Review Summary: Non-instruments, noisy improvisations and one horrible band name.
I first saw Holy F
uck during a tour with Wolf Parade (don’t make fun of me). This means, at one point in the spectrum of Dan Katz’ life, Holy F
uck were just another 45 minutes before hearing
You are a Runner, and I am my Father’s Son live. Some time before said 45 minutes had ended my opinion made an about-face; Wolf Parade could wait, Holy F
uck needed to stay on stage. By utilizing pounding rhythms as well as ridiculous amounts of non-instruments, including (but not limited to) various toys, articles of electronic garbage and a 35mm film sequencer, for so much more than Twee appeal, Holy F
uck had more or less captivated this younger, impressionable version of myself. Of course, upon making it back to my home I scoured the internet for some formal recording of the band, I found what I was looking for in a self-titled 2005 release. But the effect wasn’t the same; the songs sounded weak and comparatively uninteresting to the band’s live show.
LP , the second full-length release by the band, is an improvement on both these qualities. Sure, it still doesn’t quite match up to the band’s live show, but that would be a little bit much to expect from even the most experienced of bands.
The music on LP is relentlessly driving. Certain tracks are almost Lightning Bolt-esque in their bass-heavy drones.
Safari charges into 4-plus minutes of crunchy keyboards and prominent bass lines after a brief horn sample. Tight drums hold all of the noise, which increases as the song progresses, together well, keeping the song relatively fun and dancey instead of overtly noisy.
Lovely Allen represents the opposite side of LP’s relatively limited range, it’s more structured and features as pleasant a keyboard loop/sample as you are likely to find on the album. Granted, the song is still dripping with noise and is discordant in all the right places.
Royal Gregory too, seems an obvious choice for single. The funky electronic piano groove suggests a more lo-fi Justice; it even features a truly catchy vocal melody, an element not heavily explored throughout LP. Royal Gregory again finds Holy F
uck’s excellent drum work making the song.
LP isn’t really as unlistenable as could be thought. F
]uck are a terribly fun band, and their latest release isn’t a difficult listen in the slightest. Throw away the trash instruments, improvisations (much of the album is improvised), layers of noise and slightly unfortunate band name and you’ve got a solid, albeit not entirely original, Electronica record. But of course, without the trash instruments, improvisations, layers of noise and slightly unfortunate band name, it really wouldn’t be Holy F
uck.
-Dan
