Mike Bordin interview with Alternative Press
Alternative Press has just published a video interview with Mike Bordin recorded at the Aftershock Festival last year. Mike is as eloquent as insightful as ever as he discusses Sol Invictus.
Chuck Mosley limited edition
Chuck Mosley has put together a limited edition special release of Demos For Sale, a collection of demos and b-sides and alternate versions of tracks from his 2009 release Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food.
Chuck says: “While it was a great record for what it was, and a lot of people love it, Will Rap Over Hard Rock turned into a monster that I let get completely out of control with overdubs, over-production, my live tracks getting redone by God knows who.. Demos for Sale, is a choice version of the LP, before it mutated into Will Rap Over Hard Rock for Food, a little closer to how we wanted it to be – live, dirty and punk rock.”
The LP will release July 15th, on CD and limited edition vinyl LP formats, with a pre-order to launch in March. Mosley will hit the road in May, and tour through 2016 on the REINTRODUCE YOURSELF: An Evening with Chuck Mosley tour, an intimate acoustic tour playing a retrospective of songs from his storied career.
You can also pick up a nifty red vinyl for just $29.99
Record Store Release
Rhine Records are again mining their Faith No More vaults for Record Store Day UK and have put together a 7″ Colored Vinyl special release of I Started a Joke which features the original by the Bee Gees and the cover by Faith No More as part of their Side by Side series.
Full details here
Epic Thomas the Tank Engine remix
There is seemingly nothing that Epic cannot be mashed up with – the latest exhibit is this mix of the FNM hit and the theme tune from the cartoon adaptation of Thomas the Tank Engine.
Ty, funny you mention it…I rank “Hippie Jam Song” as my favorite FNM song that doesn’t get enough love, definitely my favorite B-side. The bass, guitar, keyboards, and vocals all get a great chance to shine as that song winds down, with Puffy keeping everything on pace.
I think the band said “screw it” as far as attempting to sell SI via singles. Obviously a song like MFer isn’t going to get a lot of play! How could it? But I do think they were looking at Superhero to harken back to AD-era FNM with that big keyboard sound. Did you catch the band on tour? Superhero and MFer work very well in concert and are definitely strong moments in every set. The configuration of Superhero live works a bit better than the recorded track in my opinion. Overall, I think MFer was a great way to re-introduce the band b/c it speaks to their past but is also a song somewhat stylized like Epic and Midlife Crisis. I’m sure they enjoy making money, but I don’t think making as much as possible and marketing were really on their minds. SSU is catchy as hell and really deserved more attention as a single though…I wish it had also gotten the remix treatment. And the video is maybe my 2nd or 3rd favorite from the band. I think maybe the lesson learned by the band is that it’s too hard to do everything for a band (interviews, booking, promoting) while out on a world tour! Next time, they should get all the work done for singles, videos, etc before they even announce the album and tickets go on sale. Next time it would also be really good for the album to come out at the start of the tour instead of halfway through.
After 1 year, I rank the FNM albums like this: IY, AD, SI, KFAD, AOTY, WCAL, TRT. Sometimes I swap IY and AD. However, SI doesn’t necessarily have a top track head and shoulders above other FNM songs (I put Midlife Crisis, Why Do You Bother, Stripsearch, Anne’s Song, and Just A Man in my top 5). Rise of the Fall gets real close, but it’s just a little awkward lyrically. So I agree, it would be great if the next album had at least one song that made me re-think my top 5. But I do see SI as very cohesive and the fact that the band could put an album out in 2015 that I feel is better than KFAD is incredible. For most of 2015, I liked it better than AD but there’s just too many special moments on AD to keep it down in my mind. IY works the same way for me. AD was my favorite from 92 – somewhere in the early 2000s, but eventually IY (the first album I heard by them and the one that changed my whole musical world) re-emerged as my favorite. I love over-analyzing.
Benrun
I also enjoy talking about music, particularly fnm, so I like this back and forward about the band. But, I do want to re-iterate that I was merely disappointed by Sol Invictus but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the band or even SI! You are right about BF backing vocals, they are brilliant and makes an already enjoyable hoot of a song even more fun! It could have been called ‘Hippie Jam Song’ and it wouldn’t be out of place. Can’t believe it wasn’t a early single for promotion of the record!
I tried to give MoFo and SHero another spin but I just can’t get over the fact that this what fnm wanted to sound like 17 years later!! They really are weak tracks and I do believe it stifled the potential sales of the album. Particularly in Europe and Australia where the record did perform well for a couple of weeks but radio just didn’t back those songs and by the time SSU was realesed the moment was over. Anyhow, as I said In my op I don’t mind the band not releasing another album and if they do, it better be better, more cohesive, edgier than this with actual ‘Pillar type’ songs to give the album pizzazz.
