Labels: coalition
Review by: Mike Whelan
Oil sound like a million bands I never heard because I was too young, and a few I did hear because I was the right age. Led Zeppelin, MC5, The Stooges. These are all just bands I see referenced in reviews written by people a lot older than me. Fugazi, Hot Water Music, Dag Nasty. These are the contemporary rockers Oil are nicking off.
This five-piece from the Netherlands have more energy than they can comfortably cram onto a CD. While the thrust of their sound comes from 70s rock acts, there is enough of a DC/Dischord influence to be noticeable. Oil slip comfortably from dirty hardcore (“Electric Tongue’) to straight forward rock “n’ roll (“Monolith’), and direct Fugazi-ripping (“Scrape’) without ever sounding tired or disjointed. Sometimes it’s difficult to know whether you should be making devil horns with your fingers or, er, doing something else.
This is a good EP, but with only five tracks clocking in at 17 minutes it’s a bit hard to pin down exactly where Oil want to go. An album would be better, but that will have to wait.