Recs of The Flesh – Illusory Fields of Unconsciousness
Sardinia it’s a beautiful, shiny island, known for its pristine shores and incredible landscapes. Or at least that’s what appears on the surface. Just like in the opening of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, once you get closer to the green grass, something very disturbing emerges. But disturbing can be seducing, and, as Recs of the Flesh’s music show, it can sound real good.
Little disclaimer: I’ve known Max, the leader of Recs of The Flesh, for some fifteen years now, so this might not be the most unbiased review ever. But moving on.
Recs of the Flesh is an italian-spanish-american outfit based in Cagliari, Sardinia. Max, lead singer and guitarist, managed to connect with a spanish drummer via YouTube and an american bassist via Myspace. With the help of Sara Melis, whose keyboard playing oozes of an infecting b-movie mood in the vein of John Carpenter’s best soundtracks, the band started working on Max’s song, with the goal of recording a full length album. Not an easy feat, considering the geographical problems. Some of the music was rehearsed and recorded online, with files sent around different continents and Skype being used as a remote music studio. The result is Illusory Fields of Unconsciousness, the band’s first record. One would think that this unconventional band setup would make for a disjointed and confused sound, but this is Max’s band, and his vision leads the songs in a very coherent, strong direction.
Max sings about alienation, his landscape filled with images of paranoia, conspiracies, obsessions and urban fears. Max’s language of choice is english, but this is all coming from a mediterranean island, and in a way it seems like the rough edges in the music are tempered by this background. A lot of the choices seem to mirror the band’s isolation: the muffled voice and the moody mix give a sinister spin to the songs, as if they were being listened in a subterranean vault after a nuclear fallout, or, more precisely, from an island haunted by images and suggestions streamed from all over the world, but unable to affect the world itself. The album is quite bleak, but, in the best tradition of bands like The Raveonettes, Sonic Youth and The Cure, it’s a sexy, groovy bleakness. The songs are tight, powerful and enjoyable, and Max’s love of sound gives the record a very distinct atmosphere, made of mysterious and haunting sonic textures. It’s a great contrast that makes the record a very intriguing listen, one that impresses right away and keeps on growing over time.
What makes Recs of the Flesh special is not their geography alone. The band’s sound is a prime example of what a person that strives to beat isolation in the digital world can achieve with some drive and vision, even if he decides not to leave his own town. Pretty impressive stuff.
Last.fm page (with full tracks)
Social Failure
Monday, March 15, 2010 at 4:09 pm
Great post! I bet you put a lot of research into it.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 5:59 am
Walinkg in the presence of giants here. Cool thinking all around!