Failure - Fantastic Planet (1996) [Remastered 2010]

I agree with most of the posts. Fantastic Planet is criminally underrated. A few things that haven't been mentioned: the approach the band takes toward melody is incredibly innovative. The melodies are essentially devoid of recognizable patterns--no cliches--and yet somehow they still manage to be catchy. No one has said much about the lyrics. Saturday Savior is one of the most devastatingly honest songs about sexual politics I've ever run across. Dirty Blue Balloons and the Nurse Who Loved Me are two of the most perceptive songs about drug addiction I know of. Other reviewers have commented on the unique soundscape of the album, but I don't know quite how to describe it. As I write this I'm listing to the Flaming Lips' album Transmissions From the Satellite Heart. Very different style from Fantastic Planet, but similar in the way it uses distortion and ambient sounds to create the sense of an altered reality. It's amazing the way Failure manages to sustain and deepen this style over the length of the album, which is over an hour long! Do yourself a favor and listen to the samples before you purchase this record. I know a bunch of people who HATE this cd, including some whose musical opinion I respect, so it's definitely not for everyone. Hope this helps.