Album: Slow Focus
Record Label: ATP Recordings
UK Electro- Noise duo opt for a darker, and unfortunately less mesmerizing style on album No.3
Having become one of UK Electronica's most observed acts since their manic 2008 debut "Street Horrsing", Fuck Buttons' long awaited return after a 3 year absence will have most fans wanting vindication for the prolonged lateness. "Slow Focus", the band's 3rd full- length, is definitely one that plays to the band's strengths sonically. Long, languorous 10 minute epics like the opener "Brainfreeze" are exactly the kind of celestial, layered premise we've come to expect. But instead of alluding to the glorious, fuzzy highs of 2010's "Tarot Sport", there's a much darker, unnerving current worming its way between the seams of "Slow Focus." Unfortunately, it will leave many fans wanting.
"The Red Wing" announces its arrival with a pounding Boom- Bap beat beat and has has gritty, droning synths supported by rhythmically progressive tendencies and is joined later by glacial and increasingly dramatic flavours. "Sentients" has a crawling, pulsating beat surrounded by bleepy scree before an alienating melody that sounds like a robot firing up into destructive life.
However, the matter of the fact remains that Fuck Buttons fail to attain any real kind of character most of the time on "Slow Focus." The circulations of "Year of the Dog" feel rather superfluous, and for all its immersive efforts "Stalker" fails to be interesting. Despite a handful of kaleidoscopic cuts, the overwhelming feeling coming upon leaving "Slow Focus" is that it should have given more.
Key Tracks: Brainfreeze, The Red Wing, Sentients
For fans of: Boards of Canada, Godspeed You! Black Emperor
6/10
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