"A droning ambiance that defies words"By Chad Radford - CREATIVE LOAFING ATL Atonal, experimental, low-fi, avant-garde, noise, and drone: Any one of these words could be used to describe the sound palette from which Italian guitarist Filomena Rubino creates the textures and tones found throughout Sucker Mule's Dreadful Murder, the second LP she's released under the name Fe Early recordings by Glenn Branca, Throbbing Gristle, Lydia Lunch, Swans, and Sonic Youth, particularly the latter's SYR series of free improv collaborations, are musical touchstones for Rubino's abrasive guitar treatments. She uses a dildo on her guitar's pickup to generate those staccato rhythms. But whereas her influences temper their noisy indulgences with traditional alt rock and punk songwriting, Fe On the album's A-side, "Pagan Revelry" lurches to life with a jump cut into a simmering visceral experience already in progress. The song's emergence is enough to catch even the casual listener off guard. The presence of vague musical structures guides the music on its journey into the depths of unbridled experimentation. There's a genuine sense that the subconscious mind is driving songs such as "Manìa," "Uthero Vitreous," and "Furtive Madman." Each one takes a cue from the album's opening number, providing context for an uneasy tension that continues to simmer, bubble, and churn.As the album's trajectory reveals itself it becomes clear that the payoff won't come as a booming climax, but in the music's subtle and creeping crawl toward the end. The slowly grinding momentum, and all of the tension that's perpetually building steam, facilitates this journey as the intensity of Rubino's unrestrained imagination continues to manifest itself.If the musical structures felt loose on the A-side, the rules of songwriting are completely thrown out the window when it comes time to flip over the record.The album's B-side features two tracks, "Slaughterhouse Overdose" and "Verme 1." The latter is broken down into three distinct bouts of unfettered improvisation: "It Grovels," "It Trudges," and "It's Over." It's the grand finale that brings the album to a close right where it all started.Even though this is a relatively early release for Rubino, Sucker Mule's Dreadful Murder builds on an evolved set of textures and moods. It's a powerful thing to watch as this composer so naturally embraces the energy of her own inner music. Capturing these sound in the grooves of a record is an act of focused creation, one that defies simple words.STOMP AND STAMMER MAGAZINE As FeSo don’t be misled by my classification of FeOf course, all of this generic classification and reclassification is the talk of music nerds. And, baby, I’m one too. I digress.Whether or not what you’ll hear on FeThe album’s six tracks more as affect than as sonic discourses unto themselves. The lyrics are buried among layer upon layer of dissonance, one among many elements among a multilayered collage of feedback that connotes dread, alienation, fear, or some kind of nastiness. This is to say that “Sucker Mule’s Dreadful Murder” is something you’ll feel – but won’t be able to put into words. (Hence, the challenge of writing this review.) FeYes Rubino creates noise. The thing is, the noises she creates aren’t the result of some happy accident. Sure, there’s probably an element or two of happenstance among her architecture of drones. But for the most part Rubino is in total control. This woman really knows how to torture a guitar. And as we all know, a harsh mistress can lead the willing servant along a pathway to untold pleasures. Feby John Sewell