Six Finger Satellite, Paranormalized (side A)

1996's Paranormalized adds a bit of clarity and a more diverse sound palette to its predecessor Severe Exposure.  Where Severe Exposure was pretty consistently heavy and dark, Paranormalized includes some more spacious songs like "Coke and Mirrors" and "Perico".  Synthesizers are a bit more prominent here, with less focus on the consistently dense guitar.  The sound, while still lo-fi and often weirdly distorted, lacks the consistently muffled feel that gave Severe Exposure its odd sonic character.  The song structures have also grown a bit more complex, with dynamic break-downs sometimes happening mid-song.  Paranormalized remains a weird-sounding and fairly lo-fi excursion, with a very good mastering job preserving some clarity.  I do wish there were more low-end on the bass guitars and synthesizers, but I can't tell if this was a mixing or mastering decision.  The crazily-colorized four-headed band on the cover fits the music perfectly, capturing both its beauty and its grotesqueness.