Fake Limbs – Man Feelings LP (BLVD.)
RECOMMENDED
Chicagoans doing what they’re known for, dusting off the Midwest tool & die math/noise/boogie rock motif for a new year, decades away from the prime cut of that sound (Jesus Lizard, Tar, Shorty) but investing vigor, non-cruel laffs, and weirdness into the fray in a manner that most current practitioners are too serious (or just not good enough) to muster. Recorded at Electrical and featuring one of its employees, Fake Limbs put on the bulk required to bust through the walls of convention in a flailing tangle of Speedos and chest hair. I think recognizing the inherent idiocy in this sort of music is the only way to overcome its limitations, because you find ways to capitalize on something that is truly, uniquely dumb fun, and can dial down the unpleasant attitudes of this music’s historical fanbase, throwing it right back in their faces and making them enjoy being cut down (“Balding But Angry,” “Your Comments Are Atrocious”). I like this type of thing when a band knows this and can act on it, because I’ve seen the other side of things – largely relegated to the piss-trough of most garage punk in this day and age, and do not want to see it spill over into something I care for yet again. Fake Limbs passes the test. 300 copies. (http://www.blvdrecords.com)
(Doug Mosurock)
