Most Helpful Customer Reviews
|
|
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Why are the pretty ones always insane?", May 14, 2001
This is an amazing cd. It has been accurately said that no two songs sound alike, with songs like "Suspect" sounding like a horror movie for the ears and Heuldoch #7B (which initially struck me as the best) which has the sound of big band jazz mixed with the challenging rhythmic and melodic styles of bop, and is even produced to sound as though it were recorded in the fifties. Another thing that strikes me is the fact that, save for a couple solos, Thirwell played all the instruments himself. Quite the virtuoso! The astounding layering is a welcome reminder Mr. Reznor is not the only one that can produce intelligently densely orchestrated pieces. The album is also a return to the lyrical stylings of 80's Foetus that just didn't seem to kick in on the hard to take (although satisfyingly longevetic) Gash. The album features adjusted cliches like "give me librium or give me meth / i'll filter out the nutrients / and cut the rest to mix your mickey finn," "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger / that must make me hercules," "like a needle in a haystack / provokin' all my allergies," "do unto others - then get out of the area," "wake up and smell the mildew," "there's a last time for every thing," and "i see you when you're sleeping / i know when you're awake / i know when you bin good or bad / so don't repeat the same mistake." There are also new lyrical themes such as aging, and the album seems more personal than any of the earlier Foetus. The worst songs on the cd, "Quick Fix" and "The Need Machine" are still quite good (some people even think they are the best). Other than those two, I am not able to pick my favorite from among the others. Mandelay stands out, but Heuldoch and Suspect are so catchy, and Kreibabe instills a sense of fear and disgust that I have never felt before in a song (except maybe Asbestos on Thaw). This album is the best so far this year (though I will probably like the new Tool better), and is inspiring to anyone who feels that the industrial/experimental genre has gone to .... (By the way, lyrically this album is certainly not industrial, though musically some songs fit the rubric). The best Foetus since Nail, and possibly better.
|
|
|
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A brilliant album with something for everybody, September 18, 2002
Flow is hands down my favorite Foetus album yet, and here's why:1) It came from nowhere. Recent Foetus releases have been so uninspiring that I had practically written him off. Flow took me by complete surprise. 2) The lyrics are some of his best ever, e.g. these serious winners from The Need Machine: "whoever has the most toys always wins / they'll genuflect then kick you in the shins / give me librium or give me meth / I'll filter out the nutrients / and cut the rest to mix your Mickey Finn." 3) All of his masterful instrumentalism is at his peak performance. Crazy drumming. Great horn playing. The orchestral samples / performances (I'm not really sure how he gets all those sounds) are magnificent. 4) More jazz influence is always nice, and the hilarious track Heuldock #7b gives us more of that fast crazy death-swing that we want, on top of the scathing lyrical torture of some unfortunate ex (hmmmmmmm... wonder who that could be). Plus the gospel influence in "Grace of God," and the oddball bossa "Cirrhosis of the Heart." 5) The companion album "Blow" with all the remixes is also excellent and makes you appreciate "Flow" even more. 6) While I normally don't like the slow tracks so much (and here the long slow grind of "Mandelay" doesn't suit my palate), the excellent "Someone Who Cares" is a notable exception. Slow and sexy, it makes you want to drink yourself into the gutter with this poor old sod. Anyway: I see/hear many people repeat the adage that all of Thirlwell's best material is the "old stuff," you know, Ache and Hole and Nail and all that. Those are incredible albums, no doubt, and I love all that stuff. But if I wanted to introduce someone to Foetus for the first time, Flow is the album I would play for them. Flow rules. Buy it. Now.
|
|
|
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
His best one so far, December 27, 2002
This is the best album so far that Jim Thirwell (aka Foetus) has released thusfar, in my opinion. The album holds my attention captive from beginning until the haunting music landscape heard in the last song.
How can I classify this music? It is impossible to do so, it is not metal, not punk, not industrial, not acid Jazz, not a 1940 Big Band gone mad, it's just the creative spirit of Jim, who seems to be getting better and better. He takes you with him on a mad drive through the insane roller coaster of 'The Need Machine', draws you into his own virtual movie where an orchestra paints the story of 'Suspect', he pulls you into his time machine, introducing you to one of the darkest clubs where an insane big band accompanies him to 'Heuldoch 7B', and in the end you find yourself in a the desolate landscape of 'Kreibabe'.
The music is intelligent, challenging, very inspired, it grabs you and will not let go of you until you heard the last whisperings of the last song. Foetus is not some industrial trash band attempting to be intellectual without the necessary equipment to reach that level; foetus is the composer Jim Thirwell, rising to newer, greater heights than before. GET THIS ONE!
|
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
by Foetus 
