BUCKETHEAD — Forensic Follies (review)

BUCKETHEAD — Forensic Follies album cover

Album · 2009 · Non-Metal

4/5 · 2017-10-08
siLLy puPPy

File under: loony bin weirdo music

Anyone familiar with the eclectic world of BUCKETHEAD should expect anything in his long canon of musical wonderland however even within this unusual musician’s bizarre something emerges that is even unusual for him. One of the strangest albums to be unleashed was the third album of 2009 titled FORENSIC FOLLIES which takes the avant-garde and experimental to new extremes. This was another one of those albums that was sold only at live shows and features Dan Monti on bass and drum programming as well as Monti and Albert sharing production duties which is a major part of what makes this album so unique.

The album primarily relies on xenochrony which is a studio-based technique that was invented in the 60s by Frank Zappa who learned how to extract different musical elements from previous albums and find a new way of putting them together on a future release. Perhaps the most famous of these was “Joe’s Garage” and “Thing-Fish” which were just as weird and misunderstood as FORENSIC FOLLIES seems to be. There is a whole list of which tracks were borrowed from on the Wikipedia page of this album and the list is long but it seems like the lion’s share is divided between “Island Of Lost Minds” and The Elephant Man’s Alarm Clock.”

While listening to this one, it is by no means apparent that these sounds are sampled from previous material as the sound samples are so short and staccato that it’s all rendered unrecognizable. It is however a veritable trip into the psycho-ward as this free form flow of noise, guitar bloops and bleeps, power chords and other electronic effects seems rather random yet at times patterns of sanity emerge. This album is truly experimentalism for experiment’s sake only and although i’m the biggest proponent of unleashed creativity flowing wherever it has free rein, i’ll readily admit that this one may not have the most staying power after an initial listen.

Having said all that, FORENSIC FOLLIES has a wickedly turgid charm all its own. It’s not that it’s formless per se. There is an admirable attempt to keep a rhythmic flow going with the percussive drive whether it be from the drum programming or the methodology of stitching the samples together. There is even funky underpinnings at times. This is the kind of stuff i love throwing on when i’m in the most adventurous musical moods. This is avant-garde weirdo music like no other and for that bold and daring move i support this freak show in full glory. Basically this music isn’t meant to be made for emotional connection and earworm burrowing effects. This is for those moments when you just wanna get all freaky wit yer badass self! In that regard, this is pretty brilliant and i support this underdog 100% although i admittedly have to be in the right mindset to subject myself to this however i do have an appetite for such madness ;p