I look at this as the real follow-up to Tobacco‘s other front-to-back BANG-er, Dandelion Gum, which he churned out with his band, Black Moth Super Rainbow.
Fucked Up Friends, not Eating Us , has the beats, grooves and synth-it-all madness to stand the test of time where Tobacco’s legend is concerned. And, to be fair, this does sound exactly like BMSR, the only difference being a guest rapper (Aesop Rock).
Aesop’s cut is one of the weakest F-Up Friends has to offer though — stay the course and you’ll hear much more addictive concoctions. “Backwoods Altar” gets my vote for alpha-head-o’-the-pack-a for sure, a slick instrumental-hip-hop — essentially — exercise with melodies you can crack open on a mirror and snort.
You’ll want more and more. That’s when it’s time to take a break. Every song sounds the same, so you have to really be on-board with what this Tobacco farmer is planting and growing before your very ears. You have to like synth melodies — no, you have to LOVE synth melodies.
You also have to love vocoder. Whatever the reason, I fell victim to the whole Graveface/BMSR scene because, not coincidentally, I love instrumental hip-hop, Anticon (Odd Nosdam, Passage, Subtle, Thee More Shallows), Daedelus, Deceptikon and all that somewhere-between-hip-hop-and-electronica-and-IDM-and-psych niche.
So now, an overpriced pic disc (“Cult”), a scratch-’n'-sniff double-LP (Dandelion Gum), a blue-marble-vinyl 10-inch (Drippers), a translucent 7″ (“Zodiac Girls”) and Fucked-Up Friends later, I’ve finally got my fix; I’m adequately fixed. Fixeroo!
You should fix yerself, too; Fucked-Up Friends is close-to-gone (onliy 1,000 pressed) and Dandelion Gum is already on its third pressing (on white-and-red swirl 2XLP, no less) and going fast …
