BEDTIME FOR ROBOTS RETURNS: FILTHY GODS IN THE AGE OF EXQUISITE MACHINES!!!

"I have decided upon a combination of Greek and Roman mythology along with Paganism, the teachings of the Christ figure prior to being watered down and reinterpreted by charlatans, George Carlin's brain droppings, Buddhism, the music of Pink Floyd, the films of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick, and the peaceful vision of MLK, Gandhi, and John Lennon as the basis of my new religion..." Michael Ferentino

Michael Ferentino, whether via eloquent statement or his haunting, musical compositions, doesn't fancy extremes: political or religious. In fact, the artist has always struck me as a pragmatist, based on his reported observations, though he's still a man with a strong, mystical bent. His latest concoction under the Bedtime for Robots heading, Filthy Gods in the Age of Exquisite Machines, reflects his shrewd perspective. 

Because of its sheer scope, Filthy Gods may be the ultimate Bedtime for Robots, which is saying a lot, since there’s never been a minor presentation among Ferentino’s electronic excursions. This new endeavor, however, stands as an epic rebuttal against all those holier-than-thou, phony-baloney, know-it-all bastards who tell us how to think and live; and even more so, those who choose to follow such mainstream gurus, never daring to think or dream for themselves.

The album also implies a fabricated, hollow world that humans have created to imprison themselves (shades of Patrick McGoohan, perhaps?), but through his creation's terse and spacey chords, Ferentino acknowledges a spiteful rejection of the tension and emptiness that such foolhardy existences bring. Hope, therefore, can rise from out despair, or so his music seems to say. 

Filthy's “tension” tracks set forth this notion in an organic and emotional way. One of the most invigorating is "Manchester", which bleeds a snappy, cool atmosphere, but with a underlying tide of creepy menace that warns one that self-imposed slavery is never an ideal thing. Then there's "Serpents", which culls its sweeping vigor from Ferentino's legendary band, Love In Reverse, churning a rich rigidity that counters "Manchester'"s bounce by morphing into an ominous march. In fact, the structure invokes images of Snake Plissken heading once more into dangerous turf to rescue some hapless jerk--hey, maybe me! (Oh, yeah, I'm certain that John Carpenter would give this entry an eager thumbs-up.)

The other "tension" tracks are as darkly influential in their own, specialized fashions, transmitting sounds that are austere, but as hypnotic as any devilish Pied Piper could toot. They include Torquemada the First; Filthy Gods; Sundowning; Magnolia Song; Isotonic World; Forest of Knives; and Poison Garden. 

Coinciding with (and often punctuating) the latter, we're offered the categorized Exquisite Machines selections, which smack of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis", Jean-Luc Godard's "Alphaville", George Orwell's "1984" and Aldous Huxley's "Brave New World", at times all rolled into one. The tracks' mechanical magnetism is simultaneously uneasy, soothing and defiant if one listens to the series in whole. They include Cranesong; Exquisite Machines; Goody Powder; Black Sleep Revisited; Music Thing; Marikoriko; Torquemada the Second; Shattered Isles; and Anatomy 7. 

I believe that some (maybe even most) of us are exquisite machines (artists and dreamers) in our own frustrated ways, striving to exist under the rule of all those filthy pillars of judgment. We possess the flip side of our own ideology, if wise enough not to embrace any one ideology. At the very most and least, we must establish our positions with individualized reason, instead of misguided alignment. Filthy Gods reminds us to forge our own concepts--political and/or religious--by never being political and/or religious in the predictable sense of such terms.

Of course, don't take my word for it. Judge for yourself what Ferentino's compelling compositions convey. No matter what your interpretation, you'll be pleased to have played a part in the revolutionary cause. 

Filthy Gods in the Age of Exquisite Machines can be accessed at ..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tEi3qb7j2BY&feature=youtu.be. In fact, you'll be able to experience Ferentino's visual wonderment, in addition to his audio grandeur, in movie-length form. Man, oh, man, are you ever in for a big-time, psychedelic sneak treat!!! Pure genius all the way!!! Hooray!!!