LUNGFISH: “Pass and Stow” (Dischord/Southern)

The first and only time I saw Daniel Higgs – the singer with Lungfish – I thought of Rasputin. Higgs had this huge black beard, eyes like overflowing furnaces and a voice that gave a new meaning to the word ‘scream’. He seemed to be covered from head to toe in tattoos. I remember him talking between songs about how the US government were developing tiny little tracking devices that could be injected into your bloodstream. Yes, I was a bit taken aback by it all.

Then, some months later, I got a copy of Rainbows From Atoms (1993). It was and still is one of the most amazing albums I have ever heard. I come back to it again and again. If there is one particular reason why I return it is because of Higgs’ poetry. Totally amazing, deep, spiritual, thoughtful, provocative.

I’m not sure if I like Pass and Stow as much, although it is beginning to grow on me. Right now, there’s no particular track on it that grabs me with the same fervour as ‘Creation Story’ did on Rainbows From Atoms. However, Pass and Stow is still special, still unique. It has a grinding, primitive rock ‘n’ roll power, with rhythms which are reliable and tough.

Higgs is again thinking past the obvious, delving to depths that most of us are not even aware of. The latent and profound implications of a line like: “If you were to become cleaner that your surroundings,” won’t really hit you until you stand well back. Western society is becoming so clean.

However, it may be the case that this time around Higgs has let the lyrics out from the subconscious a little to early. There aren’t too many keys around, and it’s hard to get in and understand what exactly he is getting at most of the time. Perhaps he doesn’t even know himself, and perhaps it doesn’t matter. Still, language exists to give meaning, to communicate.

Don’t buy a Lungfish album unless you want something genuinely different. If you do have Rainbows From Atoms, and if you like it, you’ll surely find value here. However, if you’re a newcomer to the group, I’d advise you to buy Rainbows first and move on from there.

• Gerry McGovern