Street Horrrsing

Fuck Buttons, Fuck Buttons | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 18, 2008)
• Original Release Date: 2008
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Atp Recordings
• ASIN: B000YDAIT6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #124,873 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Street Horrrsing, the debut record from the Bristol-based duo Fuck Buttons, is not easy—or even intermediate—listening. It's controlled noise, composed primarily of cranked, droning fuzz, wandering songs and heavily distorted vocals that sound disembodied, like a horde of angry poltergeists. But, as with other purveyors of contained chaos like Mogwai or (at their most adventurous) Deerhunter, Fuck Buttons take great care to bury melodies just close enough to the surface for us to manage a foothold in the swirling clamor. And while this is intensely serious music, the record isn't too haughty for bouts of whimsy; "Bright Tomorrow" opens with a dance club beat that feels alien, only to be incorporated back into the whole by the cacophonous finale. Throughout, the use of rhythm works to Horrrsing's advantage, as tribal drums are used to punch up both dark moments ("Okay Let's Talk About Magic") and lighter ones ("Colours Move"). Listening to Fuck Buttons is like drowning—you start off struggling, but then resignation comes. In the end, you drift into the unknown, smiling contentedly. --Matthew Cooke

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm certain I've done this before..., March 20, 2008

By 

Cody Frederickson "Careful now" (Lynnfield, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Street Horrrsing (Audio CD)

Street Horrrsing is essentially one long trip. Every track bleeding into the next seemlessly (unless you're using a crummy music player which automatically puts a pause between each track, like I am), and from the opening notes of hope in Sweet Love for Planet Earth, you find yourself wading into an endless ocean of sound. The water getting deeper and deeper the further in you go, dragging you down and enveloping you completely before you even realize it. The occasional spot of brightness trying to rip through the all the noise and fear, but ultimately losing out to the darkness. But then finally, a light shines as you reach Bright Tomorrow, easily the most accessible track of the album. It grabs hold of this one little synth hook and doesn't let go, instead letting it build and build until there is just too much for it to support itself and it finally explodes into a fiery ball of distortion, noisy fuzz grinding away with the I'm-being-murdered screams pleading to be heard through it all. It's like a hand to grab hold of to pull yourself up from the depths, a hand that pats you on the back afterwards and makes you smile and think that you're going to be fine , before it pushes you back into that deep dark as it swells towards it's climax and finally gives way to the album's final track, Colours Move. By the time it begins, you're left flailing about madly in the waters, unsure of what exactly awaits you. The droning distortion is soon undercut by an almost tribal drumbeat which is soon joined by another cautiously optimistic synth part. Maybe you're really going to make it? The haunting, inhuman cries from the second track, Ribs Out, jump in as well, followed soon after by that ever-present screaming, and it all comes full circle. Everything sort of starts to make sense, you feel like you're a part of it now, and not a victim of it. And then it all cuts out and you're left with the sound of sunlight dancing on water until it just stops.
Then it's over. And you're left rubbing your eyes from the sudden burst of daylight, wondering "Did I just survive that?"

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A late-night brooding classic, May 25, 2008

By 

Shadowgraphs - See all my reviews

This review is from: Street Horrrsing (Audio CD)

This just might be the ultimate drone album. The sound mixing is near-flawless. Each track contains plenty of layers, giving you a good assortment of cool-sounding noise to chew on. The "songwriting" (...although I hesitate to call anything here a "song") is also very strong for this kind of music; everything seems very deliberately arranged rather than a collage of random noises. Also to their credit, F*** Buttons manage to keep things musical for the most part, although there are the occasional bouts of tribal drumming and screaming over distorted sequencer loops. Even though these guys use nothing but keyboards and drums, there is a very definite doom metal vibe. I feel as though they're going for the same kind of effect Neurosis, Isis, and Jesu try for, but with a different instrumental arrangement and generally better mixing.

The best song on here is "Sweet Love for Planet Earth," which grows from a bell chorus reminiscent of Sigur Rós circa "Takk" to a thundering din of reverb and screaming. The whole album is great, though, and bleeds together into one big song. Recommended for anyone who likes long, droney songs that focus more on sonic texture than anything else. This is not "background music," though. You might want to listen to this in a setting where you can really focus on the sounds. Overall, I'd say this is the best release from '08 I've heard so far... and that I will be watching F*** Buttons' career with great interest.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars I Get It, March 20, 2008

By 

M. Friend (Chicago) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Street Horrrsing (Audio CD)

I disagree with the other reviewer that thought this was a joke album to see if people would take it serious.

Reading about them you find that they started as a nihilistic noise band but then changed and added melody and rhythm.

No it is not the most ground breaking of noise bands and yes some stuff seems recycled, but overall it is a very wonderful effort. I would not say this is for everyone, or even most people, but for those that like experimentation, some noise with melody, a nice drool enticing trance state then check this out.

Definitely glad to have it in my collection, will be played frequently, love the sonic layers and where it takes me. Yes there is better, but this is darn good.