By: Maple Graham

81. “The death model appears when the body without organs repels the organs and lays them aside[…] no mouth,”

A parody of a Jeff Magnum interview—swapping out certain nouns and places with things relating to ‘folx’—with guitar and samples overlayed in the background, getting increasingly chaotic as it continues as the guitar gives way to what I can only describe as noise—a cascade of delayed instruments and other audio clips crescendoing to a wall of noise at the end. It’s a decent transition, of which I prefer the latter half a lot more. 4/10.

82. “no tongue, no teeth—to the point of self-mutilation, to the point of suicide.”

Direct continuation of the previous entry. Could have been easily tacked on to the ending bit of it, so it gets a 1/10.

83. “[…] the belief in progress and the faith that one could describe new times in new terms wanes,”

Sound of a tape recorder spinning to a pause, followed by reversed talking. 1.5/10, I wish this was touched more upon, as none of the tracks here—segues or otherwise—focus on reversed speech. The best example I can think of that closely resembles what I have in mind is “The Mind Electric” by Miracle Musical.

84. “to be replaced by “the imitation of dead styles, speech through all the masks and voices stored up in the imaginary museums of a new global culture”.”

Starting with an entirely vocal performance of the word “no” repeated again and again, and samples such as horse neighs and banjos are interlaced. The song ends with a culmination of sounds all being played over each other, similar to “The death model appears when the body without organs repels the organs and lays them aside[…] no mouth,.” It gets a 3.5/10 due to the beginning carrying most of the replay value.

85. “Playing in the Band ([doppelganger] w [repetitive strain injury] [impersonates] to [entertain] @ [the tribute artist music festival]) ([sInGlE_LiFe_fAnTaSy] [daydream#02])”

Right off the bat, this song feels like the longest thing in the entire album, and it’s split into two parts. The first leans into harmonics and actual instruments, while the second is more upbeat and rhythmic with chopped up bits from the first part. I really enjoy this track; 8/10.

86. “So far as living instruments of labour are concerned, for instance horses, their reproduction is timed by nature itself. Their average lifetime as instruments of labour is determined by laws of nature.”

Harp sound effect very similar to “all so that they can then demand the cash for this service of love.”; 2/10—could have been something different.

87. “As soon as this term has expired they must be replaced by new ones. A horse cannot be replaced piecemeal; it must be replaced by another horse.”

From the last song, the listener is dropped directly into another recording of a tangible place: a room with a radio playing, and a glass being dropped and shattering on the floor. It works well as a transition, so I’ll give it a 3/10 since it works well with the rest of the album in mind.

88. “Both Sides Now ([grim reaper] w [self-destructive borderline personality disorder] [manslaughters] to [pivot] @ [the third space]) ([hEs_bReAkInG_Up_wItH_Me_fOr_gOoD_AnD_Im_wOrRiEd_tHe_mEtApHoR_Is_gRoWiNg_iNcOhErEnT])”

A sample being distorted and stretched out acting as a background to vocals that seem to come out of nowhere. A pairing of a violin and electric guitar serves as the adhesive for all these contrasting parts plus more samples. This song leans extremely heavily into the maximalist space a portion of the album has initialized, and it’s far from a bad addition. 7.5/10: it ends a bit abruptly, but the next track makes up for it.

89. “(And you think, well, it’s not the sort of thing that you’d forget, killing yourself and your children, is it? But of course, it’s not the sort of thing that you could possibly remember.”

Primarily made up of vocals harmonizing with the previous song, and guitar to act as a nice backdrop. 5/10; I really like this as a segue despite its fleeting nature.

90. “It is an exemplary case of that which must be repressed, the traumatic Real.)”

Another decent transition which combines a My Little Pony sample with a snippet of ‘Both Sides Now.’ It does its job as well as setting up the next entry; 4/10.

91. “The Circle Game ([brony] w [chronic pain] [defrauds] to [live] @ [the social services hub]) ([hEs_gOnNa_mAkE_Me_bEg] [identity#04])”

Split into 2 parts as well, this track dives into a maximalist opening, before mellowing out in the following part. Vocals permeate the entire song, instead of being isolated in only select parts. I really like the bell samples and pitched choirs here—7.5/10.

