Fuck Buttons
May08, music reviews, music May 25th, 2008
By Fred Sowder, May 2008
Street Horrrsing, ATP Recordings
Anyone who caught this British duo’s set when they opened for Caribou last month at Common Grounds will know what to expect on record from these noisemakers. Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power harness sounds from kids toys such as a “Mr. Microphone” and an old school Nintendo Gameboy. Then, they puree these sounds through a series of effects pedals and mixers to create rhythmic concoctions heavy on bombast and light on melody.
At only six tracks, Street Horrrsing may initially seem like a brief affair. The disc, however, clocks in at nearly 50 minutes. While this is probably about as far away from pop music as you can get, Street Horrrsing starts off with the jubilant chimes of “Sweet Love for Planet Earth” – then the evil hum begins. Such a juxtaposition of sound pervades the rest of the track as other whooshing synths come in and out of the mix, taking on guitar-like properties thanks to the aforementioned pedals. Power’s stunted vocals also persist while buried underneath the muddy effects, sounding not unlike Al Jourgensen if he were trapped under a foot of swamp muck.
“Ribs Out” follows, which sounds like a night trip through a teeming jungle of cannibals and screeching birds. As the shortest track on the disc, it is also perhaps the most accessible, reminding one of what lounge music impresario Martin Denny’s nightmares might sound like. This segues into the drone of “Okay, Let’s Talk about Magic,” as Power’s submerged vocals grow even more disturbed. Then, “Race You to My Bedroom / Spirit Rise” is hardly the sexual come-on you’d imagine it would be, although it’s about as close as Fuck Buttons can get to a love song.
The disc comes to a close with the most dance floor-ready songs, “Bright Tomorrow” and “Colours Move.” While still possessing that pervasive evil hum that many of the tracks feature, there is a thumping house beat that keeps it somewhat under control. If you were one of the people at last month’s show to have that deer-in-the-headlights look, this is probably not your cup of tea. Those with a full appreciation of avant-garde sounds will no doubt enjoy it as great late-night headphone candy.
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Fuck Buttons
May08, music reviews, music May 25th, 2008By Fred Sowder, May 2008
Street Horrrsing, ATP Recordings
Anyone who caught this British duo’s set when they opened for Caribou last month at Common Grounds will know what to expect on record from these noisemakers. Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power harness sounds from kids toys such as a “Mr. Microphone” and an old school Nintendo Gameboy. Then, they puree these sounds through a series of effects pedals and mixers to create rhythmic concoctions heavy on bombast and light on melody.
At only six tracks, Street Horrrsing may initially seem like a brief affair. The disc, however, clocks in at nearly 50 minutes. While this is probably about as far away from pop music as you can get, Street Horrrsing starts off with the jubilant chimes of “Sweet Love for Planet Earth” – then the evil hum begins. Such a juxtaposition of sound pervades the rest of the track as other whooshing synths come in and out of the mix, taking on guitar-like properties thanks to the aforementioned pedals. Power’s stunted vocals also persist while buried underneath the muddy effects, sounding not unlike Al Jourgensen if he were trapped under a foot of swamp muck.
“Ribs Out” follows, which sounds like a night trip through a teeming jungle of cannibals and screeching birds. As the shortest track on the disc, it is also perhaps the most accessible, reminding one of what lounge music impresario Martin Denny’s nightmares might sound like. This segues into the drone of “Okay, Let’s Talk about Magic,” as Power’s submerged vocals grow even more disturbed. Then, “Race You to My Bedroom / Spirit Rise” is hardly the sexual come-on you’d imagine it would be, although it’s about as close as Fuck Buttons can get to a love song.
The disc comes to a close with the most dance floor-ready songs, “Bright Tomorrow” and “Colours Move.” While still possessing that pervasive evil hum that many of the tracks feature, there is a thumping house beat that keeps it somewhat under control. If you were one of the people at last month’s show to have that deer-in-the-headlights look, this is probably not your cup of tea. Those with a full appreciation of avant-garde sounds will no doubt enjoy it as great late-night headphone candy.
Leave a Reply
Fuck Buttons
May08, music reviews, music May 25th, 2008By Fred Sowder, May 2008
Street Horrrsing, ATP Recordings
Anyone who caught this British duo’s set when they opened for Caribou last month at Common Grounds will know what to expect on record from these noisemakers. Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power harness sounds from kids toys such as a “Mr. Microphone” and an old school Nintendo Gameboy. Then, they puree these sounds through a series of effects pedals and mixers to create rhythmic concoctions heavy on bombast and light on melody.
At only six tracks, Street Horrrsing may initially seem like a brief affair. The disc, however, clocks in at nearly 50 minutes. While this is probably about as far away from pop music as you can get, Street Horrrsing starts off with the jubilant chimes of “Sweet Love for Planet Earth” – then the evil hum begins. Such a juxtaposition of sound pervades the rest of the track as other whooshing synths come in and out of the mix, taking on guitar-like properties thanks to the aforementioned pedals. Power’s stunted vocals also persist while buried underneath the muddy effects, sounding not unlike Al Jourgensen if he were trapped under a foot of swamp muck.
“Ribs Out” follows, which sounds like a night trip through a teeming jungle of cannibals and screeching birds. As the shortest track on the disc, it is also perhaps the most accessible, reminding one of what lounge music impresario Martin Denny’s nightmares might sound like. This segues into the drone of “Okay, Let’s Talk about Magic,” as Power’s submerged vocals grow even more disturbed. Then, “Race You to My Bedroom / Spirit Rise” is hardly the sexual come-on you’d imagine it would be, although it’s about as close as Fuck Buttons can get to a love song.
The disc comes to a close with the most dance floor-ready songs, “Bright Tomorrow” and “Colours Move.” While still possessing that pervasive evil hum that many of the tracks feature, there is a thumping house beat that keeps it somewhat under control. If you were one of the people at last month’s show to have that deer-in-the-headlights look, this is probably not your cup of tea. Those with a full appreciation of avant-garde sounds will no doubt enjoy it as great late-night headphone candy.
