{"title":"FACS","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFACS is a Drum n Bass\/Jungle Producer, DJ, and graphic designer hailing from London (UK). With an impressive career spanning years, FACS has established himself as a prominent figure in the music industry. Alongside his longtime partner, FACS co-owns a renowned label that has made waves in the scene. Additionally, he successfully ran the sublabel 24 Karat. FACS's unique sound and artistic vision have captivated audiences worldwide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith influences ranging from Disappears to Oxbow, FACS has carved out his own distinct style within the genre. His music resonates with fans of artists like Stuck, Purling Hiss, and BIG|BRAVE. Constantly pushing boundaries and experimenting with new sounds, FACS continues to be at the forefront of innovation in electronic music.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNot only known for his musical prowess, but FACS is also recognized for his exceptional graphic design skills. This multi-talented artist brings a visual element to his work that sets him apart from others in the industry. Whether it's through captivating album covers or visually stunning live performances, FACS leaves a lasting impression on all who experience his art.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"present-tense-2","title":"Present Tense","description":"\u003cp\u003eChicago trio Facs never stop pushing forward; they’ve honed and refined their stark, minimal scrape and clatter for four years and counting, having risen out of the ashes of beloved Chicago band Disappears in 2018 with the bone-rattling intensity of Negative Houses. The trio return in 2021 with \u003ci\u003ePresent Tense,\u003c\/i\u003e their fourth album and perhaps their sharpest statement as a band.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOpener “XOUT” barrels forward like a tank, with Case’s guitar chiming like warning bells, until the climax comes crashing down, glitching out near the close. “Strawberry Cough” comes next, its fusion of corporeal playing and stately, electronic heartbeats punctured by random bursts of noise or backwards masked sounds. “Alone Without”, a track originally recorded for Adult Swim’s 2020 singles series appears next in different form; more menacing and serpentine. Side two opens with “General Public”, taking the loud\/quiet dynamic as a jumping off point for the song’s unsettling seasick vibe. ‘How To See In the Dark” offers a brief respite, with its persistent, dark quietude that lingers until the song’s end. “Present Tense”, the album’s title track, offers up its first truly weird moment mid-song when the song changes mood distinctly, and the music drops out save for Case’s guitar and vocals. The album’s final track, the densely packed “Mirrored”, begins with a restrained, post-rock shuffle. The mind-scrambling cacophony that comes next takes its time to roll in, but once it does, it comes in waves, flipping back onto itself multiple times until it’s folded into oblivion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFacs once again shuttered themselves into Electrical Audio with lauded engineer Sanford Parker to lay down the basic tracks and overdubs for \u003ci\u003ePresent Tense\u003c\/i\u003e. This time, the band approached their songwriting from a different angle “Alone Without was the first song we recorded and we really built it in the studio” Case says, “Alianna and I played different instruments, and I think that freedom informed how the other songs developed. All the lyrics were random phrases on a big sheet and were put together as the songs took shape, so I feel like I was collecting these thoughts and trying to figure out how to process them as a big picture vs making complete ideas in individual songs.” Case adds ”...letting the songs go where they wanted, without steering them into what we all think a Facs album should be.” The change is palpable from last year’s claustrophobic and fried Void Moments, but \u003ci\u003ePresent Tense\u003c\/i\u003e is still All Facs, albeit draped in a layer of haze. Paranoia in soft focus, perhaps?\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind","offers":[{"title":"Orange | LP","offer_id":50388517257547,"sku":"1115965","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"Black | LP","offer_id":50388517028171,"sku":"1115964","price":19.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50388518404427,"sku":"1115963","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/9048fdaf-2a7e-4b0e-8a28-c4e449315f01_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726343647"},{"product_id":"still-life-in-decay","title":"Still Life In Decay","description":"\u003cp\u003eEverything eventually turns to dust. Everyone knows this, but few want to acknowledge that our time on this mortal coil is fleeting, preferring to remain in stasis, in hopes that \"the end\" will pass them by. Chicago trio FACS (guitarist Brian Case, bassist Alianna Kalaba \u0026amp; drummer Noah Leger) have been perfecting their brand of intense, cathartic post-punk over the course of four ever-evolving albums, beginning with 2017's \"Negative Houses\" thru 2021's landmark \"Present Tense\", which saw the trio dig deep into the gaping maw of a black hole \u0026amp; pulling back whatever debris they could grasp onto. Their newest \"Still Life In Decay\" comes as an addendum to the last album - a \"post-event review\" if you will. \"Still Life In Decay\" starts with a squall of white noise before collapsing into the band already locked into \"Constellation\"'s lumbering groove, with Case's guitar a ghostly presence, appearing \u0026amp; disappearing in washes of gauzy feedback throughout the track. FACS have never been more locked in as a unit, and \"Still Life In Decay\" is a decidedly more focused effort. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe apocalyptic chaos that defined their previous album \"Present Tense\" is waved away in favour of an examination of events with cumbrous clarity. FACS are a heavy band, but they don’t necessarily FEEL like one (see side two's \"Still Life\", where Case's fluttering, melodic guitar lines are buoyed by the insistent, underlying pulse of the bass \u0026amp; drums). As a rhythm section, Kalaba \u0026amp; Leger dance \u0026amp; twist around each other like a double helix, forming the DNA of what makes FACS special. Collectively they approach rhythm from outside the groove as opposed to inside it, creating a lattice where Case weaves guitar lines like creeping vines, which makes the moments on \"Still Life In Decay\" where the band DOES lock in even more powerful. When the guitar punctures the lock-step swing of \"When You Say\", it hits like a hammer. Case utilises his lyrics like a person suffering from anterograde amnesia; repeating phrases \u0026amp; holding onto old memories in a desperate attempt to avoid the slide into oblivion. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFreeform poetic missives touching on themes of resignation, cynicism, class warfare, and a search for identity \u0026amp; meaning in a crumbling society; A primal desire to hold onto anything in a post-pandemic barrage of sensory overload. The album is a decidedly local affair; recorded once again at Chicago's famed Electrical Audio by renowned engineer Sanford.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind Records","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50457745326411,"sku":"2014445","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/FACS_-_Still_Life_In_Decay_a92460cf_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727207809"},{"product_id":"negative-houses","title":"Negative Houses","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eNegative Houses\u003c\/i\u003e is FACS' debut recording; an abstraction of their former outfit, even more minimal and bare than what came before. \u003ci\u003eNegative Houses\u003c\/i\u003e approaches the stark, gothy post-punk previously perfected more rhythmically and abstract than in Disappears, with Leger's motorik, machine-like drumming taking the forefront (see the tunes \u003ci\u003eSkylarking\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eOthers\u003c\/i\u003e) and van Herik's guitar alternating between slashes of dissonant ambience and percussive accent. Case switches from guitar to bass in FACS, adding an economical throb to the band's drive on songs like \u003ci\u003eJust a Mirror \u003c\/i\u003eand the album's centerpiece, the near nine-minute, sax-soaked tour-de-force \u003ci\u003eHouses Breathing\u003c\/i\u003e, whose electric heartbeat lumbers forward, sounding like an outtake from Cold Storage Studios circa 1979. For fans of Explosions In the Sky, Disappears, This Heat, PIL, Oneida and Can.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Black Vinyl with Download.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP+ - Limited Metallic Gold Colour Vinyl with Download.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50497297711435,"sku":"1029490","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/7ad1e8dd-305b-445e-a6a9-3560eef980b4_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727727233"},{"product_id":"lifelike","title":"Lifelike","description":"\u003cp\u003eChicago trio FACS landed on the scene early last year, seemingly fully-formed with their debut album \u003ci\u003eNegative Houses\u003c\/i\u003e, the next logical step from Brian Case and Noah Leger's previous band (the almighty) Disappears. Now with bassist Alianna Kalaba (Cat Power \/ We Ragazzi) on board, they unveil the follow-up, \u003ci\u003eLifelike\u003c\/i\u003e. FACS occupy a liminal space bordering the realms of art-rock, shoegaze, industrial music, and post-rock, applying minimalism and spaciousness in service of stark, forboding compositions. Lifelike adds a melodic sensibility to the greyscale post-punk aesthetic established on their 2018 debut album Negative Houses without sacrificing any of their punishing sonic heft characteristic of their live shows (accurately captured by recording engineer Jeremy Lemos at Electrical Audio and brought to visceral life via John Congleton's muscular mix).\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe album kicks off with the lumbering\u003ci\u003e Another Country\u003c\/i\u003e, whose opening drone lulls the listener into a trance before Leger's drums crack the earth below. The band veers close to This Heat territory here, with Kalaba's minimal bass throb and Case's nearly unrecognizable guitar loops and multi-tracked voice punctuating the spaces between. Album standout \u003ci\u003eIn Time\u003c\/i\u003e careens with purpose as sheets of guitar noise cascade over the rhythm section’s ever-advancing march, while \u003ci\u003eXUXA's\u003c\/i\u003e monochromatic melodic washes ease the tension ever so slightly. Side two opens with a one-two punch of the anxiety-ridden \u003ci\u003eAnti-Body\u003c\/i\u003e and the claustrophobic \u003ci\u003eLoom State\u003c\/i\u003e. Lifelike closes with Total History, whose syrupy shuffle belies the blunt-force trauma of its closing minutes, with a sheer weight of sonic force seeming to blow out the speakers it emanates from. A phoenix returning to the ashes from whence it came. