EPT![[image loading]](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/FuckButtonsSSW2008.JPG)
Fuck Buttons' new album, Tarot Sport, was released recently. Here's the lead single. I start with this because it's probably the most accessible of their stuff.
There have been quite a few genres the band and album have been assigned to: industrial, post-rock, noise, electronic and the precisely descriptive “experimental.” And that’s all true, it really is.
And, in the course of all of the critical praise showered on Hung and Power, no one doubts the beauty of the soundscape, the wonder of exploring of some far off place within yourself and that some seriously heavy shit is going down in Tarot Sport.
stream the album here . And note that some of the youtube videos are cut off. Lame, I know. Also, you should know that every youtube except for the top is from the preceding album.
Okay, so here's a review of the album:
I love noise.
I love big noise that, when played at the appropriate volume (just above whatever the max volume possible is), engulfs you. I love soundscapes heavy enough to warrant a warning. I really, really love Fuck Buttons.
Fuck Buttons are the musical duo of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power. Their previous album, 2008’s Street Horrrsing, is the sort of album I put on at 3 or 5 in the morning. It’s beautiful, expansive and dark-ish. I recommend it highly.
Tarot Sport, on the other hand, is an all-day affair. It’s more welcoming but just as heavy. It’s bright(er) but not bland. It’s beautiful, too, and is Fuck Button’s best album yet.
“Surf Solar,” the album opener, prepares you for the change as soon as the warm, 4-ton drums drop. The expansive texture, by now a Fuck Button’s signature, remains. But as soon as the warped and glitchy electronic riff kicks in, the listener is made aware of a soon to be difference: precision. In fact, the song sounds so sharp that it might be carving its name into my arm. If you don’t fall in love with this song, this album (and this band and probably this genre) is not for you.
Maybe the biggest surprise for fans and critics alike is how easy it is to immediately love this album. Street Horrrsing was given widely good reviews but often with a caveat or two: it was difficult. It was welcoming for a scary, loud noise record, sure, but in the grand scheme of things – not so much.
Tarot Sport is different in that respect. No, it’s not something you’re likely to hear on the radio tomorrow but then, you don’t really care about that. It’s got its own brand of welcoming.
“Rough Steez” reaffirms that Hung and Power can, in fact, still be evil whenever they choose. But, in the context of the album, it is only a stepping stone to the wonderful and sad requiem, “The Lisbon Maru.”
As the album progresses, the old challenge occasionally returns. Looping electronics and drums at once create an enormous space and bring back the difficulty innate to the genre. However, if you’re not hooked by the time “Olympians” comes on, you never will be. Those of us who are can get past the droning prologue (that is, if we don’t appreciate it – many, many will). After the prologue, there is nothing to “get past,” only a characteristic epic to enjoy.
There have been quite a few genres the band and album have been assigned to: industrial, post-rock, noise, electronic and the precisely descriptive “experimental.” And that’s all true, it really is.
And, in the course of all of the critical praise showered on Hung and Power, no one doubts the beauty of the soundscape, the wonder of exploring of some far off place within yourself and that some seriously heavy shit is going down in Tarot Sport.
But you, the listener, only notice that you can’t really help but dance. So do that.
