Friend/Enemy - 10 Songs
(Perishable)
One of the myths that was dispelled once I arrived at college was that I'd have a roommate who played his crusty classic rock music loud and wouldn't accept anything different. However, I've found that while I don't like what he listens to, I tolerate it, and he does likewise. Which means I actually get to listen to an album the classic rock set can't stand like the new album by idiot savant uber-genius Tim Kinsella and his team of eleven other friends (and... enemies? whoa ho ho), under the name Friend/Enemy. This is purposely "avant" music, going further into the realm of strange sound exploration than any of his projects, be they with Joan of Arc, Owls, or under his own name. And do I like it? Yeah, I suppose I do.
This time around, Tim employs the help of some of Chicago's finest scenesters, including Todd Mattei (his lil' buddy from Joan of Arc), Zac Hill (Hella), Nick Macri (Euphone and Sunny Day Real Estate, among others), and the always-reliable Sam Zurick, who's been recording with Tim since the Cap'N Jazz days. The reason this album sounds as dense as it does is because, like I've already said, there are twelve people in the band! Therefore, on any given track, you might have one or more of the following elements: six backup singers, banjo, insanely polyrhythmic percussion, three to five guitars, radio static, dual percussion, piano, marimba, organ, pedal steel, and all of the trappings of a regular band. All of this is always combined with Tim's out of tune wail. Let's say: a step up from Owls (anything would be a step up from Owls, I think), and a step down from Joan of Arc.
But the songs! I haven't talked about the songs, yet! Tim is still in the habit of giving his songs ridiculously long titles, and whether this is in reaction to the reaction given to him giving long titles to his Joan of Arc stuff, or if he just likes them, I don't know, but some of the ones on this album include, "Do the Stand On One Foot Dance to the Radio Rodeo," "I'd Rather Be High Than Fucked Any Day," and "Lost Sciences of the Bible's First Pressing." Although I can't say I'm a fan of this, the fact that the music behind these ridiculously long titles is as good as it is really eliminates any reason for my griping.
For instance, the track "Cough Soft Cock Rock" is a real treat, what with its steadily driving percussion, ambient noises, and Tim and the group singing stream of consciousness lyrics about smashing guitars and peanut butter and pears. The following song, as well, is just as good, although in a less song-oriented way, and more in a "well, this is interesting" way. "Out at the Inner (Dark)" is like two songs superimposed over one another. Think of Calexico or Califone, and think of one of their most disenchanted, saddest songs—then put it overtop of the drumming for Hella's "Biblical Violence"—the contrast is strange and difficult to understand, but the song itself is beautiful. At the end, both of these elements cut out to leave the hiss of radio static and slowly modulating electric guitar tone. This is a beautiful way to end a song that was at risk of not being able to support its own pretension, and really makes for an enjoyable piece of music. These strange juxtapositions continue through most of the album, with exemptions given to some of the more improvisational sounding pieces, such as "Just Like Ann E. Fay's Blues," which sounds like it's an outtake from Jackie-O Motherfucker's Fig 5, what with its laid back acoustic guitar, scraping cello, and drones, or the previously mentioned "Do the One Foot Dance to the Radio Rodeo," which is one of the album's more lacking songs, with Tim halfheartedly singing the titled over, and over, and over.
One of the most interesting things about this album is its centerpiece, the eight-minute long "Teeny Comealongs," which, oddly enough, prominently features the singing of Todd Mattei instead of Tim's usual bleating (I use bleating lovingly, here, Tim. Lovingly.). It's a strange and creepy song, and a perfect contrast to most of the album's shifting dynamic. Think of Pere Ubu's "Dark" mixed with Squarepusher's "UFOs Over Leytonstone" mixed with Califone, and you'd have an accurate description of the song. In the background is a beautiful piano line that hardly surfaces at all, but when it does, gives the song a whole other side.
For the most part, Ten Songs is a very gripping experiment, and almost reaches the same level of combined interesting experimentation and good music that makes Joan of Arc such a decent band. What's really nice is that Friend/Enemy goes places that Joan of Arc would never go, having already been ground into a rut with the laptop/guitar dynamic they perfected on The Gap. Hopefully, Friend/Enemy will prove to be more than a one off project, and continue to build on the juxtapose-rock that they've unleashed here.
|
