REVIEW: Robert Fuchs - "C.O.T.H."

C.O.T.H. (Usagi Productions 2025, U14)

    Well, well, well it sure has been a minute since I've been active with the blog. You know how it goes: lack of time, lack of focus, blah blah blah, but I also for most of the year found myself completely disinterested with noise altogether. I didn't listen to any noise at all for probably a good 5-6 months. I can't give you a perfect answer as to why, though I can say that I just wasn't feeling it. Something wasn't clicking for me, so I took a step back. Generally in my life certain interests of mine have always waxed and waned, however music has always been a constant, and specifically noise for the past 6ish years, so you can probably imagine my surprise when I didn't want anything to do with noise for a few months. Again, I can't myself figure out why exactly, but I think I just needed a break. Nevertheless though I'm back to the grind, listening to noise and other degenerate shit. Anyways here we are once more to review and discuss a newish CD from one of Noise's current golden boys, Robert Fuchs.

    Whether you've heard the name due to his interview on White Centipede Noise Podcast, or because you've seen/heard his releases, there's a strong chance you know the name Robert Fuchs by now, and if not, well then listen up hear you uncultured swine, because here's one artist you must listen to. I generally try to steer clear of boring platitudes like "you're fucking up if you're not doing xyz" or "buy this now or you'll be sorry later," so I'll hit you with a less cliche call to action. This CD from Robert Fuchs is so good that when I'm 90 years old, pissing my pants and drooling while my adult children and grandkids come to visit me in whatever god awful nursing home they've shoved me into, well odds are I'll remember this CD before I ever remember little Johnny's name (sorry little Johnny). I trust that colorful analogy has surely at bare minimum tickled your interest now. This is early Sunday morning, outta bed with the sun, cup of coffee and a cigarette kind of noise. Which in my oh so humble opinion is an extremely gracious complement. It seems there are only but a few noise artists who can achieve such a sound without being utterly boring, but here's Dean accomplishing that sound in a manner that presents itself as almost unintentionally easy. 

    Dean Fazzino is the force behind the highly recommended projects Robert Fuchs and Spate, while also running the home label Robert Fuchs. While there isn't much discernable difference between the sound palettes of Robert Fuchs and Spate, or even really the art style, to really understand why there is a separation between the two, the fact is unimportant as the fastidiousness and sheer remarkability of the noise becomes apparent within seconds of listening to any of Dean's releases, "C.O.T.H." being no exception to the rule. Dean is someone who doesn't release 10 things a year, in fact his output is quite limited, which bolsters my thinking that he really takes a lot of time and affords much attention to the way his work is built. I can't speak for him of course, but it seems clear that each release is given an ample amount of thought when it comes to both the noise and artwork. 

The Noise: Frequencies often clamor about bumping into each other, politely shoving their way to the foreground of the fray. Somewhere a derelict storm shudder thumps against the side of the house in the night wind. There's harshness to it at times, sure, but the main draw emanates from the composition of the pieces and the utter strangeness of the sounds which are presented. The transience of it all takes you for a stroll through the inner world of an emaciated circuit, stopping along the way at the various forks in the road to alter your course with leisurely abandon. It's delightful, it's challenging, it's simple, it's a delicate world to be explored with keen interest. There a locked doors which you can only attempt to peer through cracks and keyholes in order to understand what's behind them, yet there's also an earnest openness to this peculiar world. There truly are no words that can describe what the noise on this record actually sounds like. No fried, sputtering, lo-fi, blah blah, all too cliche for this incredible CD. You simply just have to listen to it. That's it, that's the review: just fucking listen to it, because it's phenomenal.

The Artwork: the front and back art offers little in the way of clues as to the sound or concept of the record, if there is any concept at all. Dean typically works outside of the boundaries of mere "concepts" and "themes," instead leaning more towards abstraction and sounds. I've seen talk of people hating the album artwork, and that's fine, they can do that, however I don't. I particularly enjoy it actually. It's so fantastically minimalistic, allowing the viewers mind to go places the artist may have never even imagined. The artwork is quite simply a shoe (or boot), and not merely just a shoe, but the basic outline of a shoe. Black outline against a medium-gray background. That's all. And it's a near identical image on the back of the Digipak as well. For me it allows the viewer to decide what is happening. You are invited to be part of the work by asking questions. Why choose this artwork? Why not a 3D shoe? Why a gray background? Why, what, who, etc.? In my opinion this presentation is far more powerful in invoking certain feelings and thoughts, than some ultra distorted image of a woman in bondage, or whatever the fuck people are using as art. 

Final thoughts: Now reviews are meant as a platform for criticism and discussion of art and such, and thus should not be held as one's own personal tenants regarding the releases in discussion, but must be digested and interpreted much like the art itself. Reviews are not written for the author to be a social influencer, or to sway people to buy something, rather they are written to address the artist in question and say, "hey, this is what I like and dislike, and this is what I think you could do better next time." The hardest part of being an artist is the lack of feedback, and moreover the lack of in-depth, earnest feedback. With all that being said and my soapbox being shoved back into its hole, I must say that I genuinely have nothing negative to say about this record, and there is nothing which I can point to for Fazzino to improve for the next release. Is it perfect? No, nothing is of course. Yet it IS a triumph of sound. A landmark piece of work which shall undoubtedly stand the test of time. C.O.T.H. will be looked upon with the same reverence as people give to Macronympha's Intensive Care, The Rita's Thousands of Dead Gods, Prurient's History of AIDS, or Skin Crime's Audio Pathology, to name a few. I said previously in this paragraph that a review shouldn't be about selling something, but if this jumble of words has helped sway you to buy the CD if you were on the fence, then I'd consider it successful in a way. This CD needs to be listened to.