Labels: Zum
Review by: Nadia Almashoor
An excellent offering from this Tasmanian trio. (Tasmania is in Australia by the way.) I’m really glad that I didn’t miss out on themwhen they were on Melbourne shores and it seems that the show Iattended was one of the lasts. I just stood there, awestrucked, mouthgaping wide. My brain yelling “Oh Good Lord!!! Where the hell have Ibeen?” The energy and heavenly vocals of guitarist Tim Evans, theinterrupted screams of bassist Alex Pope and the hypnotic drumming ofMonika Fikerle. She sure brings the house down! All this proven in the2 songs here. When I first heard it, I thought the recording was awfulbut now I realize it’s way beyond perfect. It brings out the exact”lo-fi” feel. One of my friends once explained to me : “…lo-fi iswhen u record in an ‘expensive’ studio and distorted duringmastering…” Indeed.
Side A features ‘Word As A Weapon’. The moment the guitar riffs startrolling in, and the drums start pounding, ya know for certain thatthis is is gonna rock. I can’t seem to find a comparison for them.Perhaps, early Unwound. (another band not to be missed) But the scoutsare in a genre of their own. And the lyrics. Oh gosh. Their lyrics….Pierces through my heart. Stabbing it again and again and again….Side B thunders along with ‘Destroy Your Local MacDonald’s’. Aboutcapitalism and the seed for greed. A tremendous roller coaster ride ofa track that I wish lasted forever.
And Evans echoing insane…in sane..in..say..ane….