Playful, rapturous and hauntingly beautiful

While 25 tracks may be a lot to handle, The Fucking Champs, on the 25th-anniversary reissue of their self-proclaimed magnum opus, III is a run-through of inspiration that bleeds into the musicality of more modern acts. 

Opening with “Andres Segovia Interests Me,” the first of two songs whose title references the revered Spanish guitarist, a whining, distorted electric guitar harbored by Tim Green, takes the reigns. From there, Green’s guitar runs alongside drummer Tim Soete who mostly sticks to cymbals and light toms as Green constantly plays as a pacemaker, starting and stopping at will. 

III and the band itself are easily set apart by their use of only instrumentals for most of their songs. Only few of the tracks contain lyricism and mostly rely on the band’s musicality to pull them through. Yet, it’s that simplicity that makes it an enjoyable listening experience. With no words to focus on or decipher the meaning of, The Fucking Champs lace their songs with an unexplainable nostalgia. On “Sad Segovia,” many analog synths drive the track. At first, the sadness is notable through the minor chords and long-held notes, but halfway through, rapturous beat bursts through accompanied by drum machine bass, sending the track into a hyperspace adventure rather than a galactic funeral. 

The record has a playful nature as it bounces back and forth between the Rush and Van Halen-like guitar musings and the futuristic synths. But the two also combine in a few tracks, such as “Now Is The Winter of Our Discoteque.”

A driving, danceable drum machine is the signature of this track as it grooves all the way to the end. While laser synths flash in and out of earshot, Green’s wailing guitar riffs feel like a call to adventure that the track eventually accepts as screeching synths force out the guitar completely before fading into the distance. 

To keep things interesting, The Fucking Champs lean into a couple of different instruments such as the haunting piano ballad that is “Some Swords Reprise,” the sequel to the rapturous single “Some Swords,” one of the only tracks to feature vocals. A later track features the violin in its own haunting way. 

“On Seas of Sorrow Sail Death’s Ships” is the album’s highlight. The incoming synths perfectly replicate a solemn journey; crescendos and decrescendos move as steady as the sea they come from. Light violin and creepy synth over top help seal this track’s fate and bring a chill when played out loud.

Overall, III is both a haunting and beautiful masterpiece that solidifies The Fucking Champs’ legacy as an experimental group, even 25 years from its inception. It’s truly a long instrumental album that journeys rather than falls off, even in it’s closing moments.