Mind Science Of The Mind

(Epic)
by Steve Tremain

Part Shudder To Think, part Dambuilders, part Helium, all blowing your mind from here to kingdom come. A scattered section of the id appears and roams the studio on Mind Science of the Mind. With aggressive guitars, shrieking violin, and a beat from left of center that creep up on you and kick you in the back of the head. Nathan Larson, bassist for Shudder, got together with Joan Wasser (yum!) and Kevin March from Dambuilders and Mary Timony from Helium and started making songs around stream of consciousness vocals “Manifest the beast, your conception of the spirit what gonna strike you down by two or in considerable number…” and the result is a disjointed stab at – something. From the one-beat-too-long rocker “Infidels (When Your Hips Came Loose)” to the gentle but disquieting “Does It Rain In Your Womb?” Mind Science of the Mind twists and turns like a snake with a fork stuck in its back. One question, though. Isn’t “Aiwass” the name Crowley gave the entity which dictated The Book of the Law to him? Why does Nathan sing a song about him? Is he a Thelemite? Does the same supernatural cosmic entity that gave Crowley the ecstasy and the vision influence Mind Science? Is this some evil plot to overthrow the morals of the world? Or is it just a clever title? As Nathan says, “Though dry-eyed, beaten from weeping hot iron.” ‘Nuff said.