Tiano’s Analogue Thoughts (A Review)
This is a review of
“Analogue Whores” album
Translating the bleeps into something raw
As matter of taste and preference, I gravitate more towards the analogue part than the ‘whore-some’ half of the equation. At present, ‘analogue’ seems to represent a sound; the holy grail of producers and industry head honchos, evident with the recent electroclash acts sprouting like mushrooms. Anything that seems to be sputtering and spewing R2D2 signals and a generous serving of the strong backbeats on four are all welcomed with wide open arms better than any Journey fan can. The resurging monosynth and polysix signals abound airwaves with the vintage keys of Rhodes, B3s and ARPs.
What is akin however to analogue here though isn’t more of a blanket category of sounds, but a feel – a raw one at that – that churns in your guts even at the first onslaught of ‘Funnybones’. Going through ‘The Opposition’ , ‘Boy Beats World’, ‘Waco World’ - the fuzzy mix tears your speakers with Link Wray’s urgency and The Ramones’ abandon. And the beautiful fact is, FoodClothingAndShelter can get away with rawness in full Lou Reed coolness. Like your rare steak, it leaves a funny taste in your mouth. Sonic-wise, concept-wise and lyric-wise, FS&C tore boundaries. While I was wondering how to be-de-bedeee and tap the strings like EVH, FS&C were scraping strings like Bela Lugosi’s nails would in his coffin. I was caught up with Vai’s dive bombs –FS&C were crafting and DROPPING bombs in an alternate musical universe.
Long before there was indie, FoodShelter&Clothing lived that ethos. ‘Xeroxed’ and covered by fanzines before Photoshop days, pushing the limits set by techniques during the pre DAW (digital audio workstation) age, FS&C wrote their songs using nails on the blackboard. It’s that raw, folks.
I’ve dropped reading SPIN and Rollingstone a long time ago, and this 26 track double wallop washed me of that guilt. Most, if not all, of the recent and resurging acts have been running round the sonic terrain that FS&C pranced upon years ago. Morph goes FS&C – milking every relevant note that comes out of every string, sine wave, white/pink noise and whatever they can mix in their creations. A mix of house, punk, new romanticism, synthpop, spoken word, Britpop, industrial – you name it. To accuse them of lacking identity is downright silly, as sure as punk’s relevance at a time of brimming anti-establishment. For lack of a simpler term, confluence kept the band’s materials fresh by the age. Without over intellectualizing them, it is simply that. Their songs are snapshots of what culture and personalities exhibit, and an honest snapshot at that. It reflects if you’re fat, if you’re a mess, if you look great, if you need a little reworking of your bottoms. No sterile record exec mixes, no pretentious lyrics, no saccharine love lost works, no indulgent guitar/bass/drums/(your instrument of choice here) – just the sounds and thoughts of an awkwardly silent but observant generation.
In sum, what does FoodShelterAndClothing sound like? FS&C sounds just like FS&C, bless them. Reference to other acts is inevitable. Notably, New Order/Joy Division, David Bowie, The Cramps, The Violent Femmes, The Clash, -even Ministry- but which artist hasn’t? Bad artists copy, good artists steal as THE Pablo would say. FS&C steals, we get the loot – not bad.
And the guys had a thing for titles. Before there was Coldplay, the band came up with catchy titles like ‘Amphibian Ambition’, ‘The Oscillator’, ‘The Streaker’, ‘The Mommy Factor’ and whole lot more.
This compilation of artistic consistency in itself is a sure reward for the band and a treat for us. For the uninitiated, we start with FS&C as the embodiment of underground and indie movement; never caring about critics or the mainstream. Despite of which, their work made it to then-almighty MTV (FS&C was a featured act for Phillip’s ‘Out of the Box’ segment in MTV sometime in the 90s) and The Baylan’s soundtrack, among others. It’s much deserved recognition for the group. It’s the primal thing, the raw thing; It’s what attracts us to the music in the first place.
And for some, it may take form into something for the senses – that’s where the whore-some half of the equation comes in.
At the end of the day though, this is what bands are supposed to be made of – a little bright, a little bit off-center, a tad disturbing, and a little dangerous.
Tiano is the frontman of Nancy Brew and The Ministry of Truth
