I stumbled on these guys a couple days ago while surfing through some old Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds videos on youTube. The band name immediately caught my attention. Any group who YouTube thinks is related to old-school Nick Cave and who so baldly reference one of my favorite Jim Thompson novels is at least worth a listen.
The album title gave me pause, though. Seemed a little on-the-nose. At best, I figured, they'd be some sort of novelty Misfits knockoff. At worst, they'd be Goth.
What they actually are, to my surprise and pleasure, is a pretty decent punk-influenced indie rock band with shades of mid-80s Krautrock drone, a liberal dose of Big Black-style sonic dissonance, all with just a pinch of early Hüsker Dü. And yes, there's definitely some Your Funeral, My Trial-era Nick Cave in there as well.
I haven't been able to find out too much about these guys. Apparently they're from New York. The end.
This is definitely not going to be for everybody. The opening lyric is "Two dogs fucking..." While that brought a smile to my face, it also fairly accurately describes the tone of the album. The drums and bass clank and churn along with all the propulsiveness of an ill-maintained diesel engine, while the guitars scratch away at your eardrums like the proverbial fingernails on a chalkboard. Meanwhile, vocalist Chris Bug sort of sing-shouts like a bored Meantime-era Paige Hamilton.
Sure, it's all a little monotonous. Monotonous the way a series of punches to the testicles is monotonous.
The standout tracks -- the above-linked "Bodies in the Dunes" and the album-opening "Burn the Worm" -- come early in the proceedings. Unsurprisingly, things sort of run out of steam halfway through. But it's a short record so I never really got bored with it.
If this doesn't really sound like your cup of tea, then by all means stay away. But if you, like me, occasionally seek out music that stirs your bowels as much as it does your heart, then you might want to give it a listen.
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