This Product is Fast becoming one of my favorite CDs. Great rock singing with smart lyrics and seductive music make this platter matter. -- Roctober

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Myspace Band of the Week: Fast Product
by Joey Rubin
Tuesday October 10, 2006

I loves me some Farfisa organ. Especially in genres of music where it doesn't seem to be a natural fit. This week's Myspace Band of the Week make good with their use of organ--mainly in that they use it to accent an over-the-top raucousness instead of as a melodic counterpoint.

For Fast Product, a rock band from Chicago, IL, melody isn't so much the interest--though they do incidentally spin some sing-along-able tunes on their freshly minted EP, "Tall Coin" (of which three tunes are available on Myspace.) But nor is organ really the "interest" of Fast Product, though they use it admirably.

The band, fronted by Cyndi Elliott, seems to mostly offer energy in the form of driving, hard-edged rock tunes. Behind her sometimes wailing, sometimes tuneful voice (which is equally powerful in both registers), is the angular guitar-work of Greg Hamilton stacked on top of the jumpy drum beats of John Roeser. Together, they emit a sonic analogy to the gusto of an air conditioning unit falling out of a 20th story window (bear with me, OK?). They have a beautiful potential for disarray, for anger expressed in concise, deep strokes, for loud noise that you still want to hear even though it hurts. And when they hit the ground (er, down beat), you won't want to get out of the way, you'll want to stand back and watch (and listen) in awe.

The highlight of their Myspace page is the snide "Don't Remember Law School," which begins with foreboding quiet and climbs into the disarray Fast Product does best. When Cyndi shouts "Goddamn lawyers taking over/ gonna call up everyone did you wrong," it's enough to make you glad you never took the bar exam. Unless of course you have, in which case you should probably give it a listen in hopes of repentance.

If Myspace is any indication, I have a feeling Fast Product are the kind of band for which live shows were originally dreamed up. Unfortunately (for me), they play those shows in Chicago--fortunately, they're rocking Myspace; give a listen so you can say you knew them when.

-- Joey Rubin for the about.com music guide

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Jarring and somewhat disorienting because of their pounding Farfisa organ and punky, spiky guitar blasts, Fast Product churn out a hellacious racket on Tall Coin (Semiotic Idiot). "Nicer" is all super-charged syncopated blasts, with Cyndi Elliott's voice sliding smoothly from melodic singing to piercing yelps against the Farfisa and stabbing guitar riffs. There's a vague hint of Fugazi in the guitars of "Don't Remember Law School," which intertwine to create delicious friction. -- Patrick Conlan, Illinois Entertainer

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"The jousting guitars on tunes like "The Time We Killed" and "Xenophobia" make a satisfying clatter, like when you shake the shit out of a can of spray paint."
--J. Niimi, Chicago Reader

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"I never thanked you for sending me the Fast Product EP. I like it! Some of it sounds like a band I really love called Life Without Buildings... They're a bit more like a female-fronted Fall than y'all, but there are similarities."
--Matthew Fritch, Senior Editor, Magnet Magazine

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"Cyndi, I forgot to tell you that I got the Tall Coin CD last week. Anyway, it sounds great! Very hi-fi. The mix is great--vocals up high, lots of nice texture, etc.! I like the packaging, too. Anyway, Iris's [3 year old daughter] initial review of the track "Nicer" is that it was too "boopy," so take that for what it's worth. Also keep in mind that lately Iris wants to listen only to the Nutcracker Suite or the Cramps...


I've listened to Tall Coin about 6 more times and I had to tell you, I really love it. It's so concise and lovely, although I wish it was about 3 times as long. Really nice songs and great arrangements. That keyboard/guitarist/pedal guy you have is quite the secret weapon. I hope you guys record some more!
-- Matt Ogborn, The Proper Nouns

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"I love the new record. & your voice sounds fantastic on it! You've developed yourself a good little old singing voice."
--John Vernon Forbes, Tijuana Hercules

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"Great pictures. It recalls a day when men waited too long between haircuts and wore it well."
--Lisa Crystal Carver of Suckdog, Rollerderby, Drugs are Nice, etc.

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"I really like "The Time We Killed." My kind of music, definitely.
This CD reminds me of so many bands, but instantly coming to mind are: Pretenders, Sonic Youth, B-52's a little even. Despite 'reminding' me of various bands, it blends up into a unique combination. I love hearing how the 'older' songs have evolved--"Nicer" & "Xenophobia" especially. Although I do also love the live version of "Nicer," which has so much energy to it. I wasn't ever able to make out many words on that live version, but I can on the Tall Coin version. It's nice to know what they are :) . The Soft White Death [4 track demo] version of "Xenophobia" is so beautiful/sad, like snow falling down just before nightfall. It's so totally different from the version on Tall Coin. On Tall Coin, the song is more Sonic-Youthy & seems bad-ass."
--Cyndi Adamo musician + proprieter, So Lo Fi it's No Fi Records