Zammuto - F U C-3PO 9.0/10

Zammuto is the current experimental electronic project of Nick Zammuto, formerly part of the duo behind the band The Books. This track is taken from Zammuto's debut self-titled album which was released by Temporary Residence Records in 2012. After the breakup of The Books at the beginning of 2012, Zammuto toned down the most out-there experimental impulses of The Books and added more of a human touch with increased reliance on real instruments. F U C-3PO begins with a creepy, unsettling beat and distorted vocals which recall Massive Attack's Mezzanine album. This feeling is broken with the arrival of a chorus section of rising chopped vocals (if such a song can be said to have a 'chorus') which releases the tension and lifts the song briefly heavenward before returning to the depths for the second verse. The overall feeling is of meeting a creature deep inside a cave, at least until strummed guitar chords near the end bring the mood back to something more human. This is a track for nocturnal journeys and it rewards repeated listening to focus on the sound of each of its assembled parts and the way they snugly fit together.