Review: Tobacco - Maniac Meat
July 13th, 2010
Tobacco Maniac Meat [Anticon]
Need to know: Tobacco is the frontman of twisted Pennsylvanian psych-electronicists Black Moth Super Rainbow. His real name is Tom Fec, but he doesn’t really want people to know that. He got his moniker from a freaky character in the Troma film Redneck Zombies. Having released four BMSR albums along with numerous EPs and singles, Tobacco released his first solo album, Fucked Up Friends, in 2007 on his own 70s Gymnastics label and then reissued it on Anticon the next year. A collection of early songs from 1996 to 1999 called The Allegheny White Fish Tapes was issued on Rad Cult in 2009. Maniac Meat is the official second album from Tobacco and features Beck on two tracks, “Fresh Hex” and “Grape Aerosmith.”
In a few words: Maniac Meat isn’t a far cry from Fucked Up Friends (the album cover alone confirms that) or BMSR for that matter. Tobacco’s calling card is the emission of an unsettling atmosphere, where sinister whispers are accented by vocoders, vintage synths roll with caked on fuzz, rhythms ricochet like a superball and despite the eccentricity of it all, everything falls into place neatly. It all sounds really dirty, in all respects. Beck’s inclusion makes complete sense, but surprisingly, his contributions are exactly what you’d expect from the famous Loser. While some might feel it suffers from sameness, Maniac Meat’s ability to stay true to the formula Tobacco has laid out results in yet another warped journey through the mind of one creepy dude, which I see as a strength considering this music never approaches monotony. That he can match titles like “New Juices From the Hot Tub Freaks” and “Nuclear Waste Aerobics” with aural accompaniments is something that no one should get tired of.
Best track: “Sweatmother”
R.I.Y.L. Black Moth Super Rainbow, Mellow Gold-era Beck, The Octopus Project, Gaslamp Killer
Rating: 8/10
Buy, download, steal or don’t bother: Buy the vinyl. It will sound dirtier.
Sample: “Super Gum” (this video is extremely bizarre and kinda NSFW because of the perverse, “sextraterrestrial” theme)
Website: ManiacMeat.com
Tags: Black Moth Super Rainbow, Maniac Meat, Tobacco
Posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 2:43 pm by Cam and is filed under Reviews, The New Music.
