Fuck Buttons: Street Horrrsing (ATP CD)
Fuck Buttons is an unfortunately named duo from Bristol, England. I say that because their music is quite exciting and not trite, and their name runs the risk of undermining that. However, I suppose there's something to be said for not taking themselves too seriously, and this debut full-length does a good job of balancing light and dark.
The best thing about this album for me is that it effortlessly straddles sounds of psychedelia and noise with equal parts drones and beats. It does so not without a big dash of personality, something that sets Fuck Buttons apart from some of the more severe death-drone outfits out there. Street Horrrsing begins with a whisper, a series of musical chimes that twinkle for a good minute until a distorted drone fades in underneath, soon drowning the track with a midrange haze and evolving into something almost melodic and rhythmic. It's carried by an oscillating bassline, pads and sparkling tones, then augmented by an incoherent, shrieking voice; this could have ruined the track, but somehow they make it work, adding to the overall timbre of the track without sounding forced or silly. This combination of sounds is also found on "Okay, Let's Talk About Magic," which adds a layer of percussion to further the somewhat churning effect of the music. "Race You To My Bedroom" also shares this combination of drones, distortion and gutteral voice, but it has an almost majestic radiance, sharing more with the likes of space rockers Spacemen 3 than a noise act like Merzbow.
The more rhythmic tracks veer off in a slightly different direction. "Ribs Out" is an exercise in rhythmic freakout, full of chunky drums and spazzy vocal antics. The weird fluttering falsetto shrieks remind me of that bizarro intro to The Shining, where Wendy Carlos's music intertwines with Berlioz's "Dies Irae." The voice returns in this manner on the shimmering closer, "Colours Move," in another blissful wall of drones, tying the 2 different sounds to be found on this album together. The most accessible track is their single, "Bright Tomorrow," which was released as a 7" before this album. It's propelled by a steady 4/4 bass kick and sequenced synth patterns, and even once that distorted yowl kicks back in with an extra layer of two of noise, it still has the makings of a pop song. It's this ability to integrate elements of "difficult" music with sounds and chord progressions that are more straightforward that makes Fuck Buttons so satisfying. It's not a pop album by any means, but this doesn't mean that it's not pleasant or infectious. There's something almost cosmic about the proportions of the sound herein, aiming onward and upward, even if it means burning up in the process.
mp3: Colours Move
more information: Myspace | Official site | ATP artists page
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