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Faderhead's second album is perhaps not as varied as FH1 but is more focussed & has just as many excellent tracks as its predecessor, if not more. Here, Faderhead's knack of writing songs that have enough depth to make repeated home listening a joy whilst having plenty of club potential gives the listener the best of both worlds & I'm not just talking industrial clubs either as it would be easy to imagine such tracks as 'Gritty Beats, No Relief', 'Mono Man' & 'Dirtygrrls/Dirtybois', with its excellently catchy effected vocals going down a storm in any mainstream club, too. This is all the more fitting given the recurring subject of nights out clubbing (with the analogue-flavoured 'Coke For My Ass' exposing the seedier side) although, even when he goes for a more introspective subject matter the music still has plenty of oomph; witness 'Break Apart Again' which ably combines its soulful mood with some pretty heavy rhythms while the looped effects that open 'Sentimental Again' are, likewise, incorporated into another memorable piece that stays in your head a long time after it's finished. But while there are a good number of club tracks on offer here, the title of the opener is at least accurate as indeed 'This Is Not A Club Track' but it is an effective opener, the cascading rhythms & memorable synth work helping the track to build up a good head of steam until it goes off at a tangent with its unexpectedly mellow climax. This is just one way in which the album keeps the listener guessing while the occasional sojourns into harder realms is another, although, in this respect, the results are rather mixed with 'All Dead', which seems to be a stab towards a more 'Hellektro'-influenced sound, sounding like a one-dimensional Combichrist clone although this is more than compensated by 'Storm. Sparks. Structure' which is a fine piece to end the album on while the relentlessly urgent feel that graces the superb 'Noisebastardz' makes this probably the album's stand-out track. This is the one most suited to your average industrial club & anyone who's been to Slimelight or any similar nights will doubtless find plenty of recognition points in the lyrics although the lines 'the beats & the bass thunder/the strobes blind like Stevie Wonder' did make me chuckle!! Still, this fine album is certain to raise Faderhead's profile still further & if you're already a fan then you'll not be disappointed, either! |
