Labels: Condominium
Review by: Alex Deller
Not entirely sure why, but I kinda veered away from checking out Condominium in the past. Doesn’t make much sense considering I generally enjoy the stuff on the labels they appeared on “” Fashionable Idiots and Deer Healer “” but for whatever reason I just cocked them a snook. My loss maybe, on the basis of their debut LP: a stumpy, ugly little thing that nevertheless packs plenty into its brief duration. Everything is loud, crisp and perfectly-rounded: each song a terrible universe unto itself which nevertheless interlocks neatly with the other similarly compartmentalised elements around it and fits beautifully with the bare Alphaville-esque aesthetic of the album sleeve. The first thing you’ll notice is the same snaggly, aggro hardcore that has been oh-so-prevalent over the past few years, but alongside the inevitable Black Flag comparisons I hear ‘Pink Flag’-era Wire (maybe just in the full, punchy sound and the band’s ability to get their terse point across with deceptive minimalism…) and the drooling, dissonant clump of Hammerhead. Peppered in here and there are grating string interludes and other such experimental moments that work well enough but are at their best when drawn into the songs themselves (as on the excellent ‘Under Glass’) rather than allowed to remain the main focal point. All in all, I’d say this is a pretty excellent and individual release “” now it’s time for me to get over what a dick I was and try to find all the 7″s I missed out on first time around…