Do They Hurt

To many, Brand X was either a source of great inspiration or great consternation. Either way, the band was never boring. With DO THEY HURT? Brand X further explores the far reaches of musical experimentation to create their unique fusion. The core members of bassist Percy Jones and guitarist John Goodsall are present, with drummer Mike Clark replacing Phil Collins on most tracks. Also making only a brief appearance, having been mostly replaced by Peter Robinson, is original keyboardist Robin Lumley. As usual, the music herein is often of a bizarre, if not downright weird, nature, yet not without it's own intriguing charm and nuance. Odd time signatures, unexpected turns, and unique sounds pepper the music with a characteristically avant-garde flair. The one exception would be the most radio-friendly cut, "Act of Will", which, save for it's robotic vocal sound, could have fit right into the early '80s pop charts. The rest of the works are an adventure in exploration, always developing into something new and unexpected.