92. “folx returns to a cave dwelling, which is now, however, contaminated with the pestilential breath of civilisation, and which they continue to occupy only precariously,”

A My Little Pony sample being played out from the last song, ending with a car crash sound. 2/10; at least it’s separated from the last track because of its tonal shift.

93. “it being for them an alien habitation which can be withdrawn from them any day – a place from which, if they do not pay, they can be thrown out any day. For this mortuary folx has to pay.”

The sound of a car’s engine revving with its flashers on—reminds me of a car stuck in a snowbank trying to get out. This is accompanied by an earlier track from ‘folx’ being played on the radio within the car. 3/10.

94. “Take Me Home, Country Roads ([minotaur] w [schizophrenia] [surrenders] to [recover] @ [the family farm]) ([lIvInG_WiTh_mY_DaD_AgAiN])”

The beginning of this song is ear candy to me, made up of shrill synthesizers and other automated sounds that I can only describe as making the soundscape feel alive. This track cuts out frequently, adding to the novelty of it all and gaining bonus points from me. As I’ve said before, I appreciate artists who aren’t afraid to possibly mangle their work into something unlikable: for when they do get it right, it sounds much better. The other two-thirds of the track are made up of the classic guitar and vocals that most of the songs on this album have, along with the addition of a violin during the ending. The ending also utilizes the synthesizers from before, which is a creative decision I applaud. It gets a solid 8/10 from me.

95. “Fragments of tunes providing minimal orientation in a labyrinth of abstract sound. Have you heard this before? You can never be sure.”

What it says on the tin. Samples crafted into a beat reminiscent of the last entry. Nothing more to say here; 3.5/10.

96. “This Land is Your Land ([hobgoblin] w [stockholm syndrome] [loiters] to [serve] @ [his estate]) ([uNcOnDiTiOnAlLy_sUbMiTtInG_To_hIm_cOmPlEtElY])”

Something I can only assume to be a demo track of sorts: just guitar and someone singing in a room that certainly has no soundproofing or dampening. 5/10; I wonder why this was added as it was, and labeled as a finished song. It still sounds nice—it reminds me of other indie musicians I listen to occasionally.

97. “[…] no eunuch flatters their despot more basely or uses more despicable means to stimulate their dulled capacity for pleasure in order to sneak a favour for themself than does the industrial eunuch – the music producer”

A whole bunch of “friends&” combined with Discord notification sounds, similar to “(Thus, when folx died, they said that they felt they had lost their eyes…).” 2/10: works well as a segue, but unoriginal when taking the entire album into account.

98. “– in order to sneak for themself a few pieces of silver, in order to charm the golden birds, out of the pockets of their dearly beloved folx.”

A bit of the next song, played on a piano. The sound quality mirrors “This Land is Your Land ([hobgoblin] w [stockholm syndrome] [loiters] to [serve] @ [his estate]) ([uNcOnDiTiOnAlLy_sUbMiTtInG_To_hIm_cOmPlEtElY])” and people can also be heard audibly talking in the background. It feels oddly cozy, and it’s a 4.5/10 transition for me.

99. “Blowin’ in the Wind ([friends& original not a cover]) ([iT’S_A_CoNcEpT_AlBuM_OkAy_!!_I’M_DoInG_My_bEsT_!!])”

Hatsune Miku comes back again to shine as a vocalist here, and it feels natural. The rest of the song is constructed with analog instruments, with patches of synths shining through. The duality of it all is really beautiful, and it serves to be quite memorable. 7/10; if the album ended here, I wouldn’t think much of it. It has a sort of nostalgic feel to it, which is hard to put into words. I’d just recommend listening to the track yourself to get an idea of what it sounds like.

100. “The one who is possessed is also dispossessed – of their own identity and voice.”

A clock ticking with piano being played in the background. Noise is barely audible over the piano, which sounds sort of like an empty train station or some other infrequented public place; 3/10.