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP - Black Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLP+ - Limited Blue Vinyl.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Trouble In Mind","offers":[{"title":"LP","offer_id":50498121007435,"sku":"1055439","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/2bb5106f-182b-4cc5-8d9f-d8196baf6fd1_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727739901"},{"product_id":"wish-defense-2","title":"Wish Defense","description":"\u003cp\u003eSixth studio album from the Chicago trio. Features newly-rejoined original member Jonathan Van Herik. Recorded at Electrical Audio May 6 and 7, 2024 - final album recorded by Steve Albini.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe duality of “man” is a subject that has been explored in art for centuries, from writings of the Bible to Descartes, all the way up to filmmakers like Lynch, Cronenberg, and Carpenter. Who is your “true self” and what do they want? With their sixth studio album \u003ci\u003eWish Defense\u003c\/i\u003e (again for longtime home Trouble In Mind Records), Chicago trio FACS take a good, long look in the mirror to face themselves.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe return of original member Jonathan Van Herik - who stepped away from the group just before their debut album \u003ci\u003eNegative Houses\u003c\/i\u003e was released in 2018 - replacing longtime bassist Alianna Kalaba brings renewed vigor and a marked angularity from the band’s more recent output. The songs still hit hard, but the approach is sideways - the roles have changed since Van Herik’s original tenure and his previous time with Case and powerhouse drummer Noah Leger in Disappears; now on bass, Van Herik was originally the group’s guitar player and features on the debut, while current guitarist Brian Case played bass. This role reversal has helped the band’s dynamic, offering up a different musical perspective than before, now revisiting the trio’s long-going collaboration with some distance and time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCase notes that the lyrics on “Wish Defense” revolve around doppelgängers or \"doubles”, tackling the idea of facing yourself and observing your ideas and motivations. Look no further than the album’s title track; “Enter the mirror \/ Double walker \/ An intimate \/ Wish defense \/ Is it real? \/ You beside me \/ The detail \/ Terrifying \/ Abject self \/ Your grief \/ A public \/ Performance”. Case lays out the entire album’s theme in one stanza; Are your actions \u0026amp; emotions your true self? Or are they a performative aspect of that “other” person you put forward? Case says that ultimately the sentiment is “...don’t let the bastards get you down, there’s something beyond this moment, like hope - but not in the naive belief that ultimately people are good”. “Wish Defense”s artwork is also a subtle reference to \u003ci\u003eNegative\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eHouses\u003c\/i\u003e art, returning to that album’s black and white starkness and minimalism. The album’s checkerboards everywhere are offset reflections of themselves, mirrored with the album’s lyrics printed front \u0026amp; center on the cover. Everything is out in the open.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA final note; \u003ci\u003eWish Defense\u003c\/i\u003e is the last album engineered by Steve Albini. Two days were recorded at Electrical Audio in early May of 2024 before Steve’s untimely passing, with renowned engineer and friend Sanford Parker stepping in to finish the session 24 hours later, tracking the last bits of vocals and overdubs. Longtime collaborator John Congleton mixed the album as Albini would have; in Electrical Audio’s A room, off the tape, using Albini’s notes about the session.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Unwound, MBV, The Jesus Lizard, SUUNS, Preoccupations, METZ, Les Rallizes Denudes, The Dead C, Echo and The Bunnymen, Liars, This Heat, PIL.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"No Label","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":51227263828299,"sku":"2231362","price":22.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"White LP","offer_id":51227263861067,"sku":"2231364","price":23.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Tape","offer_id":50758965199179,"sku":"2231361","price":13.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50758964347211,"sku":"2231359","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/Wish_Defense_2a2d3097_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1730808201"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/collections\/test_afd52171_thumbnail_4096_205040be-58f0-40cd-9872-047c23001482.jpg?v=1726343606","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/collections\/facs.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}