The e-mailout grabs the reviewer’s attention by announcing Fashion Week’s Prêt-à-Porter ft. Helmet, Quicksand, The Melvins, Unsane, etc… - which of course it doesn’t, but of course, it lays out all of the appropriate references right there, up front. And yes, key elements of the defining sounds of the aforementioned bands are all very much in evidence. Needless to say, ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ is an album that packs some heavy duty guitars and ain’t lacking in the noisy stakes.
‘Fendi Bender’ launches the album in a fiery style, transitioning from drawled vocals to a full-throated holler against manic overdrive, a thrashing grunge frenzy. Of course, before grunge hit the mainstream, it amalgamated elements of punk and metal, with a blue-collar rage driving its grimy, sweaty riffage. Fashion Week bring all of this together with a ferocious nihilism that distils anguish into a sonic force.
“Being miserable, and treating other people like dirt is every New Yorker’s God-given right’ announces he informercial-style voiceover that precedes a squall of feedback and deluge of downtuned guitars and thunderous percussion on ‘Chorusace’. It lumbers and pulls a heavy heft of angry grey nihilism that lands a very Unsane-like punch between the eyes. Repeatedly. ‘Summer Line’ does the quiet / loud thing to devastating effect, the verse a stealthy mover that bursts into a devastating squall of power chord noise.
It’s hard to tell exactly how closely the lyrics follow the theme of the album and song titles, because they’re hollered in a throat-bleeding growl and low in the mix, but the album’s sheer ferocity is hard to ignore.
|
‘Fur Free Friday’ is unexpectedly poppy track on the album and has a touch of Dinosaur Jr about it, but slams into a chugging Helmet-like riff that smashes the melodic indie stylings to smithereers. ‘Meek is Meeznable’ shows another side of the band, a brooding piano-led song that’s almost sensitive until the pulverizing guitars crash in.
‘Klosstrophobia’ stands out as by far the album’s longest track, but also it’s most subtle, a slow piano-led ballad (well, these things are all relative) that bursts into a slow-burning beast that pulls emotion from the depths. Things get weird with the sound collage of ‘FASHION_=$(_$)_COLLAPSE_GSO’, while the final track, the punky ‘Haute Topic’ concludes the album with a surprising levity. Well, it’s all relative.
If you’re on the market for something that’s angry but isn’t cut from the commonplace metal / post hardcore cloth, then ‘Prêt-à-Porter’ sees Fashion Week bring the rage in spades.
Fashion Week Online>
|
