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This Halloween, have a sit down and listen to The Director's Cut by Fantômas

Started by The Mollusk, October 17, 2021, 03:52:28 PM

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The Mollusk

Up there with Disco Volante and Angel Dust as one of Mike Patton's best albums, one I'd certainly call a masterpiece without hesitation, and probably the one I've played the most out of all his projects. I think you'd be hard pressed to find another set of cover songs as smartly and imaginatively reimagined as what's on display here, not just individually fun to listen to but all flowing perfectly together as a cohesive whole, owed enormously to Patton's superb production and composition skills.

What's really remarkable is how these versions - altogether heavier, broader and more suited to being an album of songs by a band, as opposed to a film soundtrack first and a standalone release second - remain highly faithful to the original compositions and their moods, retaining the cinematic menace, intrigue and absurdism in all the necessary places whilst propelling them to bonkers new heights. The dark, chilling march of Jerry Goldsmith's "Ave Satani" is flipped into a breakneck thrash metal assault but still keeps a firm grip on all of its grandiose horror. Angelo Badalamenti's hushed jazz noir theme to "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" has a thick layer of schmaltz poured on top through its twinkling synthesizers and a huge filtered drum beat impossible not to bop your head to, and yet it still sounds like it exists appropriately within that Lynchian nightmare. The ascending scale finale of Ennio Morricone's "Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion" drops off pleasantly with a pluck of the jaw harp, whereas the Fantômas version rattles up to a blistering pace that climaxes sounding like the whole band got chucked up the inside of a lorry veering off a cliff - somehow carrying the same sense of humour in a completely different light.

It's quite fitting that as a live band, Fantômas are positioned with Lombardo's kit to the left, Patton's setup to the right and Dunn and Osbourne in the centre: All four play it perfectly but Lombardo is absolutely the other thick hunk of man bread holding this sandwich together. His drumming is off the charts here, showcasing not just his trademark powerhouse metal styles but all of the dynamic range necessary to make every track appropriately pop on this album. It is fucking glorious.

Honourable mention of course goes to Patton's risky but worthwhile decision to work in quotes from the original films as lyrics to the tracks. There are many ways that this album in the wrong hands could have been sub par or even shite, and this is a big one, but it's fuckin great. The snarling terror of "IT'S EITHER YOU OR THEM" on "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer" fits the bill perfectly, as does the ramping tension of "Rosemary's Baby" where Patton at first growls and then eventually screams "What have they done to its eyes?!"

God I friggin love this album.

Egyptian Feast

Good idea, I haven't listened to it in years. I saw them play it in the Astoria a month or two before it closed and the crowd got so carried away from the first note, anyone who didn't want to be pulled into the mosh had to instantly flee to the back. It was pretty funny and made quite a change from earlier shows I'd seen around the time Suspended Animation came out, where everyone in the crowd was just standing and watching.

My favourite Fantômas track (and the one that made me finally join the mosh) is 'Charade', mainly for his percussive 'DAK-DAK-DAK' vocals. Absolutely love it when he does that shit so I was really into the first album and Suspended Animation back in the day. Bungle's 'Goodbye Sober Day' is another one that reliably drives me bananas.

I have a comp on my hard drive called 'The Director's Cut Originals', which made for fascinating listening. Must dig that out again soon.

The Mollusk

Quote from: Egyptian Feast on October 17, 2021, 04:17:47 PM
Good idea, I haven't listened to it in years. I saw them play it in the Astoria a month or two before it closed and the crowd got so carried away from the first note, anyone who didn't want to be pulled into the mosh had to instantly flee to the back. It was pretty funny and made quite a change from earlier shows I'd seen around the time Suspended Animation came out, where everyone in the crowd was just standing and watching.

Tasty! I saw them at the Astoria myself, but this was back in 2004 around the release of Delirium Cordia (the support acts were bizarre genre-melding ensemble Flat Earth Society and Kid606 during his noise/breakcore phase - the whole night was fucking great!). Their set was a decent mix of weird snippets from DC and the first album alongside Director's Cut big hitters. Patton told the crowd to shut the fuck up a couple of times as they kept whooping in all the bits of silence during the tracks from the first album.

QuoteMy favourite Fantômas track (and the one that made me finally join the mosh) is 'Charade', mainly for his percussive 'DAK-DAK-DAK' vocals. Absolutely love it when he does that shit so I was really into the first album and Suspended Animation back in the day. Bungle's 'Goodbye Sober Day' is another one that reliably drives me bananas.