By: Maple Graham

61. “folx make their own history, but they do not make it as they please; they do not make it under self-selected circumstances, but under circumstances existing already, given and transmitted from the past.”

Transition into another, consisting of a simple tune and other sound effects scattered around. I’d give it a 2/10 just due to its shortness.

62. “The tradition of all dead generations weighs like a nightmare on the brains of the living.”

“Bob Dylan” being sung—courtesy of Frost Children—followed by an organ chord; 1/10.

63. “Desolation Row ([spectre] w [autism] [trespasses] to [safeguard] @ [the housing complex]) ([iN_ChArGe_!!_LiKe_a_bOsS_!!] [property ownership is the only remaining job] [LANDLORD ANTHEM])”

A well-designed and balanced entry, and one I really enjoy. It’s hard to pinpoint its exact genre, as it starts with guitar, vocals, and other samples and builds on itself until the end. This track also has a harmonica solo at the end, which sounds really nice. In all, it’s a song that unmistakably comes from this album, and I believe it to capture the essence and process put into every song here. 7/10—very well done, but not done quite as tastefully as I’d want it to be.

64. “– “to give the listener the pay-off, the sanic money-shot, as soon and as obviously as possible.” […] there’s a tyrannical desperation about this [album]. It doesn’t seduce; it tyrannises.”

The segue into the next song, which is just a Green Hill Zone remix with added lyrics and an insane amount of auditory additives. This bit is quite lackluster in comparison, but it works, so I’m rating it a safe 3.5/10.

65. “Blues Run the Game ([sonic] w [dysmorphia] [violates copyright] to [restart] @ [the city upon a hillzone]) ([wAiT_Am_i_oLd_nOw_??] [identity#03])”

As stated above, this song is basically a giant, complex Green Hill Zone remix—I’ve never heard any remix so unequivocally filled with as much content as possible that wasn’t just made for fun. It’s clear every sample was laid with intent, and it shows very clearly; it earns a 7/10.

66. “This is no longer the cruelty of life, the terror of one life brought to bear against another life, but a post-mortem despotism, the despot become anus and vampire[…]”

A door closing, and audible breathing. This only connects to the next song; 1/10.

67. “Capital is dead labour, that vampire-like, only lives by sucking living labour, and lives the more, the more labour it sucks.”

The exact same thing as above, combined with footstep sounds. 1/10.

68. “Streets of London ([vampire] w [hyper-empathy] [coerces] to [mentor] @ [the community development]) ([gIvInG_My_iNtErN_EvErYtHiNg_sHe_wIlL_NeEd_tO_SuCcEeD])”

Whenever I think of ‘folx’ as an entire album, this is the first song I think of. Consisting of the now-standard guitar and vocals with other samples, this song leans much heavier into the samples and distorts them to create the song’s own unique backdrop. This song is very similar to “Man of Constant Sorrow ([android] w [autism] [phishes] to [network] @ [the city upon a hill]) ([bOyFrIeNd_qUeSt_bEgInS]),” and I think that’s why I like this song so much as well. It perfectly fits within the album’s sound, and it’s extremely catchy. 8/10; if you only listen to one song off this album, I recommend it be this one.

69. “Vampires do not appear in mirrors. In the case of grey vampires — […] — this means both that they cannot recognise themselves as vampires and that their existence is entirely dependent upon the attention of the Other.”

Short intermission of water flowing and the a cappella of “Nobody but the Baby”. Works decently well as its own transition and sets up the next track nicely; 4/10.

70. “If I Needed You ([siren] w [petulant borderline personality disorder] [blackmails] to [motivate] @ [the benefit concert]) ([mY_InTeRn_nEeDs_mE_AnD_I_NeEd_hEr])”

I imagine this song to feel tangibly unpolished, like holding a piece of pumice or a nail file. There’s so many sharper samples here, which sound smaller and take up less headroom, and then whoever produced this part added a staggering amount of them. Aside from this, it doesn’t have any special arrangements, so I’ll leave it here with a 7.5/10.

