Ferbi Boys

Twilight Zone

Compack (Israel)

I expected rather more from this. Sesto Sento’s side project has a great image – the idea of smashing up those little quasi-intelligent toyshop gremlins appeals to the evil in me, and the cover art promises something playful, dark, intelligent. But it doesn’t deliver. Early on in the album, they establish a good sound and a tight, primed groove – only for it to fade and subside into largely formulaic stuff. After the cinematic intro, the vibe starts nicely with Evil Twin Of Fantasy. If you think of Sesto on dodgy drugs, then you’re pretty close to the sound. Edgy, with little peppers of darkpsy/night-time mixed up with their trademark groove.

Tripy Ride takes the edge and adds a little playful funk into the mix. The breakdown and drop here are hugely effective, and it has more than enough energy to keep people moving. With Energy Bar, it feels like they’re properly finding their feet. Wildly acidic, it’s a fast-paced, high-quality ride through the more hectic realms of psytrance. At times it bashes you squarely on the head, at other times it takes the piss out of you and leaves you suspended mid-dance. Quite suddenly, it eases up on the mash-factor, draws an adorable high-end flurry, before one huge breakdown sends it spiralling off into one hell of a final run. Outrun is a more standard affair, it’s got everything in the right places but doesn’t really have the full twist. Likewise Hapathetis B, a collaboration with Apocalypse, that’s largely limp and directionless and is only partially saved by a swarming, squirming midrange. Wild East sounds more like a Sesto track; the crunchy energy we kicked off with has been lost, and there’s a prehistoric reliance on formula and massive melodies – ought to set the dancefloors of Israel on fire.

The collaboration with Bizzare Contact, Nod Lead, is also weak. Once again it sounds tepid, re-trodden and the waste-of-time clattery guitar just adds insult to injury. They get their groove back for Ferbistein, poised and taut like a Porsche 911 revving its engine. Once again it’s all acidy drops and peaks, more understated this time, but at least their sound is back with some originality. Finally Banana Split brings the tempo down into a pretty decent bit of fullon. It sounds a little wayward, and without the focus of even the weaker tracks here, but there’s some nice sections and the overall flow is unarguably smooth. At the end of the day we’re looking at a pretty weak release, which is a disappointment considering both the talent of the producers and the general vibe proposed by the alter-sesto-ego. O

ne great track, three fair tracks, and a lot of nondescript, disposable fodder.

5