Fundamental Shift – If Seven Was A Number

Fundamental Shift – If Seven Was A Number – Album Review

I think it’s quite obvious that BIG ALPHABET has gotten its nasty corporate hooks into the minds of Andrew Muecke and Andy Rasheed.  Seven’s not a number anymore?  I swear it was just a minute ago.

Anyhow.  What do I know outside of what sounds good anyway?  I don’t even believe PEOPLE are real, let alone numbers of any kind…so if you’re claiming that seven isn’t a thing anymore, than 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 it is dear readers, dear friends.  Who would I be to dispute what you choose to believe?  Fuck seven!

Though I will note, the irony is not lost on me that this album does indeed contain a seventh track.

All kidding aside, I’ll tell ya what I instantly LOVED seeing in reading the details that came along with Fundamental Shift’s If Seven Was A Number…it was the part of their press release that talked about this record being “created unhindered by the expectation of outcome, a project purely in service to the will of the music.”  Okay boys…you’ve got my attention.  As IF I needed ANOTHER reason to love them before I even pushed play, they’re coming to our Canadian-based pages all the way from the music mecca of Australia…and I tend to love a whole lot of tunes that come from that beautiful country I’ve heard so much from, yet haven’t seen with my own eyes…yet.  The game is all yours to lose Fundamental Shift.

Ultimately, by pushing play, you’ll realize that not too many albums are so quickly defined as this one is.  When you hear how much personality these two dudes pack into their music as “Incandescent Grace” begins, you’ll instantly know that Andrew and Andy didn’t growing up playing in the same sandbox as the other kids did.  Honestly, something like this ain’t all that far removed as a cousin to something you’d find in either Beck or Bowie’s catalog…and c’mon y’all…that’d be worth your time to check out, right?  Slightly psychedelic, slightly jazzy…interesting all around really…this is music that hits you in the sonic palette and has you considering how every morsel of it sounds.  “Incandescent Grace” is built with cleverness, inherently tight musicianship, and one hell of a loose groove…it’s quite the combination.  It’s like you’re just hearing these two dudes jam it out, and like they couldn’t care less about the results, yet they’re doing what they do with an intense level of skill & uniqueness that reveals they care quite deeply when it comes right down to it.  The attention to detail is there…the spirit is strong…and they sound like a band with a full lineup of five doin’ what they do how they’re doin’ it.  The force is strong with this one without a doubt, and I feel like “Incandescent Grace” immediately informs your ears that they’re not here to do things how they’ve been typically done in the past…and if you weren’t 100% sure about that straight from the get-go, I can promise you that by the final line of lyricism in this first song, you’ll be convinced everything I’m saying is true.  I was smiling from ear to ear from how they finished this track.

Now…don’t get me wrong…I’m well aware of the fact that most anti-typical tunes end up finding their way to a narrower funnel that leads to a niche audience, and that interesting doesn’t just automatically equate to accessible.  I listen to tracks like “Incandescent Grace” and “You Know Better Now” and I know they’ve drawn an audible line in the sand that’s daring you to cross it, and those that don’t simply need catchy hooks and something you can sing along with will be more than happy to.  As for the rest of ya…it’s harder to say (you won’t), but it’s not out of the realm of possibility.  There’s a highly Progressive element at the core of Fundamental Shift’s music that is undoubtedly going to challenge many listeners out there, but tough titties, as they say…exposure is how we evolve.  I’m cool with songs like “You Know Better Now” that aren’t designed for radio or mass consumption so much as being for those that want to get a bit more outta the music they listen to.  “You Know Better Now” almost has that same kind of depth and Indie spirit that you’d find in the earliest U2 tracks…this is artfully composed, and I dig that.

As to whether or not they’re going to throw the masses a bone, or continue on uncompromised, would be the main question I get.  As Fundamental Shift comes out on “The Crux Of Potential” with Andy unapologetically wailing at ya from the microphone, I feel like we get our answer.  I think a lot of folks out there would likely parse this material out and feel like they love this or that specific piece of it – like how you can’t ignore how kickass the guitars are on “The Crux Of Potential” for example.  As to whether or not they can appreciate the material as a whole, even on a track by track basis…that remains to be seen, but again, it’s not an impossibility.  Like…c’mon y’all…there’s an undeniably creative approach shared between Andy & Andrew that is leading to some really cool shit…love some of the zany ideas in the layers of vocals…love some of the most extraordinary, complex, and badass drums goin’ on…and yo – what about the stunning way this track morphs itself into a blissfully meditative finale?  You didn’t see that coming based on how “The Crux Of Potential” started now did ya?  Yet it went that way, and here you are.  Look…I don’t think Fundamental Shift have any illusions about who their music would appeal to, or who it wouldn’t…in fact, I’d wager a guess that they practice the fine art of not giving a fuck about any of that.  They’re here to make the music they wanna make, and I salute them for it.  Honestly, you can’t dispute how highly inventive it is.  Regardless of whether it suits your taste or it doesn’t, the music speaks strongly on its own behalf…it’s innovative, it’s unique…it’s deliciously crafty.  Personally, I really enjoy the element of surprise when it comes to the music I’m listening to, and “The Crux Of Potential” has more than a few of’em up its sleeve.  That extended finale is freakin’ genius-level shit though y’all – I mean, ultimately it’s about HALF the entire song if we’re talkin’ about the time it gets…but it’s one of the BEST twists that you’ll find on this record, which ends up sending this song in a whole new direction.

