The Answer Is In The Beat

Fudgy: The Now End of the Universe 2xLP (self-released, 2020)

March 18, 2021 at 8:37 pm | Posted in Reviews | Leave a comment

This… is weird. A jokey, sprawling avant-pop collage which seems to have some sort of apocalyptic bent or some sort of scheme to figure out the secrets of the universe. They’re from Milwaukee but there’s members from all over, and it says it was recorded between 2006 and 2020. At times there’s a strange soul/early rock & roll thing to it, but in a very homespun way with rudimentary musicianship. Some parts are more avant, maybe Sun City Girls-ish, mixing noise and found sounds with African/Middle Eastern rhythms. Others are modern-day Kerouac road trip/touring stories, with “Baby Wonder” being more of a childhood remembrance. “I Am the Warden” is a haunting, creeping piece from the point of view of some dumb-ass cop abusing his power. “Chicago” is playground jazz with boppy saxophone. “Just When You Think You Don’t Know Someone” is closer to a straight-up indie rock song, but there’s a nihilistic tone to it. “What the Sensei’s Wife Knows (And When She Did Know It?)” is a trippy collage with a spoken sample about LSD. “Please Let Me Get Through This Chore List” is a stammering, stream-of-consciousness tale about a manic grocery store escapade. “Digital Saloon” is a fake trailer for a wacky movie about six unlikely individuals running a virtual business together, including a “sentient outer space sock puppet”. “Fast Food with the Demigods (Parts 1 & 2)” is a demented rap song that mentions sipping an Orange Julius with Samson. “Celebrations of the World” is an epic rocket journey to Mars, crashing into the brief noise-punk smidgen “Learned Helplessness”. “Bamboo Harvester” is a sort of lo-fi industrial rap track which contains a brief sample of queercore legends Mukilteo Fairies. “Honeyville” is a ridiculous country drama, and “Forgive” is a doo-wop ballad which drifts along over a single loop, until it all smudges away at the end. The digital version is up on Bandcamp (with only one previewable track), but interestingly enough, the vinyl edition of this album is only available if you make a donation to Milwaukee’s Pathfinders organization and email the band your receipt.