The emergence of Jon Crosby's VAST project set a new agenda for industrialised gothic rock; now it was possible to balance the heavy instrumentation with emotional power and clarity. In a not dissimilar way, Australian-born Simon Kean has produced a record which connects on both a cerebral and visceral level. Blessed with a larynx rich in vitriol and yet strangely vulnerable, the opening songs see Kean straining every sinew in displays of pent-up aggression. The self-deprecating title aside, 'Sad Bastard Song #1' is less intense but by no means less effective. A bit more light would be welcomed to alleviate some of the layers of the angst but for forty minutes Kean's document of depression is a compelling listen.