One Sorry Blog

The Adventures of Mike
Peeping Tom, Peeping Tom (Epicac Recordings)

By Paul Carnevale

From his oral percussion discharge on Bjork’s Medulla to his outrageous display of carnage with Fantômas, Mike Patton is truly a transformer of style. I’m never sure what to expect when I spy his name listed among the cast of performers on the liner notes of a record. He has a gift for showing up in the most unexpected of places.

Peeping Tom’s self-titled debut opens on stage in the midst of a campy 1960’s British film of the same name, with Patton sitting on the edge of his director’s chair. Following the premise of the movie, scenes of a young voyeuristic filmmaker turned serial killer become fused together in my mind while digging deeper into this accumulation of talent.

Via modern day file-swapping, a wide array of collaborators have joined forces with Patton to inject their musical habits in an effort to make their own unique tracks; soundscapes from Amon Tobin, raps from Kool Keith and nuevo-rhythm from Massive Attack can be found on their respective cuts. The friends took to heart precise direction from Patton and helped to evolve new pop trademarks.

“Mojo” cranks up with the human beat box cadence of Rahzel. Patton admits to being in his own universe when he sings, “It’s my party but I’m waiting for someone to start it / my party, it’s no one but me in the corner.” Take the West coast Hip Hop production from Dan “the Automator” Nakamura, add creepy, taunting vocals from Patton and interlace the turntable effects of Rob Swift, and I’m set for act one.

Patton’s breathy confessions atop the beautiful polyrhythm of Amon Tobin are featured in the hyper-atmospheric “Don’t Even Trip”. Together, this formula produces the album’s closest thing to a single.

Despite being Mike Patton’s most accessible release to date, the debut pushes the limit further with its lyrical content than with its music. The difference between this and other projects with the X-Ecutioners and Tomahawk is that Patton has brought back his hallmark voice from earlier days, delivering with a passionate ravenous range. While the guest list reads like a promotional release, the collection proves to be extremely indefinable.

“Your Neighborhood Spaceman” is a dreamy tale featuring a number of rhythm breaks and beat juggling by Jel and Odd Nosdam. “Celebrity Death Match” spills out with a dirty garage feel, but still manages to reference The Godfather, Dirk Diggler and Beyoncé. Still another highlight worth waiting for is “How U Feelin’?”, which references the high-gloss rock star lifestyle.

In the chorus of “We’re Not Alone,” (a remix of the song featured on Dub Trio’s own album,) I’m finally reminded of what Faith No More sounded like, yet I realize that there’s no going back for Patton. I don’t know what he’ll do next, but I’ll be one of the first to find out.

Editor’s note: Were you hip to Peeping Tom before Paul Carnevale reviewed it in Live from the Analog Playground? Does this review make you want to check out the album, or is it a crock? Let Paul Carnevale know what you think, or what you’d like to see reviewed in the future, by leaving a comment.