“I Really Should Do More Dishes.”  Dammit.  You hush your mouths and you hush them right now Fundamental Shift!  If YOU do more dishes, then we ALL have to do more dishes, because us listeners are responsible folks…but I don’t wanna DO more dishes, so respectfully, can we not discuss this issue?  All kidding aside, I maintain, these guys have got some great ideas well worth your time to listen to.  “I Really Should Do More Dishes” is surprisingly philosophical if you’re listening to the substance of the lyrical content…which was…unexpected, and very welcome.  Not that I didn’t see them having the kind of philosophical bend to their band, but more that I didn’t see it coming in a song called “I Really Should Do More Dishes,” that’s all.  I really dig how these dudes seem like they’ve got something going, then cash in their chips, and do something entirely new…it’s almost like they’re running a 2-for-1 sale on the songs they’re writing, and we get twice the value in every listening experience.  Love the sound of the snare in this tune…love the drunken-ish swagger to the vocal melody happening as well…the whole demeanor of this track has something special and oddly endearing to it.  Personally, I kind of felt like “I Really Should Do More Dishes” was quite likely the most irresistible of the first four tracks on this album, and arguably, I could see it potentially being the most accessible in some ways too.  I don’t know that I always loved the production on this particular cut, but I wouldn’t say that I was hearing anything that hindered how much I enjoyed it overall.  “Such fine humans being,” is a freakin’ wonderful line as well.  Plus, they’ve once again supplied an undeniable kickass finale as the sound morphs in its final minute.

On a personal note, I know so many people that would dig what Fundamental Shift is doing.  I tend to hang with a bit of a proudly, bizarre-but-open-minded crowd though…so take that with the proverbial grain of salt.  As “Just These Crumbs” came on, I kind of chuckled to myself, because this…is…out…there.  It’s kinda where the rubber meets the road y’all…if you were barely hanging on to this point, you’re about to get rocked right the fuck off this bandwagon…but if you were interested in this strange audio odyssey they’ve created on If Seven Was A Number, then chances are, “Just These Crumbs” might be the track that convinces you that you were right to be enjoying this all along.  To me, it’s all about the commitment you hear.  Not just in this band, but in any when it comes right down to it…but suffice it to say, the wilder the idea, the more commitment you NEED to make it REAL…to make us suspend our disbelief and know that you were INTO IT, 100% of the time – and believe me when I tell ya, you can’t mistake how INTO IT that Fundamental Shift is on “Just These Crumbs.”  Are they insane?  Probably.  Are they aware of that and okay with it?  Also quite likely.  But as a hero of mine once said, “when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.”  I feel like that’s what we’re witnessing here.  We’re witnessing this duo embracing their weirdness in real time, and lettin’ it rip without fear, without remorse, and without any fucks given.  Some of that real no quarter type shit, you feel me?  They’re not half-assing anything from what I can tell, this is as full-ass as I’ve ever heard something to be, and it’s powerfully convincing!  The most you’re gonna find me conceding to ya is that they’re taking some additional risks on with the drum sounds being distorted & such…you can hear the rest of the production is perfectly clear, so for those in the know, it’s more than likely a stylistic choice…but if you’re not fuckin’ with making music, then you might very well hear that and feel like it’s too blown out for ya to enjoy the rest.  Again, that’s gonna be on the listener’s side of the scenario and how deep their knowledge of production and music runs…and we can’t go catering to the lowest common denominator, right?  All I know is that listening to “Just These Crumbs” is like listening to the sound of the pure embrace of joy & chaos combined, and as I’m sure many of you out there might have guessed by now, I am absolutely, 100%, fucking HERE. FOR. IT.

