F2RC pulls off quite a feat on “Conscript in an Alien Empire.” They take an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink approach from both a musical style and an instrumentation standpoint, but the album holds together as a cohesive statement. And while the overall sentiment behind the music seems to be largely expressing righteous anger or frustration at some things we’re dealing with as a society right now (including trans rights and the continuing presence of the baby in the White House), there are doses of humor as well. It’s in the best tradition of the punk rock ethos, while mostly not sounding anything like punk rock music.
Things start off with one of several short songs (measured in seconds, not minutes) scattered throughout this record. “For Us, Noisecore is Larping” starts with a voice synthesizer statement and ends with, well, some of that larping I guess. Then something completely different arrives in the form of “Horror of the Opossum.” This song features simple electronics and a spoken word story about an opossum. On its face, its narrator is recounting a little everyday type event. But, I find myself still thinking about it as there seem to be some underlying themes of internal biases, privacy, prejudice, and tolerance. Or maybe I’m ruminating too much and just supposed to be an undemanding marsupial tale.
Through the rest of the record, at any given time you may hear voice samples, noise, drones, more noisecore, or even poppy electronics. Or you might hear several things at once, like on the wonderfully titled “Erika Zahn Leaps Off Stage and Starts Stabbing People in the Pit (Planet Ugo Mix).” Musically this track sounds like there are both electropop and hardcore songs trying to break out. I’d say they ultimately struggle to a draw.
Open your mind to this eclectic sonic adventure; if you too find yourself feeling like a conscript in an alien empire these days, you’ll hopefully take some comfort in realizing you are not alone.