Bartees Strange: Horror review – frustratingly timid genre-mashing experiment
The spectre of Yves Tumor's solipsistic rhapsodies hangs over Horror, but painted in a timid shade. The quiet-LOUD-quiet trick is played repeatedly, although there's little reward in taking savage left turns if you always end up in the same place. It doesn't help that Strange's squalling guitar is erratically mixed: on Wants Needs it hints at peak Thurston Moore, but it's far too attenuated on Sober. Baltimore is better, the tension between its pugnacious, distorted solo and Strange's vulnerable introspection playing well. And the gloriously savage Prince-at-CBGB Loop Defenders is a treat. Horror may be uneven, but Strange will always be worth another try – unlike other American experiments.
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