Fucked Up reviewed
Fucked Up
The Chemistry Of Common Life
(Matador)
Fucked Up’s only album for Jade Tree, 2006’s Hidden World, wasn’t all that fucked up compared to the band’s trajectory on a score of singles and EPs. The Chemistry Of Common Life (Matador, 2008) doesn’t match the bar set by their name, either, and gives varying signals if that’s their intent.
Appearing: Thursday, October 23rd at Reggie’s in Chicago.
Fucked Up are fronted by a large, hairy man called Pink Eyes, who frequently bleeds from the head in concert and barks his lyrics like he has just swallowed the Tasmanian Devil. Behind him comes a wall of guitars, bass, and drums, uniform in its purpose to pummel anything brave enough to stand in its path. Despite the band’s ferocity, however, they’re more comforting on The Chemistry Of Common Life than ever — similar to how a commercial-airline cabin’s loudness can lull you to sleep. Maybe it’s the gentle backing vocals on “Black Albino Bones,” or the Def Leppard-sized guitar layering on “No Epiphany.” Whatever — suddenly the band are in tighter proximity to The Hold Steady and Murder City Devils.
The rock quotient hasn’t totally faded: Openers “Son The Father” and “Magic Word” will have you licking the blood that spills from your ears, and “Twice Born” might have a very distant cousin in black metal, yet is kin nonetheless. But Fucked Up’s padded brutality further takes the edge off a number of krautrock touches, notably the instrumental “Golden Seal.” A lot of science in Chemistry, but little philosophy.
— Steve Forstneger
Click here to download “No Epiphany.”
