Fin Fang Foom - Texture. Structure. And the Condition of Moods
(Lovitt)
I think I’m getting tired of math-rock. At least, I’m tired of the third generation of bands hoping, with all of their hearts, to become the next Drive Like Jehu or June of 44. Propeller, I’m talking to you (among others). And while I think some bands do it really well, there are a lot of groups out there who don’t do anything for me. Enter Fin Fang Foom. Sure, they’re technically proficient, but I find myself unable to like a good deal of their music, mainly because I’ve heard it many times before.
Of course, there are exceptions, otherwise these guys would have a low rank, and I’d be done with it. The frightening "Dead Ringer" is excellent, with a three minute instrumental bridge that sounds more like Mogwai than it does anything else, and a crushing break back into lyrics with the singer (name unknown to me, sorry) yelling, "She was asking for it / but I saw straight through her”. Likewise, the nine-minute "Blue Holes" opens with some discordant guitar work and a very pretty piano piece, creating atmosphere with washy drums and subtle effects. This breaks into a very nice piano-drums-guitar segment that’s more reminiscent of a speedier L’Altra than it is math and speak-sung lyrics that, while not the greatest in the world, suit the song. This fades into an almost music-box sound that’s incredibly soothing. Drums kick in, but sparsely. The song is pretty great.
A lot of the album, surprisingly enough, is like this. Heavily piano-based in parts, these are the areas I like the best. However, there’s too much stuff that’s been done too many times to make this anything more than something that I listen to occasionally.
|
