Pig Pen's Best Album
Steward Willons | Illinois | 11/12/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is THE Pig Pen album to own. Miss Ann has some nice stuff, Day Light is okay, and Live in Poland is fun, but "V as in Victim" is just amazing. It's some of the most bizarre "jazz" I've heard (and I like the freaky stuff). There is a nice range of styles here, although the overall tone is pretty dark. Tunes like "V as in Victim" and "Again" are mournful while tunes like "Speech" and "Jazzmaster" are downright vicious.
This is definitely the most skillfully produced of the Pig Pen albums. Day Light suffers from a very compressed, bland palate, and the Live CD is, well, a live recording. The band has never been tighter than on V. The musicians are absolutely inspired throughout.
If you're a fan of Horvitz, John Zorn, Naked City, or avant garde jazz played with a decidedly menacing vigor, this is for you. And yes, it IS worth the nearly $40 import price."