Therapy? – Living in the Shadow of the Terrible Thing
Posted on 25th Jan 12 by Mike McGrath Bryan | 
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“…a dark selection of alternately slinky and crunching riffs held together by a monster, Flann O’Brien-inspired chorus, and backed by an ever-propulsive rhythm section…”
There are many common threads through any article on Therapy? Some will break out the old alliterating “Northern noiseniks” chestnut, while others (rightly) refer to them as elders of the Irish underground. However, the aspect least touched-upon is the the one that keeps them relevant – their consistent forward-thinking. The Northern Irish trio’s post-millennial output has been wildly varied and enormously exciting, a creative evolution that, while alienating to the mainstream rock oiks of the ’90s who rebuffed the madness of Infernal Love and uncompromising honesty of Suicide Pact – You First, has made them a long-term proposition far beyond their peers of the time.
In 2009, Crooked Timber took Therapy? in a mature, contemplative direction, yet wasn’t short of displaying indecent levels of groove, be it the jazzy dischord of Enjoy the Struggle, or the eponymous track’s Krautrock leanings. It’s no shock to attentive Therapy? fans then, that this direction is pursued more aggressively in the upcoming A Brief Crack of Light.
Behold. Lead-off single Living in the Shadow of the Terrible Thing, having been with us since live airings in late 2010, has had time to develop and grow on fans, and the final product is more than satisfying: a dark selection of alternately slinky and crunching riffs held together by a monster, Flann O’Brien-inspired chorus, and backed by an ever-propulsive rhythm section. Darker than the existential meanderings of anything on their previous album, Living in the Shadow is reminiscent of Therapy?’s harder and darker moments, yet never lapses into rehashing of old ideas.
Production, courtesy of the band, strikes a balance between raw, feral moments and the polish of Crooked Timber, while Therapy? trademarks like clattering snares are relegated to a supporting role, with emphasis more on the solidity of the various drumlines.
All in all, it’s a belter of a tune, and serves as more than an adequate taster of the hellride that awaits us on February 6th.
