Customer Reviews

Puppy

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Though most probably only know Fluke from their big beat/movie sountrack tracks "Atom Bomb" and "Absurd" from 1997's "Risotto", the band have been around throughout the 90s, making a constantly changing collecion of electronic masterpieces. It's amazing how many styles they tore through, and true to form, "Puppy" is a change of pace, a step towards trance and electrorock.

The album starts with a blast, as the industrial-sounding "Snapshot" agressively declares that this is not going to be a gutless record. Jon Fugler's vocals have always been a little dark and scary, but here he's over the top.
From there, the LP shifts into a continuous mix groove for the next four tracks. "My Spine", "another Kind of Blues " (revision of "Zion" from the Matrix Reloaded Soundtrack), "Hang Tough" and "Switch/Twitch" all merge by way of evolving basslines, great hooks, and driving 4-4 beats. Incredibly danceable stuff here.
The rest of the disc is pretty standard Fluke fare...interesting arrangements, some almost ambient, others layered and more uptempo, and always changing. The vocal tracks "Baby Pain" and "Blue Sky" are accentuated by female vocalists and choir backing. Some of the lyrics are a little bland, but hey, this is dance music, not folk music!
This album may not be a progression for the genre as a whole, but it shows that Fluke have survived the rise and fall of big beat, as well as a reduction from 3 to 2 members, unscathed.

IF YOU LIKE FLUKE, BUY 2 BIT PIE!
If you liked Risotto, then this album should not disappoint you. Although it is honestly not as groundbreaking as it probably should be for us to wait 6 years (Fluke admits this album took to long, but it was due to circumstances outside their control), but it is still damn good. Especially when you consider their competition. The Prodigy attempted to be innovative and reinvent themselves and failed miserably. The Prodigy's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned is honestly crap compared to Fat of the Land. Underworld created a decent yet still comparably mediocre album with One Hundred Days. Orbital's Blue Album is better than The Altogether, from which I can only honestly listen to two songs, but the Blue Album still doesn't hold a candle to Middle of Nowhere. The Chemical Brothers are barely worth mentioning at this point, same with other groups and producers like Aphex Twin, Crystal Method, BT, etc.

Fluke did not try to reinvent themselves, or be extremely innovative. I am almost glad they did not. They have a formula that works, and I, for one, love it. This CD is still original. It is still undoubtedly Fluke, which is one of the few techno acts that I could honestly pick out if I hear a DJ mixing them at a club, and yet this CD is original. It is not a second release of Risotto. The songs on this album not only sound unique compared to their old work, but also to the other songs on the CD. Somehow, though, they mix together seamlessly. No other techno group has consistently put out great music for the amount of time Fluke has. They are definitely an extraordinary anomaly in the industry. This CD is great and I have nothing bad to say about it.

This album is awesome. I don't understand how people can say it is anything less. At a time when their peers in the techno world are releasing crap, Fluke maintains and consistently releases more great music. Not only is the music great, but the lyrics are the best of any techno album, arguably any album period. This CD has been a savior to me. It was exactly what I needed when it came out. Going through some hard times in my life, I don't know if I would have made it through them without this album. When I need a pick me up I start the CD at "My Spine", when I need to keep pushing myself I just listen to "Hang Tough" which glides smoothly into "Switch/Twitch", and, no matter what type of mood I am in, by the time I get to "Blue Sky" I'm feeling good. So why is this CD so good? Here's 11 reasons:

