The titular first dog is a dude from Murieta CA, who makes music that's RIYL is Black Dice. But this is a good example of where tags fall short – Black Dice – maybe because of their early hardcore tendencies – are way more confrontational than FDTVTCOTE (how's that for an unmanageable acronym?). With Black Dice I always get the uncomfortable feeling that they don't *like* me; that all the arrhythmic, shifting plates of wheezing synths and samples and irregular patches of distortion have been arranged in the most uncomfortable, least user-friendly way possible. So, while FDTVTCOTE and Black Dice may share similar timbres and even compositional M.O., FDTVTCOTE is Black Dice's take-you-aside-and-introduce-you-to-people cousin at the abstract Noise-o-thon.
The album opens with a few bright synth patches, growing like crystals, and never lets up over it's 73 minutes. And yes, as the name would suggest, it's a musical journey through the deep strata of synth bleeps, bloops, drones and sputters. But as I mentioned before, there's something comforting here; maybe it's a sense of humor. Again I'll reference Black Dice – they're funny, too, what with all the flatulent electronics and winking and nodding – but BD seems like they may be pulling the joke on *you*, like "dude, I can't believe you're listening to this." FDTVTCOTE has the same spontaneous, free-floating structures, but despite all the timbral goop, FDTVTCOTE is intent on entertaining.
And entertain he does. It's a continually inventive journey, from the gentle bent sine waves of the opening track, to the vaguely tribal sputters of "Qi Dance Moves" or the aptly titled "Steel Wing Drum." An odd analog, but I couldn't help but think of Bach's "Goldberg Variations," but instead of the "inventions" being based on various formal arrangements of the musical scale, it was based on sounds and textures – what Brian Eno referred to as the "vertical color of sound." It's kaleidescopic, busy music, constantly turning itself inside out and morphing into something else; in fact, many of the songs feature so many changes that you'll be checking the titles to make sure you haven't arrived at some new musical destination.
If I had one complaint, it's a small (and good one): there's *too much* here. I guess getting to the center of the earth does take a while (especially if you're a dog, and don't have one of those cool drill-car-tank thingees), but due to the suite-like structure of each piece, I felt overstimulated even halfway through the journey. But too much is better than too little. And really, it's the kind of enthusiasm you expect from any good dog.
--written by M@
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