giantsquid

Melbourne street press reviews are shit, but only because the quality of the writing is usually that of a 15 year old work exchange student, and they are not considered in any form. I don't expect anything from the street press but considering that, in Melbourne/Australia, getting a positive review is - on the whole - more depressing/awful than a negative review - indicates the low quality of the reviews. There is no culture of healthy discussion or honest opinion (either because of the Option B stated by TangoWhiskeyman) or because only fans of the band can be bothered even writing. It woullldddd be great too see thoughtful, honest, not-blindingly-overly-positive reviews with some ounce of knowledge or etc. Anyway bad reviews are always far more entertaining than good ones.

Check;

Brigitte Fontaine & Areski (and subsequently Brigitte Fontaine solo, Areski solo, and the Jaques Hiegelin albums with either co-writes or contributions from Areski and/or Brigitte Fontaine)

Heldon, Richard Pinhas, Lard Free (and subsequently Gilbert Artman and Urban Sax) Alain Renaud, Cybille Therroxu(sp?) and his Clearlight group (first 2 albums awesome)

Colette Magny (mainly her three ''free-jazzy'' post-68 records; Chants Du Norde, Repression, and Transit)

Catherine Ribeiro (her albums with 2Bis & Alpes)

The groups connected too the Pole/Tapioca Record labels; Fluence (Pascal Comelades first release) Mahogany Brain, Pole, Phillipe Bescombes,Melody etc.

The BYG/Actuel axis (not evening including the actual free-jazz stuff); Ame Song, Gong (Sure it was David Allen but they where basically a french group) Acting Trio, um....there is more then this

Other randoms like Waspoussi, Catharsis, oh and of course MAGMA (and other Zhul types like Zou, Eskaton, and Magma side-projects)

Lots of post-punk stuff; ie. check out So Young So Cold comp. (J. J. Bunnel, Artefact, Metal Boys, Ruth/Illitch/forgethisname etc.) assorted stuff on the Celluloid label (Mathematiques Modaine, Too Good Duo, lotsmore etc.)

there is obviously way more than this but this is the stuff I have that first comes to mind.

critical review from brisane street ragger jackeb smith;

Fabulous Diamonds are difficult to review. On one hand I’m enamoured of their music-as-art, sonic impressionism – Jarrod Zlatic’s echoing electric organ and alto saxophone are gorgeous as they dawdle along the stark aural panorama, while Nisa Venerosa’s drums are heavy and steady without groove. On the other I find them a little stagnant, as though the Melbourne duo are no more than the sum of their parts. 7 Songs – for instance – is a lush example of DIY production (by My Disco’s Ben Andrews no less), heavily layered and delayed with underground precision. Yet the operational definition of the record is – as the name suggests – seven untitled tracks taken from the band’s 2007 performance repertoire, and the lack of concept is irksome. For despite the post-punk-era hallmarks of dilettantism and avoidance of rock & roll, the music doesn’t appear to be saying anything – the pair’s quaintly chiming vocals are minimal and repetitive. Perhaps that’s part of subverting mainstream culture – which is obsessed with ostensibly meaning something – but beauty for beauty’s sake seems too close to popular culture’s vacuous beginnings to be a conscious statement. What it leaves handsome, arrhythmic, cerebral music that barely engages the mind, let alone challenges it. The record still stands as clever work of exotic ear candy (which you should listen to), but it’s not subculture affirming. The tragedy is, it could have been.

Lps over the last couple of weeks or so;

Tolerance - Divin LP Roedelius - Selbsportrait Vol II Bridget St John - Songs for the Gentle Man Garbage & the Flowers - Catnip 7'' KPM library record of ''Medieval Muic'' Blues Control - Puff and among various things from the Essendon Fair, Metal Machine Music!!

Come get wasted. or not wasted. whatever you want. PS. Celebrity Juror is the most fucked show, on Channel 7 right now. They arn't even famous.

Hmm, it is kind of depressing to see some people in this forum make knee-jerk replies that speak more for there own perceived perceptions of the people posting the critiscms then what they are actually proposing. The implicit suggest by some peoples postings is that if you don't like Fuck Buttons you're either a noise-purist who only likes limited edition NZ noise lathes or a hipster coolsie who resents ''other'' people liking underground music.

There is no elitism going on within the criticisms, while Shaun was making some points of his own which I don't totally buy (in regards to Middle Classisms, indie music audiences and music consumption) the main issue here is the end product - the actual music, y'know. The places that are covering Fuck Buttons are the same places that cover other noise music and more traditional indie music - so I hardly see this as people hating on them for getting covered by more commercial press.

Fuck Buttons ''popularity'' (they are popular?) must be down to there operating mediocrity that covers a ''talent'' of combing repetitive Boss Metal Zone pedal noise and Techno keyboard pre-sets to make an uplifting ultimately inoffensive sound.

Crowd friendly noise music I have no problem with, and crowd friendly music in general - the popularity or accessibility of a band has never been a turn off for me - but it's just that this band, for all the kudos they are getting, are grossly banal.

Their Guest List they wrote for Pitchfork Media explains this banality a little, it gives me impression they are some ex-punk kids who have gotten into more diverse music but their own tastes/knowledge of music don't really stretch beyond the last decade or two. They make a sound that sounds uninformed; they know Black Dice but they don't know Manual Gottsching or say....Boyd Rice or something. I guess in that sense they are the Bloc Party of noise music.

Also, for the record I am not in anyway a ''noise purist'', I don't really listen to any noise music at all let alone own any, and in regards to the putdown of ''BUT I Grew up listening to Kraftwerk and Suicide,'' not to drag this into a pissing contest but I've been listening to Kraftwerk since I was 10 and Suicide from 15. There is a huge difference between bad computer made drum-machine loops and cheesy sounding digital synthesizers and the work of those two extremley different and classic groups made.

I think the other thing with Fuck Buttons ''popularity'' is that not alot of non-NME music makes it way to the general indie world so when a noise band (which the American equivaliants are numerous and well known by indie press ) from England comes out peoples curiosity is piqued a little more.

Am I the only person who feels that Fuck Buttons are extremley woeful? I was really interested and excited to hear them from other peoples enthusiasim and the descriptions I'd read but upon listening to them I was shocked at the really lame, boring tones/textures used in the music, the lack of real feeling. Just introducing a noisy drone and then having some distorted screaming along with a toy keyboard tinkle isn't heavy, exciting or anything. It seems really under-realised.

Their sound is just really...cheap, in a Fruity Loops & Crappy Digital Synthesizer way. I was just dissapointed to find something that people where raving about to be completely uninspiring. Its like Atari Teenage Riot fans trying to make an experimental record. There are so many more bands in similiar areas who are making far better music.

I'm not writing for the sake of being contrary just interested to see if anyone else agrees.

15 clammo's I think

Our copies of the test pressing are on the way but tthe actual LP won't be available till early June

King_Rat should be posting that s/he doesn't like us, there is too often an unhealthy culture in the local Australian music scene of a non-critical apporach so if they think we're boring fine-o, though if they have any particular issues with us, beyond being boring, I'd love to hear it.

That said, King_Rat likes(plays in?) Bang! Bang! Aids! So I can see what aesthetically boring boat they like sailing in.

As for set times;

Snawklor 9.20 - 10 Superstupid 10.20 - 11 Fabulous Diamonds 11 - ? (11.30 most likely)

PS. For those not bored by us I'll be playing some tunes on Sophies RRR show tonight at 11PM.