Though the record might make a bit more sense if you've read the novel, the Mekons do an exceptional job of conjuring musically what Acker attempts in words. Acker's recitations of book excerpts introduce each of Pussy's seven songs, which echo the writer's disjointed and cacophonous collage style by mixing samples from pirate radio ('Ange's Song As She Crawled Through London'), dub reggae ('The Song of the Dogs'), lesbian pirate shanties ('Ostracism's Song to Pussycat'), industrial noise ('Into the Strange'), and disco synth-pop ('Antigone Speaking of Herself'). Acker brings out the Mekons' savage female side--with Jon Langford's vocals taking a back seat to Sally Timms's singing and Susie Honeyman's shrill fiddle--while the Mekons bring Acker's lyrics into a new, sensual realm without compromising the power of her naked words. --Roni Sarig