1. Snapshot - One of the hardest Fluke tracks out there, except maybe "Pulse" (ßGet this track if you can!). More industrial flavored than I expected, but growing up on Nine Inch Nails, Stabbing Westward, and such I could appreciate this one.
2. My Spine - Usually where I start the CD. Kicking bass line wakes and picks you right up. Makes you want to move, just like all good techno should. This track is right up there with "Atom Bomb" and "Absurd". Listen to this and you feel as though your "feet don't touch the ground".
3. Another Kind of Blues - An abridged, remixed "Zion" from the "Matrix Reloaded" fame. We've all seen the movie. Need I say more?
4. Hang Tough - Like I said, this song has got me through some tough times. It has reminded me to dig deep and dream on. I honestly don't think I would be where I am today if I did not have these words of advice. When think you've reached your limit and you're ready to throw in the towel, pump this track and you're good to go.
5. Switch/Twitch - Definitely a highlight of this CD. It builds and builds and builds. With a great guitar riff running through it, and yet it is still undoubtedly more techno than industrial. It something unique. There is no song out there quite like it, and it kicks ass. I don't mind the fact it goes on for over 9 minutes. In fact, I wouldn't mind if it were longer. Tracks 2-5 are mixed seamlessly, and it is almost like listening to an incredible 25 minute track!
6. YKK - This is when the album begins to loose steam, but I am one of those exceptions that likes Fluke when they are mellow as much as when they are fully charged. This track is dark and brooding. Somehow it is probably the darkest and meanest track on the album. It's just downright evil, but in a good way.
7. Expo - A great track, but probably my least favorite on the album. It just lacks the intensity of the other tracks. Still it has its place. It is the mellow, let's "lie on the beach and have a j or make out or something like" that track. It is also the beginning of the building of the second part of the album, and flows right into...
8. Electric Blue - This song slowly has grown on me. Not one of the best tracks on the album, but still great. I think the lyrics and other vocals account for most of that. It is mellow, yet it still has groove. Many people complain that Fluke's albums loose their energy towards the middle, but I can appreciate why they do this. Being an armature DJ as a hobby, I realized they do this to make their albums like good trance and techno songs (and even many good dance floor sets). You start off strong, keep the momentum going for as long as you feel you can get away with it, then break down, slowly build, and then climax. That it is the way Puppy (and even other Fluke albums) is set up.
9. Nebulus - This track is a venture into DnB for Fluke. It is a great, mellow track comparable to "Ok" and "Kitten Moon" (except for the fact it is not really trance). An excellent experimentation for Fluke. It proves they can make any electronic music out there, and better than anyone else.
10. Baby Pain - Really dark for a love song, and yet it works. Intense and sexy (a combination that hasn't worked this well since Massive Attack's "Inertia"). A great track, but not sure how good it is that I can really relate to it (once you listen to the lyrics you will understand what I mean).
11. Blue Sky - One of the best (if not the best) songs on the album. Maybe their best song to date (god I love this song). Great lyrics. Great use of female choir vocals. No matter what type of mood you are in, after listening to this song you feel great. You will also long to be on a beach sipping a drink with a parasol. I think it is the "climax" or "release" of the album. An awesome way to end a great album. This song is why no matter what mood you are in when you listen to this album, you will feel great by the end of this song.
If you like high energy, hard techno and you miss the golden techno years of the mid-nineties, then you will love Puppy. Even if you just like techno, you will like Puppy.

I am just getting around to reviewing this album now after it has been out a while. BUT WOW!!!! This album is simply incredible! From start to finish, it is spectacular. Everyone I let hear this album praises it to all ends. The last track is really the only sleeper here. But even it grows on you. Everyone made fun of it because it was called "PUPPY" and because of the artwork on the front, but when they hear it, they are shocked. A very nice effort on Fluke's part. I am certainly looking forward to another great album. Start to finish, this album will not disappoint! Go get it!

Did you ever wanted more vocal tracks by Fluke like Absurd or A-Bomb? Well Fluke has granted your wish.
Puppy is pretty much more like a filler or add-on of Risotto. As hardcore as Fluke is this album delivers and it's 100% authentic Fluke sound. You will find that the music is very similar to the one on Risotto, there is no evolution but I can look over that cause this time vocal tracks outnumber instrumentals. In addition to typical Absurdish vocals, this time we also have some Underworld influenced vocals thrown into the mix. It is not necessarily bad but original Fluke style is still the hottest thing even on this new album. Instrumentals are pure Fluke once again.
Fans of not good but great electronica and techno music this album is a must + Risotto of course.

Compared to their history, this album seems to me like it's a little forced and passionless, and I'm a bit disappointed.

This album has all the necessary Fluke elements -- gravelly vocals and hyperbolic lyrics, crawling electronic pulses and pounding, complex beats. So why isn't it another masterpiece like Risotto? For one thing, Risotto is mixed and remixed over again from Oto, so a couple iterations has to help. Since they've ridden the Risotto wave and had those tracks in every car commercial and movie trailer for the last 8 years, they've set the bar there, which is maybe too high. A lot of the work in this one sounds like more of a throwback to Six Wheels On My Wagon, but less inspired, and more exhausted.

Sorry, Fluke! I still love ya and I'll buy the next one in a heartbeat as well. I hear it told that Fluke had a major data catastrophe shortly after Risotto while they were putting together another album, which had to be a huge disappointment. I think they just lost their momentum with this one.

Fluke's eighth (tenth if you include the two best-ofs) album, and first official album release since 1997's Risotto. Released on August 11, 2003, possibly to have the album slip in just under the six-year mark. It's also their first release since Mike Tournier split from the group in 2002.

Lyrically and vocally, it's closer to Oto than anything else, but musically it's like a very gritty hard house|hard-house/hard trance version of Risotto. About half the songs are reworked from the versions on their 2000 demo album "The Xmas Demos", with the rest being either new work or edits of post-Risotto releases. It suffers the same "energy" problems that Risotto had - the first couple of tracks are the faster and arguably 'better" ones, with the rest of the album tapering off about a third of the way in. The other problem is that it's just not innovative enough for something that they've supposedly been working on for six years - okay, so Mike Tournier left to pursue a solo career, but they've still had tons of time to work on new stuff, and not just re-hash their old singles and demo tracks. Which leads to another question... why isn't "Pulse / Pulsed" on here? It's one of the only really good things they've done in the past few years.

The verdict? It's not all that bad, but considering the amount of time the band has had to work on it (barring the loss of Mike Tournier) it's slightly disappointing. It's worth buying if you can find it for a non-stupid price (if you can find it at all), but I'd also recommend that you find a copy of The Xmas Demos to listen to as well.

