SITTING TARGETS

I think "Sitting targets" and "Black box" are the best Hammill albums from 1977-1984 era. FEw of the songs became a basis for live material for K groupp and for Hammill solo concerts - and they're really worth it - Stranger still, central hotel, empresses clothes - these are great songs. This album brings some dark, claustrophobic atmosphere - [it can be heard especially in "Breakthrough", "Glue" and "Empresses clothes"] - althought it's not as tense and extreme as on "Black box". There are also songs as "sitting targets", "central hotel" and especially "what i did" - sharp, somehow "synthetic" and newwave-ish, very intriguing. And somehow these are "hits" in the manner of early '80... But still their unique Hammill songs. The only disapointing fragments are "hesitation", which lacks this special element, that makes all the other songs so powerfull, and "Ophelia" - which became very nice song in live versions - here it sounds flat and popish. All the other stuff is fantastic, and belongs to the best Hammill's songs; especially - Sign, Glue, Empresses Clothes, Breakthrough and Sitting targets.