Any fool can make an unholy racket and call it art. It takes talent and a nuanced ear to be able to take noise and craft it into something beautiful. A bit of musical structure, the odd tune and knowing when to turn the volume up (and down) help too. Perhaps this is why I prefer MBV over Merzbow, Mogwai over Wolf Eyes. FB make precisely the kind of noise-based music I love.
FB's first album 'Street Horrrsing' is a curious experience, especially on first listen. Like Mogwai, they use a limited palette of sounds to create their music - loud distortion, tinkly piano, church organ, tribal drums, yelping and someone screaming obscenities into the void. Despite the high volume and abrasiveness, the warm layers of distortion and the endless repetition lull you into a calm, meditative state. I'm reminded of the more upbeat moments of Seefeel's 'Quique' played at maximum volume through a transistor radio. ...And then the Masonna-esque screaming starts, which kind of ruins the mood. It's a bit like crawling under a warm duvet on a cold winter night, only to find that someone has hidden a cactus in there with you. Still, on 'Bright Tomorrow' or 'Colours Move' the whole experience is genuinely euphoric, especially at high volume.
On their subsequent album ('Tarot Sport'), FB fortunately ditched the screaming, but then drifted a little too close to creating a soundtrack for Saturday afternoon sport (see 'Olympians'). Here they are at their noisy best.
