Fucked Up

Couple Tracks

(Matador)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

I was actually surprised to discover this band so late in the game, considering that I try to kind of keep in touch with what’s going on musically in Canadaland. I had not heard of this Ontario based band, actually, until I heard that they had won the Polaris Music prize in 2009. Given the amount of surprise and perhaps some controversy that sprung up from the win and the band name (oh those Canadians… it makes me think of the big band name brouhaha that hit the Barenaked Ladies back in 1991) I had to have me a listen. So I find out that this particular “offensively named” band has been around, releasing singles, a lot of singles, since 2001.

There were, or are, too many singles and 12”s out there to count, as the band managed to release a pretty steady stream of songs until their first actual full length which hit in 2006. I managed to finally hear the band, last year, thanks to the release of 2008’s The Chemistry Of Common Life, and now, thanks to the fine folks at Matador, I can go back and discover what I missed the first time around. I’m not sure if I like the band name or not, or if it really even matters, because I do like the music. I’m glad they won their nice and shiny Canadian prize, because without that behind them, the music would have probably never reached my ears. You can’t judge a band by their band name. At least, not all of the time.

So, what this little Couple Tracks is, is basically a two disc compilation of singles that were released between 2002 and 2008. That’s a little more than a couple of tracks, but we’ll just go with it. I’m not going to get into a song by song breakdown, because we’re talking twenty-five songs. Most of them hit at close to the two minute mark, though there are a couple that fly into the four or more minute range. The longest song, “Triumph Of Life (7” version)”, is a six minute rager from 2006 that would make the Stooges proud.

There is definitely a little stoogeishness in the music here, but not in the vocals. This is rock and roll. This is punk rock and roll. This is why I was a fan as soon as I got hit by their “fucked up” sounds. There seems to be so much movement towards the folksy and rootsy sounds, the lo-fi and indie, the soft and pretty, and that’s nice and all, but sometimes, when I hear another band decide to discover country, or start wearing feathers in their hair, or start growing beards and acting all sensitive, I wonder what happened, to quote the Black Rebel boys, to my rock and roll? I mean, look who the band was up against at the Polaris place, Chad VanGaalen, Metric, Great Lake Swimmers, Leonard Cohen, Martha Wainwright… not exactly rocking. Good music, sure. I’m not debating that, but what do you do when you just want some nice strong punk in your morning coffee?

So where did that rock ‘n’ roll end up? Well, I think it probably exploded a few years ago and pieces flew around and landed in a variety of different places, but I’m sure that at least one of those places was definitely in front of wherever it is that Fucked Up has their band practice.

I hear a very cool and familiar northwest rocking in here, and I don’t mean that Nirvana Mudhoney rocking, I mean like Slow. Remember Slow? Perhaps not, but if you were in Vancouver in 1986, you might. Anyhows, I hear Slow in here, and following that, why not throw in some Tankhog as well. But this ain’t 1986, so there’s a lot more going on as well. Skip to Seattle and oh, I don’t know… 2001. Then you can throw a little Vendetta Red into the mix. There’s also another nice Seattleite sounding splinter that sticks out every now and again with a Murder City Devil sharpness. I love all of that angst and anger. Makes me feel like a happier person sometimes.

So now you have a little pre-grunge post-grunge emo punk guitar crash, which may sound like a little of a mess, but it actually just serves to tighten the dynamics within each song. There is a push and pull of energy and it just keeps on growing. Then a little non-northwest twist… the vocals which do hit a little Spencer Moody at times, and are sung by Pink Eyes, as all the members of this band seem to live their musical lives under pseudonyms, also get a little harsh and gruff and kick out with a strange almost Mighty Mighty Bosstone growl. No, I’m serious, though with a little more SS Decontrol and a little less Selecter.

While the songs on this compilation are not in chronological order, it still works as a solid and very strong collection. Looking for some of that good punk rock noise? Throw this on and slam dance your way towards bliss.