Serfs Up!, for all its successes, doesn’t offer the Fat White Family a route into the mainstream, and perhaps that’s never been what they have wanted. But music this good demands to be heard by as many people as possible.
Rather than bleakly ruminating on puritan culture and hyper-capitalism, on Serfs Up! the band glide through disorder, dancing on the ashes of dull decency with "deep and terrible glee."
Serfs Up! is ... an oddly neutered beast, lacking passion while veering towards the cliff-edge of credibility and acceptance. There are moments of brilliance and experimentation, but these are too often outweighed by pedestrian tunes and indistinct vocals.
Of course, parts of Serfs Up! are just as dilapidated as earlier Fat White Family releases, with tracks like "Vagina Dentata" and "Fringe Runner" marked by sleazy overdriven grooves and other abrasions. Still, the band show significant growth here on what is easily their most accomplished effort to date.
On Serfs Up the band apparently shifted from cocaine and heroin to Ketamine and weed and, while correlation does not imply causation, this is a record less obtuse than previous offerings, though equally placed on a stage of ugliness.
The paradox of trying to make “cool” music is that it takes a lot of work, yet should appear effortless. Serfs Up! feels effortless for the wrong reasons—though Fat White Family's sheen of coolness and atmospheric moods almost hides a lack of songcraft, it's best suited as background music.
Fat White Family's "Serfs Up!" is a bold album, from the dark industrial beats of "Feet" to the jazzy piano of "Vagina Dentata" the album showcases a diverse range of influences and sounds. While the band's willingness to take risks is commendable, the album suffers from inconsistent songwriting and a lack of vocal range from Saoudis and Adamczewski. Despite its flaws, "Serfs Up!" remains an intriguing and thought-provoking listen, showcasing the band's ... read more
Grabs you with its rousing, frenzied melodies and ultra melodic tunes with an attitude. Fucking love it.
A fun, extravagant and at times hilarious album. Fat White Family have taken their signature brand of edgy indie-rock and dialled it up to 11. Over the course of 10 tracks, the group manage to cover everything from disco to glam rock, with the overall results being some incredibly rewarding listens. However, the shabby production of some tracks combined with the immature edginess of some tracks does take away from the listen.
Best track: Tastes Good with the Money- a flat out banger through ... read more
A nice and extravagant album.
Favourite Songs: Feet, Kim's Sunsets, Tastes Good with the Money.
Least favourite Songs: Oh Sebastian, Rock Fishes, Bobby's Boyfriend.
Feet ~ ★★☆☆☆
I Believe in Something Better ~ ★★☆☆☆
Vagina Dentata ~ ★★☆☆☆
Kim's Sunsets ~ ★★★☆☆
Fringe Runner ~ ★★★☆☆
Oh Sebastian ~ ★★★☆☆
Tastes Good with the Money ~ ★★★☆☆
Rock Fishes ~ ★★★☆☆
When I Leave ~ ★★☆☆☆
Bobby's Boyfriend ~ ★★☆☆☆
⏳ new & improved: time-weighted score ⏳
1 | Feet 5:19 | |
2 | I Believe in Something Better 4:27 | |
3 | Vagina Dentata 2:58 | 100 |
4 | Kim's Sunsets 4:20 | |
5 | Fringe Runner 4:32 | |
6 | Oh Sebastian 2:44 | |
7 | Tastes Good With the Money 5:42 | |
8 | Rock Fishes 4:04 | |
9 | When I Leave 5:35 | |
10 | Bobby's Boyfriend 4:00 |
#3 | / | Les Inrocks |
#6 | / | Q Magazine |
#8 | / | The Quietus |
#12 | / | Piccadilly Records |
#14 | / | MOJO |
#19 | / | Fopp |
#20 | / | Far Out Magazine |
#35 | / | Rough Trade |
#41 | / | musicOMH |
#42 | / | Uncut |