Fantomas: Mike Patton (vocals); Buzz (guitar); Trevor Dunn (bass guitar); Dave Lombardo (percussion). Recording information: Sound Factory, Hollywood, California. Despite their complexity, cartoon soundtracks have largely been regarded as the redheaded stepchildren of the music world. For culturally disinterested youths, however, Elmer Fudd's performance in the Bugs Bunny classic "What's Opera, Doc?" offered a priceless introduction to classical music. Just as Chuck Jones's 1957 animated short paid homage to Wagnerian opera, Fantomas's SUSPENDED ANIMATION pays thrash-metal tribute to cartoon music. In marked contrast to its haunting 2004 single-track opus, DELIRIUM CORDIA, the band's follow-up borrows the onomatopoeic nature and intricate arrangement of the cartoon score, and sets it within the unlikely context of grinding metal and atmospheric jazz. The music here is organized chaos, exemplified by frenetic bass-and-drums freakouts ("04/12/05 Tuesday") and Mike Patton's spastic, gurgling vocal manipulations ("04/26/05 Tuesday"). Guitarist Buzz Osborne (Melvins), bassist Trevor Dunn, and drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer) perform the fantastically difficult orchestration, heroically leaping from grindcore riffs into melodic preludes with flawless precision. The result is a surprisingly seamless score split up into 30 tracks, perfectly balanced between lighthearted fun and gnashing noise.
Disc 1: 04/01/05 Friday 04/02/05 Saturday 04/03/05 Sunday 04/04/05 Monday 04/05/05 Tuesday 04/06/05 Wednesday 04/07/05 Thursday 04/08/05 Friday 04/09/05 Saturday 04/10/05 Sunday 04/11/05 Monday 04/12/05 Tuesday 04/13/05 Wednesday 04/14/05 Thursday 04/15/05 Friday 04/16/05 Saturday 04/17/05 Sunday 04/18/05 Monday 04/19/05 Tuesday 04/20/05 Wednesday 04/21/05 Thursday 04/22/05 Friday 04/23/05 Saturday 04/24/05 Sunday 04/25/05 Monday 04/26/05 Tuesday 04/27/05 Wednesday 04/28/05 Thursday 04/29/05 Friday 04/30/05 Saturday