Fat White Family - Songs For Our Mothers
- Written by Tris Hall
Wakey-wakey! If you haven’t heard of Fat White Family yet then you must have been living under a rock for the last couple years. Famed for their raucous, energetic live shows (human excrement, dirty protests, blah blah blah) the group have been doing the rounds in Europe as well as the states in support of their first album, the excellent, Champagne Holocaust. They have also formed two other groups (Warmduscher & The Moonlandingz), set up their own record label, Without Consent and signed to the legendary Fat Possum label stateside.
January 22nd sees the release of their much anticipated second album, Songs For Our Mothers, it's the first release since last years, 'I Am Mark E Smith' single. The album features everything from serial killer Harold Shipman, the abusive relationship between Ike and Tina Turner and to Hitler's final moments in the bunker.
Kicking off the album is the groovy lead single, 'Whitest Boy On The Beach' and its clear from the outset that this isn't going to be another garage rock album. Disco vibes a plenty here folks! ‘Satisfied’ was co-produced by Sean Lennon and is sure to be a crowd pleaser with its sing-a-long ending and signature Fat White swagger.
'Love Is The Crack' brings us into darker territory and shows off lead singers Lias Saoudi quivering vocal style. 'Duce' and 'We Must Learn To Rise' are the heaviest tracks and most relatable to their live sound. With Popol Vuh-like chanting and death metal riffs, these tracks are going to sound huge when played live.
A definite stand out track is 'Tinfoil Deathstar', with its Michael Jackson bassline, to the crashing synth chorus, this album is all killer no filler. Tracks such as the German sung 'Lebensraum', the album closer 'Goodbye Goebbels' and the tropical daze of 'When Shipman Decides' help create a balance of disco and the heavy, which makes this album feel more whole.
The album may sound more polished than its predecessor but this a band that is coming into their own and are a breath of fresh air in the rock n roll world. We can't wait to see what they do next. Make sure to see the boys on tour this coming February.