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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Patton & Co. return with another heady musical concoction
Wednesday 07 May @ 10:13:18 |
 by Nic Netzel
From the distorted harmonics and avian sounds of the opening cu,t “Birdsong,” to the faux computer voice of “Aktion F1413,” Tomahawk’s Mit Gas provides accessible, yet still substantive and intelligent, hard rock.
Tomahawk front man Mike Patton (Mr. Bungle, ex-Faith No More) seems likely to usurp the title of “Hardest Working Man in Show Business” in his post-Faith No More days. Dividing his time between Mr. Bungle, Tomahawk and Fantomas, he also finds time for solo projects and collaborations with artists ranging from John Zorn to Dan “the Automator” Nakamura. If that isn’t enough, he also runs Ipecac records.
The other members of the quartet may not be as professionally hyperactive, but they all bear similarly robust rock pedigrees. Guitarist and chief collaborator Duane Denison of Jesus Lizard, drummer John Stanier of Helmet and bassist Kevin Rutmanis of the Melvins round out the lineup. It seems a new era of supergroups is upon us, and Tomahawk stacks up favorably against the Zwans, Queens of the Stone Ages and Audioslaves of the current scene.
Historically, the problem with supergroups has been that the music often fails to live up to the hype – the whole has not always even been equal to the sum of the parts. More attention is usually paid to the high-profile band members than to the music itself, so supergroups are often PR stunts. While the members of Tomahawk all have enjoyed successful careers, none of them are really household names, so there’s little likelihood that the band is a venture to revive lagging careers, or capitalize on the name recognition.
So enough about the band already. It’s clear that Tomahawk exists to rock; so let’s get to the music.
Mike Patton’s contortionist voice has a tendency to dominate whatever music it’s involved in, and Mit Gas is no exception. The shrieks, growls, white noise and mutterings are all there, as are the character voices, layers and the shifts from smooth to screaming, but with Tomahawk Patton seems content with simply pushing himself to the limits rather than exceeding them. “Aktion F1413” has all of the classic Patton elements. In the verses, a processed, computer-like voice outlines the “basic principles of hand-to-hand combat…” before shifting into a mellow chorus. Two and half minutes into the track, the song fades out before slamming back with a barrage of layered screams and drums. The lyrics can be shocking or disturbing, as well.
It’s easy to focus on the vocals, but the instrumentalists of Tomahawk provide every bit as much to the overall sound of the band. There are some similarities to King for a Day / Album of the Year-era Faith No More, and fans of these albums will find much to like in this album. While not containing the same degree of genre-bending experimentalism that one would find in a Mr. Bungle album, there are few tracks on Mit Gas that could really be considered a standard rock song. “You Can’t Win” has a quasi-Latin feel in the drums and percussion, with a background synth-drone that sounds like a swarm of bees. The outro to the track features an ethereal, free form interplay between the bass and some guitar-produced sound effects. “Desastre Natural” has a mellow country feel and lyrics in either Spanish or Portuguese. (Alas, this reviewer took Latin, and so can’t tell the difference.)
Denison’s guitar style makes great use of effects, both technical and electronic. “Harlem Clown” is one long guitar sound-collage, with a bit of sampled vocals claiming, “I don’t know how to read notes.” Stanier produces consistently interesting and varied beats, from rock, to Latin, to the very techno-esque beat from “Captain Midnight.” The album opens auspiciously with bass harmonics, and the basslines continue to be solid throughout. Rutmanis makes tasteful use of harmonics again in “Hare Lip,” which also features lounge-ish slide guitar riffs.
Tomahawk covers a lot of musical ground in a relatively short amount of time. The official release version contains a cover of the Flashdance theme, “What A Feeling,” which, if the rest of the album is any indication, should be something to hear. Mit Gas pushes musical boundaries without being an acquired taste. Patton and company prove that supergroups can still produce quality music, and that rock isn’t dying, it’s just mutating.
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