Labels: Jealous Records
Review by: Alex Deller
UK indie rock seems to be going through a real renaissance these days, and typically enough, while any number of bland alsorans get their gormless wares hyped to the rafters, the real treats are to be had by digging a little deeper beneath the surface. Here, then, is The Night Don Benito Saved My Life, the second album from This Ain’t Vegas and a prime example of just how to prove the quality of your wares whilst keeping your soul intact.
Following the trajectory set by their earlier recordings, Don Benito”¦ sees the band sticking firmly to their guns whilst honing the smarts that made us prick up our ears and pay attention in the first place. The music is frantic and tense, bare bones yells n’ hollers wrapping themselves around taut, jabbing guitar lines that could conceivably pass for playful if their aim wasn’t so damn true. Placing the elements may seem relatively simple (Mission of Burma, Spy Versus Spy, Q & Not U in their prime”¦), but whether they’re loosing off tangles of jangling riffs or temporarily holding back with spacious bass-led numbers there’s a restless tension at work, linking band and listener in a way that demands “” and receives “” your unwavering attention throughout. All in all it’s a faultless mix, proving once again that when it comes to indie rock these guys are pretty much without match on this side of the pond.