Underground Sound - Failure's Fantastic Planet

By Andy Kuny
Collegian Reporter
November 15, 2006

Some people have never heard of Nirvana— strange, but true. Lots of pop music from the 1990s has been slipping through the cracks of our collective music consciousness throughout the present decade, and “alternative” rock seems to be suffering the most. As I Love the ’80s has taught us, this happens during every decade, but it’s still hard to believe there are folks out there who can’t hum “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” The real shame, however, is that innumerable great musicians weren’t popular to begin with and aren’t going to be getting that way any time soon. Nirvana had their day; Failure, a band constantly compared to them, didn’t.

A three piece, Failure’s final lineup consisted of singer/guitarist Ken Andrews, bassist Greg Edwards and drummer Kelli Scott. Their sound was constantly referred to as “spacey Nirvana,” which is half right. While both bands relied on big hooks and distorted guitars, Failure’s sonic template was much more detailed, often incorporating more intricate guitar work and effects into the mix than their contemporaries.

The group managed to squeak out three albums over the course of the ’90s, and none were better than their swan song, 1996’s Fantastic Planet. The band had faced label trouble for years, and recorded this album knowing it would be their last, a process documented on the band’s posthumous DVD Golden. There was an air of pessimism and defeat during production, and it comes through in each and every one of the album’s 17 tracks. Wonderfully written, performed and recorded, these songs work both as individual units and pieces of a whole––even the instrumental interludes are great––giving Fantastic Planet a cohesiveness unrealized on many rock records.

The theme of heroin addiction permeates Fantastic Planet and is one of the reasons the album holds together so well. Principal songwriters Andrews and Edwards were both using the drug during the recording process and that experience informs nearly all of their lyrics. “Stuck On You,” a minor hit when released as a single, boasts lyrics riddled with double entendres. Songs like “Saturday Savior” and “The Nurse Who Loved Me” fearlessly examine the addict’s mentality; Failure and Alice in Chains are two of the only bands from the ’90s to pull this off successfully, without coming across as desperate or whiney.

The band broke up soon after the release of Fantastic Planet, but its members are still involved in the music industry. Edwards plays guitar in the currently active and excellent band Autolux. Andrews owns his own studio and is currently a producer. Touring guitarist Troy Van Leeuwan went on to work with A Perfect Circle and Queens of the Stone Age. In fact, most people have probably heard Failure through A Perfect Circle, who covered “The Nurse Who Loved Me.”

If you’re a fan of alternative rock in any way, Fantastic Planet is worth digging up. When even the most famous bands of yesteryear are dispensable, there’s bound to be tons of unheard music, and this album simply doesn’t deserve that distinction.

kunya1@lasalle.edu