On the first Failure record since 1996’s seminal Fantastic Planet, the band have had a lot to live up to. And boy, have they achieved it! This record is an amazing, spacey type of record that the Flaming Lips would kill to make if they weren’t so far up their own asses. Drummer Kellii Scott, guitarist/vocalist Ken Andrews and bassist/vocalist Greg Edwards have outdone themselves with this release.
Picking up sonically where its nineteen-year-old predecessor did, complete with multiple, spacey segues throughout the record, the band has updated their sound without losing one inch of amazement. The first single “Hot Traveler” sounds a lot like the Failure of old but with a new gloss; sounding wiser than the past, the band has amped up the sonics to make a powerful record for a new generation. Both this song and “A.M. Amnesia” are the type of songs that alternative radio programmers in the ‘90s would’ve had a shitfit for – perfect encapsulations of the past and the present.
“Mulholland Dr.” is without a doubt the best track here. It just grips you from the beginning and won’t let go. Very slow and trance-like, it’s almost the perfect 21st century shoegaze track. It’s one of the most interesting tracks of the disc, hands down. “Atom City Queen” is another great throwback track, one that sounds like Failure of old. Listening to a song like this makes one believe that the band took everything they learned during the breakup and put it all together to make the tastiest stew possible.
“Petting The Carpet” is an old outtake from their first album, 1992’s Comfort, which the band has reactivated for this release. But it’s just an okay track, not one that I was very fond of. Fortunately, there are more standouts than disappointments to be found here, “Fair Light Era” being one of the strongest. It’s just an absolutely great track from top to bottom. It’s nice to see thatin this day and age, that there are still real rock bands out there that don’t cater to the pop crowd in order to get on Warped tour and impress fifteen-year-old girls.
“I Can See Houses” is the main closer, a sprawling epic, one destined to become a classic. Songs like these are the perfect way to welcome a band like Failure back. While I hadn’t been very familiar with their music this, my eyes have now been opened wide to discover a band that has made one of the truly great, spacey rock records of the year.