Fuck Buttons, Tarot Sport - Music Review | h Magazine's hmonthly.com

Fuck Buttons, Tarot Sport - Music Review

Posted on 09. Dec, 2009 by Administrator in Music

Whether you’ll appreciate this album or not depends on how much time you’re willing to dedicate to one song. Album opener “Surf Solar” clocks in at 10:35, and builds oh-so-slowly over that length of time, with walls of sonic synth and a plodding electro drumbeat, that you emerge exhausted when it finally concludes. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing—as the song progresses (and if your attention hasn’t waned), you can hear it build majestically, reaching a crescendo of shoegazer noise and techno wizardry at its climax.

Much of the rest of Tarot Sport develops in this fashion, largely eschewing the more abrasive and organic sounds of the band’s last disc, Street Horrrsing, for what can only be described as euphoric techno landscapes. Although the next track, “Rough Steez” is only 4:44, it flows along at a similar pace as its predecessor, building on one simple hook while layering on tribal drums and robotic glitch attacks. What makes this album appealing, however, isn’t the heavy drums or quirky electronic squawks, it’s the duo’s sense of melody, best-exhibited in sprawling “The Lisbon Maru” and “Olympians”, which gives reason to why Fuck Buttons often play on bills with actual bands instead of four-on-the-floor club DJs. Although this album may not be as experimental as the last, it’s still pretty forward-thinking, with the duo honing in and developing the more subtle and poignant moments of its sound to the fullest potential. Take your time listening to this—it’s worth the wait.

Good For: Finding some common ground with that neighbor of yours who keeps you up all night by listening to nonstop house/techno – you guys should have some special cookies together.

Bad For: Explaining to said neighbor over a glass of milk why this is better than his house/techno.

–Bill Dvorak

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