The decidely unattractively-named Thick Pigeon were a little-known minimalist duo who operated on the fringes of synth music and art rock. Yet the two protagonists have developed extremely impressive CVs over time. Instrumentalist Carter Burwell has gone on to provide soundtrack work for around 50 motion pictures whilst singer Stanton Miranda has worked with Durutti Column and Sonic Youth not to mention being a fully-fledged actress. The 1984 debut album, 'Too Crazy Cowboys' was no mere side-project either; recorded with Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert of New Order fame (one listen to the instrumental 'Nuns + Soldiers' proves this), it tells the story of a fascinating off-the-wall act. Billy Swan's hitherto uptempo 'I Can Help' is reworked into a glacial, nightmarish soundscape which bears little in common with the original. Furthermore, 'Fred + Andy' suddenly moves from eerie minimalism into a cover of 'Moon River'. Throughout a mood of unsettling drama is present with the excellent 'Jess + Bart' perhaps being their defining moment. Oddly, this album is a considerably less dated affair than many of today's current crop of electro-clash revivalists.