Introduction
Artist: The Fucked Up Beat
Title / Release Page: Europa II
Release Date: 2015 Jan 03
Genre: Noir Schizo Hop
License: CC BY-NC-SA
Media: MP3 / OGG / FLAC
Pricing: $5 USD or more
Label: BandCamp (Free on FMA)
Rating: ★★★★★★★★
Released the same day as Europa, The Fucked Up Beat’s Europa II is a complementary release that focuses on a different aspect of their style compared to the first work. In the past, I’ve often thought of these second releases as being sequels to the first release, however in this case that really isn’t the case.
The Fucked Up Beat’s Europa II
In writing about Europa, I noted that the production had been raised to a new level, and the musical focus of the release seemed to be on more rhythmic pieces set in their sound-collage style. This release is something of the opposite from that style of work.
Europa II is less focused on the sound-collage and rhythm of the pieces, and more focused on melodic instrumentals that are supplemented by less-dense mixes of sounds. The melodies and instrumental works are front and center in these pieces. The sound-collage is used to augment the instrumentals, instead of using the instrumental parts to augment the sound-collages.
The pieces on here are softer sounding, more gentle. For some reason I have the feeling that it is closer to Eric Satie’s Gymnopédies than the works on Europa. These are more atmospheric, ambient works that wander across your speakers, enticing you with their hypnotic sleepiness.
But these works aren’t totally removed from Europa. Many of the same thematic elements are still in play, like references to conspiracy theories, and space with titles like “The Sound of Snow / Philadelphia Experiment” and “Night Moves / Pan Am Flight 103″ for example.
Overall, this is like the “B-Side” you expect from a single. Only it’s not one B-Side, it’s twelve of them in a single collection. And, as a whole, they are far more compelling than most B-Side’s.
Conclusion
On The Fucked Up Beat’s Europa II, Eddie Palmer and Brett Zehner have presented the flip-side to the Europa release. These songs are focused more on the instrumental and melodic aspect of their sound, weaving a hypnotic, sleepy sound. The sound-collages augment to the instrumental works, instead of the instrumentals being built on the sound-collage. This is an enchanting work that isn’t a pale reflection of the Europa release.