For a band with a radical name, Toronto’s sprawling hardcore collective Fucked Up sure do make one hell of an old-fashioned racket. There was once this thing called an “album,” and a subgenre of this archaic method of presentation was the monolithic “rock opera.” David Comes to Life (Matador) represents, in many ways, the most punk thing Fucked Up could do right now, because what’s more challenging to the status quo than actually demanding a listener’s attention for more than 3 minutes?
Granted, just making a 78 (78!) minute-long rock opera is one thing, but making it interesting is another. I haven’t the slightest idea how they intend to reproduce this live, as I a) can’t imagine hearing it minus any pieces or out of sequence, and b) fully expect singer Damian “Pink Eyes” Abraham to die panting if he tries to bark this whole thing out. The music’s energy level is relentless, with Who/Kinks rhythm guitar layered up with swooping indie hooks that dive in and out of the churn. You can listen to one of the album’s tracks, “A Little Death,” here. [Tom Forget]
