Andrew Liles & Jean Hervé Peron – FINI! [Dirter Promotions 2008]

When I saw that producer Andrew Liles, the true manipulator of darkness who works with the likes of Current 93 and Nurse With Wound, combined forces with Faust’s Jean Hervé Peron, I anticipated profundity. Krauts influence on the shadowy side of experimental music (Steve Stapleton, David Tibet, Douglass Pierce, Boyd Rice, etc.), not only birthed intriguing material, it also harbored fantastic collaborations of old originators with new carriers of innovation (e.g. Faust and Nurse With Wound’s Disconnected [2007]). But Liles and Peron’s latest tangent is a digression from successful past collaborations. Though flirtatious, FINI!’s flaws do a first-rate job of erasing anything worthwhile; especially the tasteless guitar flourishes, which only serve to spoil the work. The opener, “The Drummer is On Valium”, begins as a Faustian ode—a classic krautrock beat alongside the repetition of the title—yet like many tracks to follow, a tacky 80’s guitar solo quickly destroys the piece’s original curiosity. In line with the opening track, “Shake Your Hooves” is at once fascinating as a beat is crafted from fearful human breaths obstructed by the clapping of beasts’ hooves and ominous snorts, but it too sours with obnoxious guitar wanking.

The most interesting song is “Nasferatu”. It is also the most straight forward, opening with whistling and acoustic guitar strums and witty lyrics that transform the song into a vampire ballad: “I want to be near you, but I cannot touch you too soon, it’s too bright, come the night”. However, I don’t listen to Andrew Liles or Jean Hervé Peron for singer/songwriter ditties. The other standout track is “The Fly On The Windowstill is Dead”, and though Liles’ obscure and well-shifting samples are astounding, they are too familiar with Nurse With Wound.

Andrew Liles has produced some of the most spellbinding dark ambient since Boyd Rice’s NON, and Jean Hervé Peron's work with Faust has proven over the decades to be more massive than ever imagined. FINI! on the other hand is a dud in both masters’ cannons.

Bardos Freedoom