Monday 17 September 2012

Essential Listening

Picture taken from Farmfestival.co.uk (not sure who owns it)

Today's review is going to be of the criminally slept on Fingathing and the Big Red Nebula Band. For those that are unfamiliar with Fingathing, the band consists of the classically trained Bassist - Sneaky (chap on the left), Artist - Chris Drury (centre), and Turnatablist and MPC wizard - Peter Parker (on the right). It's not your typical line up but then again they don't make your typical music.

Fingathing are generally found in the instrumental Hip Hop section at most retailers/online outlets but it is very hard to actually categorize the music that these guys make. I've seen them listed as Trip-Hop, Nu-Jazz, Dance, Electro, and countless others. The easiest way to label the music, if you absolutely have to, is to file it under awesome.

Now Fingathing and the Big Red Nebula Band is the third full length release from Manchester's own Fingathing and is a prime example of a band reaching a whole new level in their ability. Whilst their debut LP 'The Main Event' served as a great introduction to the band and showcased the rawness of how well the turntable and bass can compliment each other (key tracks - Head to Head and Big Monsters Crush Cities), and the follow up 'Superhero Music' put across more of the band's personality and took the warped concepts Fingathing put out there up a notch (key tracks- Ogre and title track Superhero Music), for me Big Red Nebula was a release that should have put them over in a massive way. I cannot for the life of me understand why this album isn't considered to be the classic it so rightly deserves to be and hopefully with this blog I can encourage more of you to check it out and discover a type of music you never knew you'd love.

Chris Drury does not mess about

Big Red Nebula band is a concept album, and it picks up from where Superhero Music left off. These concepts are one of the things I love about the band, not only are they giving you a narrative for their album which I think gives the whole thing a bit of focus that's missing from a lot of albums, but it shows that they give a damn about what they put out there, they're taking extra time creating a story for their album and also have the ridiculously talented artist Chris Drury bringing another perspective to their musical creations to life with his artwork (one of the elements of Hip Hop that is sorely lacking these days). The concept of this album is, and stick with me on this one, Parker and Sneaky are floating through space in metal coffins after faking their own death at the end of previous album Superhero Music, the coffins are basically picked up by a bunch of alien musicians (Big Red Nebula Band) and essentially a massive jam session and madness ensues, with giant robots, re-animation, and interstellar joy-riding all on the cards there is a little something for everyone. There is more to the concept than that but hopefully you can all discover that for yourselves when you pick this album up (go on, they deserve your hard-earned).

Once we get past that ridiculous yet epically brilliant concept we are left with thirteen tracks, thirteen tracks of sheer brilliance that ranges from hauntingly beautiful soundscapes to futuristic bleeps and whirrs over heavy pumping drums and almost everything in between. As is standard I would like to talk about a few of what I see as the biggest tracks on this album (although I could honestly rant about every single track on this album) so I will start with....

Walk In Space - This is the album opener and serves as a great introduction for where this album is headed. The combination of soothing strings, the fat bass line, dope spaced out cuts, and crisp drums are delivered with a swagger that befits a band at the top of their game.

Themes From The Big Red - A bizarre track that manages to be both ethereal and downright filthy at the same time. There is a real airy quality to this track and the intro in particular sounds like you could float away on it but then there is also a really filthy bass line, the kind of bass line that was clearly played with that classic bass stank face. Add to that the crazy 50's sci-fi sounds that Parker is cutting in and you have a real giant of a track. The last couple of minutes of this track are all business, there is a great build to it and it has an epicness about it that for some reason makes me think of a colossal fighter making his way to the ring for a fight he'll never lose. Huge song.

Rock The Whole Planet - This is a great club track for me, there is so much rawness in this song and it has a real Hip Hop vibe to it. Go check the iTunes Hip Hop of the week list right now, look at all them rappers like 2 Chainz (how's he keep popping up?) and know that in their whole career they will never make a track as dope or thug as what Fingathing do here and I will guarantee they sure as hell won't manage that shit in space either! (Author's note - It's a scientific fact that things are always better INSPACE, think of an activity and add IN SPACE to the end. Infinitely better right? Even with things like eating a sandwich...IN SPACE).

Cluster Buster -  Fingathing are comprised of a turntablist/MPC wiz, a bassist, and an artist. It says so right at the top of this post, so now we have to ask ourselves how two musicians, who aren't shredding it on guitar, can rock as hard as these dudes do on this track? The drums are ridiculous and the bass is heavy, I dare you to listen to this song and not nod your head, not rock a stink face, and not feel pumped up by it. If you can manage that then I'm afraid you're dead inside, also stop reading my blog, there's probably nothing here for you, nothing at all (Actually don't stop reading, I appreciate the views and I'm sure we'll agree on something eventually).

Lady Nebula - How do you follow the pounding ferocity of the previous track Cluster Buster? Well if you're Fingathing you play the chilled out wonder that is Lady Nebula. An astonishingly beautiful song that sounds as though Sigur Ros are hurtling towards the Sun in a broken spaceship (probably one of the best compliments I'll ever give a song). If you aren't into the heavier stuff check this out.

Return To Ert - Starting off like some Ennio Morricone score, which is an influence you can hear throughout the Fingathing back catalogue, then beefed up by the Hip Hop drums and layered cuts that Fingathing are so adept at creating, this track is a great end to a great album. If this was put out in DJ Shadow's name then it would be on every advert ever made, every Super Sunday montage ever created, and would be widely regarded as one of the greatest instrumental Hip Hop tracks ever made. This track will make your life better, that is a scientific fact.

I've covered almost half of the album so I'll leave it at that because hopefully some of you will actually go out and check this band, I urge you to try something you may not have heard before. If I haven't quite sold this album to you then consider the following, if someone asked me to write a tagline for this album (this is my reviewer soundbite), I would describe the album as...'like John Carpenter, reinventing Electro, in a back alley church on Mars'. I would mean every word of that shit too.

It's also worth noting that the album is co-produced by James Ford of Simian Mobile Disco fame and also producer for the Klaxons 'Myths of the Near Future', Test Icicles 'For Screening Purposes Only', and most of what Arctic Monkeys have put out. He also produces for Florence and Those Other Guys which television and magazines tell me you kids love so get involved.

Please check the band out and if you ever get the chance try and catch them live as they really do put on one hell of a show, the Fingathing and The Fiends show is still one of the Top 5 shows I've ever been to. Also they are coming back and have put out some new material recently and you can go to the following site to not only stream a funking spectacular new track but you can also download it for free! Free music everyone (well free and without you having to steal it you dirty internet thieves)! CHECK IT OUT...

http://manmademonster.viinyl.com/

I have deliberately avoided posting any of their tracks for you to listen to because you really should search these guys out.

I'm out.












Mechagodzeala

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