Foot and Mouth Disease is the work of Lawrence J. Patti, who hails from Rochester NY and describes his music as “mangled electronic splatter.” Other than that, I couldn’t find a lot on this project, so let’s dive right into this release. First off, this does not seem that mangled, nor does it seem splattered. Disc one is nicely composed electronics, however. Overall, it resists a consistent style, but it lives up to the evocative title, as each track serves as a slice of life. If there is one thing tying disc one together, it is an emphasis on bass. “Nows 2” features heavy bass with warbling synth tones. “Nows 3” is low bass with distorted bass percussion. “Nows 4” is a wonderfully melancholy track that has quiet, plodding drums over a slow synth line. “Nows 7” begins with heavy dark ambient bass along the lines of Lustmord’s “Heresy” before ending abruptly and switching to a short bass-driven composition. “Nows 5” buzzes along with some overlapping drones and percussion that would be quite at home on a soundtrack. Disc 2 switches gears somewhat, as “Grand Jester 10” brings out the whimsical side of life with analog synth lines that fall over themselves like a slinky down a staircase. If “The Smile 9” is meant to evoke a smile, it’s the nervous smile of someone lost in an unfamiliar town long after the streetlights have gone out and most people have gone to bed. There is a sense of dread embedded in the track that works quite well. “The Smile 10” is a spacey analog track that is reminiscent of 1950’s sci-fi sound effects. This is the sound of the mad scientist’s lab. Along the same lines, “Grand Jester 5” is nothing to laugh about. This is well done analog noise that threatens to dissolve into feedback at any moment but just manages to hold it together, albeit with a healthy dose of distortion functioning as the tie that binds. Finally, “Nows 1” takes a sudden shift with calm guitar strumming over synth drone that is almost peaceful after the rest of the disc, but still maintains a sense of unease. Overall, this was a very nice listen if you like your soundscapes with a bit of an edge to them. This is noisy, but not noise, and manages to be a bit foreboding, but not cheesy. It’s nice to find something with a sense of balance between light and dark. This set weighs in at around 40 minutes.