By Keith Walsh
Imbued with manic vocal performances, absurdly creative electric guitar, and tightly syncopated drums, the new album Fat Chance by Mr. Phylzzz is an exhilarating listen. When Chicago-based experimental rock project Mr. Phylzzz started out, it was an act led by singer/songwriter Clinton Jacob with drums by Ray Redmon. Way back in 2015, their debut single, “flyzzz” — and that’s how one pronounces the surname in Mr. Phylzzz — featured artwork evoking Syd Barrett’s second solo album, titled simply Barrett (1970). In contrast to Barrett, and fortunately for Jacob, his mania is largely theatrical and under control.
Since last year, Mr. Phylzzz is a duo comprised of Jacob (guitars, bass, vocals) and Danny Sein (drums). Writing the tunes for Fat Chance, Jacob and Sein have successfully melded their spirits into a highly unique seven song set even edgier than its predecessor, 2022’s Cancel Culture Club. And while Cancel Culture Club was recorded mostly in Jacob’s apartment during the pandemic, for Fat Chance, Jacob and Sein availed themselves of the top-notch equipment at Chicago’s Electrical Audio helmed by engineer Taylor Hales. (My brand new interview with Clinton and Danny is here.)
The guitar sounds on Fat Chance are served up with rich, multilayers of distortion, with Jacob’s inspired, idiosyncratic riffs charged with power and accented by Sein’s precise drumming. Vocally too, Jacob shines here, certainly due to more sensitive microphones, but also because of the liberation of working in a space dedicated entirely to putting their new sounds in a recorded format. (For Fat Chance, Jacob eschewed the use of a tiny, cheap Esteban amplifier, replete with a torn speaker, that was at the center of Cancel Culture Club’s guitar sound.).
The opener “Pontiac Grand Am” rocks like The Ramones, had The Ramones dared to burst out of the simplicity of their melodic template. The second tune “Dirty Hands” features grungy power riffs, followed by quirky little runs. “Maybe” is another heavy-sound song that owes much to metal and hardcore punk.
As a former stand-up comedian, Jacob brings all his passion and cleverness to the studio, with a histrionic vocal style that’s pleasantly on the edge. “Damp” has a riffing somewhere between Jimi Hendrix and Tool; the synchronicity between Jacob’s guitar pyrotechnics and Sein’s rattling and pounding is deliciously precise, and the arrangements on this and the rest of the tunes are intelligent enough that they blur the lines between punk and prog.
“Modern Life” is the first single from Fat Chance, with a puppet show video that brings out all the edgy darkness of the tune. “I see in technicolor/and dream in symphonies/but I’m in constant mourning/of a boring digital me/And I’m not socially gifted/not Wheel of Fortune wise/hey Pat! I’d like to solve the puzzle /What is my modern life?”
“Insisting” starts out with a spanky pseudo-grunge riff then shifts into a poppy, distorted punk tune reminiscent of Wire, or XTC’s first two albums. “Pick Scrape” is a highly experimental instrumental, with trippy echoes and backwards recordings that times out at 7 minutes, a fitting denouement to a peculiarly unique experience, allowing the listener to reflect and unwind.
Mr. Phylzzz are about to embark on a tour of the U.S, in support of their labelmates Melvins. Both are on Amphetamine Reptile Records. Founded in 1986 by Tom Hazelmyer, AmRep is a label pioneering the wide distribution of so-called noise rock and experimental rock music.
Mr. Phylzzz Dot Com
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Mr. Phylzzz On Facebook
Mr. Phylzzz Link Tree
Mr. Phylzzz On Spotify
Mr. Phylzzz Tour Dates With Melvins
Amphetamine Reptile Records
New Interview With Mr. Phylzzz At Popular Culture Beat
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