(09.28.04) After the harsh breakcore of Fear and Loathing for Dummies and the bizarre oriental flavour of Revelry and Decadence as the Right of Slaves, here comes the most accessible Fanny album to date. Or, at least, the less disturbing work, in terms of sound distortion. Fanny has always been known for pushing drums, bass and synths very close to overclip. This menacing feature is less invasive on Strange Planes Spray Cancers On Winnipeg, which straight from the title of its tracks suggest a sick and morbid ambientation.
Some episodes here are still pretty aggressive, but focus more on dark atmospheres and weird processing than on brutal drum assaults and merciless distortion. Not to alarm the hardcore Fanny fans: rhythmic patterns are still some of the most weird around, like those you can find in the western sounding “A Fistful of Oil-ly Dollars” and in the squelching acid “Fulminatti,” probably the most effective moment on the entire record. Plus, you can still find some gabba madness in “Tombstones in the Walls,” to remind the good ol’ times of the first EPs on Zod and Mirex. One of the best things on this CD is the broken dancehall of “Male Itch,” nothing to do with amen-based breakcore nor heavy bass like “The Bug,” just looped ragga lyrics and twisted kicking drums. “My Tech 12 is Haunted” is a reprise of this style. It comes after 52 short tracks of complete silence, it’s sorta ghost track, a buzzy dub that explodes only at the very end. On a side note, this very last track is introduced by a snippet of long time mate Snares “Man!’s Clearance Bin.”
Strange Planes… is an album made up of odd tunes, every single track is instantly recognizable, more like Fanny’s first album than the second. Through the years Fanny’s output gets better and better and you can only hope he will remain prolific like he’s been in recent times.
Strange Planes Spray Cancers On Winnipeg is out now on Sublight.
