Tarot Sport - Fuck Buttons

How to start when it comes to a band such as Fuck Buttons? Obviously, already it is clear that this band will never diverge into the mainstream even without listening to the music, so you are already prepared for a sound that is out of the ordinary before you plug in (just to say, in my opinion this is definitely an album designed to be listened through headphones, like Burial's works, not shouted out through huge bass filled speakers).

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From the opening track, "Surf Solar" in my opinion one of the highlights of the album, you can already tell if you are going to like this album or not. "Fuck Buttons" have a very unique sound that is minimalistic, but not at all boring. The opening track begins with rapid fast moving sounds that pan across you like bees trying to escape from a jar. Then a steady 4/4 beat kicks in, and the noise settles ... more

How to start when it comes to a band such as Fuck Buttons? Obviously, already it is clear that this band will never diverge into the mainstream even without listening to the music, so you are already prepared for a sound that is out of the ordinary before you plug in (just to say, in my opinion this is definitely an album designed to be listened through headphones, like Burial's works, not shouted out through huge bass filled speakers).

From the opening track, "Surf Solar" in my opinion one of the highlights of the album, you can already tell if you are going to like this album or not. "Fuck Buttons" have a very unique sound that is minimalistic, but not at all boring. The opening track begins with rapid fast moving sounds that pan across you like bees trying to escape from a jar. Then a steady 4/4 beat kicks in, and the noise settles down and is replaced by an equally first whirring sound before the heavily synthesized bass line commences. The various noises keep you entertained for the whole 10 minutes and you feel yourself moving to the song, something that recently electronic music from my point of view have failed to do so.

So from a strong opener the album then follows into other songs with their own unique feel. "Rough Steez" is a harsh song that really pounds your head in, but there's a cinematic, storytelling quality to the music, and the climactic builds of longer pieces such as "The Lisbon Maru"-- with its militaristic drumbeat and huge synth melodies-- conjure the excitement of an oversized movie sequence.

The album then follows on with more of the same sound as the first three songs, and although not outstanding, they are most definitely not filler. The album then concludes with "Flight Of The Feathered Serpent." Definitely the album's best song, but followed closely behind by the others. The strong opening and closing of the album definitely makes the album worth buying, and one of the best I have heard this year so far in my opinion. This album was intended to be looked at as a piece of art, such as Radiohead's albums', not just the same drivel that is spouted from the mouths of such artists as Alexandra Burke, or Girls Aloud. This does not mean that the songs are mediocre or weak in their own right, but the album is a completely different world when listened to as a whole.

8.5/10 

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