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SOUNDTRACK: PEEPING TOM-Peeping Tom (2006).
Peeping Tom is one of the many side projects that Mike Patton (known mostly as the vocalist for Faith No More) has created in the last few years.
As Faith No More moved past “Epic” into their later releases, it became increasingly clear that Mike Patton was one wacky little monkey. And as he moved into projects like Mr. Bungle and his solo releases, he really let his freak flag fly.
Peeping Tom has Patton collaborating with all kinds of people. And it is a surprisingly accessible record (even though it is still pretty unusual). The album has a sort of hip hop feel to it with loud pulsing drums on most of the tracks as well as collaborators like: Kool Keith, Amon Tobin, Doseone, Kid Koala, and uh, Norah Jones.
“Five Seconds” starts as a pretty straightforward song, but the chorus of him counting/shouting 1 second, 2 seconds… faster and faster, takes on a new meaning of sinister. “Mojo” has fun with Britney Spears, although the fun is in lyrics only, as the song is a heavy blast of illicit substance references. The third track “Don’t Even Trip” continues this carnival of dementia with the wonderful lyrics, “I know that assholes grow on trees, but I’m here to trim the leaves.”
The middle of the album is less manic, it slips into some really catchy trip hop moments with the guests taking some control of the songs. Kool Keith raps on “Getaway” allowing Patton to take charge on the choruses, while “Caipirinha” sounds very smooth and jazzy, as any song with Bebel Gilberto should. “Celebrity Death Match” has a very funny vibe to it, not unlike Kid Koala’s tracks. The final track “We’re Not Alone” says it’s a remix, although it’s not a remix of any tracks on the disc. It returns to the heaviness of earlier in the album. And near the end it sounds not unlike a Foo Fighters track (despite its slow-paced and falsettoed verses).
But probably the most fun/giddy song on the disc is “Sucker.” In it, a whispering, sultry, derisive Norah Jones sings the line, “What made you think you were my only…lover? Truth kinda hurts, don’t it mother…fucker?”
There are many many moments on this record that seem borderline commercial, yet the schizophrenic nature of Patton’s songwriting means that those moments are quickly replaced by something else. Compared to say Fantomas, this is a very commercial disc, but fear not, Patton fans, there’s enough weirdness on here to keep you coming back.
Plus, the album packaging is really cool. You pull open the tab on the right side and the disc slides out on the left side. There’s a keyhole cutaway that reveals different layers as the package opens, too. Very cool.
[READ: November 22, 2008] Free Range Chickens
I had forgotten my book for lunch time reading today, and I didn’t want to start anything big, so I was thrilled to see that we had gotten in Free Range Chickens (at my request, of course). It was the perfect lunchtime book as I finished the whole thing in 40 minutes. (This may be a warning not to buy it, unless you intend to re-read it). (more…)
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Kool Keith is a weirdo rapper who I liked back in the old days.
I Just Read About That... 