Daniel A.I.U. Higgs

Daniel Higgs’ brain is tuned to a plane of cosmic spirituality farther out than the rest of us. The lyricist for Baltimore’s post-hardcore icon Lungfish balances disquieting imagery of damaged mythology and religious psychobabble with his latest book/CD, Atomic Yggdrasil Tarot. Higgs’ gorgeous and absolutely impenetrable paintings, anagrams and noisy tape loops are filled with banjo banter and abstract references to Christian and Norse mythology. Jerky recordings with titles such as “Spiritual Hue” and “Creation Moan,” and backronyms such as E.D.E.N. (Everything Dies Even Now) and B.I.B.L.E. (Belief Is Blasphemy Lovingly Encoded) combine to jam the senses. His Miró-like paintings are surreal manifestations of female forms that are both fascinating and perplexing in all of their colorful symbolism. An underlying tie binds it all together; eluding linear interpretation and opening many doors into Higgs’ singular spiritual visions, but never offering guidance. 3 stars