Labels: Running Riot Records
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Now this cd has been sitting in my reviews pile for ages and I really owe Mr. Jon an apology for
being so slack with the review. I promised it before Christmas, but failed miserably. So how about
1 day after Christmas? I meant Christmas 2004 anyway. I think.
Candy Sniper is an English band and I was really surprised when they sent me their demo earlier
this year because it was such an unexpected thing to hear – a band from England that had produced
an emo record done right! There probably hasn’t been an emo LP from these shores since Crescent!
And that is years ago. The Sniper indulge in a tightly wound and rocking brand of emo that kicks
out deft grooves and tight melodies. These, mixed with the great vocals certainly make me think of
Policy of 3, Drive Like Jehu or Shotmaker – especially on the mesmerising opener “Kill Melody”
where things flow out of the brilliant grooves into the pacey parts supremely well. All the songs
tend to be quite lengthy (5 minutes or so), and packed with a lot of intensity and complexity. One
of my favourite parts of the album is the breakdown on “Question 10” before it jumps back up and
gets totally emo with a prominent bassline leading proceedings. Great stuff.
A gripe though: this album is FIFTY MINUTES long. And for a first release, that is way too much,
because the songs get samey after about half an hour. I think they would have done better to filter
out a couple of songs and have made a 30 minute record, because that way things would definitely
stay in the memory more than they do at present. Which is a shame, because there are some really
good songs on here and it is a record that is well worth checking out. Ah well.
Anyway, good stuff despite the fact that it drags by the end. Good to hear a UK band doing
something that is neither boring nor a replica of what is the current trend with our American
friends. Hurrah!