Heh, yeah, big "Mars Attacks!" aliens vibe. I've been thinking recently about making a Patton soundboard where it's just me sat in front of my phone camera doing loads of HUUHHH!!! CHIKCHIKCHIKAHOII WHEEEZE noises, that one would definitely be in there.

Incidentally I've never seen Charade but just googled it and it looks ace, might stick it on tonight.

Egyptian Feast

It's pretty good. Shakin' Hitchcock, maybe, but there's plenty to enjoy, not least the score.

Another one I'd recommend seeking out is Investigation of a Citizen Above Suspicion. I haven't seen it in a while, but I can imagine it would seem especially relevant nowadays in this era of zero accountability.

DrGreggles

Saw this tour at the Mean Fiddler.
Hadn't heard the album at that point, so it was my introduction to it.
Amazing show.

chveik


Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth

Love it. It's one of my go-to Autumn records. Just the right sort of mood as the nights get longer and colder.

Brundle-Fly

Fantastic album! I had the gilt TDC poster in a frame on the wall for years. I feel I should dig it out and send it to you, Mollusk, such is your passion. Thematically, I always felt it was the daughter album to John Zorn's Naked City(1990)


The Mollusk


Brundle-Fly

I'll have to find the fucker first. I think I know where it is. Bear with.

Dirty Boy

I'm certainly very fond of it, in fact the only Fantomas record i've never truly loved is Delerium Cordia (i bet it'd be good for late night walks though and interesting to hear bits of it live no doubt). As with the three[nb]yes, there are indeed only three[/nb] Bungle albums they present an extraordinary body of work and all of them are unique (i suppose sonically Suspended Animation isn't a million miles away from the first one but still...)

One of the great front covers as well, along with Disco Volante. Someone must have a thing for eyes.

I've always secretly wanted to hear Patton do more covers of movie soundtracks rather than the original scores he's been doing. I like the idea of him tackling the more gnarly Morricone Giallo stuff, then again it's hard to imagine him improving or adding anything to the versions that exist already.
Quote from: DrGreggles on October 17, 2021, 07:21:56 PM
Saw this tour at the Mean Fiddler.
Hadn't heard the album at that point, so it was my introduction to it.
Amazing show.
This one?

Dirty Boy

Quote from: Brundle-Fly on October 17, 2021, 09:10:47 PM
Fantastic album! I had the gilt TDC poster in a frame on the wall for years. I feel I should dig it out and send it to you, Mollusk, such is your passion. Thematically, I always felt it was the daughter album to John Zorn's Naked City(1990)
I got into Naked City through Patton, but that first album really knocked my block off and cleaned my ears out (Radio and Torture Garden did too a bit later on). I was under the impression Bungle were totally original before i heard that, a bit like with Fantomas and the Boredoms. 

Of course, mentioning Zorn also reminded me that he's already done an album of Morricone covers called The Big Gundown that i'm now going to have to dig out again.

flotemysost

Not much to add but I often dig this out around Halloween too, it's superb. Really satisfying and no filler IMHO. And yep Charade is a great film (aside from The Godfather and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me I don't think I've actually seen any of the others used on the album, should probably remedy that so thanks for the prompt!).

Quote from: Dirty Boy on October 17, 2021, 09:39:51 PM
Of course, mentioning Zorn also reminded me that he's already done an album of Morricone covers called The Big Gundown that i'm now going to have to dig out again.

I discovered this after hearing his cover of The Sicilian Clan (from the 2000 remastered version) on the radio a few years ago, what a mesmerising piece that is.

Shaky

Counterpoint - I think it's the worst Fantomas album. A handful of very good tracks, but quite a few that don't work for me and overall it doesn't feel like a mad, cohesive whole as the other LPs do. For me, Delirium Cordia is their masterpiece. If they ever do another one, I'd love more of that.

Fire Walk With Me is a fucking banger, of course.


The Mollusk

Quote from: flotemysost on October 17, 2021, 11:26:23 PM
(aside from The Godfather and Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me I don't think I've actually seen any of the others used on the album, should probably remedy that so thanks for the prompt!).

You absolutely have to watch Night of the Hunter, it's a masterpiece! Rosemary's Baby is also incredible but that hinges on whether or not you can stand watching something filmed in Nonce-O-Vision.