Foetus: Vein

Release Information

CD Oct2007 Ectopic Entertainment / Birdman # Ect Ents 029 / BMR 103 Made in the US

Track Listing

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1. Pareidolia (Remix by Fennesz)
2. How to Vibrate (Remix by Mike Patton)
3. Mon Agonie Douce (Remix by J. G. Thirlwell)
4. L’Overture (Remix by Jay Wasco)
5. Don’t Want Me Anymore (Remix by Tujiko Noriko)
6. Not Adam (Remix by Jason Forrest)
7. Thrush (Remix by TRZTN of Services)
8. Aladdin Reverse (Remix by Tweaker)
9. Not in Yr Hands (Remix by Matmos)
10.Corrodia Gravis (Remix by Tom Recchion)

Linear Notes

Artwork By – J.G. Thirlwell
Artwork By [Direction] – Heung-Heung Chin
Composed By – J.G. Thirlwell
Mastered By – Fred Kevorkian

Additional reinterpretation and production by the artists
Inlay has an enhanced album title: “Vein: Love Reimagined”
Tracks 4 and 10 contain elements of several songs from Love.

Related Content

Enhanced CD includes “Time Marches On” directed by Sam Sohlberg.

Reviews

“Reimaginings” of Foetus’ LOVE LP

Instead of the usual dancefloor makeovers a remix album implies, Foetus man Jim Thirlwell has commissioned a finely judged coterie of electronic puffers and tweakers to meddle with his parts. Most inventive are Jason Forrest, who converts “Not Adam” into thunderous pomp-orchestral breaks;Matmos shaking the percussion out of “Not In Yr Hands”; and Tom Recchion,who puts several of the original tracks into a digital crucible. Laptoppers Fennesz and Tujiko Noriko wring some harmonic poignancy out of “Pareidolia” and “Don’t want Me Anymore”. Thirlwell does himself over on “Mon Agonie Douce”, with a mid-European accordion lurch. Rob Young, UNCUT Feb 2008

Vein brings together ten artists to remix noise-sleaze artist Foetus’s 2005 album LOVE. The resulting tracks are diverse but all surprisingly cinematic.Fennesz opens the album with a glitch-ridden version of “Pareidolia” awash with tinny synth, but the curtain really goes up as Mike Patton takes “How To Vibrate” and turns it into something almost operatic,with gongs and choral chants building in a racing crescendo before the beat hits.

Foetus aka JG Thirlwell himself tackles “Mon Agonie Douce” and turns it into a collision between a car chase sequence and a waltz in a Parisian brothel. Jay Wasco takes the cinematic feel one step further when he swamps “L’Overture” with harps and strings, each flourish serenading like the billow of a Princess’ gown in a Disney fairytale. Tujiko Noriko uses harp as well, but bathes his (sic) remix in strings so luscious that one suspects Mantovani where one might have expected Mephistopheles. Harps also play a part in Jason Forrest’s version of “Not Adam”, adding nagging two-note phrases that run up and down, siren-like, before the whole thing slams into a series of massive Old School dayglo rave chords.

TRZTN turn “Thrush” into a hard edged but unsatisfying piece of pop-tinged triphop. “Aladdin Reverse” is given a likeable, if familiar feeling, post-apocalyptic police state rap treatment. Things take a quieter turn for the final two tracks with Matmos enveloping “Not In Yr Hands” in a mesh of whirring and clicking percussion and bah-bah choruses. The album is bookended by another static and glitch remix, this time “Corrodia Gravis” by Tom Recchion.

Nick Southgate THE WIRE Jan 2008

Non si faceva sentire da un annetto Jim Thirlwell (meglio conosciuto con il nome Foetus) ed è già tempo di assaggiare l’ennesimo ritorno in pista. “Vein” contiene dieci remix che si rifanno a “Love”, ultimo album in studio pubblicato dalla Birdman nel 2005. La scuderia al lavoro insieme a Thirlwell vanta i seguenti musicisti: Fennesz, Mike Patton, Jay Wasco, Tujiko Noriko, Jason Forrest, TRZTN, Jennifer Charles, Tweaker, Matmos e Tom Recchion. Un cast di tutto rispetto per gli ulteriori stravolgimenti sul sound commissionati dall’austrialiano.

Tocca a Fennesz inaugurare questa attività di ricostruzione, ma gli effetti spaziali del chitarrista austriaco fanno perdere l’identità al brano (“Pareidolia”) invece di valorizzarla. Dove fallisce Fennesz, eccelle Patton: “How To Vibrate” si butta a capofitto nella struttura narrativa e recupera ottimamente il motore della forma orchestrale. Mike ha capito i punti di forza della musica di Foetus (concentrazione espressionista di atti simultanei), agendo sulle due categorie basilari (potenza, ricercatezza).

Buona anche la prova della cantante Jennifer Charles nel maelstrom di pop e musica classica enfatizzato da “Thrush”.

Tweaker (progetto solista di Chris Vrenna) prende in consegna un altro pezzo melodico come “Aladdin Reverse” e lo sfondamento industriale è assicurato, seppur senza particolari rischi. In questa dimensione viene più penalizzata Tujiko Noriko, le cui scelte atmosferiche sembrano proprio non rendere. Affiora semmai l’ambient tinto di nero affidato a Tom Recchion nel capitolo terminale (“Corrodia Gravis”), mentre i Matmos confermano che il remix è il loro pane quotidiano. Jay Wasco e Jason Forrest si preoccupano solamente di risaltare il lato elettronico dell’opera originale.

Concludendo, per i collezionisti e gli appassionati, “Vein” è da testare e possibilmente avere. Gli altri possono farne a meno, perché non si aggiunge niente di realmente importante sia rispetto a “Love” che a tutta la lunga carriera di Foetus. di Stefano Villa(04/12/2007)www.ondarock.it