Desertshore / The Final Report

Genesis P-Orridge—the central figure and vocalist of Throbbing Gristle—left the reunited TG in 2010, with both sides shedding bad blood. That was shortly after Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson proposed the idea of reinterpreting Nico's Desertshore album and the reunited band performed it live in London. Christopherson and bandmates Cosey Fanni Tutti and Chris Carter forged ahead as X-TG, but Christopherson unexpectedly died in 2010. Fanni Tutti and Carter finished the project, with meticulous thought and care. Here, tracks one through eight are versions of songs on Nico's Desertshore—though the sequence has been changed—with X-TG tacking on its own title track. Songs 10 through 19—The Final Report—are original X-TG works that were started before Christopherson died. Guest vocalists on the Desertshore tracks include Blixa Bargeld (of another visionary band, Einstürzende Neubauten) and Antony Hegarty (of Antony & The Johnsons), and the result is both deeply respectful and startlingly beautiful. Both parts of this set are powerful works and invite future collaborations between Fanni Tutti and Carter, who now perform as Carter Tutti; their partnership needn't end with the legacy of Throbbing Gristle.