It seems that
Fucked Up
's primary purpose in their massive pile of releases has been to push boundaries. Thus their name. Doing away with any preconceived notions of what a hardcore album by a volatile live act should be, their second
Matador
release,
The Chemistry of Common Life
, is a lush, expansive masterpiece that dismisses the theory that punkers have to follow a concrete formula of short and fast songs with raw-edged production. Here, tracks are layered meticulously by
Mike Haliechuk
-- the
Kevin Shields
/
Billy Corgan
sonic mastermind and guitarist of the group -- who teamed up with their usual producer,
Jon Drew
, to lay down nearly 70 tracks per song. Reportedly, the band recorded bare-boned versions before going on tour for a few months, and after writing a surplus of extra parts on the road,
Haliechuk
returned to add dozens of guitars to each song. This technique resulted in a massively thick shoegaze feel, with billowing washes of distortion waves crashing down behind
Pink Eyes
, who effortlessly, but violently delivers his patented Cookie Monster growl over top. It's a unique mash of styles, and iconoclastic as always. Of course, this shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has followed their haphazard career.
Year of the Pig
poo-pooed directness by including a song that was 18 minutes long, a three-minute drum solo was featured in
Looking for Gold
,
Baiting the Public
spread a single song over two sides of a record, making it impossible to hear seamlessly, and
Hidden World
went the distinctly unpunk orchestral route by incorporating strings from
Arcade Fire
's
Owen Pallett
. From the opening piccolo solo, it's obvious that
Chemistry of Common Life
follows the same anti-formula. ~ Jason Lymangrover