I THINK MY BRAIN IS FULL

Anonymous - Tomahawk. Mike Patton is a very odd man. Filling hotel hairdryers with his own faeces to ensure a face full of hot shit for the next patron is certainly one of the greatest stories of all time, but is that enough to garner credibility? Well, no, of course it’s not, but Patton has etched out a rather interesting, though not entirely entertaining, musical career over the last twenty years, since his entry into Faith No More (a band that, despite previous comments, I was a massive fan of when I was younger). Tomahawk always struck me as a straight forward vanity project, that never quite sat comfortably alongside the mania of Mr Bungle and the onslaught of Fantomas, two bands that I’ve never really ‘got’. Despite my inability to get into those two bands, their stuff is certainly intriguing, if at times unlistenable. Previously, Tomahawk’s albums have been quite hard work to listen to in places and this doesn’t seem to have changed much.

With Anonymous, Tomahawk explore the rich native American rhythms and styles and weave a remarkably interesting sound. Strap on your head dress and dance round the fire with me now as I give you the scoop. Certainly, Patton’s distinct vocals stand out, amongst pounding drums and drones. The opening track, War Song, pulses like the sort of atonal sine-wave nightmare of Sunn 0))), as with the opening track of the previous album, Mit Gas, before lurching into something more recognisably musical. They have quite clearly spent a long time researching and exploring the music of the Americas and deliver a decidedly avant-garde interpretation of it. Patton uses his voice almost percussively at points, whilst Duane Denison, once of The Jesus Lizard, sounds like he’s enjoying himself. John Stanier, also of the splendid Battles, reviewed previously, seems to be giving the largest contribution to the proceedings, as he thumps and bumps at his drums.

Occasionally, the album lurches into very familiar territory, where Patton’s voice becomes overly-dramatic, sounding like later FNM. This tends to grate a little at times, which was something I always had a problem with when I was younger. He’s almost whelping at times. Blending electronic pops and clicks with traditional rhythms and instruments doesn’t always make for good bedfellows and on Omaha Dance (2), this is most evident. Many of the songs outstay their welcome fairly rapidly, leaving the listener (that’s me, really) feeling somewhat bemused. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think much of this album at all.

If I had a star-rating system it would be out of 5. Anonymous would get 2 and a half stars. Must try harder.

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