Fasciination
After what seemed an eternity between Wet From Birth and the release of Fasciination, I was anticipating an incredible, mind-blowing record which pushed theboundary of the whole dance-punk sound as their past three LPs had (disregard Media, please). But instead I'm left with a slight sense of disappointment throughout.
It'snot as though this is a bad album - it definitely has its merits, don't get me wrong - rather it is a slightly lacklustre final product from an exceptional band. The blippy electronics, thick bass, abrupt guitars, driving beat and detached vocals are all still there, but it now seems to have melded together into more of a pop sound than ever before. Perhaps the faint corruption in the Nebraskan five-piece's style is due to trying to slightly sell into the persistent nu-electro trend?
Songs like 'Get Seduced' and 'Forever Growing Centipedes' hark back to their greats, while 'Fish In A Womb' is really quite beautiful, and 'Fulcrum And Lever' is a trippy robotic launch into the pain of youthful antics, however 'Psycho', 'Machine In The Ghost' and 'A Battle Hymn For Children' somehow dumben down the effect of the album. Maybe it's just me, though. Give it another week or so and I'll probably fall in love with the album. We'll see.
Release: Album
To Cure: A quiet weekend
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