by Ed RivadaviaBy the time they returned to the studio to record their second album, 1993's Mods Carve the Pig: Assassins, Toads and God's Flesh, Michigan schizo-thrashers Thought Industry had learned to control their wilder creative impulses somewhat, resulting in a far more user-friendly work. Sure, the zany title and far-out cover art (once again featuring a Salvador Dali painting) didn't let on that anything had changed. But compared to the unrestrained madness witnessed on their first effort Songs for Insects, new tracks like Boil and Patiently Waiting for Summer are positively concise and feature surprisingly conventional structures. The group's penchant for dissonant riffs and unexpected time changes remains (as do their enigmatic lyrics), but highlights like Daterape Cookbook, Jane Whitfield Is Dead, and Republicans in Love offer easily memorable melodies and choruses. It would still take some time before the band learned to reign in their experimental impulses and emphasize the song itself (see 1997's Black Umbrella); but seeing as that discipline arrived at the expense of the group's original direction, many see this as a mixed blessing. Therefore, many long-time fans still point to Mods Carve the Pig as the group's finest hour.