There are some bands out there that no matter how great their music is, they never quite get the recognition they deserve and ultimately fade into obscurity. More often than not, these bands usually influence a plethora of others that follow in their wake, and take a blueprint that was already laid down for them and achieve greater success than the original architects could ever dream of. Probably the most extreme example of this is a once little known alternative rock band from Los Angeles called Failure. You probably have heard their name in the past 2 years more than you ever did before, and you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about.
Failure are often described by many as âthe band’s bandâ, and those who create music really appreciate their legacy. They have influenced everyone from Deftones to Cave In, and from Superheaven to Cloakroom. Even Maynard James Keenan from Tool and A Perfect Circle said of his one time tour mates that he has been âripping those fools off for yearsâ. Countless bands have covered their songs including Cave In and A Perfect Circle, and even Paramore once put their own take on the bands classic âStuck on Youâ. As the band prepares to release its long-awaited 4th album âThe Heart Is a Monsterâ in June, and head to the UK for a one-off show at the Garage in London, we wind the clock back 19 years and take a look at their masterpiece âFantastic Planetâ.
Back in 1996, the world of alternative music was in the midst of a transitional period. Grunge had been declared all but dead a few years earlier with Kurt Cobainâs passing, Brit-pop bands such as Oasis and Blur were still riding a wave of stateside success, and ânu-metalâ was about to go supernova. Lurking in the shadows however were Failure, and after two solid albums in the shape of the Steve Albini produced âComfortâ and its more rounded follow up âMagnifiedâ, they were piecing together what would become the underdog album of the year.
The recording of the album was deemed somewhat unorthodox at the time, because due to the band recording âFantastic Planetâ themselves it allowed them the time to write a song then record it, rather than enter the studio with a selection of demoâs to cherry pick from. This method however put a lot of strain on the band, and it took them longer to record then their previous albums. They were also essentially without a label at this time as their home of Slash Records (an imprint of Warner) was temporarily without distribution. Eventually Warner allowed Slash one more Failure record, and with the addition of guitar legend Troy Van Leeuween for their live performances, âFantastic Planetâ eventually came to life.
As the album starts with the somewhat sombre ambience of âSaturday Saviourâ, it builds into a wall of cascading guitars. Failure were well known for their use of effects, and ahead-of-its-time signal processing to create the mood of their music, but only really was it bought to life on âFantastic Planetâ. One of the chief aspects of the album is also the way that it is knitted together by the interludes. Particularly âSegue 1â which leads into the colossal âSmoking Umbrellasâ with precision; a technique than many bands have since applied to their music so as not upset their flow of their records, even though none really have been able to create such an outstanding body of work as âFantastic Planetâ. Of course even if the mood of âFantastic Planetâ can feel sullen, and maybe even self-indulgent to the untrained ear, when Failure want to rock they really know how to. âPillowheadâ is a straight up rock anthem, carried by the driving rhythm of drummer Kellii Scott, and âDirty Blue Balloonsâ gave a new breath of life to alternative rock in a post-Nirvana world.
While a lot of the focus is often put on Failures guitar sound and song composition in certain circles, nothing can ever be taken away from Ken Andrews and Greg Edwards ability to write a deeply honest song. Often they would draw from their own personal battles with drugs to write lyrics, and even at their most dark, you probably would never be able to figure out the true context of the song given the vocal melodies that Andrews would apply to them. Take the whimsical rhetoric of âThe Nurse Who Loved Meâ. It is a quite beautiful and sometimes humorous song depending on the way you take it. Is the song from the view of being deluded that someone is in love with you? Maybe the songs opening line âsay hello to the rugs topography / it holds quite a lot of interest with your face down on itâ is reference to oral sex, as has been interpreted in the past? If you want to look a little deeper, the chances are their play on words is in fact a reference to heroin, but we will probably never know for sure. That often shows the mark of a great song writer when multiple meanings can be applied to your lyrics.
Failure were also pretty difficult to classify, but even if they eschewed the tag, the best way to describe them probably would be – and we may get crucified for saying this – a space rock band. Much like their contemporaries in Hum (another band who never quite got the break they deserved) did on their second album âYouâd Prefer an Astronautâ, they had an air about them that was somewhat out of this world with their use of astronomical metaphor and gigantic guitar sound that felt like it had come from another planet. Of course Failure leapt on the opportunity to poke fun at such labels with the track âAnother Space Songâ, but even with the tongue-in-cheek song title it still had their trademark celestial feel to it.
Despite all this muso talk about interplanetary sound, âFantastic Planetâ did have harbour some commercial potential. The band did scrape the charts with the âStuck on Youâ, which while having the feel of a radio-rock song that was in keeping with the 90âs rise of guitar bands on the surface, was built around a drug related central narrative. Not a glorification of such things though, and more about the inability to shake such vices and comparing it to a nagging tune stuck in your head. As the album reaches its close, the band enters prog-rock territory. The bliss of âHeliotropicâ draws out for over 6-mintues, as does the closing âDaylightâ which starts with a softly picked acoustic undertone that builds up into a seismic onslaught of layered and dense guitars, and sees Andrews push his vocal to near breaking point until the final moments.
As with any tragic story, Failure would implode just over a year after the release of âFantastic Planetâ. While each project that they would move on to either behind the scenes or as musicians still earn their place in Failure’s history, they would never quite reclaim the intensity they reached on âFantastic Planetâ, and would separate themselves from one another for some time. However time is a great healer, as been proved on many occasions. The Failure that stands before us in 2015 is a very different band of personalities now compared to what it was nearly 20 years ago. Some people would be bitter after putting so much effort into a career that is incredibly underrated, however Failure are modest about their influence on others, and are genuinely surprised by how much affect their legacy had on the music world.
Failure never got the break they should have done, and should have been a much bigger than they were, but everything happens for a reason. When they announced their reunion at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles in 2014, they were greeted with a rapturous response which rejuvenated the band to the point where they have now knuckled down to work on a new album (with the help of a fantastic Pledgemusic campaign) and already released the first song from it in the shape of âHot Travelerâ. How the rest of the album will sound is unbeknownst to their faithful at this point, and topping âFantastic Planetâ may seem impossible, but if âHot Travelerâ is anything to go by then they may just about do that. The final word really is that we are glad that Failure are back, and that they are finally being recognised for their achievements and influence. If you are still unfamiliar, donât just pick up âFantastic Planetâ, but go out of your way to get their back catalogue, and grab a ticket to their show in London in May or forever regret it, as it will be a night to remember.
Failure will play The Garage in London on May 18th, and their forthcoming album ‘The Heart Is a Monster’ is scheduled to be released in June. You can find more out about the new album over the bands Pledgemusic page, and check out the new track ‘Hot Traveler’ below.