Het – “Let’s Het ” – [Ad Hoc]

Crazy, intense material from UK duo Het, a re-issue of their long out of print 1984 LP containing some of the strangest, most densely-packed arrangements I’ve ever heard, expressing total angst by way of shouting vocals, choirs shouting back, detuned guitars and basses, a bit of baritone sax, and a truckload of percussion instruments. Ad Hoc’s jacket blurb likens this to Harry Partch meets the Residents, and yes it often does sound like a furious hardware store version of “Mark of the Mole”. Tim Hodgkinson (Henry Cow) originally recorded this at Cold Storage Studios in London, and has now spearheaded this re-issue. My mind is boggled: I’m familiar with some other mid-80s Cold Storage artists, and I know about Hodgkinson, but how on earth can I have missed Het until now? Mind-bending material, wild arrangements, superb engineering and production, incredible sound.