Mount Vernon Astral Temple - Music That Destroys Itself

The blurb used to promote this is patently misleading as Coil were scheduled and in possession of the music on Music That Destroys Itself prior to the Megalithomania show. The music for Drew Mulholland is perhaps his most spacey and esoteric outing to date, hence the slight name change to Mount Vernon Astral Temple. It's presented to reflect the palindromic year of 2002, with each track clocking in at 20:02 minutes. The sleeve (designed by Coil's Peter Christopherson) depicts a tomb in Brompton Cemetery designed by the Victorian inventor Samuel Warner and Joseph Bonomi as a time portal. The first track 'Warners Reverie' is slow undulating tones, that reek of progressive overtones. 'London Praises Its Ancient God' is even more spacey with undulating tones and fluttering frequencies. It reminds of Coil's lunar landscapes and evokes their interest in destroying time. For those already familiar with the work of Drew Mulholland they will know that he has interest in nuclear bunkers, hidden history and psychogeography.

On Musick That Destroys Itself he presents the listener with cosmic frequencies and vestiges of alien soundscapes. And while this may be a marked move away from his familiar analogue experiments under the name of Mount Vernon Arts Lab Musick That Destroys Itself remains an enticing proposition. Musick That Destroys Itself is presented with a limited edition Mount Vernon Arts Lab CD featuring a live performance (as support to Stereolab) at the Arches, Glasgow in December 2001. The other track is from a shelved compilation in aid of London's prime avant garde arts venue the Horse Hospital. For more information go to www.thresholdhouse.com or www.worldserpent.com