Search - Tobacco :: Fucked Up Friends

If Tobacco is a cult, where do I offer my first blood sacrif

David M. Madden | salt lake, utah United States | 10/15/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I could easily say "my favorite album of the year" and "if Tobacco is a cult, where do I offer my first blood sacrifice?", but you probably want details, right? The subtle difference between Tobacco's day gig, Black Moth Super Rainbow, and this disc is the synthetic dusty beat, neck-snapping rhythms and vocals courtesy of Aesop Rock on "Dirt" (a heavenly union, I might add), pandering to hip-hoppers more than Flaming Lips fans - but, again, the discord is marginal. Otherwise, Tobacco drenches the tracks in his signature vocoded vocals/vintage analog synths/trash-pit drum machinery sound, a stylized niche resembling something between the cracks of Boards of Canada's Music Has a Right to and Geogaddi. Attacking all your faculties at once, Tobacco's million-mile aesthetic will have you both staring at the sun and uncontrollably nodding your head like a crazed toddler during a The Wiggles taping, your hand slamming the repeat button again and again."

Just what I needed

Jon | Sunnyvale, CA United States | 02/08/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is certainly one of the best I have heard this year. A unique sound that never gets boring. I really can't see much difference between this release and prior BMSR CDs. But that is a good thing. The sound is kind of dark and mysterious. Definitely worth buying."

Join the yum yum cult

McSpunkle | USA | 04/17/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I'm glad I waited a while before reviewing this, as it had to grow on me a little. Actually, upon first listen, not knowing what to expect from this solo release by Tobacco of Black Moth Super Rainbow (in my opinion one of the most original and creative bands around today), I didn't notice much difference between the two projects. The liquid synths, vocoded vocals, funky beats and all around awesome weirdness were in full display. This time the beats had a bit more of a hip-hop, electro flavor to them, and the melodies were (at times) darker and more menacing. While BMSR's past releases leaned towards a warped organic psychedelia, "F'ed Up Friends" is slightly more electronic and futuristic sounding.



So, as I'm listening I'm thinking, "cool, sounds a lot like BMSR, I'm all for this", but as the album kept on (16 songs strong) it all started to sound repetitive, as there is little difference between the sounds and instruments used throughout (except for a dope cameo by underground rapper Aesop Rock on "Dirt"). But, as I found myself wanting to hear this album quite often, I was hard pressed to decide which tracks could have been left off. Now I'm at the point where the album ends and I want to play it again! This music is highly addictive.



These sounds put me in a state of mind where my hazy childhood memories (skating rinks, animatronic singing dogs at Showbiz Pizza, collecting Garbage Pail Kids, 8-bit video games) melt into the even hazier memories of my teenage and young adult years (backwoods bonfires, underground hip-hop, chemically enhanced basement jam sessions). I know this sounds strange, but there is just something magical about BMSR/Tobacco's music that I haven't heard anywhere else. People like to reference Boards Of Canada, and while there are similarities, this is a whole 'nother trip. Now, if I can only get my hands on that out of print F***ed Up Friends DVD...



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