The vinyl record by Plain Recordings (2009) holds a few pleasant surprises. Being picky about vinyl sound now, I'm used to fiddling with the settings on my stereo, but this was something very different. First, I realized that the subwoofer was being used and that the "main sound" wasn't coming through the front speaker very loudly. After a few setting changes, I realized that it sounded amazing in 5.1 surround. I'm still kind of weirded out by this: that all six speakers are being used and directed, just like the sound for a movie. And yet: it's still a phonograph, still analog. The outputs are still the standard red + white cables. Whoever mixed this knew exactly what they were doing. I'm guessing (I'm no sound expert here) that the different 5.1 speakers are designed to amplify sounds at certain frequencies, and so it was when it must have been converted to analog from the original, probably digital, master.
But then again, this is no typical album to begin with. The tracks segue into weird sound bytes, bits of movies, DAT recordings, pornography, bodily functions, and other madness. There is also the matter of the music itself. Once described as "part death metal, part jazz, meets ska weirdness," the album does not easily fit into any category.
For all that, it is incredibly well put together, with a meticulous attention to detail--sudden changes that would drive almost any musician mad. If I had a list of the "best weird albums of all time," this would certainly make the top 5. The music certainly isn't for everyone. Love him or hate him, Mike Patton (also of Faith No More, Fantรดmas, Peeping Tom, Tomahawk, Moonchild, and a gazillion other projects) is at his best when he is both singing and making weird sound effects, under a structured regime. I'm also a lover of horns put to good use. If you are into songs about sex with food, auto-erotic asphyxiation, and the masochism of sound, look no further.
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