Otoboke Beaver – ITEKOMA HITS
8.5/10
Best Tracks: akimahenka, What do
you mean you have to talk to me at this late date?, Don’t light my fire
FFO: Melt-Banana, Shonen Knife, Bikini Kill
One of the
joys of reviewing new albums every week is that once in a while you’ll come
across an artist who you haven’t yet heard and just be instantly blown away. With
Otoboke Beaver, this is certainly the case.
ITEKOMA HITS is the second full-length from the Kyoto punks,
and is largely comprised of previously-released material. As someone who has
never heard their music before, though, it’s all new to me - and it’s all
absolutely brilliant. Rattling through 14 songs in 26 minutes, the band don’t
let up from their brand of spasmodic, furiously pitched punk rock for a single
second, and it remains exciting throughout; you never know what’s round the
next corner on this album. Beyond the obvious riot grrrl influence, there are
strong elements of math, experimental, and post-hardcore on ITEKOMA HITS, channelling the likes of
At The Drive-In, Melt-Banana, Circle Jerks, and Tricot, all in one gloriously angry, inherently rebellious melting pot.
Breaking
through the language barrier, the theme which runs through the lyricism of the record concerns
a violent lashing out at the aggravating monotonies of modern life, as well as
specific people, moments, and things that the band’s members deem worthy to
rage at. From the self-explanatory 6 day working week is a pain to firey 16-second
closer ikezu (the lyrics to which are
simply “What time did you say you’d come back today? Mean.”), every track on
the album is fuelled by brilliant, almost condescending anger. It’s reflected in
the vocal rasp of lead singer (Accorinrin), as well as the breakneck, ADHD
instrumentation, and makes for a powerful, cathartic listening experience in
the most fun way imaginable.
With this LP, Otoboke Beaver have firmly established themselves as one of Japan’s
most exciting exports in recent memory. The visceral, unapologetic nature of
their music, inspired by the classics and yet entirely unique, refuses to be
taken for granted. ITEKOMA HITS is my
album of the week.
The Damned Things – High Crimes
7/10
Best Tracks: Cells,
Something Good, Storm Charmer
FFO: Clutch, Black Spiders, Every Time I Die
These days,
“supergroups” in rock and metal are a bit dodgy, or at least never as
spectacular as you’d expect them to be. From Prophets of Rage to Giraffe Tongue
Orchestra, there’s always a level of potential which it seems is near-impossible to reach. The Damned Things, then, are the exception that proves the
rule. Consisting of Joe Trohman and Andy Hurley of Fall Out Boy, Scott Ian of
Anthrax, Dan Andriano of Alkaline Trio, and the incomparable Keith Buckley of
Every Time I Die, the group burst into existence with 2010’s classic-rock-spiked
Ironiclast before quickly returning
to their own individual projects for nine years. After nearly a decade of
studio silence, High Crimes is here.
The question is: does it live up to the wait?
If you’re
looking for a rollicking, sludge-tinged rock n’ roll record, then the answer to
that question is obviously yes, but the band have also taken it upon themselves
to expand their sound a little on this sophomore effort. Alongside the huge
choruses and sleazy guitar licks you would expect from the group (most
effectively done on a song like Cells),
The Damned Things aren’t afraid of a few risks in their use of effects, synths,
and samples this time round. Storm Chaser,
for example, utilises a wobbling keyboard synth in its introduction, as well as
vocal effects and punchy electronic bass on the pre-chorus. At first, these
elements seem pretty out of place, and could even be considered jarring, but
the further into the song you get, the more it starts to make sense – and how
could it not, with a chorus that huge? Unfortunately, not every experiment pays
off; the piano on Let Me Be (Your Girl)
sounds weirdly shoehorned in, and ultimately serves no purpose but to make the
track feel a bit off-kilter.
Still, High Crimes is a rare example of a supergroup properly
showcasing the talents of each of its members (even if to varying degrees).
There’s brilliant guitarwork and drumming from the two Fall Out Boy
instrumentalists (which makes their album from last year even more depressing), but the clear standout across the board is, of course, one of
the greatest vocalists of this generation – Mr. Keith Buckley. It seems at this
point he can do no wrong, exuding genuine rockstar charisma in such a natural
manner that it comes across as second nature for the ETID frontman. His voice
is perfect for the musical canvas: bold, technically confident, and unmistakably
him, with that southern-rock edge lending the album an extra bit of swing.
Whilst it
doesn’t quite manage to captivate all the way through, High Crimes is an enjoyable ride on the whole, and lays claim to a
few singles which will easily stand the test of time. The Damned Things are
still the best rock supergroup of this decade.
Catfish and the Bottlemen – The Balance
4/10
Best Tracks: Longshot,
Fluctuate, Basically
FFO: The Hunna, The Sherlocks, Blossoms
Indie rock,
particularly on our side of the pond, is tough to get right. For every Arctic
Monkeys there are twenty Pigeon Detectives, and while in recent years the scene
seems to championing more interesting bands, the effects of the swathe of shit
indie from the mid 2000s can still be felt, clinging on like an especially
belligerent ghost.
Catfish and
the Bottlemen are a band who, on their 2014 debut, took a lot of influence from
said indie leftovers, and still managed to be original enough to kick up a huge
amount of hype. The Balcony was a
record full of ready-made festival anthems and inescapable hooks, and every
white British kid in their teens was spoilt for choice between it, AM, and The 1975. Catfish struck gold with the album, but their next
effort, The Ride (two years later),
just turned out to be the same kind of thing but worse; plagued by less
memorable songwriting and perhaps one or two standout tracks.
This leads
us to The Balance, which is the aural
equivalent of unseasoned chicken. The Welsh quintet have produced another record
here which effectively utilises the same formula but, again, delivers less in
terms of quality. I’ve listened all the way through it twice now and honestly
couldn’t sing you a single hook from any of the tracks, which isn’t to say any
of them are necessarily bad; just utterly, utterly forgettable. The
musicianship is serviceable, vocalist Van McCann's voice is still easily recognisable, and it’s obvious that they’re not a talentless
group of individuals... but the record doesn’t really inspire hope for a new wave
of great music within their genre.
It’s long
past time for Catfish to reinvent themselves, and The Balance proves it. I understand that this is a pretty
lacklustre review, but it’s important to recognise that groups as lacklustre as
this still hold some decent weight in the current musical zeitgeist. Fortunately,
there’s simply no more room for bands this dull in the modern British rock
landscape, now that hardly a week goes by without a brilliant album from our
island. The bar has been consistently raised, and Catfish and the Bottlemen
can no longer reach it.
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