The Thessalonian Dope Gods – High Idol Pulsation – Review

The Thessalonian Dope Gods

High Idol Pulsation (Sin Klub)
by Martin Popoff

These Godz of A Path Forgotten are a sporadically recording act out of nether America’s mid cross-stitch, namely Toledo, Ohio. The long-named, short-listed twosome consists of Randy Wilson and king of all Ohio media, Edward Shimborske III, along with an army of friends who play things too. The sound is a wily, somewhat sonically humorous revival (send-up?) of tinder-sparked industrial poked by hip-hop, but as you can tell by the closing sequence of opener “Meat Off the Hoof,” The Thessalonian Dope Gods have heard a ton of music in their lives and are not in a shortage of screen-refreshing ideas. The high, claustrophobic drum programming and Ed’s lumberjack holler can fatigue, but just as you get down for the count – perhaps even thinking the old school joke part of it is unintended – steamy riffs erupt, sophisticated samples enter, an acoustic guitar or plain singing intrude. The package is topped with truly poetic lyrics, Ed proving himself a wordsmith of very high quality in a number of directions, from the wry to the ironic to the imagistic (see “Bury The Equilibrium” and “12-Gauge Deed”). To boot, the graphics are classy as well, with the back shot looking like the indie response to Houses of The Holy. Includes an electro-punk cover of Split Enz’ “I Got You,” which fits well the often flip-flow of the thing, but is actually one of the lowlights of the package.
(PO Box 2507 Toledo, OH 43606)