Idiot Flesh (funk, metal, pop, rock, cd)

Boskov · 07-23-2008, 11:58 AM

Precursor to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, formed before Mr. Bungle, and all around amazing band, Idiot Flesh is effectively unkown to many people, including SGM fans. This is unfortunate, and needs to be rectified.

Originally formed circa 1985 after the demise of Acid Rain (which released only a demo, named We Were All Very Worried); taking a very "Zappa" approach to their music, their first release "Tales of Instant Knowledge and Sure Death" was a bizarre conglmoration of styles, all while retaining a very experimental and avant-garde approach to the music. The core of the music was effectively rock, but each member played a seperate instrument; Cellos, Violin, Trumpet, Flute, Saxaphone, Piano, even non-instruments like Screwdrivers, Trashcan Lids and Bicycle horns, all in tune. Their self described "Rock against Rock" attitude made them one of the most pioneering avant-rock acts of the 90s. It's unfortunate that Mr. Bungle seems to overshadow everything Idiot Flesh has done, but thanks to the internet, that's becoming less apparent with time. Both are great, but Idiot Flesh deserves respect for their music.

The first album combined elements of Rock, Funk, Metal, Folk, Progressive, Pop with Avant-Garde sensibilities, Rock in Opposition attitude to music, Zappa-esque Humor and Resident-esque bizarreness. The homages in some of the songs border on the blatant: Thinking of a Number Above 17 is so Primus it hurts, Meditation almost mocks Jethro Tull. The album is ripe with incredible musicianship and replete with originality.

Their second release, "The Nothing Show" showed something a matured cohesiveness, without sacrificing the humor and outright absurdities of the music. The Nothing Show sported a rather carnival feel to it; although it had a less sporadic feel to it (the songs were more or less in the same vein), but again, retained the wonderful creativity that captivated me on the first album. Songs like Blue Head are downright amazing, and I've never heard anything like it before, and certainly nothing after.

Their third (excluding the Twitch EP) release, Fancy shows the tell-tale signs of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum in it's infantile stages; it was much darker and cohesive than previous releases. While still humorous, it was less obvious and much darker. Unlike the previous two releases, which were well within "Rock" in terms of colloqiual 'heaviness' Fancy was much heavier, and bordered on metal more often than not. Tracks like The Straw and Twitch were full of deliciousness heaviness contrasted to dissonance and bizarre chord progression. Easily one of my favorite albums from any genre, this album would most certainly sit well SGM fans.

Any other fans, after I've ranted?

07-23-2008, 11:58 AM	#1 (permalink)
Boskov Groupie Join Date: Jul 2008 Posts: 14	Idiot Flesh Precursor to Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, formed before Mr. Bungle, and all around amazing band, Idiot Flesh is effectively unkown to many people, including SGM fans. This is unfortunate, and needs to be rectified. Originally formed circa 1985 after the demise of Acid Rain (which released only a demo, named We Were All Very Worried); taking a very "Zappa" approach to their music, their first release "Tales of Instant Knowledge and Sure Death" was a bizarre conglmoration of styles, all while retaining a very experimental and avant-garde approach to the music. The core of the music was effectively rock, but each member played a seperate instrument; Cellos, Violin, Trumpet, Flute, Saxaphone, Piano, even non-instruments like Screwdrivers, Trashcan Lids and Bicycle horns, all in tune. Their self described "Rock against Rock" attitude made them one of the most pioneering avant-rock acts of the 90s. It's unfortunate that Mr. Bungle seems to overshadow everything Idiot Flesh has done, but thanks to the internet, that's becoming less apparent with time. Both are great, but Idiot Flesh deserves respect for their music. The first album combined elements of Rock, Funk, Metal, Folk, Progressive, Pop with Avant-Garde sensibilities, Rock in Opposition attitude to music, Zappa-esque Humor and Resident-esque bizarreness. The homages in some of the songs border on the blatant: Thinking of a Number Above 17 is so Primus it hurts, Meditation almost mocks Jethro Tull. The album is ripe with incredible musicianship and replete with originality. Their second release, "The Nothing Show" showed something a matured cohesiveness, without sacrificing the humor and outright absurdities of the music. The Nothing Show sported a rather carnival feel to it; although it had a less sporadic feel to it (the songs were more or less in the same vein), but again, retained the wonderful creativity that captivated me on the first album. Songs like Blue Head are downright amazing, and I've never heard anything like it before, and certainly nothing after. Their third (excluding the Twitch EP) release, Fancy shows the tell-tale signs of Sleepytime Gorilla Museum in it's infantile stages; it was much darker and cohesive than previous releases. While still humorous, it was less obvious and much darker. Unlike the previous two releases, which were well within "Rock" in terms of colloqiual 'heaviness' Fancy was much heavier, and bordered on metal more often than not. Tracks like The Straw and Twitch were full of deliciousness heaviness contrasted to dissonance and bizarre chord progression. Easily one of my favorite albums from any genre, this album would most certainly sit well SGM fans. Any other fans, after I've ranted?