Allegory and Self

AMG Review of Allegory and Self

John Bush
All Music Guide

Beginning with "Godstar," Psychic TV's tribute to Brian Jones complete with Stonesy guitar licks, Allegory and Self balances surprisingly straight-ahead alternative pop with more experimental tracks using tape cut-ups or extended synthesizer freeforms. P-Orridge makes for quite an ambitious frontman, crooning like Love and Rockets' Daniel Ash on "We Kiss" and producing a series of guttural roars for "Southern Comfort." "She Was Surprised" even bears the first fruits of Psychic TV's fixation with sampladelic acid-house. It may not be characteristic Psychic TV (if such an animal exists), but Allegory and Self may well be the best introduction for beginners.