Nail cover
Released

J.G. Thirlwell’s follow-up to 1984’s Hole was just as much a one-man show as everything he’d done before, but it felt more epic — instrumentals like “Overture From Pigdom Come” and “Theme From Pigdom Come,” slathered in strings created via Fairlight synthesizer, show that he could have easily competed with Danny Elfman for movie and TV scoring gigs. He’d become a better singer, too, hitting some impressive high notes on “The Throne of Agony” and delivering a theatrical rockabilly-inspired performance on the wild “Descent Into the Inferno.” Nail is the perfect entry point into Thirlwell’s sonic universe, showcasing his personality, lyrical wit, and stunning compositional/arranging abilities in 47 relentless minutes.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Shaman! cover

Shaman!

Idris Ackamoor & the Pyramids
Exit! cover

Exit!

Fire! Orchestra
Swirling cover

Swirling

Sun Ra Arkestra
Hole cover

Hole

Scraping Foetus Off the Wheel
Who Sent You? cover

Who Sent You?

Irreversible Entanglements
Dogon A.D. cover

Dogon A.D.

Julius Hemphill
Cyborg cover

Cyborg

Klaus Schulze
The Sea II cover

The Sea II

David Darling, Jon Christensen, Terje Rypdal, Ketil Bjørnstad
Heritage Of The Invisible II cover

Heritage Of The Invisible II

Aquiles Navarro, Tcheser Holmes
Wood Flute Songs cover

Wood Flute Songs

William Parker