SWEET CONVULSIONS

 

FACTORY

Sweet Convulsions

Pfffth! Records

 

            The lights go out and a strange humming noise fills the air. One by one, torches are lit, revealing, in part, the misshapen outlines of metallic structures upon the stage. Before my mind can make sense of what I am seeing, clouds of smoke appear and further distort my view. A buzzing sound joins the hum and together they build towards a rhythmic beat. I struggle to see past the swirling smoke and notice there is a dark shadowy outline of someone standing before an altar. A green flash of light from the altar momentarily reveals the expressionless face of the man behind the altar. He is looking down at something which is making the cacophonous sounds.

            I hear the gasps of the strangers who surround me, and my attention is drawn to the portcullis on the far wall behind me. The procession has begun. Two exceptionally built barbarians, dressed only in loincloths, appear from the gate. They bear upon their shoulders a large spit upon which hangs a frail and bloody man. The barbarians stride through the throng of depraved onlookers toward the torch-lit stage, dragging the tortured captive in their wake.

            Reaching the stage, they untie the tormented man and cast his gory body unto the center of the platform. The dark figure behind the altar looks on, unfeeling, as he works his hands into a frenzy of sound. He adds more dissonant noises, and they build up into a loud crescendo, which then stops. Silence fills the room for a few seconds. In that moment, I can hear the murmurs of disbelief from the crowd around me.

            The silence is replaced by an infectious dance groove and the bloody victim on the stage begins to convulse. His body is wracked by sudden twitches and spams as he struggles to get on his feet. When he does, he raises his head, and the torchlight reveals his broken face for all to see. I gasp right along with the rest of the crowd. We are shocked to see he has only one eye set into his forehead. In rapt revulsion, I step closer to the stage as the cyclops begins to sing.

            This is Sweet Convulsions. They are scary and they put on an amazing live show.

            Sweet Convulsions began their partnership two years earlier when vocalist Jack Pavlik (formerly of Brain Injured Children) and instrumentalist Joe Pla (of Lazarus Effect) met and decided to put forth their own brand of unconventional industrial dance music. Inspired, no doubt, by performance-centric bands like Skinny Puppy and Einsturzende Neubauten, their music is perfectly complemented by their disturbing and dramatic on-stage antics.

            Their highly imaginative performances features exploding mannequins, unique use of smoke and lights, a skinny, six-foot tall blonde transvestite, unusual instruments, two sexy burlesque dancers and the aforementioned barbarian brothers. But the most important aspect of their shows is their aggressive sound. Joe Pla’s music walks a fine line between dissonance and accessibility. But Jack Pavlik’s tortured vocals makes sure their sound never fully embraces the mainstream.

            After extensive performances at underground venues like Bond Street Café and Club A.D., they have released a small compilation of their eccentric material. Their debut Ep is available on the independent label Pffth! Records. Simply titled Sweet Convulsions, the disc features three original songs and one fantastic remake. The entire Ep is bookended by snippets of an instrumental track titled “Voices”.

            Side Zero of the Sweet Convulsions ep begins with the song “Hostage”, a cry out about the confusion of mixed emotions. Sweet Convulsions captures the pain of being a hostage to love and a slave to your feelings. The music has a driving mid-tempo industrial rock beat, but the ominous electronic flourishes and fuzzy guitar licks give it a distinct personality.

            It is followed by “Blind” which starts with a sample from Predator, where Arnold says: “If it bleeds, we can kill it.” It then goes into early EBM territory with a backing track that sounds a lot like “Geography” by Front 242. The addition of Jack’s high-pitched, screaming vocals, and the aforementioned guitar change the song from a Front 242 tribute into something new.

            Side One gives us their current single “Blue Eyes”. The backing musical track sounds like With Sympathy-era Ministry but mixed with the screeching guitars that would characterize Ministry’s later work. A funky beat accentuates the proceedings and gives the track a pop appeal. Lyrically, it tells the story of a soldier and the prostitute he abuses and later kills on the streets of NYC. During a live performance, Jack Pavlick announced the song is based on a true story.

            The Ep ends with a remake of Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive”. Sweet Convulsions takes this beloved Disco anthem, slaps it around and makes it their bitch. Joe’s creative use of electronic music and industrial beats, along with Jack’s pained and plaintive vocals, add a new depth to the track. The guitars that sweep in halfway through push the song into the rock realm. By the time the song ends, its jackhammer beat, and Jack’s screams have morphed the tune into something much darker than Disco.   

            Sweet Convulsions is a band that would fit alongside the other unique acts on the Wax Trax Records label. Their music openly celebrates the bands that have come before them; But instead of sounding derivative, they manage to push their songs into new directions. Their live shows add a dramatic visual component that perfectly accentuates their aggressive sound. Again, it’s as if they took a page from the Skinny Puppy performance playbook, highlighted some items, then added notes of their own with a magic marker.  

            Anyone interested in sampling what Sweet Convulsions has to offer can pick up their Ep at Café Soundz in Montclair, Vintage Vinyl in Fords, as well other forward-thinking record stores. Or you can write them at P.O. Box 9131, Newark NJ 07014 for orders and live bookings. Their next live performance will be held on December 8^th, 1991 at The Redspot on Bay Street, Staten Island. I highly recommend taking that trip.

            As for Sweet Convulsions next project, Jack jokingly hinted that it would be a remake of The Partridge Family’s immortal classic “I Think I Love You”. I wonder what Danny will say.