BIO
Who is F8TLSTK?
He is another. Apart. The other.
Is Joe Jackson of the hills of Northern California. By way of San Francisco. By way of Boston. By way of New York City. By way of Texarkana.
Is the manifestation of amorphy. Is adaptation. Is transcience.
Is Joe Rainbow, the former frontman of the Destroyed, Boston’s first true punk band. Who opened for J. Geils Band, to 12,000 fans.
Is an absorber. Is a node. A retainer of extraordinary tales.
Is the recipient of Danny Fields’s advocacy; Fields the discoverer of the Doors, Stooges, more.
Is a protector. A keeper. Is the destruction of precepts.
Is the ex-leader of San Francisco’s overlooked band, the High Hitters. Who played with the Ramones in ‘83 at the legendary Keystone.
Is a painter. A botanist. A father.
Is the new electronica project of J.D. Jackson. He has four albums worth of loud, infectious, beatific music.
Who is F8TLSTK?
There are volumes.
Reviews
F8TLSTK - Above and Beyond by Kevin Wierzbicki
Previously known as Joe Rainbow while he was in the Boston band the Destroyed, F8TLSTK is the latest stage name from J.D. Jackson. The Destroyed were a punk band and their time was more than 40-years ago (not counting a brief reunion last decade) but some punk ethos survives to show up here as opening cut "Above and Beyond," at heart a synth cut, is swathed in heavy noise that at first seems unlistenable. But given a moment patterns in the noise emerge, F8TLSTK chants "changes" under the discord, and the song ultimately ends with the noise having dissipated. The result is that the listener, thinking "what just happened," has a desire to spin the cut again. The rest of the album is similarly full of intriguing surprise; "Lovequake" begins as a peppy synth love song but about half of the vocals are distorted metal-style, perhaps indicating the good and bad faces of a love relationship, while "Moscow" gurgles along with a dance-oriented electronica beat with F8TLSTK delivering his vocals matter-of-factly. "I'm Not Food" is Gary Numan-esque, the title cut is psycho beat about a professor who commits suicide (that's the "fatalistic" referred to here) and "Syntastic" is a cool synth groove where F8TLSTK plays it more or less straight, eschewing most of the effects that permeate much of the release. This record won't be for everyone but those who "get it" will recognize a real treat here.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
F8TLSTK - OBSESSION by Kevin Wierzbicki
Fans will notice on this album's opening track "Open Up," where F8TLSTK speaks the intro that he sounds a lot like Iggy Pop. With a poppier sound than Iggy though, the cut rocks with only a hint of punk. F8TLSTK is a one-man band, working here with guitar, keys and drums in lo-fi and with incredibly catchy hooks on songs like "Cherry Pop," the New Wave-ish "First is Last" and the funky "Shiny Pearl." "Under a Hex" is a bit of a departure where the instruments purposely are at odds with each other; though not done in a T. Rex style, the song serves as an outre homage to that band. The title cut is super danceable as is the disco era-referencing "I'm Fine" while "Hemophiliac" is again Iggy-esque, if Iggy were into electronic dance music. This entirely self-composed set closes with the effects-laden "Beast of Babylon;" it is, if you will, F8TLSTK gone dub.