Well this is the last of the big batch of CDs I've been given to review and perhaps I've saved the weirdest for last. I'm not really sure what to make of this album. It's kind of like the Beastie Boys meets some minimal synth outfit like Absolute Body Control, The Normal, Crash Course in Science, Rational Youth, Suicide, etc if it were produced by The Residents. You can't really call it dance pop (I suppose occasionally you could spazz out a track with some beats in it); it's more along the lines of experimental pop. The album schizophrenically odd, and the first time I heard it, I absolutely hated it.

For the most part 'Conspiracy Generation' is terribly low-fi. It was recorded on analog reel-to-reel tape which some people are absolutely going to love, and others are absolutely going to hate. The sole member of this Allied Fracture (please correct me if I'm wrong) seems to be Jesse Baird from Bloomington Illinois. The album opens interestingly enough with 'Crisis Overture,' an instrumental track with medieval leanings giving you absolutely no clue as to what's to follow. (It ain't medieval, that's for certain!) I actually liked this track quite a bit'¦and I hope it was composed and not wholesale stolen, because there is an awful lot of 'stolen music' (ie; sampled) on the album, both dialogue and musical. Personally, it doesn't bother me much when song components from other artist's work and used in creating a new work- it just seems to bother the record industry and name artists who are making $$$. Apparently Worst Kitchen Records aren't bothered either. Then again, Allied Fracture flies so low under the radar, it's doubtful they'll be generating any controversy or lawsuits.

So from the medieval we head into Silicon Teens territory with the playful, buzzy 'Shock Fortified' and its dinkertoon synth melody. Vocals are Beastie Boy style with lyrics ranting against the technocratic fascist aspects of society. Whatever. The music is cute though. 'Feelin' Obsolete' begins with some sort of ghetto kidnapping story and morphs into a pastiche of odd sampled loops. More ranting about the techno-industrial complex, a little less Beastie Boyish. A cacophony of samples (dialogue and loops, etc) ensues.

'2,640 Volts' literally bases its rhythm track on the Association's 'Along Comes Mary,' albeit with song structure and lyrics quite different. I think it's kind of creative. Geffen Records would think it's kind of copyright infringement. 'Everybody Always' has vocals that resemble singing more than rapping (sort of) and a quirky, spazzy beat. 'Disorder' is a frantic cartoon hoedown complete with banjo loop I could see the Holy Modal Rounders really getting into. Bizarre, just bizarre. 'Subterranean Terms' has a touch of the Residents to it without that masking vocal processing. One problem though is the political rant gets old after a while. I kept hoping for something just plain'¦silly'¦nonsensical'¦maybe without an agenda. As if on cue, finally came around with 'Impatience' which is a totally frenetic carnival of hyperactive insanity; maybe a tad too long but a welcome lapse into lunacy. 'Apocalypse Muzak' is a meandering dose of psycehedelia that might indicate the drugs are finally working. The last couple of tracks weren't so great but I give Allied Fracture credit for trying.

To call this album uneven would be an understatement. It's all over the place, sometimes brimming with creativity, and other times cringingly embarrassing. If you're looking for something really weird in the DIY vein, you might want to check it out. Maybe for the next venture Allied Fracture ought to consider getting a more interesting vocalist (or at least some vocal processing equipment) and move up to HI-FI with the recording gear. I'd be curious to hear what this project does further on down the line.