These dudes would fit right in with a band like A Truth Called Nothing, who also chose to go their own way in everything that they did.  While I think there’s a cautionary tale in terms of longevity in there somewhere to be found, the music they made continues to live on and serve as a prime example of the freedom of expression, as will If Seven Was A Number.  As with all-things-experimental or what pushes the boundaries of creativity, art, and music, you’re going to find some moments will connect with you more than others.  I’m not unrealistic about, I get that.  I can listen to a track like “Broken From The Inside” and know that it’s the kind of song that’s a tougher sell to the masses out there.  I was recently at a Spoken Word show put on by the legendary Alan Cross here in Canada the other day, and he was riffing on the Spotify algorithms and how much of a poison they are to creativity.  Fun fact that I learned there – they only pay ya if your song is listened to for more than thirty seconds…and even then, it’s still a battle, but we’ll go into the rest some other time.  The point I’m making, is that something like “Broken From The Inside” is the point HE was making too…the longer and more drawn out the intro is on the way into a song, the less likely our Ritalin-addled brains are to stick around in the era of zero attention spans.  And for real y’all…it doesn’t take a degree in art to know that that ain’t right or the way that things should be.  A track like “Broken From The Inside” is performance-based, almost like something you’d expect Nick Cave to do…and it plays like a modern-day preaching to the choir of sorts.  Do I expect everyone out there to like or love this track?  Hell no.  Does that mean I don’t like or love it?  Also hell no.  I appreciate the poetic/artful way they’ve approached this track, and that they’re doing something different with their music than the rest are out there.  I can do that and still acknowledge that it’s a tougher listening experience.  It’s like listening to a painting, or some other form of concept art…some folks are going to find profound meaning in what they hear, while it’ll miss others entirely.  As creators, you kind of have to be cool with the possibility of both things happening, and I’m sure they are.

We have arrived!  Finally!  Track number…umm…track…uhh…hmm.  I feel like there was a term for this before, wasn’t there?  It’s weird…like…I used to know what came after six and before eight, but now I’m just staring at this bizarre serpent-esque shape in front of the song’s title.  It looks like this:  7.  Can you see that?  What the heck IS that thing?  Is that a new emoji of some kind?  Anyhow.  There’s a song in the set-list, somewhere in the middle-ish, called “Packed For Mars,” which is one of my favorite cuts on the record, especially when considering the lyricism.  If you wanna hear a whole list of details of the vapid reasons as to why we should be “Packed For Mars,” this is the song that’s gonna spell out why you’d wanna run away screaming.  Of course, it’s problematic in the sense that, chances are, we can’t just travel there on our own and we can’t leave everyone behind…so eventually, the issue of human beings starting to suck would become something to worry about, even if you packed your rocket ship with all the perceived ‘best’ parts of society or coolest people you know.  We’re parasites, built to destroy whatever comes in our path…psychologically, physically, environmentally…you name it and us “fine humans being” will eventually figure out a way to hollow it all from the inside out until there is nothing left.  Then of course, you’ve got a potentially even larger problem on the horizon with fucking Elon Musk feeling entitled to that planet and having arguably a quicker route to get there than the rest of us would…and there’s no way I’m gonna be stuck on TWO floating orbs with that dickhead in ONE lifetime.  So if he’s “Packed For Mars,” I’m inclined to get him a Snickers bar for the trip & start manually pushing his rocket ship off the launch pad with my own bare bands.  Bon voyage, numb nuts.  All that being said, you’ll find “Packed For Mars” is very much built as a mirror held back up to society, who we are, and who we’ve become.  If you like what you see staring back at you in the lyricism of this song, please feel free to off yourself so the rest of us can enjoy the sweet, sweet oxygen you were hoarding.  I dig the extra agony you can hear in Andy’s voice throughout this track…it seems…highly appropriate.

On the bright side of the scenario, if you’re one of the people out there that have been struggling to get a grip on a record like this, Fundamental Shift ain’t about to make it any easier on you.  They give themselves plenty of runway in these songs…as in, they don’t do short cuts y’all…you’re looking at tracks that usually find themselves between the five & six minute mark for the most part.  That’s the thing though…when you’re not out there catering to Spotify’s twisted conception of what music should be or the short attention spans we have, then you’re free to do whatever the fuck you like, however the fuck you wanna go about doin’ it.  I shouldn’t say it doesn’t necessarily get easier though…that’s a bit misleading and simply fit the narrative I was working with regarding song-length…the reality is, both “Packed For Mars” and “Phantasmagoria” end up revealing larger degrees of accessible sound than you’ve experienced in the majority of the tracks on this record.  In particular, “Phantasmagoria” has these kickass bass-lines that Andrew has come up with, that practically beam out a vibe you’d have expected to find in an RHCP song instead of on If Seven Was A Number…but I’d reckon that’ll be a welcome reprieve for anyone out there that was looking for something a little more recognizable to the kind of music they know, as opposed to this continual journey into the unknown we’ve been taking with Fundamental Shift.  There’s some seriously fantastic musicianship and ideas on “Phantasmagoria” goin’ on here though, and long before you even reach the smoothness of the bass-led section.  Like, what is that at the start?  That’s like…is that a saxophone?  A French horn?  I’m not cultured or educated enough to know the difference…heck, it could be like…a muted trumpet, or even made by some kind of digital means for all I know.  But you’ll know what I’m talking about when you hear it – it’s freakin’ exquisite!  I also like the way that Andy shifts (fundamentally, of course) between the way he sings this song…you get that naturally smooth pairing with the bass, but then in the hook to follow, where he sings “was I dreaming,” he almost sounds like a dead ringer for a mellowed-out Grunge-era Layne Staley, which was unexpected, and rad to hear.  All-in-all though, “Phantasmagoria” is probably the cut that’ll be most universally loved by all when it comes right down to it…it’s still going to have certain sections that will likely appeal to some listeners more than others, but whatever…it comes with the territory I guess.  As a song overall, this is a cut that really speaks strongly on behalf of the balance of powers between the music, songwriting, lyricism, and vocals that Andy & Andrew bring to their band.

