Labels: Fat Possum
Review by: Andy Malcolm
Beaten Awake is pretty much how I would design an indie rock band, if handed the component parts, a few rudimentary tools and no manual. Two songs of melancholy, bummed out, coasting music. The sound of life. This is a follow up to the excellent CD that came out a while back, and hopefully a hint that there is another album in the works. “Coming Home” kicks off with a little more of an electronic flavour than most of the tracks on “Let’s Get Simplified”, but adds layers as it goes along, getting noisier and more ragged. I particularly am enthused about the warm and welcoming rhythm of this band. The flip is “Open Mind”, which also starts off with electronics, a lovely droney hum that eventually cedes the forefront to the vocals and awesome ringing guitars. It all then washes into this massive bass that sets the scene for a killer track, all rolling back and forth in a haze of alcohol. And I would have pounded my fist into the palm of my hand and demanded that THIS is how the song shall be be written if Beaten Awake had said “Hey Andy, we are going to write something for you, give us some ideas!”
Basically if you are into music made by dudes such as the Wrens, then you ought to pick this up. Special.