Ty, I enjoy talking about FNM, so thanks! While I love the entirety of AOTY, I do feel like that album along with WCAL are the most lopsided…they contain some of the very best songs, but also my least favorite. Why Do You Bother and Stripsearch are no-brainers for my 2 of my top 5, while Jim and Home Sick Home (songs I still really like) don’t quite hold up next to the other songs. There is only 1 FNM song I don’t like, and that’s the remake of As The Worm Turns…over-produced, heartless, and Patton’s vocal completely misses the point. Live; however, I love when Patton performs this song.
I’m not sure that Billy would just go full throttle making more FNM records if not for Patton’s other work. Roddy is quite busy all the time, Puffy has kids that I’m sure he doesn’t want to leave for years at a time, and Bill had to put in 2 and 1/2 years straight work into SI, so the interviews say….I know he wanted to keep touring it this year and doesn’t appear to have gotten his way, but he has other interests as well with the bands on his label (most of which I love, so I’m glad he isn’t just doing FNM all the time).
I’m still not sure I get what you are saying about Patton’s writing…the songs Patton wrote in Bungle are probably my favorite songs…Air Conditioned Nightmare, Sweet Charity, and especially Ars Moriendi. In FNM, some Patton songs are Home Sick Home, Gentle Art, Light Up, Got That Feeling…so I think maybe I agree that my favorite FNM songs usually aren’t the Patton songs. However, there is also Get Out and Malpractice…which are excellent. In the meantime, I love Solitude of Prime Numbers and A Perfect Place….incredibly good, atmospheric soundtrack music / songs. And one of Patton’s best vocals ever is on Il Cupe Dolore (a lot of his best are on non-FNM tracks). Patton’s best vocal work in FNM…tie b/w KFAD and AOTY…the mania of Star AD and Cuckoo and the giant choruses of Ashes, Last Cup, and great back-up work on Helpless. If you listen to the bootlegs, the AOTY tour had Patton just giving incredibly solid performances night after night. But for me, while his voice isn’t quite as amazing on SI, I think that album has some of his best vocal work in terms of elevating a song. His backing vocals on Black Friday and MFer. The intensity in ROTF, the solemnness in the title track. All great creative decisions IMO.
Benrun,
I completely get your points on the ‘evolution theory’ on those si songs but what I’m saying is the direction and the overall sound of the songs I diont like. As for Patton, he was my favorite vocalist of all time and technically he still has the best pipes in the business but let’s be honest here, his post aoty career has been flickering between almost and not quite!!! Bungles Cali is my fave bungle record, in fact I’d say along with AD it’s the best Patton vocals he’s ever done! Mondo cane has merit and I do enjoy that record plus the tomahawk albums are quite good. But to me, I guess I needed more from fnm, motherfucker, superhero, from the dead and rise may be enough good material for some but, to me they are B side material. Patton always likes to promote albums pre release from the shadows and doesn’t want to do videos, singles, interviews, b side tracks etc.. That’s fine with his other pet projects but fnm were a exciting, almost very mainstream type band that like to have fun and give great value for money, if it were up to Bordin/Gould they wouldn’t go on too many extended breaks between albums but they kind of have to considering patton has 15 needless , very meek projects to play around with! Yes, I am pissed off at mostly Patton than the rest of the guys and I do think that if there is another album in them than all five members need to lock themselves away for a few months to write music and be a proper band again! Btw, outside of A2A, Stripsearch , pristine and LCOS I do not like aoty at all. Each to their own I guess.
Maybe I’m wrong and I’m just frustrated that after 17 bloody years si disappointed me.
As for only liking Trt? I already listed AD as my fave followed by Trt, IY and this and KFAD very similar.
Ty, SI was pretty much Billy, Roddy, and Puffy (mostly Billy), with Patton just doing vocal melodies and lyrics (most likely). So it was kind of made like TRT, except here Patton could give input before the song was completely structured. So it sounds like this is what you wanted since you don’t like Patton to have musical input. He had quite a bit of musical input on AD, KFAD, and AOTY, so I’m guessing you don’t like these FNM albums? So is TRT the only album you like? And I guess you are not a fan of the California Bungle album, and everything by Tomahawk and Fantomas? You are definitely in the minority. MFer really has similarities to Epic and Midlife Crisis to me. Korn never attempted such good vocal melodies. And Roddy’s lyrics are pretty good. Superhero almost sounds the evolution of the song “The Jungle” from WCAL, but sonically fits in right b/w AD and KFAD. Quintessential FNM sound. ROTY has pretty much the most intense peak of any FNM song to me, and sounds like an evolution of the song “Blood”. FTD fits right in with the cheese of “Take This Bottle” and is a great left-turn closer of an otherwise dark album. It’s funny, because FNM has always been a funny band. Sorry it didn’t click with you, but if you really don’t like Patton as a musician, I’m not sure how you made it this far being a fan.
Benrun
I guess each to their own and the reviews and reception of the record backs your view more than mine.
