Negative Houses

Chicago dark art-rock legends Disappears had some lineup changes and switched their name to Facs. This is bascially the sixth Disappears album, even more rhythm-heavy and gothic than before. Thick concrete slabs of sound, minimal mantra-like songwriting, rock at its most cubist, drums at the front. This music has power. You can also dance to it, the less light the better. RIYL: Protomartyr, My Disco, New War, Joy Division, Horace Walpole. Favorites: 1, 5, 6, though all are good. No FCCs detected.

1. *(3:45)—Mid-tempo phaser’ed tom rolls. All liquid textures. Chilly, muted guitars streaming downward.
2. (3:46)—Medium-slow, lumbering, retro post-punk. Synth-like textures on the vocals and bass.
3. (8:47)—Loud, droning intro. The drums skitter, the music moves patiently. Few vocals. Lots of old horror film sound effects. Feels like a sequel to Bauhaus’s “Bela Lugosi’s Dead.” Dry, eerie saxophone.
4. (4:43)—Medium-slow, halting, dissonant from the start. Thin, warped guitar. Changes key.
5. *(3:42)—Mid-tempo. Full-on guitar noise, nearly atonal. Thick and slippery vocal echoes.
6. *(4:32)—Slow, thick, heavily manipulated drums. Grooves hard and deep. Minimal guitar plucking. Really good. Noisy outro.
7. (3:51)—Starts as a major-key bash-out. Stutter-steps forward quickly. RIYL Glenn Branca.
8. (3:35)—Fast. The drums have a digital lo-fi sound. Nice noisy post-punk finish.