Funkstörung’s done it again. On Appetite for Disctruction, rattling beats and sweet melodies interact with an artist’s precision. Not only that, but the occasional vocal track is thrown in for good measure. I get the feeling Michael Fakesch and Chris De Luca are finally breaking free of the Autechre mold. While Fakesch’s last full-length, Marion, sounded like a companion piece to Ae’s EP 7, this album is unique.
“Test” is one of the most pleasingly melodic beasts I’ve heard in ages. The title track is also dripping with honey-sweet emotion under the alienating static bursts and crunchy beats I’ve grown to love. When broken bits of rap vocals bubble to the surface, I’m smitten. “Try Dried Frogs” is a little too subdued, and I swear I’ve heard similar synth sounds on Tri Repetae, but even when Funkstörung is derivative, their tracks are well done. “Sounds Like a Breakrecord” and “Grammy Winners” feature vocals by Triple H, not to be confused with the WWF wrestler with the same name. The raps work surprisingly well with Funkstörung’s noisy beats, and they don’t make the mistake of ruining the flow as on their infamous Wu-Tang Clan remix. “A8 KM34” starts a bit slow, but a groove builds by the two-minute mark, and all is well.
“Think!,” “I/O,” and “Red Shirt” all feature female vocalists to varying degrees of success. “Think!” is relatively simplistic, and the vocals by Greenwood don’t offer much to focus on. “I/O,” however, clatters along nicely, Carin’s apparent ad-libbing barely audible in the background. “Red Shirt, White Shoes” falls prey to more uninteresting vocal meanderings. It’s as though Funkstörung collaborated with a drunk lounge singer on this one. “A Bottle, A Box and a Mic” marks a return to gimmick-free music with rough beats and vocal samples that don’t sound out of place among the distressed electronics. Finally, “Mind the Gap” is low-key and heavy, with noisy thumps and soft synth chords which slowly dissolve. Around 13:30 the soft thrumming fades out and a bonus vocal track kicks in. Unfortunately, I think we could have done without more scatting.
Overall, though, this album’s a charmer. The two hip hop tracks are high points, and Funkstörung’s instrumentals are strong and melodic. Fakesch and De Luca excel in taking Autechre-inspired chunky electronics to a new level. I just wish they’d ditched the lounge singers.