Then they start to bend space & time with malleable sound on the way into “From The Dream To Here,” which could very well be symbolic of the thin line that separates the spectacular state of consciousness found in slumber from our time spent awake being the happy little zombie consumers we are.  You’ll find a lot of references to both sides of the coin here…Andy has done an excellent job with creating an entire smorgasbord of lyricism you can really chew on throughout this entire record, but he’s also done a fantastic job with this particular song as well.  In some ways, you have to really marvel at the fact these songs come together at all, given how anti-typical they are.  As I understand it based on what I’ve read about them, Fundamental Shift’s music essentially starts with Andrew’s music, then they figure out how to get Andy in there somewhere, somehow, and then some back & forth occurs until they’ve got everything in the right place, at the very least, from their perspective.  Everyone out there has a different process of course…but I’m always interested in how the artistic-based bands go about it, because it’s not usually the general consensus of ‘how to write a song’ and is usually off the beaten path due to these being the kinds of people that are happier to blaze their own trails.  Like…take a band like The Quiet Room for example (also from Australia, incidentally)…I’m sure they do things way differently than most would.  Or something like Garage T. Rashington III, who always comes up with lyrics before the music and then slowly shapes his sound around the cadence he hears in his head when he writes the words.  Any process or approach will yield different results obviously, but I suppose the point is that whatever Fundamental Shift has done is working for them.  As odd as these songs may appear to many, and perhaps most listeners out there, the cohesion of If Seven Was A Number, is frankly undeniable.  Somehow accomplishing tangible cohesion at the same time as creating extraordinary diversity in their material…I mean…yooooo…we gotta give credit where credit is due – that’s practically impossible to do.

Let’s be real here though…regardless of what any of us may or may not feel towards the music they’re making, these two dudes are fully immersed in the craft beyond what most artists/bands ever are throughout the entire course of their career.  I mean…take Andy for example – this dude has even MADE instruments that you’ll her on If Seven Was A Number – how badass is THAT?  If I was the kind of person that wore a cap, I’d tip mine in their direction…it’s creative types like Fundamental Shift that give me tremendous hope for the future of music and the artistic merits associated with the best of it all.  As I listened to the final epic they offer on this record, the thirteen-plus minute-long song called “The Dream Is A River,” it was like you could feel the burden of consciousness completely float away as you listen to the gorgeously serene instrumentation guide you into this finale with its enormously extended intro.  It gets to the point whereby around the five minute mark, you both wonder if this is all it will go on to be, and marvel at the fact that you’d be thankful even if it was.  I cannot express in words just how much I truly love the instrumentation of the first five minutes of “The Dream Is A River.”  Shortly before the six-minute mark, it does begin to progress and change, and right around the seventh minute really clicks into gear, where you’ll find some of my favorite drums from Andy and guitars from Andrew.  Then, with about five minutes or so left to go, they head back into their peaceful calm and philosophically-tinged lyricism for a moment or two, before livening it up a little again, and back & forth between modes we go.  I’m tellin’ ya folks…it is extraordinarily RARE to hear such an innovative record like this, and such a wide open embrace of how music IS art.  For better or worse, they’ve gone exactly where the music has taken them, every single time, exactly as they promised they would in the write-up that came with their album.  For the record, the majority of the time, I felt like things worked out well in their favor…but even in the few instances I questioned a decision here & there, I still felt like this was intensely admirable work that highlights a genuine love for the craft, and an authenticity that speaks beyond what words ever could.  The commitment and dedication they’ve put into their material from start to finish is more than commendable – this album is a serious win for the art it generates, and a truly creative inspiration.

Find out more about Fundamental Shift from their official website at:  https://www.fundamentalshift.com.au

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