Bauhaus "Burning from the Inside"

 

Bauhaus "Burning from the Inside" 9/10

Tonight we are going to dim the lights, put on some caked eyeliner, put on some torn fishnets, pour a large glass of red wine, and find our inner goth.  Sometimes acrimony leads to creative peaks, and Bauhaus certainly stand as a testament to that notion.  This was their final album from their original run.  It blends creativity and genre defying/defining notions to their brand of post punk.

This record is, in ways, the sounds of a band breaking up.  Vocalist Peter Murphy had become ill during the sessions, but also had began to seem disinterested in the band.  Many of the sessions were carried on as a 3 piece, with Peter later overdubbing the vocals.  This became familiar territory a few years down the road, as Daniel Ash, Kevin Haskins, and David J went on as a 3 piece known as Love and Rockets.  Peter Murphy went on to have a moderately successful career as a solo artist.

The influence of Bauhaus cannot be overstated.  There were dark punk bands, bands that celebrated horror, theatrics, shock, etc. that all came before them.  But their ability to blend punk sensibility, dark aesthetics, atmospheric bass and guitar work, minimalist style percussion, and Peter's irresistible Bowie-like croon created the foundation for an entire scene of music.  Bauhaus are still regarded as being a sort of "Beatles" of goth rock. 

Their albums were all solid works.  From their more rock oriented debut and follow up, to the experimental madhouse that was "The Sky's Gone Out."  "Burning from the Inside" blends together their ability to write within the framework of rock, but also play with their more experimental side.  We get theatrical ballads, reggae, acoustic stomps, acid soaked fever dreams, and even a bit of hope.  This record is a journey, and paints a picture of things that were to come from both the vocalist and the band.  This is easily their best effort, because it is both listenable and challenging. 

1) "She's in Parties"

This psychedelic, reggae driven song is a great leadoff track.  Daniel Ash's brilliant soaring guitars allow David J's steady bassline to take over as the lead instrument on the track.  Daniel's guitar is interesting, and it plays totally in service to the song.  The song itself feels like a story about the golden age of Hollywood, full of mystery, glamour, and a dark underbelly of drugs, drinking, and suicide.  Dark, brooding, and romantic.  All of the cornerstones of a Bauhaus single.

2) "Antonin Artaud"

After a long dub fadeout, we find ourselves in the halls of madness.  This song tells the story of an artist gone mad.  The lyrics have one of the best carefully crafted puns in the catalog (for a band that was dead serious about their image, they always added humor to a song or two per album).  "Young man had a gun to the head of a God, let's stick this holy cow" cracks me up every time I hear it.  The music gets more and more frantic, and the delay/tape loop/overdub at the end helps add to the anxiety that the song is trying to convey.

3) "Wasp/King Volcano"

"Wasp" is a short interlude that songs kind of like a kid learning a scale on a keyboard, so I have never really understood why it is a "song," but I'm sure it has something to do with publishing and royalties.  Anyways, from there we get the slow burn that is "King Volcano."  This song sounds like an ancient chant used to summon a god.  The steady drumming and acoustic guitar work keep building and building as the song feels like it gets bigger. 

4) "Who Killed Mr. Moonlight?"

This song is a dark narrative.  It feels like a story from Victorian England, as we are trying to solve a mystery and observing the banalities of life.  David J seems to be telling the story here, and he is never shy about writing cinematic pieces.  A few years back he did a similar style sendup to Bauhaus' signature song "Bela Lugosi's Dead."  Peter's response as he takes the other half of the lead vocal adds to the drama of the song.  

5) "Slice of Life"

Daniel Ash's debut as the lead vocalist.  This is a slow burn, that feel like it is burning with frustration.  Daniel's near-whisper in the pre-chorus feels like it is seething with anger.  It then blows up with more anger as he and Peter shout the chorus.

6) "Honeymoon Croon"

Peter Murphy singing about a good time?  This is about as close as it gets.  He tells the story of a drunken night hitting the pubs.  

7) "Kingdom's Coming"

This track feels like a setup; a track to whet our appetite for what is about to come.  It has the feel a prophecy of a dark trip that lies ahead.  Sure enough, one certainly does...

8) "Burning from the Inside"

This big long jam feels like a bad trip that cannot be shaken.  The simple guitar riff is just full of darkness and dread.  The lyrics paint the picture of an acid trip that is getting darker and more intense.  Slowly, more instruments come in, but the droning guitar line keeps up throughout the whole song.  It quits just before the dread hangs around for too long.

9) "Hope"

This is one of those self-aware closing tracks.  I always think it is a great move when a band knows that it is likely putting out their final album, and they want to end strong with a goodbye note.  Sort of akin to The Beatles giving us "The End" to close out "Abby Road."  Anyways, we get an uncharacteristically optimistic goodbye message from Bauhaus here.  After all of the bleakness and darkness of the album, we get this message: "Your mornings will be brighter, break the line, tear up the rules, make the most of a million times no."  A great send off to say "cheer up guys, all is well in the end."

Bauhaus never toured behind this album, as the band was beginning to crumble during the sessions.  The handsome Peter Murphy was interested in pursuing his career as a spokesmodel as well as a solo artist.  Daniel Ash and Kevin Haskins were busy making dance music from outer space in their Tones on Tail project.  Murmurs of a reunion happened a few years later, but Peter Murphy failed to attend the rehearsals.  The band decided to carryon as a three piece and made records as Love and Rockets until Bauhaus reunited in 1998.