Sign of the Times

Uneasy listening for the psychotic set — if the often splintered music doesn't put you off, the tortured, lonely lyrics may, and if that doesn't do it, Coyne's hurt, angry, forceful vocals ought to do the trick. Coyne's songs come out of his experience working with psychiatric patients, people living on the edge — one of the songs in this compilation, "Witch," provides quite a graphic view of his history, with the accompanying wordless vocal turning into helpless shrieking as the main vocal sneers and snaps through a narrative that becomes gradually more psychotic as it goes on. Coyne, alas, is both brilliant and painful, an artist who is difficult to take in anything but small doses. This compilation touches on the highlights of the records Coyne made for Virgin and should serve as an excellent introduction to his work.