Fotocrime - Heart of Crime
(c) 2021 Profound Lore
Artist....: Fotocrime
Album.....: Heart of Crime
Source....: WEB/MP3
Tracks....: 11
Genre.....: Darkwave
Label.....: Profound Lore
Encoder...: LAME 3.100
Quality...: 320 kbps / 441kHz / Joint Stereo
URL.......: http://www.deezer.com/album/249230922
Tracklist:
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1. Heart of Crime 2:28
2. Electric Cafe 2:44
3. So so Low 3:11
4. Delicate Prey 4:01
5. Crystal Caves 4:12
6. Politi Policia Polizei 3:44
7. Industry Pig 2:43
8. Zoe Rising 3:59
9. Inferno Rebels 3:29
10.Learn to Love the Lash 4:57
11.Skinned Alive 4:04
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39:32
Total:96.61 MB / 39:32
Release Notes:
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While Ryan Patterson, the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and
producer behind Fotocrime, often sings in an intimately whispered baritone, he
stands in stark contrast to the laconic troubadour role typically associated
with his hometown of Louisville, Kentucky. Patterson has spent over
two-and-a-half decades adding to the townÆs legacy with his impassioned and
activist-minded approach to music, his distinctive work as a graphic artist, and
his contributions to nearly every aspect of creative underground culture. After
his time fronting forward-thinking art-inflected punk bands, Patterson looked to
the urban centers of London, New York, and Berlin for new sonic inspiration,
drawing from the passion of his roots while tapping into the sounds of classic
EBM and post-punk artists for Fotocrime.
On his third full-length Heart of Crime, Patterson continues to explore what he
refers to as ôelectric Southern romanticism.ö ItÆs an album that throbs with
pulsing synths, hammering drum machines, and economic guitar hooks. Where so
many artists have leveraged these tools towards stern stoicism, Patterson had a
different objective for their emotional resonance.
ôIn my mind, Fotocrime is a meeting point between cold-war Europe and
mid-century Americana,ö Patterson says. ôDAF meets Roy Orbison, Portishead meets
Ricky Nelson. Raymond Chandler and Paul Bowles go to see a Douglas Sirk and
Carol Reed double feature.ö
This vision has been consistent across the entire Fotocrime catalog, but where
2020Æs South of Heaven found PattersonÆs songs supplemented by Steve
Albini-recorded live drums, a different approach was required for its follow-up.
The worldwide pandemic broke out right as Patterson kicked off the South of
Heaven tour cycle with a string of shows in Mexico. Consequently, Heart of Crime
is the austere response to quarantine life. ôThis is by far the most direct and
personal thing IÆve ever done in that 99% of everything on the recording is me,ö
Patterson says. ôItÆs the first album IÆve ever recorded and mixed myself.ö
You would never know that Heart of Crime is his first venture into engineering
an album on his own. The title track opens the record with an arpeggiating synth
line and motorik drum machine beat that recalls the earliest German electronic
artists. Patterson subverts the near-robotic vocal performances of the vintage
electronic krautrock cosmonauts by delivering a call-to-arms rife with human
urgency. ôElectric CafΘö opens with a dusty minor guitar chord, recalling some
darker golden oldie, before the electronic kick and snare enter with their
steady club-banger rhythm. One moment youÆre gliding down Route 66 in some
sepia-toned montage, the next youÆre night-riding through a neon cityscape.
ThereÆs a bittersweet pop element to ôSo So Lowö that chips away at the cold
exterior of its mechanized pulse. It could almost serve as a standout track on
an æ80s film soundtrack, with a new wave allure that belies the heavy lyrical
narrative of sorting through the belongings of a deceased loved one. Even
something as minimal as the opening drum pattern of ôDelicate Preyö feels
steeped in the dichotomy between the urban and the pastoralùit conjures the
opening beat of Pet Shop BoysÆ cover of Willie NelsonÆs ôAlways On my Mind.ö Yet
neither English synth-pop nor Texas country was the muse behind this rumination
on the hunter and the hunted; Patterson claims the song was heavily influenced
by æ80s freestyle club music.
As the album progresses, the tone grows more menacing. ôPoliti Policia Polizeiö
fuses a minimalist analog drum pattern against Western twang bass VI as
Patterson dryly mocks the modern police state and closes the song with a lyrical
nod to The Exploited. ôIndustry Pig,ö with its pummeling beat, metallic slap
bass, and muscular riffs is sure to satisfy any fan of guitar-centric æ90s
industrial music. On ôInferno Rebels,ö Patterson conjures a modernized mash-up
of CanÆs Delay 1968 and side B of Neu! Æ75 through his use of propulsive rhythms
and a proto-punk snarl. The song is also noteworthy for its ominous saxophone
soloùa first in the Fotocrime catalog, performed by Patterson after picking up
the instrument during isolation for the first time since early adolescence. Even
the albumÆs pop apex, ôSkinned Alive,ö uses a beguiling melody and upbeat
instrumentation to alleviate the songÆs underlying meditation on mortality and
loss.
On Heart of Crime, we hear the earnestness of the heartland fused with
PattersonÆs ties to the asceticism of the urban underground, like a post-punk
Leonard Cohen. WeÆre also hearing an aspect of Fotocrime thatÆs a response and
reaction to the times and available resources. ItÆs a record that yearns for a
world outside our doors, that begs to be blasted on a massive PA in a seedy
nightclub or a black-walled venue. It sounds steeped in isolation and
reflection, but it reminds us of the communal experience of getting lost in a
sea of people while the sound of a bass drum kicks our chests.