Labels: self released
Review by: Oli Saunders
This is the demo of the French band Rataxes. It would appear that they are named after King and Lady Rataxes from
the Babar the Elephant cartoon. I never really watched this cartoon to be honest so I’m not sure what else to say on
this matter! I always thought that Babar was a bit like Rupert the Bear but now I think I’m mistaken as they go off
fighting battles apparently.
The demo starts out with a gentle bass introduction and the guitar building up in the background. The drums then
kick in and everything gets going. This is the kind of thing that makes me happy, great jangly guitars in
traditional French emo style. Dual vocals join in shortly after with two of the band members contributing. They
generally take it in turns to shout the lyrics out, but occasionally join in together and there are parts that are
more spoken than shouted. It is not unlike Belle Époque except the vocals are less screamed and the one guitar makes
it a little simpler. It works really well in my opinion and this track impresses me greatly, definitely the standout
on the demo.
The rest of the tracks on the demo continue in the same sort of way. Whilst they don’t grab me as much as the first,
they are still very good. There are four songs in all but the fourth has been split into two parts.
Finally, the case for the demo is actually made of wood! It looks awesome, although it doesn’t actually shut
properly. The demo is self released but I hear that Utarid tapes are going to release a tape version, with the case
for this also made out of wood.
Definitely recommended for fans of French emo or shouted emo in general. Whilst not quite up to the same standards
as the likes of Amanda Woodward and Belle Époque for example, it’s very promising and certainly holds its own for a
demo.
12th October 2008