Amazing song and video here (if male ass doesn’t deter you) from FAT WHITE FAMILY. British sleazing rock n’ roll meets post-punk that lives somewhere in a VU-Bowie-Iggy-Bolan-Roxy Music glam coated neverland. At moments Buffalo band JOHNS comes to mind, at others Brooklyn’s PC WORSHIP and/ or ROYAL BATHS. There’s room there in the world (dimly lit room) of scuzzy, modern update-on-street rock n’ roll for at least a few bands, and there’s really only a few bands doing this kind of thing right, so it’s not too crowded. These days the kind of people who would try to pull off something like this gets divided up immediately, a good portion of them heading off directly into the realm of industrial music (and continuing on to noise). Swarthy ideas, and concentration on the flesh unite the two. So we’re already down in numbers. Those left, and intoxicated with dank grooves, ugly sounds, and stark rhythms head in the direction where FAT WHITE FAMILY is standing and waiting. How many of them can pull it off though? Everyone else goes to play in the garage rock sandbox.
A new 7″ now exists featuring the band’s music. HATEHATEHATERECORDS put the record out. It’s called TOUCH THE LEATHER. And yes it is an ode to the flesh, and to leather, and to the flesh and leather. It’s not about much. Following last year’s nasty wonderful CHAMPAGNE HOLOCAUST, and a split EP, this record is right on the money and chock full of perfectly wrong rock n’ roll. Sleazy, easy, STONES-like urban filth percussion and lush (wasted) arrangements. On this one the London based commie flavored back beat favoring band ease back with a rolling mid-tempo beat based around a sweetly simplistic retro electronic ticker. Other percussion joins in throughout, don’t worry. I really love how this band often uses percussion outside of the conventional drum set. The lead singer’s voice is given the sultry low treatment, crooning about skin and leather combos, beat marching on, organ leaning back, guitar laying down the hooks and going off the tracks when needed. It is a smooth thing. Cool. It’s easy to take the beat and do with it what you want. That’s much of the appeal here, and why I think this will work for a lot you out there. I know it’s working for me. And man, the video. Directed by Roger Sargent the video for “Touch The Leather” is like its accompanying song, a killer exercise in simplicity. I guess that’s the singer there up front, giving off a known sort of British tough guy cool. Somebody should tell the other star of the video that it’s dangerous to skateboard without pants on. All in all I can chill out to this song, this band. In fact, I am doing so right now.
