Law of Ruins picking up where Paranormalized leaves off: a synthetic-electric mind fuck. Braniac- dead. Chrome- dead. (Well, sort of.) SFS- alive and kicking. Where much of the original “stable” of artists that was Sub Pop have entered the realm of the cliché, Satellite’s the one who’ve managed to maintain structural integrity, even despite the death of bassist Kurt Neimand. In fact, it’s safe to say what has not killed Six Finger Satellite has only made it stronger.
The Satellite make no apologies about stealing techniques from other artists. Much of their originality lies in their ability to form a viable collage of influences. “Law of Ruins” seems more distinctly “bass heavy” with a dark, slow grind feel, and at times can sound like old Jesus Lizard or even Steelpole Bathtub. John MacLean’s guitar at times is a Big Black era, “pie pan” Steve Albini. But to say the Six Finger Satellite is a band of borrowers, like a good chunk of their press indicates, is an injustice. The music slips out of the speakers in a manner similar to how a dream slips out of the subconscious. SFS is a band who exploits technology to forge a more direct route to the id. And Six Finger Satellite IS the welcome antithesis for what the Cars did to the rock-keyboard combination.
P.S. Could “Hertz So Good” be the unofficial theme song to the O.J. Simpson saga? _Sub Pop Records, 1932 First Avenue Suite #1103, Seattle, Washington 98101, http://www.subpop.com www.subpop.com_
