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| Summary: Even with the worst band name ever, Fuck Buttons' debut is something really special. |
With Street Horrrsing, Fuck Buttons have created what is likely to be the most divisive record of 2008 and certainly one of the most interesting. Combining brutal, harsh noise with melodic tendencies, Fuck Buttons, on their debut LP are quickly carving out their own niche in the noise genre.
Right down to their name (however preposterous it may be), Fuck Buttons make it their business to explore the tension between the abrasive and the pleasant. Album opener "Sweet Love For Planet Earth" begins with the soft tinkling of some chimes that would be very much at home on a Sigur Ros or Mum record. Gradually building things up with a heavily delayed and distorted three-note bassline, "Sweet Love For Planet Earth" eventually explodes with noise and harsh screaming, all while retaining the gorgeous sounds it opened with and somehow, it works. The range of influences on display during Street Horrrsing's 50-minute playing time is truly breathtaking. "Ribs Out", with its tribal percussion and bizarre chimpanzee-like noises, sounds like the illegitimate child of Animal Collective and Wolf Eyes while "Bright Tomorrow"'s pounding bass drums and simple synth melodies could have been lifted straight from an LCD Soundsystem tune. "Race You to the Bedroom - Spirit Rise" melds the now familiar noise and screaming with ambient M83-esque pads but it's the album's final track, "Colours Move" that combines just about all of the aforementioned elements to wonderful success, even closing out the album with the same chime melody that started it.
If there's one major complaint to be made about Street Horrrsing, it's the choppy transitions between most of the songs. In fact, the only place where they really work is between the album's last two tracks, and in that instance the only thing happening in the mix is an intense drone. "Sweet Love For Planet Earth" would be a perfect track if it weren't for the fade-in of basically irrelevant percussion that occurs in its last 30-seconds to bring in the next song. Rather than trying to make such a varied album blend together as a whole work in an ameteurish manner, it seems that Fuck Buttons would have been better off keeping each track as its own piece. Complaints aside, Street Horrrsing is an intelligent, singular and original release with few flaws. Being a debut, it's highly exciting to consider what the future holds for this duo.
Side note: 'Street Horrrsing' is a very dense record and a highly layered one at that, making it a headphones only album. Seriously, in any other context, it just doesn't work.
Recommended Tracks
Sweet Love For Planet Earth
Bright Tomorrow
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Album Rating: 3
Real nice review. I haven't been able to get into this album like I hoped, but possibly because I haven't listened with headphones like you've suggested. It's a 3 from me at the moment but could well go up.
Digging: Envy - A Dead Sinking Story | | | Album Rating: 4
Seriously I played this record while driving and it just sounded like utter ****, it lost so much. The part like 6 minutes in to "Sweet Love For Planet Earth" destroys me, when that massive layer of noise comes in. It's so huge.
Digging: Philip Glass - Glassworks | | | Album Rating: 3.5
Great review, you're probably a lot better at describing this than me. 
Digging: A Silver Mount Zion - This Is Our Punk-Rock, Thee Rusted Satellites Gather and Sing | | | Album Rating: 4
I've only listened to this with headphones, but I'm interested to see how it sounds driving. Great work on the review and I agree with all of it.
Digging: Arghoslent - Hornets of the Pogrom | | |
i've never really found a good noise band for driving though.
maybe HEALTH or No Age, but that's it.
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What are you talking about? Its the BEST band name ever. Why didn't I think of that?
Digging: A Silver Mount Zion - 13 Blues for Thirteen Moons
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I actually seriously think this is a really cool band name.
Although Cribshitter is by far the best one I've heard.
Digging: A Wilhelm Scream - Career Suicide
| | | Album Rating: 3.5
I listened to it without headphones, but not driving. Good, and I agree that the transitions are the worst part.
Beside the band name, that is.
Digging: The Mae Shi - Hlllyh | | |
I think I need to hear this. Now.
Digging: City And Colour - Bring Me Your Love
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I don't normally read the featured reviews, but with that band name........ you could of gave it a 1 and I would still buy it. By far the coolest band name ever, next to "Ching and the Hopeful Chinamen"
Digging: Testament - Souls Of Black
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Why don't you read the featured reviews?
Digging: Hercules and Love Affair - Hercules and Love Affair
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i really want to get this album, i saw them live last week, they opened for caribou and they were great
one of the guys used a gameboy as a drum machine
Digging: Caribou - Start Breaking My Heart
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Quote:
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I don't normally read the featured reviews, but with that band name........ you could of gave it a 1 and I would still buy it. By far the coolest band name ever, next to "Ching and the Hopeful Chinamen"
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Reminds me of when I reviewed Final Fantasy - He Poos Clouds and people commented simply because of the name of the album. Sputnikmusic, the fountain of youth(ful idiots).
Digging: Radiohead - Hail To The Thief
| | | Album Rating: 4
I love this. I also kind of like the band name too.
| | | Album Rating: 4
I'm really surprised people like the band name. I think you guys just like it because it has a rude word. 
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Nice review advertisement luck.
Digging: Between the Buried and Me - Colors
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