Caustic- Unicorns, Kittens and Shit

Artist: Caustic
CD Title: Unicorns, Kittens And Shit
Label: Crunch Pod
Reviewer: Matthew Johnson
Date: 11-16-06

Caustic's Matt Fanale has a reputation for tasteless humor, and his debut full-length album doesn't disappoint. Starting off with the aptly-named "This Track Will Get Skipped A Lot," in which a seemingly endless parade of the industrial scene's finest condemns both Fanale's music and character, Unicorns, Kittens And Shit is full of black comedy and humorous samples. "Mmm Papscraper I Love You," its title a parody of an old Underworld song, laces power noise beats with sampled request to "Tell me about my uterus" taken from the film Dead Ringers, and "Love That Taint" is a sex comedy done up industrial style. What's surprising, though, is that in addition to such farcical tracks as "Emmanuel Lewis Handjob" and "Hitler Ruined That Mustache For Everyone" is plenty of legitimately wicked, serious club noise. "Y.F.U.W.F.Y." is dance floor harshness, with dying drum machines competing with painfully echoing beeps and bleeps, and "Give Me Damage" is pure rhythmic violence sure to appeal to fans of Terrorfakt. Guest collaborators also take Fanale's natural comedic instincts in darker directions. Severina X Sol of Cylab provides spoken word on "Innate" and "Grind," both of which are more creepy than funny, while Manufactura's Karloz M. shows up on "Burn" to give things a hint of signature chilling sonic violence. "I Gave The Blind Boy My Eyes (But Stole His Tongue)," a collaborative effort with Empusae, is likewise dark and creepy, thanks to nervous minor-key synth lines. This album offers more than enough laugh-out-loud moments; that's to be expected. There's plenty more than novelty club tracks in evidence, though, and Unicorns, Kittens and Shit proves that even if he'd like you to think otherwise, Fanale is a truly talented artist.

Visit www.thisiscaustic.com for more fun with Matt Fanale.