Labels: self released
Review by: Andy Malcolm
It’s pleasing to get something for review that is completely shorn of promo bumf. Just a CD. In it’s actual artwork. For me to figure out if I like or not, without being told how it is the fucking best thing I have ever heard in my life. Pistols at Dawn are perhaps not exactly targeted at your Collective Zine audience, but this is some pretty solid “alternative” rock, which could also come under the classification grunge if you’re after a simple labelling. Supposedly there is a grunge revival right now, but I am never going to shirk from listening to any of the grungey emo output of a label like Goldenrod, I love Ordination of Aaron and I have only just discovered that Hum were pretty awesome. Not that Pistols of Dawn lurch towards that side of the sound that often, although the first 90 seconds of “Barn Owl” is damn sweet until it gets fascinated with post rock epicity. For the most part this is fairly clean (probably the last thing a grunge band wants to be told, but yeah, this could stand to be a fair bit scruffier) stuff and every now and again they get their head banging riffs on to show that they have a healthy appreciation of Queens of the Stone Age. Plus those previously mentioned, heavily FX-ed up post rock parts. Could have done without those bits. Overall though, basically, this is old fashioned, solid guitar rock with decent tunes and riffs and minimal pretension. Apart from those… (you get where I am going here)
I appreciate this, even if it is not my usual cup of tea. Keep ploughing on, Pistols at Dawn.