With Sympathy

Before he discovered facial piercings and leftist politics, Al Jourgensen was a New Romantic more interested in rosebushes than George Bushes. His explanations for his brief dalliance with synthpop are inconsistent at best, but less inconsistent: the music itself. “Effigy (I’m Not An)” and “Revenge” bring a satisfying harder edge to the synthetic shimmer, while “I Wanted to Tell Her” and “Say I’m Sorry” use handclaps and saxophones, respectively, to illustrate his sexual stigmata. He disowned this after getting Jesus’s help to build his hot rod, but it’s too catchy to be a mere curio.