| CD REVIEW Science Faxtion |
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Band : Science Faxtion After the editor-in-chief informed me of the new releases about to be distributed among my collegues at Concrete Web and myself, I went out on a little research to see which ones would suit each best and…ooh baby, I went bezerk in a very pleasant way when I found out that Science Faxtion is a new Bootsy Collins project! I mean, being a somewhat versatile music lover and known to taste stuff far removed from the things I have to review for this website (plus taking in account that I’ve been collecting music since late 1978), I’ve known bassist Collins coming to first fame when his band The Pacesetters was hired in 1970 by James Brown to become his backing band known as The J.B.’s. The venture only lasted 11 months, but Bootsy’s name was made. With House Guests he released 2 singles (issued on their own label), and in 1972 he and his brother Phelps joined Funkadelic, playing bass on most of that band’s early albums, as well as getting writing credits. Parliament followed, and in 1976 Collins founded the seperatedly touring Bootsy’s Rubber Band (which was to release a total of 6 albums, the last a live one in 1998). “P-Funk” mythology was born (for more details check out the page on the subject on Wikipedia), and Collins acquired his infamous “Space Bass” around that time! In 1980 the bassist not only started releasing albums under his own name (6 in total to date), but also issued material as Sweat Band (1980 album), Zillatron (1994 album), and as Bootsy’s New Rubber Band (2 studio albums and a live one). In between, he collaborated to several artists’ albums (for instance, 1984’s dance album Five Minutes by Talking Heads’s Jerry Harrison; Deee-Lite’s 1990 massive hit “Groove Is In The Heart”; many collaborations with Bill Laswell…together with Buckethead – see further – they formed Praxis, another success story; appearances on two Fat Boy Slim albums, TobyMac’s Welcome To Diversity album, Nicole C. Mullen’s latest album Everyday People, the Lo-Fidelity Allstars album Don’t Be Afraid Of Love…the list goes on!), and more importantly, also to Buckethead’s 1992 solo debut album Bucketheadland (issued only in Japan on John Zorn’s label Avant). It’s really only when looking up the info on Bootsy’s collaborators on this album, that I found out they are no lightweights either. To begin with, there’s multi-instrumentalist Buckethead (real name Brain Carroll), known primarily for his guitar work. Having already worked with Collins on his debut solo album of 1992, the young man joined Praxis (after introductions to Bill Laswell by drummer Bryan “Brain” Mantia…a third cornerstone of Science Faxtion, by the way, but more about him later) and participated in all of that band’s albums except 1998’s Mold and the initial release 1984 (issued when it was still a Bill Laswell solo thing). To date, Buckethead has released a total of 25 solo albums (not all available through the normal record label channels; 3 as Death Cube K – actually an anagram of “Buckethead”, 2 as Cobra Strike), and performed on more than 50 more (plenty of movie soundtrack work as well, including Johnny Mnemonic, Mortal Kombat, Beverly Hills Ninja, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, to name but a few), as well as making guest appearances on over 40 different albums by a variety of artists (including Arcana’s second & last 1997 album Arc Of The Testimony) and eventually gained international aknowledgement by becoming the lead guitarist for Guns ‘n’ Roses between 2000 and 2004. He’s really quite a versatile musician, dabbling in music as varied as Prog and Thrash Metal, Funk, Electronica, Jazz, Bluegrass, and Avant-Garde. During his ternure with Guns ‘n’ Roses (he whom he toured only in 2001 and 2002), the guitarist released 4 Cornbug albums (a collaboration with actor Bill Moseley, drummer Pinchface, and keyboardist Travis Dickerson, started in 1999), a total of 7 solo studio albums (plus an EP), started two new projects (Thanatopsis, with Dickerson, released albums 2001 and 2003; the other with Bill Laswell and Japanese producer Shin Terai, releasing 2001’s Unison, and 2004’s Heaven And Hell), released a 2nd and 3rd album with actor Viggo Mortensen (first one already arrived in 1999). In between, when Bill Laswell was unable to play with Praxis at a couple of occasions, Primus’s Les Claypool asked to jam with Buckethead, drummer Brain, and keyboardist Bernie Worrell, eventually forming Colonel Claypool’s Bucket Of Bernie Brains, a jamband experiment which was successful enough to do further live dates during 2002. What with all that activity goin’ on, it’s no surprise to see Guns ‘n’ Roses firing the too active guitarist for due to “lack of commitment”! One thing Buckethead’s gotte famous for, is the fact that he always performs with a white mask and a bucket on his head! In fact, this bacame an issue when Ozzy Osbourne went to check out the guitarist to play for him at his 2004 Ozzfest. During 2005 Buckethead not only released two more solo albums, but also one as Buckethead And Friends featuring Serj Tankian (System Of A Down), Maximum Bob (Deli Creeps, which happens to be Buckethead’s pre-recording times band), Ephrem Schulz (singer for Death By Stereo, Bad Acid Trip, etc), and others…one with the band Deli Creeps, two compilation Cornbugs albums, one with studio project Gorgons, another one with Viggo Mortensen, and eventually also a live album with Praxis. The same year he also released his first DVD, though it only became widely obtainable in March 2006. Two more DVD’s (both with rare old footage) arrived in 2006, as well as two solo albums, a final compilation album with Cornbugs, a new album with Thanatopsis, and an album called Chicken Noodles with producer, keyboardist Travis Dickerson, also owner of the TDRS label, which releases most Buckethead albums after they were first only available through the artists’ live performances!!! In 2007, Buckethead released no less than 28 (twenty-eight!!?!!) albums, the first of which a February-released 13-CD box set of original material lasting over 9 hours…4 solo albums…a re-issue of his 1991 Buckethead Blueprints demo…2 albums as Death Cube K…a second collaboration with Travis Dickeson titled Chicken Noodles II…the live Praxis album Tennessee 2004…a third album with Shin Terai titled Lightyears…and another album with Brian Mantia, titled Kevin’s Noodle House. 