Band Reviews
****
Neurotic Erotica
Fetish
(Mainline)
Just when you thought alternative was dead, along comes a band that rocks with passion, pout
and enough `fuck-you' attitude to piss parents off. Born out of the ghettos of L.A., Fetish
combines the danger and urgency of the streets, with sexy smarts that make modern rock matter
once again. As with Cobain at his best, Fetish's' songs are like raw exposed nerves. Each one
taking you deeper into places you don't want to think about. Yet secretly, you do. Sort of like
a fetish, isn't it?
Lead singer Tom Scully, sounds like Iggy Pop's younger, sleazier brother, dragging the
listener into his twisted world of sex, drugs and violence. At first glance the lyrics seem pretty
surface; "I'm a little sick, yeah, I'm the truth unspoken, I don't swallow it, but you're the one
who's choking, I'm a little queer", but with repeated listens, begin to add up to a portrait of a
tortured young artist. In rock `n roll, `tortured' is a good thing. Let's face it, we all love to live
vicariously through our rock star idols, from the comforts of our own stereo. One gets the
feeling that Tom and co. aren't faking it though, their nihilism and pain are real; "We live in the
danger zone, with a fire licking at our feet, bad junk makes you sick again, real life is a big
disease". And when the singer taunts death with the lines, "who's gonna love ya . . . dead or
alive?", you get the feeling he just might mean it.
But all seriousness and pout alone would soon wear thin; a healthy dose of self-
depreciating humor keeps the balance here. In "Rejected" (sung by guitarist, Billy Gunn) the
tongue is firmly planted in the cheek, and "Spunk Junkies" is so obvious, it's a pure, fun release.
Musically the band mine the 70's guitar rock of Bowie, while adding quirky keyboards
and hip-hop drum loops that set the sound firmly in the 90's. The production is sparse, retro
and slightly ragged, giving the band a stonesy swagger. This of course is the perfect setting for
Scully to drag out his demons for all to view, and still keep the dance floor rocking.
Every so often a band emerges from the depths of Hollyrock that manages to capture the edge
and intensity of the place, but with enough mainstream appeal to make them contenders for the
title `next big thing'. With their debut, "Neurotic Erotica", Fetish seem dangerously close to
succeeding.Rolling Stone Review.
*1/2
Neurotic Erotica
Fetish
(Mainline)
Crude, stupid, obnoxious rock'n roll from America's glam capital - Hollywood. Grade
school lyrics, set against loud guitars, with enough posturing to make Mick Jagger look like an
altar boy, Fetish beg the question, why bother? Using recycled 70's riffs, songs like "Queer"
and "Drop Dead Scene" sound like luke-warm Iggy Pop wannabe's. Singer, Scully tosses
off lines with cringe-inducing vacancy; "I just wanna get some down, and spill the rest upon the
ground" - (Spunk Junkies). "I've been so bad I can't scratch where I please, be the injection
I'll be the disease" - (Enough). Poetry this ain't. Fetish has none of the originality and
verve to make them 90's versions of the Sex Pistols that they so dearly seem to be striving to
be. All the distorted guitars, drum loops and retro keyboard samples can't hide the fact that this
territory has been done to death, only better. Scully's insights into his own nightmarish world of
heroin, vampires, sex and violence come off sounding more cartoonish than edgy. The whole
album smacks of record company manipulation, and strategic demographic planning. Neurotic
Erotica represents the hollowness of the whole flavor-of-the-month, MTV generation.
Los Angeles has always bred the best and worst of American rock n' roll bands, from
the 80's hair-metal groups to Guns and Roses. Unfortunately, Fetish seems set to follow in the
tradition of the former, providing lots of pose but no substance. Lets hope that Fetish, like their
name-sake, remains hidden away in the backrooms of the few that can't find anything else
better to do with their time.New Musical Express Review
Rating: 9
Neurotic Erotica
Fetish
(Mainline)
What's a poor boy to do but play rock'n roll? Fetish is the latest band to rock out of L.A. and
onto America's radio stations. If you haven't seen the video for "Spunk Junkies" or heard the
single yet, just wait a few weeks. Besides being irresistibly catchy, the song is also risqu‚
enough to catch on with the slacker-generation. This band is gonna be huge! Tom Scully, the
front man and singer, is a cross between Perry Farrell and Jim Morrison. Charismatic, intense
and sexy. The rest of the band holds their own with panache and gutsy playing, making this
debut album, my pick of the year. My guess is you'll be hearing cuts like "Shotgun Superstar",
"Soda Pop" and "Rejected", for a while, on MTV and radio stations across the country. Fresh,
original, and with an intriguing dark side that will dwell in your subconscious long after the CD is
over, Fetish makes music for the 90's interesting again.
Trash Magazine
Rating: 4
Neurotic Erotica
Fetish
(Mainline)
Fetish makes music that is loud, crass and self-indulgent. Unfortunately, they also
make it catchy enough to warrant a large audience. The problem with this record is not the
playing or production, both of which are adequate for the genre, but the content. The songs
lack any kind of authenticity. Sure the band has attitude. Sure they have edge. But so do most
Calvin Klein ads. What's lacking here is a real sense of `real'. The songs sound plastic, almost
like the whole thing was pre-conceived in someone's basement studio.
But music these days is as much about marketing, as it is about songcraft. In this
regard, Fetish are superstars. They have the look, the attitude, and the major label muscle
behind them to make Neurotic Erotica a multi-platinum hit. But hey, not everyone has a taste
for McMusic. Since the advent of selling bands via MTV, the `real' artists seem to have
disappeared. You won't find any new Dylans or Springsteens in video land. These days, pure
artists are hard to find. They just don't sell.
In the land of shopping malls, we buy our entertainment in pre-packaged doses. Every
mall has a cine-plex. Every film has a soundtrack album. Every soundtrack album has a Fetish
band. The fat gets fatter and the poor get poorer. Coming soon to a mall near you: Fetish
dolls and lunch boxes. . .
Interview Magazine
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