Law of Ruins

Six Finger Satellite - Law of Ruins

* originally posted on September 7, 2006

"Law of Ruins" is the last album released by Six Finger Satellite, a criminally overlooked band. The band dissovled sometime after the album's release with guitarist John Maclean having left two months before "Law of Ruins" was made available. "Law of Ruins" contains hypnotic moody tracks making much use of electronic instruments along with guitar skronk pieces though none of the songs are as abrasive as the ones on Severe Exposure. It has been mentioned in various media outlets that the band channels such bands as Devo, Pere Ubu, Chrome, Can and Suicide. I think it's how Six Finger Satellite incorporates the techniques and ideas of these bands with their own ideas that make "Law of Ruins" a unique and memorable work. The hypnotic songs such as "The White Visitation" and "Fall to Pieces" remind me more of early Cabaret Voltaire in which dub-like rhythms mesh with the synthesizer sounds. "Law of Ruins", "Sea of Tranquility Pts. 1 & 2" and "Fur Immer Liebe" are quirky "post-punk" guitar-riff oriented songs with the vocals on "Fur Immer Liebe" being in German. I must mention that James Murphy did an excellent job producing, engineering, and mixing this album. Murphy would go on to open the label, DFA, and to record as the highly acclaimed LCD Soundsystem. John Maclean created music a few years later as The Juan Maclean while some of the other members are in a band called The Chinese Stars. Six Finger Satellite went out on a high note with their best album IMO, which not too many bands can really say that.

Tracklisting:

1. Race Against Space {5:06}

2. Surveillance House {5:24}

3. Fall to Pieces {7:33}

4. Sea of Tranquility Pts. 1 & 2 {11:45}

5. Law of Ruins {3:32}

6. Lonely Grave {5:30}

7. New Kind of Rat {5:00}

8. The White Visitation {6:43}

9. Bad Aptitude {3:35}

10. Fur Immer Liebe {7:53}

11. Hertz So Good {3:59}

(1) or (1) (2) or (2) [maybe reposted soon]