I've come across some weird avant-garde bands, but it's a rare occurrence that I hear a band as bizarre and creepy as My Flea Circus. I usually find a way to pin down even the most out-there bands, but this is kind of a first for me. I'm at a total loss for words. So I'm going to have to break it down by track.
The album is introduced by "Let's Pretend We're Spiders," which features that same phrase repeated by a pitch-affected voice over a single piano chord, which segues into a weird, grungy guitar riff accented by a throbbing electronic beat. "X Marks the Exorcist" starts out with a similar, grimy guitar riff almost buried beneath layers of what is presumably electronic drums, accompanied by almost-apathetic female vocals (which are one of the best parts). Then about two minutes in, things suddenly go drone doom with a slow, slightly overdriven bass part and a really droney guitar riff, with weird atmospherics swirling in the background and distorted vocals buried somewhere underneath.
"F. Mannequin" and "P P C" are The Melvins-inspired sludge rawk anthems, but with industrialized drums and female singing, which of all things reminds me of the girl from Deerhoof, except less cutesy and more moody. "Mister Mittens" follows in a similar fashion, but slower and darker. "Mrs. Louise" could practically be a doom metal song, or maybe one of the slow, moody black metal parts that you hear from the likes of Deathspell Omega or The Ruins of Beverast, which makes this one a front runner for my favorite song on the album.
"Weasel," like the opening track, relies heavily on odd pitch shifts, but it otherwise defies explanation. "Kid into Machine" starts out with what almost sounds like a thrash metal riff, then slows down just a little. "Mudmother" is driven by a heavy, propulsive guitar riff. Like "Mrs. Louise," "Storage Room" is droney and dissonant, yet groovy at the same time, with constantly shifting and very cool drum parts. The album closer, "Fear of Worms," is comprised of really odd synths, distorted drums, and lyrics I have no hope of correctly interpreting. This is followed by two minutes of a droning sound that I think is a cello. I really like the overall effect of the song.
As a reviewer, I quickly developed a talent for pigeonholing albums into predetermined categories. With most bands, I can assign a genre after hearing only a minute or two of actual music. Hell, sometimes all I have to do is look at the cover art and I already know what I'm getting myself into. But My Flea Circus is one of the few bands that have managed to leave me confused and bewildered, and it's a feeling I like. With conventional instruments, this duo has created some extremely unconventional music. And the lyrics are even stranger. So, here's to My Flea Circus for reminding me that there still is some totally uncategorizedable music out there.
