Naked City - Torture Garden

'Torture Garden'
Naked City
1989 - 1990

Review by Brayden Bagnall

Genre/s: Grindcore, Jazzcore, Jazz Fusion, Avant Garde
For Fans Of: Kayo Dot, Napalm Death, Boredoms, Midori, John Zorn

Let's get this straight, if you consider yourself a fan of heavy/weird music, and you haven't heard this album at least once - YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG.
Naked City were a jazz group like no other, taking the idea of free jazz to dizzying heights and throwing every possible genre into their deranged compositions. With music's version of a mad scientist (John Zorn) at the helm conducting/composing, as well as playing saxophone and certified loony Yamatsuka Eye shrieking, screaming and growling his way through lyric-less vocals (a style I have since dubbed Grind-Scat), Naked City were the most mind boggling unpredictable band ever.  Despite most of the tracks on Torture Garden (which I should point out id a compilation of their 'hardcore miniatures' from their self titled album and Grand Guignol) being under the one minute mark, you can expect more genre and tempo changes per song than you'd find on any other album. Torture Garden is essentially an ode to all things macabre, sleazy, disturbing and wrong, presented by musicians doing some highly questionable things with their instruments.

TRACKLISTING:
1. Blood Is Thin
2. Demon Sanctuary
3. Thrash Jazz Assassin
4. Dead Spot
5. Bonehead
6. Speedball
7. Blood Duster
8. Pile Driver
9. Shangkuan Ling-Feng
10. Numbskull
11. Perfume Of A Critic's Burning Flesh
12. Jazz Snob Eat Shit
13. The Prestidigitator
14. No Reason To Believe
15. Hellraiser
16. Torture Garden
17. Slan
18. Hammerhead
19. The Ways Of Pain
20. The Noose
21. Sack Of Shit
22. Blunt Instrument
23. Osaka Bondage
24. Igneous Ejaculation
25. Shallow Grave
26. Ujaku
27. Kaoru
28. Dead Dread
29. Billy Liar
30. Victims Of Torture
31. Speedfreaks
32. New Jersey Scum Swamp
33. S & M Sniper
34. Pigfucker
35. Cairo Chop Shop
36. Fuck The Facts
37. Obeah Man
38. Facelifter
39. N.Y. Flat Top Box
40. Whiplash
41. The Blade
42. Gob Of Spit

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