Plus Instruments – “Februari – April 81′” – [Domani Sounds]

Thurston Hunger   10/25/2022   12-inch, A Library

Truus de Groot is Plus Instruments, still to this day and she was back in 1981 when this was issued by the
Kremlin (label). Rising today from the Netherlands on a Domani (!!) reissue. Superb art-damaged keyboard kookie cuts, it’s mostly a one-woman project, but a Sonic elder back in his Youth helps out here and there, you can hear Lee Ranaldo’s staccato vox on “Between the Wars” adding Ace Frehley rock riffs, while de Groot’s synth bubbles up over a frisky drum beat. He’s also rant-grunting on the track after that, with an old rap beat and recorded beneath a NYC manhole cover. But the album excels with Truus at the mic, is the first song a take on the “Profumo” affair? For me it is. Is “Rush Hour” an instro-homage to Neu? For me it is. “Things” has toy piano over dingey synthy beats, moments later that sweetness dissolves into the sweaty panic of “Freundschaft.” “Cannot” comes with no safe word, great whacks and bursts of sound as TdG wails her words on top. There are some songs about war on this, but I declare Truus the victor. Indeed she’s still waging weird work to this day. Like this album, aging very well!
-Thurston Hunger

PS Looks like she’s long since transplanted from Eindhoven to San Diego, it would be nice to have her come up the freakway to perform live on air soon. Stir in some Bosko too!