#atomic bongos

Released on this day (9 February 1980) by ZE Records: stark, eerie death jazz masterpiece Queen of Siam, the solo debut album by luscious No Wave death kitten Lydia Lunch. “Her laconic slur of a voice has never sounded sexier, and her off-key rendition of "Spooky" is so lazily erotic that it nearly sucks the life out of you,” concludes John Dougan of AllMusic guide. “A putrid classic of style and substance.” Is there any higher praise? Even dean of American rock critics Robert Christgau - most definitely not normally an admirer of Lunch’s - begrudgingly admired Queen: “Having walked out on three different bands led by this dame, I have the credentials to certify this funny, sexy, accidental little record. Half the time she exaggerates her flat Cleveland accent into a hickish, dumb-and-dirty come-on or parody of same, and half the rest of the time she plays her foolish nihilist poetry for laughs, which leaves a quarter of the time when she's the nihilist fool I'll walk out on till the day she dies. Pat Irwin's big-band atonalisms suit her city-of-night shtick perfectly. And "Spooky" is the cover of the year.” The striking cover image was snapped by George DuBose. Lunch’s black leather bustier (customized with construction nails) was created by Paul Zone. In conclusion: Queen of Siam is a life-changing record! Now sing along with me: “Fingers move fingers / My wrists made of satin / Don't be afraid of what's gonna happen / Elbows to ankles my fists out of place / I turn around backwards and off slides my face …” Pictured: portrait of a characteristically sullen Lunch by Ebet Roberts, 1980.

Lydia Lunch - Atomic Bongos

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Queen of Siam

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