But, I’ve been a longtime fnm fan and I can call bullshit when I see a technically gifted band come up with b- side worthy, written in their sleep type of absolute and utter trash like Motherfucker (Korn would be rightfully lambasted for this) and the even worse Superheroo! Not sure how these songs along with ROTF and the rather silly and not so good FTD were allowed to be put on the record, they are nothing but fillers and on a album of just 10 songs and 39 minutes that’s just not good enough! Mike Patton should not be allowed to get involved in the writing and direction of the sound of the band from here on in. I don’t think he has a very good ear for what good music is and the best example of this is his post fnm career that leaves a shit load to be desired! Just vocals or GTFO!
Ty – I’d agree the singles sounded less than stellar initially but they fit brilliantly on the album, and the remixed Motherfucker is 10 times better. I’m slightly on the fence re Superhero – the first half or so is brilliant but it’s too long. You admit there are some other good songs though so those have to be your peaks right there, surely?
The cohesion thing… I’m not sure that’s a must for any FNM album. I love KFAD too, but it’s hardly cohesive, let’s be honest. First time hearing Sol Invictus (or any album) and you don’t know what to expect, but familiarity gradually knits the whole thing together. If there’s any issue, for me, it’s the production, which just lacks a hint of *something* most of their other albums have. Bit muddy and so on.
Wow, couldn’t disagree more…SI for is exactly what you say you want: strong song after strong. For me, there are extreme peaks on this record…the end of CoS, the middle of RotF, the end of Matador. I think SI is a great opening track as well. I think this is probably also THE MOST cohesive FNM album so far. SI was way better than I expected and it kind of disappoints me that I didn’t really think they could pull it off. MF and Superhero cycle in and out as favorites or least favorites on the album, depending on what mood I’m in, but weak never comes to mind. It just seems like the natural evolution of the band now that I’ve heard it. Sorry if others didn’t get to feel all the joy that I felt listening to SI over that last year.
I’m not fussed about another record, their catalogue is very good as it is and I don’t think SI is a great record at all. It feels unfinished and cold and almost soulless, there are some really good moments like ssu, cos , matador and SA but there’s no real ‘ peaks’ on the album! It basically starts with a throw ay opener and ends very quickly without ever going anywhere. Basically 10 songs put on a record separately without any cohesion throughout. I still like the band and what they’ve done especially from IY to King but this album was always going to be disappointing from the moment the band decided to release weak as piss tracks like Motherfucker and Superhero as their comeback songs!
As a comparison for strong albums I would recommend Deftones ‘Gore’ album as a reference point in what I was expecting…( not sound wise but been cohesive and having strong songs one after the other).
Griff, good points. If I hadn’t read about the SI recording process, I probably never would have thought about the sound. Patton did a great job of layering his vocals on Sol Invictus. The whole thing took about 3 years to produce. I keep listening to it, so it resonates. And you’re most likely right that the next FNM album could be many years away.
Still, Billy mentioned that he hoped for a tour next year and they had so much fun last time, seemed so comfortable, that I could see them getting up for a tour. Patton has plenty of other projects, as usual, but I think he realizes now that the biggest stages around the world are a great fit for him and FNM.
I don’t really agree re Patton’s vocals – I think if we hadn’t be told upfront that he recorded them separately it would’nt be an “issue” per se.. All instruments are recorded apart from each other anyway so it really makes no difference. Yeah, I suppose there’s the vibe from everyone being in the same room at least but remember that Roddy was barely with the rest during the KFAD sessions. The band members were never all together during the AOTY recordings either.
Plus… I’m not holding my breath for another world tour or album any time soon. It would be fantastic, don’t get me wrong, but I suspect we’re looking at several years done the line… if at all. They’ve just spent a much more intense couple of years together so I think they need some space. Patton will have a vast array of other projects he wants to dive into as well. But I do think that ultimately we’ll see FNM again.
Benrun, amen to that! I have feeling we will get another world tour before a new album, or a semi-world tour. But still want at least one more new album from the guys.
I read in an interview that Patton did go back to the band with changes for things like tempos and breaks to fit a vocal melody more appropriately and such, so it wasn’t quite as bad as it was during TRT recording, but I would hope for the next album they would try something ala-KFAD where they go to the middle of nowhere and having nothing to do but make a great album…together. And this time not get in any car accidents.
I also hope that next time, they take a similar approach and not even hint they are doing it until it is pretty much done, but this time take it even further so that they don’t necessarily rush the mixing and that they can get some singles, promos ready ahead of time instead of trying to do it while in the middle of a world tour. That should give the album a better chance of success. I would also be nice to hear the actual album before seeing them on the album’s tour. When I saw them in Detroit, I still had to wait another 1-2 weeks before the album came out. In the meantime…please get some official live stuff out! And a WCAL re-issue! and a KFAD deluxe edition! (although this would be more up to Rhino).
Just listened to SI again and it really does sound like Patton recorded his vocals separately from the band. It sounds much better live, more integrated and vibrant. I understand that Billy and the guy recorded Invictus without Patton like they did with The Real Thing, but the mix is not as organic on this album. I still like it, but hopefully they record together for their next album, The Elephant in the Room.
Great interview with Mike Bordin…. thanks for posting this.