This album is worth every penny!! My brother and I debated about whether or not we should order two, but eventually we did and after one listen, money was no object. This album just kills everything else out there, except for Massive Attack's 100th Window of course(Fluke's only competition). It is amazing that both of these groups have persevered after more than a decade, have overcome break-ups (losing one member each), and still keep topping their previous albums. Underworld showed that last year, now Massive and Fluke are doing the same thing. It is even cooler for me because they are my three favorite groups. Seeing them continue their work is a wonderful thing.

I can't say enough about how awesome this album is. The sounds, beats, lyrics, and vocals are all excellent and worthy of the Fluke name. This is a proper progression from the 90's to the new decade and is not a complete change in sound like so many other groups suffer from when they last this long. As previously stated by the "Switch" reviewer, they stuck with the Fluke sound and didn't go for a more organic or acoustic sound. Right on!

There is a good mix of instrumental and vocal tracks, But I love that Jon Fugler does vocals for more than half the album. There wasn't enough of him on "Risotto". He has the coolest sound of any male vocalist. He does vocals for 8 songs on this one, and the lyrics are soooo creatively written especially on "Snapshot" and "My Spine". Snapshot is styled like "Absurd" as a collage of 'human' situations instead of american cultural icons, and My Spine includes rapid-rhymes like those in "Bullet". I've always enjoyed being able to read their lyrics (they are one of the only groups in their genre who print the lyrics in their albums).

The instrumental songs are very good as well. "Nebulus" is a good earthy song with nice female hums. "Expo" is a cool track that continues the other-worldly sounds of "O.K." on "OTO" and "Kitten Moon" on "Risotto". "A Different Kind Of Blues" is a cool surprise for fans who saw "The Matrix: Reloaded" earlier this year or who own the soundtrack. I first learned that Fluke had a new album in the works when The Matrix Reloaded was released. A song called "Zion" appeared on the soundtrack and was used in a very long sequence in the film that looked much like a music video(very cool).

If you are a fan and are worried about the price, don't be. Just order this as soon as possible. You will not be disappointed. The album begins with a bang, and leaves a smile on your face at the end. Albums are never this good! "Puppy" is Fluke's great new addition to their vast soundbase and it proves that they are truly no "fluke" thing.

Fluke is beyond any contemporary description. They're very dark, their music is techno laced with industrial laced with trance, and the songwriting is...well, it defies the norms of the electronic genre. "Puppy" is a good example of Fluke's against-the-norm song-making prowess; very good, actually.

The album starts off strong, with the stellar "Snapshot". The song might be about a bunch of dysfunctional teens, but the lyrics lay on the nonsensical side. Better get used to it, as Fluke likes twisting clichés and euphemisms into their own breed of poetic beauty. Take, for example, the second track, "My Spine": my head is spinnin' so my feet don't touch the ground/my eyes is blinded by the light... The lyrics are weird but fun, and they actually point in a generally positive direction (more on this later).

The instruments, however, do not reflect this. The songs are brooding, harsh, and abrasive. They usually rely on pulsing beats and distorted guitars, alongside some of the most twisted synths I've heard. There is "Expo", the Kraftwerk-on-lithium mindbender. There is "Ykk" (pronounced "yick"), with its heavy jungle atmosphere and vocalist John Fugler's moaning (been bold/been brash/been cheap/been trash). And there is "Baby Pain" with synth that sounds like it was ripped from a Sega Genesis title and toyed with by the likes of VNV.

Don't let the menacing instruments fool you. Fugler does a good job of putting semi-positive (though ambiguous) spins on most of the songs (the aforementioned "Snapshot" and the INXS-like "Electric Blue" hang behind). "Hang Tough" has the message of...well, the lyrics speak for themselves: "and when it feels like you've lived too long/dig deep/be strong" "Ykk" speaks in regret of a poor history. Heck, even the disturbingly titled "Baby Pain" is, in a way, a love song that promises to be good for the longing of Fugler.

Make no mistake: Fugler is a lyrical genius, and when backed by two awesome instrumentalists (who go unnamed ¬_¬), Fluke becomes a force to be reckoned with. The band really shine on "Another Kind of Blues", an Andy Hunter°-esque trance track (the best one on the CD), and "Switch/Twitch", another lyrical jumble with one of the most awesome guitar riffs in all of electronic music.

The CD has some flaws (some of the songs are a little long, "Nebulus" is a mediocre attempt at ambient, and "Blue Sky"-choir and all-is unimpressive), but past these, "Puppy" is easily one of the best albums you'll come across this year. If you're a fan of electronica (especially Prodigy, or even VNV Nation), pick this "Puppy" up. And it has one of the cutest album covers ever! You can't beat that!

I love all but two of the songs. Songs 2-5 play right into eachother. It's a great workout combination. Very mellow, yet upbeat. I also love the title, and there's a puppy poster to boot (CD version).

Simply put, the best electronic album I have ever heard. Prodigy's Fat of the Land come in close 2nd and The Young God's A Second Nature in third.