It’s a wonder what a little bit of Brian Eno can accomplish. For Lafayette, LA rockers FIGHTs (otherwise known as The Formal Institute of Great Hit Tunes), the electronic pop auteur is the main reason that the band was formed – and more specifically, they owe their existence to Eno’s “King’s Lead Hat” fromBefore and After Science. FIGHTs singer J Burton was inspired to leave his then current band, Dire Wood, after hearing that song on a road trip to SXSW in 2009. Conceived as a musical project that would sever all connections to the music he had previously been making, Burton gathered together a group of local Louisiana musicians, which included a duo of bassists and drummers – though the band did eventually settle into a comfortable roster of just six fulltime members. And this collection of players gives their debut LP, Music For Villains (out now), a blossoming musical viewpoint and a host of dizzying and often disparate influences from which to draw inspiration.
On Music For Villains, the band combines a nostalgic love for classic rock with layers of synth-pop and more acoustic-minded instrumentation – not to mention a well-developed sense of how modern indie rock furthers the lineage of those same musical antecedents. It’s a hodgepodge of influences and genres that nonetheless works as a cohesive whole, without the difficulties that many bands have when trying to merge a handful of different sounds. Careening quickly through the musical landscape of the record, FIGHTs doles out spitfire guitar riffs, throbbing bass lines, and chunks of rhythmic percussion without a second thought. Lead singer J Burton’s fervent vocals act as the glue that holds all these different sounds together, and the band follows his lead throughout all the twisting musical turns thatMusic For Villains can throw their way.
Beats Per Minute is pleased to premiere FIGHTs’ upcoming record, Music For Villains.
