I know it’s getting difficult to choose a band name in a time when everything good is surely taken but this one is truly taking the Michael! Don’t despair though its all part of the zany and out there nature of this quintet, none of them actually called Michael and even if they may have people looking for them online and accidentally stumbling across the social media page for a certain Mr Bolton or a George (god forbid) hopefully people will discover the music on their debut album and indeed Tell their friends. The interesting thing that drew me to them is they are on the record label of mask wearing nutters Evil Blizzard so comparisons are obviously going to be made and at times are not too wide of the mark. The group contain members of such acts as Notorious Hi Fi Killers, Bad Guys, Princess Headbutt and Lucozade (who obviously escaped a Unilever trademark battle) and as mentioned they are a bit on the nutty side. Let’s dip in…
‘Mario’ gets in a go cart of thick fuzzy stoner bass and trundles out the traps with vocals reminiscent a little of a youthful Ian. Genre convention is not going to be easy here. The drum palette is particularly notable and is even more pronounced on ‘Stabba’s Remorse’ making me have visions of white horses, Rutger Hauer and a thirst for a certain brand of stout. It would be great to slip around on a beer-soaked floor to and is more manic than the slow-burning first number giving the impression the album is still building up and yet to explode. It’s alt-rock with definite groove and stoner parts with errant psychedelia licking at the windows waiting to truly come in. With the musicianship shape-shifting the vocals should not be sold short, cleanly hollering out their maddening twisted lyricism which may make perfect sense or take a lot of head scratching to determine just what on earth this lot are going on about. On the surface themes of greed and the duality of us and them come across on songs like ‘Success’ and even if you don’t tackle that side of things it’s the album’s most immediate and catchy number guaranteed to have you bouncing like a loon. Yep the Blizzard factor is among the mania as are long forgotten masked maniacs like Poisoned Electrick Head and newer contemporaries such as Pigs X7; one listen you are gonna be hooked. A veritable banger. Stealthy by comparison but still damn effective ‘Sole Trader’ continues perhaps narrative wise with some sleazy rawk riffs slowly eased out over a canvas of City life. Well watch the video below and see for yourself. No responsibility claims for head warping though.
Living this for a week or so I have found the songs really latch into your head and refuse to let go. Sure, the fast ones stick out more but the slow ponderous nature of stoned licks accompanying the slower ones such as ‘Machine Stops’ are equally as compulsive as they are out-there and bordering on the edge of insanity and you should also be prepared for gonzoid freak-outs such as ‘The Road.’ Taking us backpacking via ‘Tunisia Through The Eye Of A Camel’ the locals get the hump and us thirsty visitors go in search of a cold one via the arid desert landscape. Having visited myself and been laughingly served an alcohol-free beer there due to their strict laws I can see both sides of this particular ode. One for silly Brits who Carry On Abroad. Rounding it all off with a song which by title makes me smile and think back to the glory days of bands such as Doctor And The Crippens ‘Leaf Blower Massacre’ is a veritable video nasty of a number sounding like Jello Biafra taking up gardening after graceful retirement but still ranting at the world around him.
This is definitely one of those albums that will leave you thinking “well I don’t know what the hell that was all about but I like it” and that’s just what you need occasionally. Consider my friends and hopefully a fair few people more told. Now where’s my rake?
(8/10 Pete Woods)
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