:: theory of ruin ::
Having spent a few years not even picking up a guitar, Alex finally returned to making music in 1999 when he formed Theory of Ruin in San Francisco, with Ches Smith (drums) and Ian Billet (bass). Their first release, a 7" on Elastic Records, was big on the bass, with a noisy, scratchy guitar. It sounded like it had been recorded in some basement, and was brilliant. Ian Billet was soon replaced by David Link, and in 2002, they recorded Counter-Culture Nosebleed, a very short, but memorable album, filled with ideas and sounds that would surprise many a FT fan who had come to expect a certain thing from Alex.
For a start there was the nervous, anxious sound of Alex's vocals, a twisted frustration that fuses with the angular guitar and jazzy drumming. Gone was the quite, buried in the mix vocal sound of FT, when you struggled to hear him, now they were right up there, clear as day and more powerful as a result. This band is not Fudge Tunnel. Do not expect it to sound like them.
In 2004, they released Frontline Poster Child, a five track EP which saw them move into more art-punk territory (for want of a better term) with yet more of the hyper-frustrated, tension building vocals and guitar, pushed along by the truly brillant rhythm section. They have toured quite a bit in the US, but have yet to venture further afield. Keep an eye on their website for updates.
