The title aptly describe the music in the tape. The experimentation is subtle. Usually the songs are straightforward, but sudden tempo changes, high-pitched vocals, weird solos, and weirder lyrics, make this a great collection of highly self-indulgent music. The last track on side A (which I cannot describe---words fail me---it is the ultimate use of noise for music and it's only a minute long) is pure genius.
The title of the album is quite apt, as most people listening to this will not figure out what the aesthetic is. But those who persist, echoing the title in their quest, will find a unique collage of 42 pieces of music (71 minutes worth); unique not just due to the lo-fi nature of the recording or the self-indulgence, but also because the efforts of two fairly different talents with the same punk aesthetic (Farces Wanna Mo and Runaway Weiner Dog) are interspersed together. The PR info I got features an unconditional endorsement by Milo Aukerman (of the Descendents) for the efforts of these groups, and I too think it's great "homegrown" music of this sort is finding its way to the masses. To be honest, I still prefer Subtly Ridiculous, the last album from Farces Wanna Mo, to most of the stuff here (with the exception of Jazz Music, Asian Pride, Come Back to Me). But regardless of what I or others might think, there's no denying that this is art at its purest.
The opening track of this release reminded me of the Beach Boys for some reason, and the second track reminded me of Bobby McFerrin! And then the third song is reminiscent of the Hollies. As a reviewer, I'm sitting and thinking if I'm imagining the connections, or if these guys have unintentionally ripped off riffs and hooks from these aforementioned artists, or whether they're doing it intentionally! The sound here is different from the previous stuff I've heard by them, less lo-fi, and more satiric and narrative. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I heard the two releases simultaneously and I've been sleep-deprived for too long, but this follows seamlessly from Carnage Asada's demo. Comments I've made there apply here as well.
Farces Wanna Mo's Unroyal Nonagons tape definitely bears the mark a true DiY effort. The tape and the insert, even though professional, also have a DiY design feel to them. The production on the tape itself is pretty good. And the music... well, the music is pretty indescribable, containing a combination of spaced-out effects (sometimes played backwards!) but I'm going to try describing it anyway. Farces Wanna Mo have expanded from previous efforts and use a more diverse range of instrument sounds in this release, particularly an organ that sounds cheesy at times but works really well at others! In fact, a lot of the music is reminiscent of what Sigue Sigue Sputnik did initially (and I mean that as a compliment). The music has deviated a bit from the lo-fi approach found in previous albums and has more of a "electronic" feel to it (and I think this is a sign of progress). The cover of Christmas Time by Bob Geldof is hilarous. There's also a cool reference to The Simpsons on this album. This is punk rock for the future.