71. “[…] a society that has conjured up such gigantic means of production and of exchange, is like the sorcerer”

Guitar combined with lyrics taken from ‘How Long Is Forever.’ Pleasant; a 5/10 transition.

72. “who is no longer able to control the powers of the nether world whom folx has called up by their spells.”

Starting with piano, guitar, and bird calls. The vocals here are from My Little Pony again, and stay as such when the song plunges into a massive soundscape, arpeggiating synthesizers and other pieces bedazzling the listener. The song ends with a rough fade out, simplifying the last bit into something more digestible, and then breaking it further until nothing remains. 6/10, I really like the ending here, along with the rest of the song.

73. “Leaving on a Jetplane ([fate] w [complex post-traumatic stress disorder] [corrupts] to [uphold] @ [the trauma centre]) ([f***_KiDs_tHeSe_dAyS_ArE_UnGrAtEfUl])”

I can’t identify the main instrument in this song: it sounds like an accordion but without manually putting air through it. The song starts with a slightly awkward solo, and when layers are added, the beginning instrument is revealed to be a harmony to the main melody. 8/10; the progression here is impeccable, and it also feels longer than some of the other tracks here in a good way.

74. “The re-staging of the death is less an admission of ethical responsibility than an attempt to own it, to make sense of it. Such is the logic of trauma.”

This transition sounds like one of those unrealistic stabbing sounds you hear in action movies, now in isolation. 1/10, at least it bleeds into the next entry.

75. “The Last Thing on My Mind ([ouroboros] w [secondary post-traumatic stress disorder] [perjures] to [reorient] @ [the experimental psychiatric clinic]) ([mAn_i_ReGrEt_wHaT_I_DiD_To_tHaT_KiD] [her accusations are true but im not goin”

Violin, vocals, and a guitar act as the main trifecta here in this track, along with a glockenspiel on the side. I mainly remember this song for the lyric “I could’ve loved you better” repeated over and over throughout the song. It’s a 6.5/10, and one I don’t have much to say from a uniqueness standpoint.

76. “Self-contempt is a serpent that ever gnaws at folx’s breast, sucking the life-blood from folx’s own heart and mixing it with the poison of misanthropy and despair.”

The first half is an electric guitar combined with a sample from ‘Inside Llewyn Davis,’ while the second is the same guitar combined with synths, and another My Little Pony sample edited to replace all names with “folx,” the name of this album. It works well as a transition; I’m glad this one wasn’t cut up into a billion parts like some of the early transitions in this album. 6/10: memorable.

77. “Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right ([hydra] w [narcissistic personality disorder] [betrays] to [satisfy] @ [the restorative justice zone]) ([gOnNa_mAkE_It_wOrK_WiTh_hEr_!!])”

The best song on the album thus far. I give it an 8.5/10 due to its length, complexity, and overall vibe—it has so many layers and feels impenetrable at parts because so much is all happening at once. Upon first listen, this song gave me a headache as I was trying to get the most out of my first listening experience. Maximalism at it’s finest.

78. “Semio-capitalism is more like confronting the mythical hydra[…] cut off one head and three more grow in its place, […]”

Sound of a coin getting put into an arcade machine. 1/10.

79. “The good old days of exploitation, […] meant the annihilation of subjectivity, your reduction to an impersonal machine-part; […] Now, there is no time away from work, and work is not opposed to subjectivity.”

The aforementioned sound continued. 0.5/10, just put it into the same entry as “Semio-capitalism is more like confronting the mythical hydra[…] cut off one head and three more grow in its place, […]”, please.

80. “Moonshadow ([horseman of the apocalypse] w [gambling addiction] [misappropriates] to [restructure] @ [the private equity firm]) ([aCtUaLlY_GoNnA_MaKe_iT_WoRk_wItH_HiM_!!])”

A catchy end to this part of the album review, being a well-crafted song full of bits and pieces you’d only hear from a maximalist creator. It’s chock full of so many samples and bits that I can’t summarize succinctly. 7.5/10, definitely worth a listen!