Even by Factory Records' enigmatic standards, THICK PIGEON'S back catalogue must inhabit a particularly shadowy netherworld, releasing only this strange, sometimes impenetrable album and several equally oblique Crepuscule label singles during their original creative lifetime between 1981-1984.
Thick Pigeon were a duopoly forged beween vocalist/ bassist/ avant garder Stanton Miranda and the mysterious Carter Burwell, who apparently added an Eno-ish dimension and presence, credited with 'vocals, effects and percussion' on "Too Crazy Cowboys." It must be said, however, that your reviewer can barely detect his contributions, though he must have helped shape the proceedings seeing as he's scored over 50 motion pictures since: not least "Gods And Monsters", "Adaptation", most of the Coen brothers output and "Being John Malkovich." We'll forgive him this last one.
Miranda and Burwell were based in New York, but came over to the UK to record "Too Crazy Cowboys" at favourite Factory haunt, Stockport's Strawberry Studios in the Autumn of 1983, with New Order's Steve Morris and Gillian Gilbert (plus Gillian's sister Kim) fleshing out the line-up for the sessions.
Not surprisingly, sections of "Too Crazy Cowboys" don't sound entirely dissimilar to New Order's earlier work, especially the serene keyboard washes of "Nuns And Soldiers" or the fractured, but cool "Crime", where Morris supplies his customary, heavily-gated disco drumming. Yet this doesn't prevent "Too Crazy Cowboys" from creating a disquieting, oblique soundworld all of its' own devices.
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Often built around Miranda's rudimentary four-string thrum, with either synth or simple, distant guitar figures floating in and out of focus, these songs are pop of sorts, albeit pop that's only distantly related to anything that's ever clogged up the charts. Indeed, a song like "Sudan" is basically a dirge, if a pretty good, atmospheric one.
Proceedings wade out into stranger, deeper waters as the album progresses with the deranged "Hank" and the bizarre electro/ country workout "Jess & Bart" ("git along little doggies" - unh?) even out-weirding early 90s Benelux outfit The Neon Judgment in its' execution, although Miranda's solo single "Wheels Over Indian Trails" (released after Burwell's departure, but included here) is a decent stab at club-friendly commercialism. The final track "Pop" - from a Factory USA compilation - features Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore and is an even more unlikely achievement, featuring a hard-edged hip-hop feel. Whooh.
There's actually a further chapter to the story as Thick Pigeon (with Burwell bac on board) reconvening for the 1991 "Miranda Dali" album. "Too Crazy Cowboys" is your logical chronological introduction, though and one worth trying if you're thinking of ransacking LTM'S ex-Factory vaults for hidden treasure.
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