2008 was a slightly less active year for this more than prolific musician, starting off with the release of a highly anticipated new Praxis studio album on January 1st! Followed by the release on Avabella of From the Coop (consisting of the demos which Buckethead had left at the reception desk of Guitar Player Magazine editor Jas Osbrecht back in 1988. The story goes that Osbrecht, impressed with what he heard, rushed into the restaurant where Buckethead and his parents were having lunch, encouraging him to make the most of his talent – source: Wikipedia), a release which also included the first ever “official” biography of the artist. Only one solo album Albino Slug appeared during 2008, first only available through live appearances, then through official release in December. In the collaboration department, Buckethead appeared on The Draons Of Eden album along with Dickersonand Mantia…together with That 1 Guy as Frankenstein Brothers on the Bolt On Neck album (for which he toured throughout the Fall)…contributed to one song on the Viggo Mortensen album At All…collaborated with Dickerson and movie maker Alix Lambert to the album Running After Deer…joined Bootsy on Fallen Soldiers Memorial, an album with proceeds going to the National Fallen Heroes Foundation (not musically releated, Buckethead joined Bootsy to promote the vote for the united States presidential election)…and to the latest Guns ‘n’ Roses album Chinese Democracy, to which he contributed guitar on each trackbut two, and also got writing credits on three songs. Also, Nov. 11 saw the American release of the Science Faxtion album. News of the project had already come out in mid 2007, when it was announced that Bootsy was in the studio with Buckethead, singer/ guitarist/ producer Greg Hampton, turntable handler/ programmer Tobe “Tobotius” Donohue (also know as “DJ Botius”), and longtime Collins/ Buckethead collaborator Bryan “Brain” Mantia on drums. All people with a separate story, with which I shall not bore you here. I mean, “introductions” have been long enough already, and anyone interested in the other equasions of this project only needs check out what’s available through Wikipedia or other websites, okay? To give the listener a look into the weird world that is Science Faxtion, I still feel the need to make the following quote, taken from an interview of Collins for Billboard in June 2007: “We’re looking at it like, ‘What would happen if we wound up a situation down the line as we evolve, that our technology takes over and we are the ones that they’re looking at as ‘the scum of the earth’? It’s kind of like Planet Of The Apes…what would they be like?, What would that feel like? We’re just rying to warn the world that that’s comin’, and we’re having fun with that.” In other words, what you get is a conceptual album to start with, dealing with how our evolving technology will look at us, humans, in a distant future. The futuristic mood of the music is provided with through turntable effects mostly…somewhat Industrial keyboards/ synths on the other side, as overall the music can be called a nice hybrid of groovy Millenium Metal with Funk, the whole cast in an experimental setting beyond compare which defies definition altogether, really! Lead vocals on 7 tracks come from Hampton, a couple of songs see him share vocal duties with Collins, and then there’s also a couple of songs where Bootsy does all leads (besides playing his Space Bass, he also contributed to the music on guitar, keyboards, synths, drums, programming, and was co-producer and engineer for the recordings). Also, several tracks (among which most notably the album opening “Sci-Fi Theme”) have spoken word passages. With the project’s leading personae being whom they are in the music business, it shouldn’t be surprising that a a true shit-load of guests appear on the album…including vocalists Chuck D (on “What It Is”) and Kyle Jason (no specification as to where he appears), guitarist Keith Cheatham, drummer Chris Collier (on 3 tracks), piano/ synth/ keyboards player Steve Ferlazzo (on 6 tracks), keyboardist Morris Mingo, string players Paul Patterson and Susan Peterson, bassist/ programmers (and additional engineers) Dan Monti and Brian Hardgroove (the latter also bringing additional drums and vocals somewhere), and Collins’ & Buckethead’s Praxis collaborator Bernie Worrell playing additional keyboards and synths somewhere. Overall it makes for a very “filled” sound overall, which at best could be described as the overall rather heavy (the overall calmer “Famous” being the exception) soundtrack of a sci-fi flick with shards of movie dialogue mixed into the songs! Get introduced to Science Faxtion’s wacky music by listening to the three songs the band posted at myspace.com/sciencefaxtion! If you don’t fall head-over-heels in love with what’s posted there, I’m wondering (and quite justifyingly so) what the hell you’re still busy reading this article as far as you did! In my personal book of appreciation, this album definitely ranks among the first to be mentioned…and I’m again at a loss when considering to put the album in my year-lists of either 2008 (which is when the album was originally released), or 2009 (when it saw its fysical release in Europe)! No matter what, it still get the highest rating…in fact I’ll give it a pérfect one! 100/100 Tony. |