I remember listening to my first Foetus album. A friend of mine summed it up as "not for casual listeners." Any Fortus album is definitely a workout and requires a lot of careful listening but it's always rewarding.
Funny you should mention the Swans. J.G. Thirlwell collaborated with Roli Mosimann from the Swans on the project Wiseblood -- their single Pedal To The Metal would be a good one for you to check out.
This is relatively chill for a Foetus song, too. You might find something like Wash It All Off, or Lust for Death, interesting just in terms of what his more discordant/layered work is like. I don't think it is, and my lore on experimental music is not good enough to have an opinion on whether it is, but seeing something like Zach Hill name those songs/albums/era as a Death Grips influence wouldn't be shocking at all. Really great, noisy, nervous breakdown music but far less known than it deserves to be.
I've known musicians from all manner of backgrounds. The really creative ones almost always have enormously broad tastes and whenever I bring up Thirlwell practically everyone holds him in an almost mythical level of esteem. I was chatting with Away from Voivod last year. A million miles away from Foetus musically, but he holds him as a musical genius.
Beginning gave me strong Tom Waits vibes, and I think the vaudevillian showmanship is very Waitsian in general, though Waits is rarely this... energetic? Definitely different influences in the specific old traditions each are drawing from as well since this more swing with a bit of classic r&b/rock & roll. Very fun and enjoyable regardless of its influences. EDIT: LOL, wrote this before I heard you make the same Waits comparison!
First ever reaction on an artist which should be rediscovered. I don't know who suggested you this track but I don't think it's a good example. I'd suggest to check his album SINK; in particular "Boxhead", "Lilith", "Diabulus in Musica" and "Spit On The Griddle" - in fact the whole album is a masterpiece. The vocals are closer to Adi Newton (Clock DVA similar genre and a few years earlier) rather than Tom Waits - but I get your point. The key to Foetus's music is Sampling - he takes full advantage of this new way of making music (at that time) and do it more creatively and more in deptht than anyone else (still unsurpassed after all these years). Personally, I prefer the instrumental tracks - more recently he's producing some very interesting stuff under a new name: Steroid Maximus.
Jesus God no!!!! Sink's glory moments are Wash and Slog. But, yeah, every song is great. Have you heard Jean-Michel Jarre's Zoolook? Give that a listen to hear sampling at arguably its highest level.
I remembered those 4 songs but then the whole of Sink is a masterpiece. I'll check Zoolook but I guess it won't beat Foetus in terms of eclecticism (samples allows just that).
@@stefanogortaldi3156 I find that electronic instruments as a whole tend to push composers in the direction of creating somewhat 'transcendental' music. Take Tangerine Dream -the music they made was a very logical direction when you think of what the equipment allowed. Sequences prompted repetition; analogue synths encouraged percussive Gamelan sounds or warm, slow pads. Tangerine Dream's music was practically suggested by the instruments themselves. So when more modern samplers came out, they tended to slot into the already existing styles of transcendent music -for instance, Orbital using samplers but sounding like a more complicated version of their inspiration Kraftwerk. I think this is why Foetus is so special. His inspiration doesn't seem to have come from this Hippie background at all. He seems pure punk. It's like industrial music for film noir or something. Nothing laid back about it at all.
True - music often is derived from the instrument played (not just electronic). I've used a phrase sampler once (Roland Sp808) - then I understood how Foetus was conceiving his music and I don't even think a phrase sampler was available in the early 80's - then you can see plenty of conventional akai samplers in his studio. Eclecticism to the extreme is what characterize his music and I can't think of anyone more eclectic than him...probably The Residents come close but not much.
@@stefanogortaldi3156 I had a brief chat with him last year, and we spoke about squats. From what he was saying it sounded like he was living exclusively in squats when he was in London. But curiously, albums like Hole, Nail and Sink all make massive use of the Fairlight, which only incredibly successful artists could afford -Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield, Kate Bush, Trevor Horn. Maybe Jim had a very rich friend with a studio who realised Jim was the one who could utilise the Fairlight the best. Trevor Horn did this with Andrew Poppy -essentially to see what a classically trained composer could do with a Fairlight. When I think of eclecticism, I think of Joe Zawinul. He learned heaps of different styles of world music to put into his compositions. His album Dialects is a good example. Another album that springs to mind is Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn.
That is just the start. Wait to you hear the real dramatic impact of power on side 2. "Enter the Exterminator", "DI 1-9026" and the Wagnerian "Anything". " The epic majesty of Nail is more than industrial, it is noirish soundtrack influence, Wagner, Mahler and Sibelius classical influence, disjointed jazz concepts, Scott Joplin, Glam Rock, Throbbing Gristle, the Pop Group, and the Germanic Conny Plank influence ie DAF.
Remember something completely different(!) by Thirlwell and Simon Steensland: Catholic Deceit? (Morgan Ågren on drums) bYou did it on my request a couple of years ago and very much enjoyed it. It made you wanna dive into Thirlwell's work (why not Steensland's, beats me...) This track was cool, and the analysis superb.
A reasonable evaluation, though you missed, or at least didn't mention the humour. The track is all the more impressive, being from a single performer, using the technology of the day.
![Our Reaction to EVOLUTION OF POLISH POP MUSIC [1960 - 2023]](/img/n.gif)
He perfected this particular arrangement in a song called Bedrock
I remember listening to my first Foetus album. A friend of mine summed it up as "not for casual listeners."
Any Fortus album is definitely a workout and requires a lot of careful listening but it's always rewarding.
Funny you should mention the Swans. J.G. Thirlwell collaborated with Roli Mosimann from the Swans on the project Wiseblood -- their single Pedal To The Metal would be a good one for you to check out.
