency of Fresh Air Cube only makes us hope that that time comes just that little bit quicker. To quote Higgs himself, “We’re ready, already.”

Dischord | DIS 78 V

Reviewed by Spencer Grady
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