Andrew Hung "Realisationship" (2017)

Realisationship [debut]

release date: Oct. 13, 2017

format: digital (9 x File, FLAC)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,44]

producer: Andrew Hung

label: Lex Records - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Say What You Want" - 2. "Elbow" - 4. "Private Commercial" - 5. "Whispers" - 7. "Sugar Pops" - 8. "Animal" - 9. "Open Your Eyes"

Studio album debut by electronic artist Andrew Hung, one-half of the duo Fuck Buttons, following his soundtrack to the British comedy film "The Greasy Strangler" (2016) by Jim Hosking.

Stylistically, this falls quite far from music by Fuck Buttons by being much more founded on melody, vocals, and traditional music compositions. Blanck Mass [Benjamin John Power], the other half of Fuck Buttons, released his third album World Eater earlier this year, and if you'd expect something similar from Hung that's not really the case. Instrumentally, the music is still electronica, but where Fuck Buttons, and to some extent Blanck Mass, both focus on instrumental progression and complexity, Realisationship is more simple with loanes from Aphex Twin and LCD Soundsystem, and in a way, it's like a condensation of that.

I find it much in common with the alt. dance and indietronica of LCD Soundsystem with focus on synthpop and drum beats, but the music here is commonly labelled as 'chiptune' - which implies sounds stemming from early computer systems and video games. On top of melody-based compositions, Hung swings and sings through nine compositions running a total of 37 minutes. There's a fine positive dance-related energy and still a highly simplistic tone - at times it feels a bit too narrow, but it still sounds like a refreshing breeze. It's not too complicated, but also with only little to offer in terms of impressive arrangements and strong songs. It's fine, it's definitely good, and not so much more.

[ Uncut 3,5 / 5, SputnikMusic 4 / 5 stars ]

Fuck Buttons "Tarot Sport" (2009)

Tarot Sport
release date: Oct. 20, 2009
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,72]
producer: Andrew Weatherall
label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Surf Solar" - 3. "The Lisbon Maru" - 4. "Olympians" - 6. "Space Mountain" - 7. "Flight of the Feathered Serpent"

2nd studio album by the electronic duo-project Fuck Buttons by Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power [Blanck Mass] follows 1½ year after a promising start with Street Horrrsing (Mar. 2008).

Tarot Sport is like the predecessor instrumental progressive electronica but where the debut had a link to post-rock, this one goes bolder electronic, passing from drone to progressive and then adding elements from minimal techno and glitch pop.

Tarot Sport was met by positive reviews, thus ending up on many music magazines' top-10 lists of albums of the year.

Although, it wasn't an immediate favourite of mine, I find it much more than just ordinary and with something extra to offer. For one thing, the album appears more of an original whole than their debut, which both appeared as a fine experiment but also felt bonded to familiar inspirational sources. Tarot Sport, on the other hand, comes out even more experimental, displaying some quite interesting beats and sounds, which almost takes it into the dance arena, and then there's an industrial tone lurking as a backbone on all tracks. You could aply most of that for the debut, but where that appeared like a experiment pointing in various directions, this one appears more as a coherent work with a founding sound. It's quite spacious but also quite strict in its soundscape, which would nearly be too blatant as a soundtrack for a movie about transportation in space.

The album has proved to be a certified grower. At first I found it so-so - thinking: possibly above 3 - then, uhm, yeah... not bad, actually! - reevaluating: clearly above 3,3 to 3,5-ish - and then one day I found myself listening to it at pretty high volume driving alone in my car on a motorway, while thinking: Now, how could I miss how good this is?! It's definitely quite spectacular isn't?! I really like the bolder use of drum beats, and one day I may eventually hand it a 4.

[ allmusic.com, The Guardian, NME, Q Magazine, Uncut, Mojo 4 / 5, Spin 3 / 5 stars ]

Fuck Buttons "Street Horrrsing" (2008)

Street Horrrsing [debut]

release date: Mar. 17. 2008

format: cd

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]

producer: John Cummings

label: ATP Recordings - nationality: England, UK

Track highlights: 1. "Sweet Love for Planet Earth" - 2. "Ribs Out" - 5. "Bright Tomorrow" - 6. "Colours Move"

Studio album debut by British electronic duo Fuck Buttons consisting of Andrew Hung and Benjamin John Power, the latter also synonymous with the acclaimed solo-project Blanck Mass initiated 2011. Apparently, the two got together as early as 2004 when Hung was into Aphex Twin whereas Power was a fan of Mogwai - the album is produced by founding member of Mogwai, John Cummings - and that basically explains much of the duo's starting point, although, the album here reveal a new aspect of their music, which initially was about... noise.

The founding denominator on Street Horrrsing is the electronic progressive element, although both members may be said to be grounded in instrumental experimental electronica.

The album both seems inspired by the aforementioned artists but is really anything but merely a copy. The drone element is everywhere and the compositions are often built on a structure of simple, repetitive patterns that either transforms slowly or abrupt. On all compositions the duo play with harmony and chaos. There's always some soothing melody line, here and there, and at the same time, there's noise, or: a bleak darkness underneath that keeps you alert. It's definitely an album for listeners, and if you don't find it appealing at first, you may give it a second chance.

[ allmusic.com, Uncut 4 / 5, Pitchfork 8,6 / 10, 👎Spin 3 / 5 stars ]