Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Wait a second. Wait a second! Lets start this cd again and make sure it’s as good as I think it is. Yep, it is.
Reds do 3 superb songs of traditional emo here, and do it brilliantly. I want some vinyl. RIGHT NOW. Quite obviously
these people have a similar taste in music to me because they know how to make emo properly – it’s the kind of
stuff that makes me rock back and forth in my chair like a spazz at 10:45am whilst I am wearing a dressing gown.
Man. Not that many bands I have heard this year could achieve that. Although I am generally not sitting in my
dressing gown at a quarter to eleven as I am supposed to be at work 5 days a week.
“Lost Tapes From The Federal Sessions” guns out of the starting blocks with rolling bass and drums and chiming
guitars, building the tension and with the desperate shouted vocals spilled out over the groove, then the high
pitched backups chip in – and OMG – so good! Very reminiscent of older Twelve Hour Turn, I love the whole pace of
the music – it is not extremely fast, but it rolls along so effortlessly and perfectly in that way Shotmaker
totally nailed. The vocals are just spot on too. Man. After that we get the flailing emo violence of “Do It. Do
It” which ups the speed to “breakneck” yet retains the melody that is essential to this form of music. You can
just see the singer fall to his knees, gripping the microphone and imploring to the ceiling. Spot on, although my
least favourite of the 3 tracks on here. “Dividing Unions” finishes things off by bringing the emo to the max, so
much sobbing, so much sad sad melody dripping from the guitars, emo as fuckery. Yaphet Kotto, Plunger, and a
bunch of other shit. I should also mention that the lyrics on all the tracks are personal / political, no
blubbing about stars and hearts here. Smart.
I feel thoroughly miffed that I have had this CD for a month and forgot to play it until now. Because it is a stunner.
These guys go straight into my top 5 current emo bands!! Seriously. That’s how good it is. MAKE A FULL LENGTH,
YOU BUGGERS.