act 199 · david thrussell · the fetid fungi · book + cd
book:
the fetid fungi... and other cautionary tales for the young at heart
52 pages, 21x21cm, soft cover
including all fetid fungi lyrics plus full colour illustrations by david thrussell
layout and design richard grant/i+t=r
audio tracklist:
1. prelude
2. the fetid fungi
3. a town called desire
4. the chewing gum of hate
5. the writer
6. my dream
7. the ears
8. ringtone
9. welcome
10. coda
all titles written by david thrussell
mixed and mastered by byron scullin and francois tetaz
enhanced cd features the short film "ringtone"
starring michael graves and bradley dawson
EAN 4013438098361
ISBN 3-933955-13-0
david thrussell is perhaps a poet trapped in the body of a hillbilly or
maybe he is a hopeless romantic hidden in the twisted frame of a dark
electronic musician. late at night thrussell fantasizes that he
actually lives next door to hieronymus bosch in medieval europe and has
hallucinated the whole dreadful modern era - hallucinations due to
acute ergot poisoning. we are not entirely convinced that this is not
the case.
the world knows him (if it knows him at all), as the creator of a
seemingly multitude of obscure recordings (snog, black lung and soma
amongst others) and film scores (the hard word, thunderstruck etc). the
world may (or may not) know him soon as an author of unhinged
children's tales for a particularly depraved kind of adult. an adult
that lives on the dark slope of a forgotten mountain and was last seen
having an animated conversation with some rocks and a shrub. he is, to
be frank, an odd little man.
he is also the proprietor and head curator of the omni recording
corporation. thrussell cites no great burning desire to be a recording
industry mogul (in fact just the opposite) but nobody else seemed to be
digging up these aural treasures - so he stepped up to the plate. for
our sake, if for no other reason, please humor him.
'the fetid fungi' is thrussell's second spoken word album. like 'the
voices of reason', released six years ago, it can not be seen as an
'audio book'. thrussell with a dark haunting voice speaks about
mushrooms, diseases of civilization, the impact of machines on man,
fear, and harassments. these illuminations are accompanied by
soundscapes which are also used to introduce and to mesmerize the
listener. 'ringtone', which can also be watched as a short film, is a
modern adaptation of e.a.poe's 'the tell-tale heart'. in this version,
technology has replaced the function of the human organ.
the book features many astounding full page and full colour
illustrations (drawings, etchings and prints - none ever seen before)
drawn from the dark resesses of thrussell's nightmare world. the images
are chilling yet strangely mirthful.
enjoy this release if you can - and watch out for the boiled flying
saucers on your dinner plate!
david thrussell official website: www.worldwentdown.com/imcc
reviews:
a review in russian language can be found on machinist's website:
www.machinistmusic.net
gothtronic
"the fetid fungi" is the second spoken word album by musical mastermind david thrussel (better know as snog or black lung). following up "the voices of reason" released in 2000 it once again centres around david's voice accompanied by sinister and weird sounds. the album kicks of with an instrumental intro. a very dark melody keeps on repeating whilst haunting strings play along in the background. the mood for the things to come is set in a very efficient way. the intro slowly dies out and a female voice takes over for the second track which also starts off the spoken part of the album. in comes the gloomy and crackling voice of david thrussell, he tells us about evil mushrooms from outer space, chewing on gum of hate, dreams, ears and all other kinds of bizarre tales. david rhymes in a fairytale like rhythm, echoing through a void with nothing but darkness to surround each and every word that comes out of his mouth. it is as if he sits alone in a cold abandoned space telling these stories for no reason other than injecting fear into the heart of the listener. the accompanying music is used in such great harmony with the spoken words that they form a hypnotizing whirlwind of dismal emotions in every track. this is what would have happened if the brothers grimm where suddenly possessed by devils. little red riding hood as the leading actress in the exorcist. every second of this album oozes utter and complete darkness with such conviction that it almost becomes scary to listen to. the big question then becomes: is this cd something that you will want to listen to and more specifically listen to more than once? the answer is that "the fetid fungi" is probably not something you will listen to over and over again like "real" music. but that certainly doesn't mean that it's not worth owning. as this releases also contains the short but intriguing movie "ringtone" and a 52 pages full colour book with illustrations (which i unfortunately didn't get, but i safely assume that it is of the same quality as the rest of the release) you get a hell lot of entertainment for a small investment of 16 euros. "the fetid fungi" is worth every euro you pay for it even if you only enjoy it once. this is so much more than sound alone; it is a small work of art. in the ever declining music industry the room that there once for these kinds of projects is getting smaller and smaller, so to still release it with such flair and magical presentation deserves nothing but the utmost respect and support. (niels)
black issue 47
der goldgelockte digital-dylan hat wieder tief in seiner seele gekramt. psychotisch, verstörende geschichtchen mit geheimniskrämerisch, rauchiger stimme über dunkle elektronik-hörbuch-flächen erzählt. war der vorgänger "the voices of reason" noch vollgestopft mit politischen anklagen und verschwörungsgemurmel, steigt der mann hinter snog und black lung diesmal in die tiefen der menschlichen psyche ab. da hat die menschheit angst vor ausserirdischen pilzen, ist jemand so vom hass erfüllt, das er ihm als genüssliche, schwarze kaumasse aus dem mund quillt. besonders schön auch die neuinterpretation von poes "das verräterische herz", bei der die informationstechnologie des 21. jahrhunderts eine entscheidende rolle spielt. thrussels apltraumwelten tanzen immer auf einem fein ironischen grat. er hält die hörer im ungewissen. hirngespinst oder wahrheit? dem wohligen schauer des zuhörens ist es einerlei. zu vergnüglich ist die schizophrene sprachakrobatik, die sich auch im begleitbuch bemerkbar macht. randvoll mit nachtschattigen bildern von thrussel übersetzen sie die realistisch unwirkliche stimmung der tracks in illustrationen, die auch tim burton faszinieren würden. wie immer ein grosser halluzinierender spass. (till)
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