It would be cliché to say that the title of
Fabulous Shit is only half right, but it's nearly the case. There isn't a great deal of charm or innovation in this collection on experimental music label Lo Recordings. Judging by the artists listed in the track listing, one would think
Fabulous Shit was at least mildly compelling, but there's little joy in the over-processed sound effects that threaten to flood the album into the land of murk. Artists making a showing, via remixes and sound nuggets include
Stereolab,
Wagon Christ,
Mogwai,
Add N to (X), most of
Blur, the ubiquitous
Thurston Moore,
Third Eye Foundation,
Aphex Twin, and others who've had their music stripped of the luster of interest.
Fabulous Shit serves mostly as a reworked best-of Lo Recordings. The mixer or remixer is
Twisted Science (aka label founder
Jon Tye), and he has certainly twisted the songs. The collection works best during its quiet, ambient moments, particularly those from
Richard Thomas and
2 Player after the "Link Two" interlude. The aggressive drum'n'bass that rears its head spasmodically was far out of date by the time
Fabulous Shit was released. Of course, the experimentation and moodiness wasn't meant to be accessible, but surely there are far more worthy electronic sounds that could have made their way onto the collection.
Fabulous Shit is a relatively mundane, sleep-inducing, and poorly sequenced slice of experimentation. It's 60 minutes of something not so fabulous. ~ Tim DiGravina