Fixion – with Marble Index at the Rat – Review

Fixion

with Marble Index at the Rat
by Gurney Halleck

Harnessing one’s life force energy is no small task. Pushing it through any given instrument in a manner pleasing to the human ear takes even more skill. But to use that eternal soul energy to get a room full of humans motivated requires more skill than most simian musicians possess.

Austin, Texas’ Marble Index‘s sound is dissonant and moody, it’s ghostly texture augmented by the very enthusiastic, very tribal drumming of Brian Noel. Bassist Tim Taylor grounds the sound, bridging the gap between the pulse-beat percussion and singer/guitarist Olivia Block’s silky whisper. Block is a locked and loaded front person, possessing an intensely sedate stage presence that is enhanced by her cool beauty. They say that the simple things are the most profound, and Marble Index prove this.

Fledgling local act Fixion also moved the room marvelously and mercilessly within the Rat’s nicotine-polluted confines. Though certainly inspired by bands such as Ministry and Nine Inch Nails, Fixion features a more organic component in the form of guitarist Joe Carnabucci, bassist Jeff Crocker, and drummer Nur Andrews. While all hands report directly to überkid Eric Lee’s click tracks and manually triggered samples, Carnabucci, Crocker, and Andrews feed off the electronic anticipation and tension, plugging all that aforementioned soul of energy into the final product that is Fixion’s technorganic sound. Up front, Greg Weber establishes interface with the mammalian audience, his Trent Reznor-ish screams and undulations jibing a voice to the well-composed catharsis bleeding out of each musician. There’s a rawness to these aspiring local boys which they will hopefully retain after the Porsches have been purchased. Anger broils off of Fixion like vapor from a cup of Dr. Jeckyl’s Mr. Hyde juice. Carnabucci’s spectral, Prong-like guitarwork keeps the tunes out of the pure industrial category, while Lee’s electronic input keeps them from sounding like the impending heavy metal revival. With passion as their primary fuel source, Fixion will make their success a fact.