God bless Fragile Porcelain Mice. No, really. They have saved me. I’ve been writing reviews for Sauce for, I believe, a year this month, and lately very little has arrived in the CD pile that inspires me enough to write. I was growing quite concerned about the state of Midwestern rock. (I know there are good and interesting bands out there, but they don’t seem to land product in my hands. Bands and friends of bands, pay heed to the footnote at the bottom of this column.)
So, I was dreading my trip to Blue Sky Distribution, from whom I regularly receive a short stack of CDs to review. Well, I walked in the door and was greeted with: “Do you have the new Fragile?”
“Fragile Porcelain Mice?” I asked. Now, I’m admittedly old and un-hip, so I was unaware that Fragile was even still active. Well, hallelujah. And God bless Fragile Porcelain Mice for releasing “The Best of Modern Rock.”
For those of you unfamiliar with Fragile Porcelain Mice, they are stalwarts of the St. Louis scene, harkening back to the early 90s. Seeking comparisons, I offer the Jesus Lizard, Shellac, The Refused. They are the Deftones’ twitchy, menacing cousin. To those of you who read Sauce for wine reviews or pasta tips, those namedrops may mean nothing. So, imagine a rumbling, house-size machine with spinning blades and swinging hammers. It’s running harder than it should, shuddering and rattling off bolts. It is beautiful in its complexity and power but terrifying in its potential for collapse. This thing is being operated by a man somehow audible above the din. He’s ranting at you, warning you, imploring, trying to save you. Fragile Porcelain Mice is that machine, and singer Scott Randall is its operator.
“The Best of Modern Rock” is beautifully packaged (designed by Clayton’s Hughes Group). A dark 18th century floral painting disguises the roiling lake of fire into which listeners are about to be tossed. The opening track, too, creates a false sense of calm. “We Have Problem” is a repetitive dirge that hypnotizes you before dropping you without warning into the shredding teeth of “Disposable.” And for the duration, hold on for dear life.
“The Best of Modern Rock” is propelled by one of the most inventive rhythm sections around. Mark Heinz’s muscular drum work and David Winkeler’s chugging bass nimbly construct Fragile’s complex time changes. Slathered over this are Tim O’Saben’s writhing, angular guitar lines.
“The Best of Modern Rock” is a concept album of sorts, speaking to today’s packaged culture and the cancerous sameness and mediocrity that produces in cliques, music, fashion, etc. All are held in contempt – the sellers and the buyers. Everyone winds up in Randall’s crosshairs – uniformed punks, dour Goths, suburban homeboy wannabes, and the companies that perpetuate their sacred trends.
There are too many priceless lyrics to quote here, but the overall flavor can be summed up in these lines from “Bound in Platinum:”
What you are rolling on
What you have been seen to wear
That is all that concerns you
Never been so insular
And you once had a conscience
Fragile seems to throw up their hands in closing the album. Realizing that today’s trends will be replaced by tomorrow’s, the band offers “No Solution” in response to the problem introduced at the disc’s beginning. Perhaps that’s a good thing. As long as there are targets for Fragile’s ire, we may continue to benefit from their music.
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