Don't forget Norman Westberg played in the Foetus live band too.
This is relatively chill for a Foetus song, too. You might find something like Wash It All Off, or Lust for Death, interesting just in terms of what his more discordant/layered work is like. I don't think it is, and my lore on experimental music is not good enough to have an opinion on whether it is, but seeing something like Zach Hill name those songs/albums/era as a Death Grips influence wouldn't be shocking at all. Really great, noisy, nervous breakdown music but far less known than it deserves to be.
One of the greatest albums of all time for me
I've known musicians from all manner of backgrounds. The really creative ones almost always have enormously broad tastes and whenever I bring up Thirlwell practically everyone holds him in an almost mythical level of esteem. I was chatting with Away from Voivod last year. A million miles away from Foetus musically, but he holds him as a musical genius.
Beginning gave me strong Tom Waits vibes, and I think the vaudevillian showmanship is very Waitsian in general, though Waits is rarely this... energetic? Definitely different influences in the specific old traditions each are drawing from as well since this more swing with a bit of classic r&b/rock & roll. Very fun and enjoyable regardless of its influences.
EDIT: LOL, wrote this before I heard you make the same Waits comparison!
Foetus über alles! His way of letting styles collide is mind-blowing.
First ever reaction on an artist which should be rediscovered. I don't know who suggested you this track but I don't think it's a good example. I'd suggest to check his album SINK; in particular "Boxhead", "Lilith", "Diabulus in Musica" and "Spit On The Griddle" - in fact the whole album is a masterpiece.
The vocals are closer to Adi Newton (Clock DVA similar genre and a few years earlier) rather than Tom Waits - but I get your point.
The key to Foetus's music is Sampling - he takes full advantage of this new way of making music (at that time) and do it more creatively and more in deptht than anyone else (still unsurpassed after all these years).
Personally, I prefer the instrumental tracks - more recently he's producing some very interesting stuff under a new name: Steroid Maximus.
Jesus God no!!!! Sink's glory moments are Wash and Slog. But, yeah, every song is great. Have you heard Jean-Michel Jarre's Zoolook? Give that a listen to hear sampling at arguably its highest level.
I remembered those 4 songs but then the whole of Sink is a masterpiece. I'll check Zoolook but I guess it won't beat Foetus in terms of eclecticism (samples allows just that).
@@stefanogortaldi3156 I find that electronic instruments as a whole tend to push composers in the direction of creating somewhat 'transcendental' music. Take Tangerine Dream -the music they made was a very logical direction when you think of what the equipment allowed. Sequences prompted repetition; analogue synths encouraged percussive Gamelan sounds or warm, slow pads. Tangerine Dream's music was practically suggested by the instruments themselves. So when more modern samplers came out, they tended to slot into the already existing styles of transcendent music -for instance, Orbital using samplers but sounding like a more complicated version of their inspiration Kraftwerk. I think this is why Foetus is so special. His inspiration doesn't seem to have come from this Hippie background at all. He seems pure punk. It's like industrial music for film noir or something. Nothing laid back about it at all.
True - music often is derived from the instrument played (not just electronic). I've used a phrase sampler once (Roland Sp808) - then I understood how Foetus was conceiving his music and I don't even think a phrase sampler was available in the early 80's - then you can see plenty of conventional akai samplers in his studio.
Eclecticism to the extreme is what characterize his music and I can't think of anyone more eclectic than him...probably The Residents come close but not much.
@@stefanogortaldi3156 I had a brief chat with him last year, and we spoke about squats. From what he was saying it sounded like he was living exclusively in squats when he was in London. But curiously, albums like Hole, Nail and Sink all make massive use of the Fairlight, which only incredibly successful artists could afford -Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Mike Oldfield, Kate Bush, Trevor Horn. Maybe Jim had a very rich friend with a studio who realised Jim was the one who could utilise the Fairlight the best. Trevor Horn did this with Andrew Poppy -essentially to see what a classically trained composer could do with a Fairlight. When I think of eclecticism, I think of Joe Zawinul. He learned heaps of different styles of world music to put into his compositions. His album Dialects is a good example. Another album that springs to mind is Mike Oldfield's Ommadawn.
That is just the start. Wait to you hear the real dramatic impact of power on side 2. "Enter the Exterminator", "DI 1-9026" and the Wagnerian "Anything". " The epic majesty of Nail is more than industrial, it is noirish soundtrack influence, Wagner, Mahler and Sibelius classical influence, disjointed jazz concepts, Scott Joplin, Glam Rock, Throbbing Gristle, the Pop Group, and the Germanic Conny Plank influence ie DAF.
I bought a few Foetus albums based on my interest in his collaborative work with Lydia Lunch.
I know Thirlwell and also got to meet up with Lydia Lunch in Barcelona when I played with a band called Backworld. Thought I’d share.
Remember something completely different(!) by Thirlwell and Simon Steensland: Catholic Deceit? (Morgan Ågren on drums) bYou did it on my request a couple of years ago and very much enjoyed it. It made you wanna dive into Thirlwell's work (why not Steensland's, beats me...)
This track was cool, and the analysis superb.
With respect to the shorthand, it takes to 19:10 for the word 'bonkers' to coalesce.
cool stuff . i love this song and "finely-honed machine" "
throne of agony" he has a lot of good jams
A good analysis thanks. Lots of astute observations and comparisons.
A reasonable evaluation, though you missed, or at least didn't mention the humour. The track is all the more impressive, being from a single performer, using the technology of the day.
Foetus is god. Ready to have your mind blown again? He did all of it alone.