Labels: ape must not kill ape – PurePainSugar – too cool to dance
Review by: Andy Malcolm
This is quite a mature LP. It seems weird saying that about a bunch of boys barely out of school and short trousers, but you don’t hear many albums that are as tightly bound as this, a ball of mad energy that at times just rolls to a halt and becomes introspective and thoughtful.
Mind you, we do have to wade through a few minutes of self indulgence before we get to the res. Could have done without the instrumental intro, and the goofing around, but finally the band get their arses into gear and tear into “Exemplify”, a mix of well brought up lads talking, shouting, and squealing their guitars violently, a clever blend of Assfactor4 brutality and Minutemen quirkiness. These are the styles you’ll notice in a lot of the music here, the urgent blitz that all of a sudden unwinds into a little jazzy or softer moment. The flipside of the record features the calmer aspects of the band, where WPW draw on brooding, twinkly guitars to superb effect, necromancing the corpse of the Van Pelt. An entire LP of this style would not go amiss.
Absolute monumental moment is Plug, which has the perfect guitar sound. Bass burbles, guitars surge, vocals are yelped and it all sounds like Native Nod covering Cap’n Jazz. Pinpoint perfection, the band may never write a better song, but to be honest, they probably will.
Having come so far in a short space of time (refer back to reviews on here of a band called Snowman), it is impressive that the band burns brightly and steadily. They already have a European tour under their belts, they show no signs of splitting up, and this first LP points at ever shinier things to come.
One of those records that may not get the recognition it deserves right now, but some day will. I wish I had had a hand in releasing this shit.